Sun Tan City franchise
2026 filing · March 31, 2026Shares sales figures
Sun Tan City at a glance
A tanning salon offering UV and spray tanning, red light therapy and skincare products.
The business
- Franchisor
- STC Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Elizabethtown, Kentucky
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.05M–$1.8M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 8%
- 8% of gross revenue, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross revenue to the national fund, within a 3% minimum advertising spend
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- Franchised, 2025
- 155
- As printed in the filing
From STC Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 203; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Sun Tan City among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Sun Tan City | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,423,270 | Costs more than 89% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 8% | Higher than 85% of brands with a set rate |
How much a Sun Tan City franchise costs
Opening one Sun Tan City costs an estimated $1,048,790 to $1,797,750. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: STC Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 1
Sun Tan City franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: STC Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 14
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 8% of gross revenue, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross revenue to the national fund, within a 3% minimum advertising spend. |
| Software and License Support Fee | $1,500 license fee; currently $650annual fee perSalon |
| Transfer Fee | $5,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: STC Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 15 and 17
Other fees as filed, from pages 17–18. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Sun Tan City publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: STC Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 49
SBA loans to Sun Tan City franchisees
Lenders approved 2 SBA 7(a) loans for Sun Tan City franchisees from 2013 to 2014, $358K in all. All 2 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Sun Tan City compares
Of the 101 salon franchises on this site, Sun Tan City is the 99th cheapest to open.
| Figure | Sun Tan City | Typical salon brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.05M | $303K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.8M | $531K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 8% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 75 of 101 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 101 brands in salon franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 160 (−1) | 91 | – | – |
| 2023 | 165 (+5) | 88 | – | – |
| 2024 | 162 (−3) | 90 | – | – |
| 2025 | 155 (−8) | 97 | 0 | −8 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. Company-owned salons are run by the franchisor's parent company.
These figures don't add up as printed: the 2024 counts come to 252, but the filing shows 253. Worth asking the franchisor.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Over 4 years, from the start of 2022 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 161 to 155 (−6, −4%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2025 filing.
Source: STC Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 53–54
2022: STC Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 52
Where Sun Tan City locations are
At the end of 2025, Sun Tan City had locations in 20 states. The most are in Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana.
- Tennessee43
- Kentucky41
- Indiana30
- Iowa25
- North Carolina12
- Wisconsin12
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 23 | 20 | 43 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 40 | 41 |
| Indiana | 0 | 30 | 30 |
| Iowa | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| North Carolina | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Wisconsin | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Maine | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Virginia | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Nebraska | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| New Jersey | 10 | 0 | 10 |
All 20 states
| Missouri | 9 |
|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 7 |
| Louisiana | 6 |
| Minnesota | 6 |
| Pennsylvania | 6 |
| Kansas | 4 |
| Georgia | 3 |
| West Virginia | 3 |
| Idaho | 1 |
| Texas | 1 |
Source: STC Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 56
Who owns Sun Tan City?
Sun Tan City franchises are sold by STC Franchising, LLC. It is a subsidiary of STC Consolidated Operations, LLC.
From STC Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing, page 8.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: STC Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 13, bankruptcy on page 13
Sun Tan City filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from STC Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued March 31, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 31, 2026 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2025 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other salon franchises
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Sun Tan City is also on these lists: spa franchises, health and wellness franchises.