I've been going here for several years, not sure why other than it's easy. For the first year or so the staff changed so regularly that you never felt like anyone knew your name. For the past year it's been better and the current manager, Jess, is very nice and remembers her regulars. It's clean but I've never felt like I got much of a tan. They have what they call the alpha bed which is supposed to give you more color but doesn't seem to work for me. i guess as tanning places go this one is ok but not wonderful read more

Services and location is great. However the receptionist blatantly told me she's letting her mom cut in front of me and Serviced her before me... put her in the bed I was waiting for which forced me to wait longer. Wouldn't even check me in till she got her mob settled into the room. What's the point in showing up if the receptionist puts their family in front of the line. Not cool. Poor business practices. Date, is 03MARCH2024, right before closing. read more

LOVE this salon! The Platinum Alpha bed is my absolute favorite. They also take appointments so I never have to wait to get a tan! read more

Newest beds I've seen out of all the nearby locations. Friendly service. Calm and professional staff. Wish they were open past 6 on the weekends :/ read more

This location is disgusting! One of the Gold lay down bed lights are completely out and I told one of the girls that was working that night that the bulbs were out. She responded to me and said yes I know, I told our manager/owner and she won't do anything about it. Yesterday, I went tanning in the platinum bed and it was FILTHY! It didn't even looked like they cleaned the bed! They also don't put towels in the room and if you don't ask for one you don't get one. I've been to other Desert Sun's and NEVER had this kind of experience before..... read more

Deserves -10 stars. The employee made a mistake when I needed to put my account on hold while being out of state. Well, they continued to bill my account ($110/ month). It's been 5 months and the management and owners ARE ABSOLUTELY USELESS when it comes to refunding my money. Preparing to take them to court at this point. read more

Normally poor service doesn't prompt me to write a negative review because I know some people have bad days or perpetual bad attitudes, but my experience at this particular Desert Sun has been pretty lackluster across the board. I've called numerous times to talk to someone about freezing my account during my pregnancy and was finally told that I would have to make the drive out to UP (the location I initiated my membership) to accomplish this. Totally not a big deal if I didn't live in Yelm now. The gal I spoke with recently was unbelievably disrespectful and unhelpful. When I asked if I could take care of the freeze at the Yelm location she verbatim said, "I doubt they would do it for a person like you". Uhm, what? What does that even mean? Pretty certain a lotion peddling basic white girl who works at a tanning salon can't accurately determine character by way of a phone call. Perhaps she just isn't fond of pregnant people, or didn't grab her daily Starbucks, I don't know. Writing this review super bums me out because I've had stellar service and experiences at both the Yelm and Parkland locations! read more

I ended up cancelling my membership. Paying over $70 a month for the service provided was not worth it. They have the same exact bed at another salon and it ended up being a better price. The salon itself is fine. But the staff is terrible. Pushy with sales. Uneducated about their products. And the main issue is they are very unprofessional. Majority of the time I would go in there was food behind the counter and someone snacking. I've heard countless arguements between staff members fighting over who did something the right or wrong way. Don't bother making an appointment, they'll just give away the bed anyhow because they rarely write it down when you call. I wrote into managment about my observations and that didn't seem to make any difference. Not worth the time or frustration. Take your business elsewhere. read more

Tonight I was waiting for a bed and in walks some random younger guy who asks to use the bathroom. It seemed strange to see a random guy just come in off the street who wasnt a customer. The girl working allowed him to use it and it made me feel uncomfortable and not safe. As a patron I don't feel it was safe to let a random stranger in the salon. To the management what are your procedures to keeping your staff and customers safe? read more

So I've been coming here about 3x a week since the beginning of March and have yet to have a wonderful experience. The employees don't take the time to chat, or when you say hi they look up briefly from their phone. The beds are always dirty. There has not been one time where I went in and the bed was already cleaned. They don't automatically provide towels so you have to remember to ask for them. They never have promo's on products and the beds are ancient! Like rm 14 (the gold level) is the most annoyingly squeaky hunk of junk ! Today there was a huge banner hanging above the lotions display that said " 40% off everything" so I thought, that's a good deal and when I went up to buy a lotion the girl tells me there is no promotion they jus don't have anyone tall enough to take down the sign.... I'm 5'3 and would be able to take that sucker down. All in all, I will most likely go out of my way to go to the pavilion federal way location again. They always give me free shit when I buy a lotion at full price or discount it for me whether there's a sale banner at the front desk or not. Plus the federal location is always clean ! They have their own bed cleaner so there is always a clean bed waiting for you. read more

Friendly and helpful staff. I always walk in and have never had to wait. Staff has never tried to push products and have informed me of promotions I was unaware of and actually saved me money. read more

