has been offering Los Gatos residents a fun place to obtain that much-desired bronze glow for 25 years. The business, owned by Los Gatos resident Ivy Daley, provides UV sunbeds and instant airbrush spray tanning. It also offers total body red light therapy skin rejuvenation. The studio is located in the heart of downtown Los Gatos, at the corner of Main Street and Santa Cruz Avenue, just above Main Street Burgers. The business’ hours of operation are 9:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Fridays; and 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday. It’s closed on Sundays.
Los Gatos Patch: What did you dream of being as a kid?
Ivy Daley: When I was a kid I dreamt of being in the music business and my goal was to someday go to the Grammy Awards. I wrote songs in my head and always tried to think of rhyming words. In my teens, I realized I didn’t want to perform and instead desired to be a sound recording engineer.
Patch: How does your personality play into your business?
Daley: I am definitely a people person. I think if you own a business that deals with servicing customers, you better be. My job is easy because I help people get tan mostly for special occasions, vacations and skin issues and they are always in a good mood when they come in and even more so when they leave.
Patch: At what moment did you decide to open a business?
Daley: I tried indoor tanning for the first time 27 years ago at my future sister-in-law’s new salon before my trip to Australia and liked it. A couple of years later the opportunity to take over Tropic Tan came up and I grabbed it! I was definitely ready for a new adventure and 25 years later I still enjoy it.
Patch: What inspired you?
Daley: My friends and family and boyfriend Mark who is now my husband for 20 years believed in me and told me I could succeed in this relatively new and interesting kind of business if I really put my passion for learning and the love of helping people to work.
Patch: Describe the biggest challenge of owning a business in the Town of Los Gatos?
Daley: I would say that the economy the last couple of years has been a huge challenge. Los Gatos is not exempt from the slowing down of people spending money. Seeing stores come and go especially after so many year is hard for me to see. Fortunately it looks like the economy seems to be turning around again as we’re seeing more people coming into Tropic Tan who are tanning before going on vacation.
Patch: Describe the best thing about owning a business in the town of Los Gatos?
Daley: The best thing is the community feeling of Los Gatos. Support from the business and residential communities both have played an important role to the survival of my salon all these years. Also, since Los Gatos is such a small and quaint town, we get a lot of visitors from around the world including famous musicians who play at the local venues.
Patch: What is one thing you would never change about your business?
Daley: I wouldn’t ever change my positive attitude towards my customers. First impressions are so important for a service oriented business like my tanning salon. If you respect every person that walks through your door, and are attentive to their needs, you immediately build a relationship with them that could last even a lifetime. That’s what makes owning your own business a continued joy!
Patch: What is your business’ greatest asset?
Daley: I think our greatest asset is our customer service. We like to treat everyone that walks through the door with the utmost care and we’re very good at listening to their goals and needs. We try to learn our clients’ first names within the second or third visit and make the effort to make everyone feel at home and comfortable right away.
Patch: What is your favorite spot in town?
Daley: My corner suite in the Lyndon Plaza is my favorite spot. I have an incredible view of the park across Santa Cruz Avenue and the gorgeous hills behind. Christmastime we get to watch the tree lighting and the children’s parade with a birds-eye view. We have a café style patio downstairs with Main St. Burgers and Willow St. Wood-Fired Pizza, so there’s always lots of people eating, laughing and having a good time.
Patch: What’s one thing the community should know about you?
Daley: Good question! As I mentioned before, I am celebrating my 25th anniversary as owner of Tropic Tan and we’re having a customer appreciation open house in March to thank our community for their support all these years. They can “like us” on Facebook (Tropic Tan Tanning Studio, Inc. Los Gatos) or follow us on Twitter (tropictanlgatos) for details. We offer two levels of UV sunbeds, instant airbrush spray tanning and our latest service, a full body UV-free red light therapy(skin rejuvenating/anti-aging) bed. Spring is just around the corner so start your tan now!
