The latest edition to Wollongong's night-time economy isn't a bar, nor a restaurant, and it's not even an entertainment venue. It's LuxERi Tan Salon, and it's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Read more: Illawarra can expect another week of rain from Tuesday The fully-automated tanning salon is a first for NSW. After booking online, customers are given a code to access the salon on Regent Street and can collect a bag of tanning essentials from a specialised vending machine. Then, customers go into one of two rooms where a spray tanning machine completes the process. Owner and founder Toni Pecoski said the concept was ideal for Wollongong because of the large number of shift workers in the region's key industries. The salon is fitted out with a security system to ensure peace of mind and the unique offering is allowed a broad demographic to utilise the services in the two weeks since opening, Ms Pecoski said. "We want to make sure that they feel comfortable when they come in here, and on the flip side to we've got a diverse range of people that come through our door," she said. Growing up in a family of hairdressers, Ms Pecoski decided to pursue environmental health and sustainability, but said LuxERi brought together these two parts of her background. The business uses tanning products made from marine algae and the water used in the process is recycled. The automated, no touch technology that LuxERi has installed means that the product will be different from a tan that is carried out by a person, but Ms Pecoski said it met a demographic previously under-served. "It's not going to be the spray tan that a girl gets for a bride, but it's when you can't get to somewhere but you've got an event on the weekend and you want to look flawless, that's the market." We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