I love this place. I've been going to Desert Sun for years now. They have a new bed called the Alpha bed. Basically it's a tanning bed on steroids. The bed plays music and you can choose how dark you want to get in 10 minutes. If you decided to use that bed, call ahead time to reserve the bed. It is high in demand. Prices are ok.. It's cheaper to get the membership than using month to month specials. The lotion is expensive... but I do like using the lotions. Staff is friendly. Haven't had an issue with them at all. I'll keep going back, just because I like to be tan! read more

The service here is very friendly and prompt, but spray tanning itself is much less realistic than I thought. I used an online coupon to buy two spray tans for the price of one. The woman behind the counter was very patient to explain the process and show me the booth that sprays you. It's all robotic, and you stand in strategic positions to make sure your whole body gets sprayed. All of that gets five stars. My problems with the business are about the details of the actual spray tan after you leave the booth: - there are only three colors. I tried two of them, and they seemed to be the same amount of darkness. - they suggest using a primer that you rub on your body beforehand. I tried once with the primer and once without. The primer made me feel much stickier and the color ran more, gathering darkly around my joints. The color also disappeared unevenly with the primer. Without, it just kind of gradually faded. With the primer it came off in blotches. Stupid of them to recommend a product that makes their tans worse... - The spray tan only lasts like three days. They recommend getting sprayed every 2-3 days to keep the color constant. Ain't nobody got time for that - after the spray tan you have to wait five to eight hours before showering, so you basically have to spend a whole day somewhat sticky and you can't wear a bra or other tight waistbands. Very unpleasant. Yes, that's all mostly about spray tanning itself and not about this business, but it's also specific to the kind of spray tanning this business offers, and it's the only product of theirs that I sampled. If you are looking for a way to get a temporary tan without using a tanning bed, the grossness and unreliability of this product is not worth the price. read more

University Place desert sun rocks! There are always awesome specials going on so come in and talk to one of the wonderful ladies! Shanika, sorry you've had a bad experience, but after looking up your account you've only tanned at the Lakewood Desert Sun. Come to UP and we will treat you with the customer service you deserve! :D read more

This place was dirty and not well managed the girl charged my brother way more then me and we got the same service im pissed. This place is a joke !!!! read more

I just moved to Tacoma, and this was the closest tanning salon. I've been there maybe 10 times now and almost every time I go in is a disaster.. I usually make an appointment a few hours before I wanna come in, but the last time I called they said they don't take appointments???? The girls that work there are extremely rude and act like their being forced to work. One time I walked in and the girl was sitting on the couch with her phone in her hand, same when I walked out of the salon. They don't bother to say thank you or anything close to good customer service. The beds are almost always dirty. I would save yourself money and a trip and NEVER go here unless you want bitchy customer service and feel like your not supposed to be there. Good luck... read more

I normally go to the Lakewood Desert Sun but came to this location on my way home from work one day. I ended up making this my regular spot because of one wonderful employee. Paris makes my experience great every time. She is so friendly and consistently makes my experience more enjoyable. Love her, love this location! read more

I usually go to Lincoln plaza which is always great, I came to the UP location bc I was in a time crunch to get a spray tab and the girl completely talked me out of tanning there unless I bought the lotion or a booster from there. I have used mystic and versa a lot and never had a problem with them. I will continue to drive out of my way to avoid this location the manager needs some additional training! read more

Thanks Amber for your GOOD customer service today!! It has been way to long since I have had any type of greeting at this establishment. I will now reconsider buying more tans now. Thanks again............ Teresa F. read more

This is one of the nicest Desert Sun salons in the area. The staff are conscientious and helpful, not nearly as focused on the hard sell as at other Desert Sun locations. For spray tans, they have mystic brand and a huge selection of scents for use with it, which was a nice surprise. The machine itself leaves puddles of tanning solution around your feet, so put on extra blocking lotion. read more

I went here because it was one of the closest places and I wasn't looking to do anything for a long period of time. I'm getting ready for a trip to Mexico and just wanted a package to last me a month. I expected to pay around $80-100 for unlimited tanning (from my last recollection of tanning years ago) and that's exactly what I got. I've only been twice so far, but the sales girls have both been very friendly, informative and not pushy at all. So far, I've really enjoyed my experience here. First sales girl who sold me the monthly package helped me with lotions when I asked about them, showed me what she liked, answered my questions about prices and gave me a discount on one that I chose. No pressure whatsoever. Both times I've gone I've walked in and they immediately had a bed available. I like it here. read more

Everyone here was super friendly, accommodating, and helpful. Every tanning salon wants to sell you lotion. That is part of the business. That was not pushed on me. I highly recommend this place. Prices are good, too! read more

