Sunbelievable franchise
2024 filing · June 15, 2024Shares sales figures
Sunbelievable at a glance
A tanning salon offering premium tanning, lotions and skin care. At the end of 2023 there were 4 Sunbelievable locations in the US, 1 franchised and 3 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $248K–$531K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $49,500
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 7%
- 7% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus up to 2% to the brand development fund (not currently collected)
- Brand fund
- None now
- Up to 2% of gross sales; not charged at present
- Renewal fee
- $5,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 4
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 1
- Company-owned
- 3
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 2
- Most in New York and New Jersey
From Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC’s 2024 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Sunbelievable among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Sunbelievable | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $389,425 | Costs more than 53% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $49,500 | Higher than 64% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7% | Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 4 | Fewer than 74% of franchises |
How much a Sunbelievable franchise costs
Opening one Sunbelievable costs an estimated $247,850 to $531,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 18
Sunbelievable franchise fee
The franchise fee is $49,500. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 7% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus up to 2% to the brand development fund (not currently collected). |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Up to 2% of gross sales; not charged at present. |
| Transfer | $12,500 |
| Renewal | $5,000 |
| Local Marketing | Minimum of 3% of monthly Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 11–12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Sunbelievable publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $473,288
- Median sales
- $503,671
Yearly figures for 2023, covering company-owned salons on Staten Island in 2023. The average is about 1.2 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, pages 39–40
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2023 / 2021–2023. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Sunbelievable | Typical salon brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / 0% | +4.6% / +15% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 2.7% / 7.2% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical salon brand is the median of the 42 brands in salon franchises with three years of counts.
How Sunbelievable compares
Of the 101 salon franchises on this site, Sunbelievable is the 40th cheapest to open and the 70th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Sunbelievable | Typical salon brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $248K | $303K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $531K | $531K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 4 | 26 | 21 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 (0) | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 (0) | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 (0) | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 43
Where Sunbelievable locations are
At the end of 2023, Sunbelievable had locations in 2 states. The most are in New York and New Jersey.
- New York3
- New Jersey1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 43
Who owns Sunbelievable?
Sunbelievable franchises are sold by Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC.
From Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC’s 2024 filing.
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: Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Sunbelievable filings
The figures on this page come from Sunbelievable Franchising, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued June 15, 2024, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | June 15, 2024 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other salon franchises
All salon franchises
Sunbelievable is also on these lists: retail franchises.