Stephen Smith had the Planet Beach concept in mind when he passed by a neon sign in front of a defunct uptown New Orleans tanning salon in 1994. The sign said “Electric Beach.†He had been operating healthclubs and gyms for years and understood the value of helping people live healthy lives, but the gym business was limited. He wanted to help people feel better about themselves and needed to think of another, more unique way.
Smith decided to open his first salon and bought the uptown location. Since funds were tight, he could only change one of the words on the sign outside. “Beach†stayed, and he replaced “Electric†with “Planet†to represent the desire to escape to the beach and have an “otherworldly†and relaxing experience.
Notes: I had never been to a tanning salon before but I needed to even out my tan lines. I went to planet beach because it#39;s near my house and I was so pleased with the service! Tiffany was very knowledgeable and the environment was relaxing. I would recommen