I have never had bad costumer service at Desert Sun. The employees are always helpful and friendly. It is quite intimidating going to a tanning salon and not knowing what to do and what to buy. The girls at DS showed me different products and services at different price ranges for my goal tan. The best costumer service I have ever received has been from I believe her name was Ashley with long dark hair... she knew her facts and was very nice. DS is no doubt the best tanning in the Tacoma area. Thank you ladies! :) read more

I switched to Desert Sun UP from LA Tan by TCC because the manager was unprofessional and rude. At LA Tan I paid about $80 a month for their highest level bed and went on a regular basis with good results. Today I used Desert Sun's lowest level bed paying about $30 a month and actually got a little pink! They have been very professional on the 2 occasions I have spoken with them. My payment arrangements were explained well by Samantha and products were offered but not pushed. So glad I made the switch. read more

I decided to try this salon after feeling frustrated with Tan Republic... disliking their auto billing policies and additional yearly fees for just being a member and never feeling quite comfortable there. Also they are lacking on locations and require a certain membership to tan at other locations. The gal running this salon during the day/week is phenomenal! Can't remember her name - she is thin cute and wears glasses and is so friendly welcoming efficient and informative. On top of that they have a bed that combines tanning with the skin healing red light therapy which at the other place u had to do separate which was not only time consuming ( red light therapy was 20 mins then get dressed to go into another room to tan if the bed u wanted was available ) they did not accept appts so was always a gamble to to get into the desired bed etc. If u are trying to decide between the two try this place first! read more

This location has the best employees so far. they are very nice to my 14 year old and everytime I sit and wait for her to get a spray tan I observe them being courteous to other customers as well. One time when her spray tan didnt work out so well they were glad to give her a free one even after one week later. I will continue to use this location and would recommend them to friends. the employees really make the difference for me. read more

Love Tiffany! This salon is awesome. The products are great, sales people are very knowledgeable and friendly. You definitely should tan here. read more

Big shout out to the staff here. They know their products and certainly do their job up selling but without the drabby mechanical or overly zealous pitch you typically get at a tanning salon. Always friendly and smiling, they certainly operate in an efficient manner and uphold good standards in cleanliness. Thank you Bri for holding my phone at the desk after I forgot it in the lobby! Good to know people are still honest out there! My wife says this place is the best customer service experience she's ever had in a tanning salon! read more

Cancelling my entire family's membership at desert sun. This location's employees lack professionalism, any sense of management skill, and organization. I hate to write such a negative review but I have never received such horrible customer service. After being a customer for years at this location, we have had issues with multiple of our accounts that could have easily been avoided with the attention of the employees. We've had such a bad experience that we're cancelling our accounts and going to Seattle sun which is much further from our house. Save yourself the trip, I wouldn't recommend this company to anyone! read more

Red Carpet Customer Service is what University Place Desert Sun is all about! All of the staff are extremely friendly, personable, and very educated on all of the sunbeds and newest tanning lotions! Yes Shanika, they always have specials going on... the staff are there to inform you about them, because the best is what YOU deserve! :) The salon is also very spacious and super clean! University Place Desert Sun is THE BEST PLACE TO TAN! read more

The University Place Girls are my favorite!! They are always so friendly and know what they are talking about! We all have jobs and it's their jobs to sell! One day I was having a horrible day and the girl pulled out red carpet service by opening the door and even letting me try a new packet free! I have never had a bad experience there and newly married, my husband is tanning there now too! I like seeing familiar faces for so long, and this salon provides that personal comfort and cleanliness! GO TAN THERE! read more

Today I scheduled an appointment for 5:20. At about 5:17 a women walked in to tan and went back right away. I was in the parking lot eating before I went into tan at 5:20. There was no one waiting. It was pretty empty. When I got in I was told that it would be a while because "she just got in." So, I waited about 5 minutes and went up and asked how much more time she had. I was told 1 minute. I asked Amber why she let someone tan two minutes before someone elses scheduled appointment? She appoligized. Which would have been fine if she had left it at that. Amber then tried to justify herself by letting me know that my appointment was for 5:20 and that the time was only 5:23. Amber went on to let me know that it is not unussual for there to be a little wait when they are busy. THEY WERE NOT BUSY!!!!! I asked the gal next to me what the time on her phone was. She said 5:25. The point is NOT that I had to wait but rather - why was someone else allowed to go into the stand up when I already had a scheduled appointment? Did Amber even check to see if someone had an appointment? If so - is it customary for Desert Sun to double book? Also - It was extremely condescending of Amber to explain to me about having to wait.... ESPECIALLY since they were NOT BUSY. NEXT TIME AMBER MIGHT JUST WANT TO APPOLIGIZE AND LEAVE IT AT THAT. Melissa was working also. She was kind and professional. Thanks to employees like Melissa for making Desert Sun a worthy tanning salon. read more