Four months ago, Gitana Kopanceva opened the doors to Lux Tanning Studio in Glastonbury with five sunbeds, plenty of ambition and a clear idea about the sort of business she wanted to create.

The 29-year-old wanted somewhere with the polished feel expected of a tanning salon, but where the experience was built around people rather than simply selling minutes under the lights.

That distinction matters to Gitana. At Lux Tanning Studio, on Beckery Road, she wants clients to be known, listened to and comfortable enough to ask questions rather than feeling they are simply being moved through an appointment.

"We want clients to be more than customers," she said.

Lux Tanning Studio is a sponsor of Glastonbury Nub News, and we sat down with Gitana to find out what went into building the business, why skincare has become such an important part of it and where she hopes to take the salon next.

Getting the doors open was not a neat overnight success story. Finding the right premises, arranging finance and working through the paperwork all took time, with the Beckery Road unit eventually proving to be "third time lucky" after other potential locations did not work out.

Family, friends and her fiancé, Nathan, all played a major part in getting Lux Tanning Studio off the ground. Gitana said those closest to her helped with everything from the practical work involved in creating the salon to its branding and design, and that support still means a great deal now the business is trading.

The finished salon is deliberately a little luxurious — the clue is in the name. Gold and diamond-inspired touches feature in the branding, but Gitana was equally determined that Lux Tanning Studio should not feel as though it was aimed solely at women.

She estimates around 60 per cent of clients are women and 40 per cent are men, with neutral colours and a unisex feel chosen to make the space welcoming regardless of who walks through the door.

"The main thing is making everyone feel welcome," she said.

That includes parents. Children are welcome inside Lux Tanning Studio — although not on the sunbeds — and Gitana has tried to make visiting easier for mums and dads who have youngsters with them.

There are lollipops, drawing activities and stickers to keep children occupied, as well as milkshakes, meaning parents can fit a short tanning session into family life rather than necessarily having to find childcare first.

For Gitana, herself a mum, it is another example of shaping the business around the reality of her clients' lives.

Inside the tanning rooms, the same thinking appears in the smaller details. Wipes, water, hair ties and deodorant are provided, while eye protection is available and clients are given information about the beds and products before tanning.

Skincare is one of Gitana's particular passions, and Lux Tanning Studio stocks a wide range of lotions for different skin types, budgets and tanning goals.

Options include hypoallergenic products and different scents, with Gitana keen that clients understand what they are using rather than simply choosing something from a shelf because the bottle looks appealing.

A significant amount of time goes into individual consultations, particularly for somebody who has not used a tanning salon before. Skin type, previous tanning experience and what the person hopes to achieve can all form part of that conversation.

The salon currently has five sunbeds - three for lying down in, two for standing up in -, but Gitana already has an eye on the next stage. Her longer-term plan is to expand Lux Tanning Studio to eight beds as demand grows and make fuller use of the available space.

There are wider ambitions too. A spray-tan booth is among the ideas being considered, along with room for complementary beauty treatments and aesthetics in future.

"Slow and steady" is the approach. Gitana wants the business to grow, but she does not want expansion to come at the expense of the personal feel she has worked to establish.

Opening shortly before a particularly sunny summer also gave a tanning salon one fairly obvious competitor.

"It's hard to compete with nature," Gitana said.

But she added that plenty of clients simply do not enjoy spending long periods tanning outdoors.

"Lots of people don't like to tan in the sun," she said. "It takes a lot longer, it's not regulated, you have to deal with insects, humidity and other things like that. A lot of people don't like to get tanlines, either.

"But a sunbed is regulated, there are fans, you are in control of how much IV you are getting. You can relax, listen to your own music and it only takes 10 or 15 minutes out of your day."

Clients at Lux Tanning Studio include people preparing for holidays, weddings and other occasions, alongside regular visitors.

Some clients also discuss tanning in relation to conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne, or boosting their collagen or Vitamin D levels. Others are looking for a glow-up ahead of a big event like a wedding or prom, while others just like the confidence boost a sun-kissed look gives them.

Gift vouchers are another part of the business, allowing customers to load a value for somebody to spend at the salon. Bundles, packages, giveaways and free minutes help to match the treatments to everyone's budget.

And just four months after opening, Lux Tanning Studio already has an early milestone to celebrate.

The business has been named a South West regional finalist in the England Business Awards, with Gitana due to attend the Bristol final on Sunday, 4 October.

For Gitana, that recognition carries extra weight because getting the business this far has been a family effort.

"It means more to me because of my family," she said, adding that friends and relatives had "put their hearts into everything" involved in creating the salon. Her two daughters are among those particularly excited about the award nomination.

Whatever happens at the awards, Gitana already has her sights on the longer term. There are more beds she would like to add, more of the premises she wants to use and more services she would eventually like to introduce.

But the bigger ambition for Lux Tanning Studio is simpler: keeping the atmosphere personal as the business grows.

For Gitana, success means somebody walking through the door, feeling comfortable and leaving knowing they have actually been looked after. Four months in, that client-first approach is the foundation she intends to keep building on.

You can follow Lux Tanning Studio on Facebook and Lux Tanning Studio on Instagram for news, products and salon updates.

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