Tanning salon software runs the back of your shop: it can start your bed timers, track minutes and courses, take payment and hold your bookings. It doesn’t get you found on Google, which is your website’s job. The two work side by side, and buying a better version of one won’t fix a gap in the other.
We run three tanning salons ourselves, and Luxe Glow Studio uses Salon Tracker, so we’re no neutral referee. We don’t sell tills or bed controllers, so there’s no till to flog you at the end of this.
The four jobs it does
Nearly everything on a tanning software sales page falls into one of four jobs.
- Bed timers. The software talks to the box that controls your beds, usually a T-Max or Sigma timer, so reception can send a session from the screen.
- Minutes and courses. It records what each customer has bought and what’s left. This is the bit you can’t afford to lose.
- Booking. Customers book online, or staff use a diary. Plenty of sunbed trade is walk-in, so this matters more for some salons than others.
- Till. It takes payment and sells lotions, and it may handle stock too.
General salon software such as Fresha, Phorest and Timely starts from the diary. If you’ve got appointments and no timers, read our booking systems comparison first.
Side by side
This table only shows what each company’s own page said on 30 October 2026. A blank in their marketing doesn’t prove a feature is missing, so “not stated” means ask them.
| Bed timers | Minutes | Booking | Till | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salon Tracker | T-Max, Sigma | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| Tan-Link | T-Max | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Glossa | T-Max, Sigma | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| UVION | Tracks bed use | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| XTAN | Monitors beds | Yes | In its app | Yes |
Of these pages, only Glossa’s showed a price: £29 or £49 a month, with a custom Enterprise plan. Salon Tracker’s page also mentions fingerprint login for minutes.
XTAN’s details come from Best Sunbeds, which sells it. Other names you’ll see in UK results include ActiveSalon, TanTrack and TanDesk. Each deserves the same questions.
Questions to ask before you switch
Changing the system that holds customer balances is a bit like changing a tyre while the car’s moving. Get these answers in writing first.
- Does it work with the timers on your beds today?
- Can it bring across every customer, with their minutes and courses intact?
- If you leave, can you take that data with you, and in what format?
- Can minutes be used across all your salons, if you’ve got more than one?
- What happens at reception when the internet drops?
- If it uses fingerprints, how are they stored, and what must you tell customers?
- What’s the full cost once card fees, text messages and support are counted?
Show them a real busy Saturday, walk-ins and all. A demo with one tidy booking won’t tell you much.
What your website and app do differently
Your software looks after customers who are already in the door. Your website is for the person who has never heard of you and is searching on a phone. It should show your prices, beds, opening hours and how to find you, then send them to your booking link or your front door.
We build that customer side around the software you already use. We don’t replace your till, your bed controller or your minutes.
If you only need appointments, our Fresha, Treatwell and Booksy comparison sets out what each charges.
At Luxe Glow Studio, our branded app and loyalty pilot runs alongside Salon Tracker, and we’ve set out how that works for Salon Tracker salons. Customers are handed to their own Salon Tracker account for minutes, courses and bookings. Loyalty points come from the salon’s sales reports, through a matching process that staff review. That’s a workflow we’ve proven in one salon, and it isn’t an automatic sync.
How to decide
- Paper or spreadsheets for minutes: fix this first, with tanning software. Everything else can wait.
- Software you like, but few new customers: keep it and look at how to get more customers.
- Mostly appointments, no timers: a general booking system may be enough.
- Several salons: put shared minutes and reporting at the top of your list.
Sources
Checked on 30 October 2026. These are the vendors’ own descriptions, which we have not independently tested.