Tanning salon employee incentive ideas
A tanning salon's profit comes from three sales at the counter: memberships, lotion and upgrades. Good incentives point staff at exactly those — and are simple enough to explain in one sentence.
Updated September 28, 2026
Start with what you want more of
| Sale | Why it matters | Incentive that fits |
|---|---|---|
| EFT memberships | Recurring revenue that smooths the slow months | Flat bonus per sign-up, or a ranked monthly pool |
| Lotion | High margin; the client often uses it every visit | Product-mix bonus, or a short lotion contest |
| Bed and spray upgrades | More revenue from the same visit | Small per-upgrade bonus, or count toward a personal goal |
| New clients | Next year's members | Bonus when a first-time client returns within a month |
Ideas that work in a tanning salon
Membership pool
A fixed monthly pool split among the top membership sellers — 40/30/20/10 across the top four is common. Your cost is capped, and on a small team it creates a real race. The EFT membership guide works through the numbers and the churn problem.
Product-mix bonus
A flat amount — say $25 — for anyone whose sales are more than 25% product for the month. It rewards recommending lotion to every client rather than one big sale, and a part-timer can win it as easily as a full-timer.
Short lotion contests
A week-long contest on a new or slow-moving lotion, with a prize for the most bottles. Keep it short and occasional so it stays special — see how SPIFFs work and backfire.
A team goal
A shared target for the month with a shared reward — a team lunch, a bonus split evenly. It gives the people unlikely to top the individual board a reason to keep selling.
Non-cash rewards
Free sessions, a premium product, first pick of next month's shifts, a paid afternoon off. Often cheaper than cash for the salon and valued as much by staff.
Keep it fair
- Size goals to each person. A goal based on each person's share of clients keeps part-timers in the race.
- Write it down. One page, signed, before the month starts.
- Show progress during the month. An incentive nobody can see until payday motivates nobody.
- Keep sales private. Show coworkers' earnings and ranks, not their exact sales.
CommissionBoard was built in a tanning salon for exactly this: memberships, product mix and personal goals calculated from your POS and shown on each employee's phone through the day — see how it works. The tanning salon commission guide covers the underlying pay structure.
CommissionBoard turns a POS export into a live commission leaderboard your staff can see on their phones. Get started for $20/month, try the commission calculator or read the other guides.