Tanning salon treats its customers like family
With everyone longing for a warm getaway this time of year, the folks at Cabana Tan along Randall Road in Crystal Lake want to make sure that if you do escape, you won't burn the first day you're gone.
They're trying to reach out to their customers and teach them about safe tanning -- whether it takes place in the tanning beds or on the beaches of Florida.
"It is our goal to educate the customers on how to be smart tanners," owner Kim Chuipek said. "We want to inform each customer on how to prevent burning by moving at a good pace to prevent over-exposure to the skin."
Chuipek said she's had customers who've been surprised when she teaches them about the right lotions to use and the right way to tan. They say they've never gotten that at another salon.
But Chuipek says that's always part of the package at Cabana Tan. She and her employees treat their customers like another member of the family.
They usually know the name of everyone who walks through their door, either in the Crystal Lake salon, which opened about a year ago, or at the Elgin salon, which has been around for a few years.
Usually, Chuipek said, they'll even remember the customers' cars so that when they pull into the parking lot, they start pulling up their files on the computer so they're ready when they walk through the door.
"The times we do forget their name they look at us and make us guess their name. They give us the first letter of their last name and have us find it in the computer," she said.
"Sometimes when a customer walks in I will say, 'OK, I can't remember your last name, but I know your last name is short -- four letters right?' And they get a kick out of the fact that we remember that."
That close relationship has led to cruises, nights on the town and even shower and wedding invitations to and from their customers.
And, Chuipek said, they want to take care of their relationships with their customers, which is why they teach them about the right way to tan, no matter what.
"We want to make connections and make them feel like this is a relaxing, comfortable place to come to after a long day," she said.
Chuipek welcomes new customers to the Cabana Tan family with a week of free tanning. For details, call (815) 356-7488.
Free fun: If you're getting a little stir crazy this winter, the folks at Home Depot along Randall in Algonquin and South Elgin invite you to try their kids workshops.
On the first Saturday of each month, they offer the free workshop to families, where you'll get a chance to build or put something together for free.
Stop by next week.