Dec. 1 is target date for opening of new self-tanning salon
By Per Peterson
Location, location, location. It’s not just a realtor’s model, it means something to Kraig Boese, as well.
Boese is planning to open up a tanning salon called B & K Tan on Dec. 1 in the vacant building at the intersection of 3rd and Morgan streets, across from the library and said Tracy is the ideal place to expand his business.
“I picked Tracy because it’s a town that’s just big enough to handle something like this, and it doesn’t have anything like this,” Boese said. “I like the location. It’s got the power, it’s got LED lighting, good place for signage.”
Boese’s salon will have three lay-down beds and a stand-up one as well. He’s an advocate for tanning beds as a safe alternative to the sun.
“Tanning is actually good for your skin,” he said. “There are benefits of UV rays. It’s huge for Vitamin D, it’s huge for depression. People go there because it makes them feel better. When the sun’s not out — dreary for six days, how do you feel? Our bodies are made to need that. It is dangerous to over-tan, but it’s bad to get too much sun, too. When you regulate your tanning at so many minutes a day, whether it’s in the sun or tanning bed, it’s good for you.”
At B & K — the “B” is for Boese’s wife, Brenda, the “K” for Kraig — clients will gain access to the tanning beds with a card, much like at a fitness club. The card will activate any bed inside. The “medium-pressure” beds are all 12-minute beds.
“If you have fair skin and just want to get some color, I’d probably start you at five, six minutes,” Boese said. “That lets you get acclimated to the bed. When you decide you want to go from that five minutes we set you up to seven, it’s up to you. You fill out a card, and within 48 hours we adjust your minutes.”
For the most part, there will be no staff at B & K Tan, other than a cleaning person. Boese can adjust the beds from a remote location.
“When we first start we’ll have to be in there — for a couple months,” Boese said.
Tanning salons are few and far between in southwest Minnesota, and besides Slayton, the towns that do have one are considerably larger than Tracy. Boese went to high school at Chandler-Lake Wilson, has a tanning salon in Slayton and spends plenty of time at Lake Shetek, so growing his business in Tracy is a no-brainer.
“It’s the kind of business you would see in a bigger town,” Boese said. “You see a lot of this in Sioux Falls, Watertown, Sioux City — to have this in small towns, it’s going to be very convenient. You need stuff like this in small towns.”
Boese worked with the EDA on his project and applauded it for its work and diligence.
“That’s what actually got me over here in the first place,” he said. “This EDA’s awesome. I am highly impressed.”