Hi! I'm Tina, and welcome to the Palm Breeze web page. Summer's over, the leaves are turning, and that lovely color you worked so hard on at the lake is fading fast. Don't panic. That's what I'm here for. Palm Breeze is a little salon with four tanning beds and two nail stations, and I've been keeping this town golden and polished since I opened in the spring of 1996. Whether you want to hold on to your summer glow, get your nails done for a wedding, or you're a senior getting ready for the homecoming dance, come see me.

I do all the nails myself. I've been doing nails for eleven years, and I'm licensed and everything on the wall is current. (Please don't ask about the picture of my hair from 1988. It was the style.)

Four beds, all cleaned and sanitized between every customer (I do it myself, you can watch), bulbs replaced on schedule, and a fan and a radio in every room. Sessions run up to 20 minutes depending on the bed and your skin (see the safety section, please, I mean it).

Fall 1999 package: buy the 10-session package between now and Thanksgiving and get a free bottle of after-tan moisturizer. Your skin will thank you; fall air is dry.

Walk-ins are welcome, but on weekday evenings the beds fill up, so call ahead or stop by earlier in the day and book your slot. I keep a paper book at the counter. It's very high-tech.

By appointment, please; a good manicure takes time and I don't rush. All my tools are cleaned and sterilized between every client, and files and buffers are yours to keep. I carry about 80 polish colors, and if you bring your own, that's fine too.

Brides: book me early. October weddings are already filling my Saturday mornings. I'll do the bride, the mother of the bride, and the bridesmaids in a row, and I'll bring the coffee.

Homecoming at the high school is Saturday, October 16th, and I know what the two weeks before it look like in here, because this is my fourth homecoming. So here's the deal, for students with a school ID:

• Manicure + three tanning sessions: $25.00 (regular $30). French tips included free if you want them.
• Manicure + pedicure: $30.00 (regular $35). Wear open-toe shoes to the dance, you earned it.
• Nail art in your school colors, $1 a nail. I've got the colors. I've had them since 1996.
• Homecoming week (October 11-16): I'm opening early, 8:00 a.m., so you can come before school, and I'm staying late Friday the 15th until every last appointment is done. Book your nail appointment NOW; the Friday and Saturday-morning slots go first every year and I'm not kidding. I am one person.

Moms: the special is for the students, but come with your daughter and I'll take $3 off yours. Dads: I've done a homecoming manicure for a football captain before and I'll do it again, no comment, no questions.

Under 18 and tanning: you need a parent's signature on my consent form the first time, no exceptions, and see the safety rules below. Three sessions spread out over the two weeks, not three in three days. You want a glow for the pictures, not a burn.

I love a tan. I also love my customers, and I've read the label on the beds and the information the state sends me, and here's what I go over with every single new customer before the first session. This isn't me being a nag. It's the rules of the house.

1. Eye protection, every time, no exceptions. Tanning bulbs put out ultraviolet light and closing your eyes is not enough; UV goes right through your eyelids. The beds are required to come with protective eyewear and I'm required to make you wear it, and I will. The little goggles are free to borrow (they're sanitized between customers) or $5 to buy your own. If I see you in there without them, your session ends. Sorry, not sorry.
2. Time limits. Every bed has an exposure schedule on its label, set by the manufacturer for that bed's bulbs, and the timer is set to the schedule. The maximum on my beds is 20 minutes and most people should never need it. First-timers start at 5 to 7 minutes depending on your skin type, and we work up slowly over a couple of weeks. A burn is not a tan. A burn is the opposite of a tan.
3. One session in 24 hours. Period. Even on the unlimited plan. Your skin needs the time.
4. Medications. Some medicines make your skin much more sensitive to UV light: some antibiotics, some acne medications, some blood pressure and other prescriptions, even some things you can buy over the counter. If you're on anything, ask your doctor or pharmacist before you tan. The form asks about it and I'll ask you too. I'm not being nosy. I've seen what a photosensitivity burn looks like and I don't want it in my beds.
5. Take off your makeup, perfume and jewelry before your session. Perfume and some cosmetics can react with UV and give you a blotchy burn.
6. If you're pregnant, have a history of skin cancer in your family, have a lot of moles, or burn and never tan, talk to your doctor before you tan, and honestly, you might want to try the bronzing lotion instead. I carry it and I won't be offended.
7. Under 18 needs a parent's signature on my consent form the first time in. That's my policy for my salon.
8. Moisturize after. UV dries your skin out, dry skin flakes, and flaking skin takes your tan with it.

Indoor tanning is UV exposure, same as the sun, and UV exposure adds up over your life. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. What I can do is make sure it's done carefully, in clean beds, with the goggles on, for the right amount of time. That's the deal.

Nails are by appointment. Tanning is walk-in or book ahead. The last tanning session of the day starts 30 minutes before closing. I take cash and checks, and I just got set up to take credit cards this summer, which my bank talked me into and which I'm still nervous about.

Palm Breeze is in the plaza by the grocery store, between the dry cleaner and the pizza place, with the pink awning. You can't miss it. People have tried.