Common Spray Tan Mishaps: Top Insurance Claims for Spray Tan Specialists

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Offering spray tans is both rewarding and profitable, but knowing the common spray tan accidents that occur in beauty businesses is essential for working safely and sustainably. Allergic reactions, client dissatisfaction, slip-and-fall incidents, and bodily injuries are among the top claims reported by spray tan specialists. By preparing your clients properly, maintaining a safe service space, and securing the right spray tan insurance, beauty pros can confidently provide beautiful results while protecting their business from unexpected risks.

Whether it’s in preparation for a special event or a year-round preference, many people opt for spray tans due to their aesthetic appeal and benefits over traditional tanning methods. Not only are the results of spray tans instant, but they are also safer than sun and UV tanning.

Despite being a safer alternative to tanning, there are still risks associated with spray tans. As a beauty pro, you should be familiar with the top insurance claims linked to spray tans before you offer this service to your clients.

With the right preparation, you can protect yourself, your clients, and your beauty business, offering spray tanning and sunless tanning services in the safest manner possible.

Top Insurance Claims for Spray Tan Specialists

Allergic Reactions

While most of your clients can enjoy the benefits of spray tans without concern, there is always the possibility of an allergic reaction.

This is simply because spray tans rely on chemicals to achieve your client’s desired look, and not everyone responds the same to these chemicals.

Some of the most common allergic reactions associated with spray tans include:

• Eye discomfort
• Skin irritation
• Rashes
• Dry skin

The majority of your clients will not experience any negative side effects, but it is important to understand that there is an inherent risk of allergic reactions and to prepare accordingly.

This includes investing in spray tan insurance, testing your spray tan products before using them, properly preparing your client’s skin before applying the chemicals, ensuring that the area is ventilated properly, educating your client about spray tan aftercare, and taking any other necessary precautions depending on your client’s unique needs and known allergies.

Unhappy Clients

Try as you might to help every client leave your beauty business completely satisfied with their experience and results, not everyone is easy to please. Even if the work you do is top-notch and exceeds the expectations you set, some people simply will not be happy. This leads to another one of the top insurance claims faced by spray tan specialists: dissatisfaction with the service you provided.

In many cases, unhappy customers are a result of mistakes on your part, product failures, or poor aftercare. Some common examples include:

• unevenness from product failures
• streaks from lack of aftercare instructions 
• splotches from client failing to follow aftercare instructions
• orange coloration from poor application technique

Most of these issues are easily resolved through a return visit to your salon. There, you can talk through concerns, address any problems, and help your client leave happy.

However, this approach won’t work for every client, especially those who feel as though they have suffered emotionally, professionally, or otherwise as a result of their spray tan outcome. Situations such as these tend to occur when your client has an important event after their appointment. From job interviews and professional engagements to wedding parties and photoshoots, they view their spray tan as a damaging aspect of their experience.

Investing in spray tan insurance that protects you from claims associated with unhappy clients can protect you from the financial fallout and reputational damage that may accompany dissatisfaction.

Slip-and-Fall Accidents

There are certain risks associated with spray tans as a service, but they are not the only things to be concerned about. Among the top insurance claims related to spray tans are slip-and-fall accidents.

These incidents, and the injuries that may result, are not necessarily your fault. In other words, they are not caused by the service you are providing or any kind of malpractice; rather, they are accidents that simply occur on the premises of your business.

Claims of this variety tend to involve situations where a client trips on the corner of a loose mat, slips on a patch of spilled product, or otherwise experiences a negative outcome due purely to circumstances. While largely outside of your control, slip-and-fall accidents are something that every beauty pro should be aware of!

"The majority of your clients will not experience any negative side effects, but it is important to understand that there is an inherent risk of allergic reactions and prepare accordingly."

Bodily Injury

Many of the top insurance claims we’ve already discussed include some form of injury, making them all relevant to the overarching claim of bodily injury. From tanning solution getting into a client’s eye and causing irritation (or worse) to someone tripping over an electrical cord, personal injuries can occur at any time and from practically any source.

Doing your best to limit the possibility of such accidents is essential. Take the necessary safety precautions when providing spray tan services, keep your shop tidy, clean and sanitize properly, and otherwise prioritize client safety at every turn.

Spray Tan Insurance for Sunless Tanning Specialists

With so many potential claims lurking around seemingly every corner, it is not only important to familiarize yourself with the top insurance claims faced by spray tan specialists, but also invest in insurance that can protect you when things do go wrong.

Look for a spray tan insurance policy that includes professional and general liability insurance, as well as any other additional coverages that may benefit you and your shop. Investing in proper career coverage can protect your finances, preserve your reputation, present a professional image to your customers, and set you up for future success.