Tanning Salon to Open At West Coast Video

Candace Braun

As warmer weather approaches, Princeton residents are starting to think about giving their pasty images more of a bronze look. This year, a new place to get that tan will be located right on Nassau Street.

West Coast Video, located next to Wild Oats Market, will be opening Tantopia inside their video store in late April, said Joan Hillman, manager of the Princeton store. The tanning salon will be owned and operated by the same company, but will be viewed as two separate stores in the same facility, she said.

The salon will be located in the right hand corner of the store, with a separate counter and staff.

"This is a way to make more revenue, by having two stores under the same rent, but utilizing space better," said Ms. Hillman.

West Coast Video began moving its videos and DVDs around in January to make way for the salon, and have now almost completed the transition, adding two tanning beds, five tanning booths, and one spray tanning booth.

The video store will still offer the same number of videos and DVDs to rent, said Ms. Hillman.

Several other West Coast Video stores have undergone the same process, including stores in Newtown, Pa., and Philadelphia. Currently the West Coast Video in Lawrenceville is also adding a salon to their facility.

Tantopia will be open seven days a week, and appointments aren't necessary. The cost of tanning will be $11.99 for one session, $49.99 for five sessions, and $99.99 for 15 sessions, which will include two bonus sessions. Student discounts will also be offered.

The tanning salon will have one competitor in town, Princess Nail Salon, on Chambers Street. Princess Nail Salon has one tanning bed, which costs $8 for one session, and one tanning booth, which costs $12 per session.

The next closest tanning salon is Hollywood Tans, located on Nassau Park Boulevard.

Ms. Hillman said she doesn't anticipate parking to be a problem at their store. More visible signs to show where their patrons may park will be added to the parking lot.

"We don't have parking problems normally unless someone parks here and goes somewhere else," she said.

The tanning salon is expected to open in late April, after store permits have gone through.