Today, there are countless places where one can get a spray tan in Rochester, but this was not always so. A short decade ago, Anne Marie DeSalvo, owner of Glow Sunless Tanning salons, had a vision. Because of her drive, talent, and desire to help other women succeed, this vision has not only become her enterprise, but a means of catapulting the businesses of countless women across the greater Rochester area.

If you thought that spray tans were for the carefully coiffed queens of Jersey Shore, you thought wrong. From competitive bodybuilders to vacationers looking for a healthy alternative to achieving a glowing complexion, a simple spray tan has the capability of boosting one’s confidence in the span of a single session.

It’s no secret that Rochester winters can be difficult. Compounded by fickle snowstorms and seemingly endless gloomy days, it can take a toll on the psyche — and the complexion. In the region of New York where Lake Effect weather reigns supreme, home-dwellers, seeking solace from the chilly temperatures, often turn as pale as the snow falling outside. When Anne Marie DeSalvo moved back to Rochester from Miami ten years ago, she felt the effects of Rochester’s winter gloom immediately.

“And the first thing I wanted to do was get a spray tan,” she said.

At that point, it was near impossible to find custom spray tan services in Rochester’s West Side. After finally finding a woman who offered such a commodity, Anne Marie was less than enthralled with the experience. From start to finish, the spray tan process took 45 minutes in the confines of a small and claustrophobic room, where she had no choice but to inhale the unpleasant fumes of the spray formula. Once the process was completed, she had to stand in front of a fan to dry off.

But despite her dissatisfaction with the service, the experience ultimately inspired Anne Marie.

“The gears in my mind started turning,” she said.

“I knew in my heart that I didn’t want to go back to working for anyone. I’m not a typical eight-to-five person.I..I’m very independent. So I was determined to have my own business.”

Spending the last $1,000 to her name, Anne Marie bought the necessary equipment and started offering spray tanning services from her small one-bedroom apartment.

As she gained expertise and broadened her customer-base, Anne Marie’s customers began asking her to travel to their homes to perform spray tanning services. From there, “Glow on the Go,” was born, and for the first three years of business, Anne Marie travelled around the greater Rochester area as the first mobile tanning business in Rochester

Already ahead of her time, Anne Marie utilized social media to promote Glow, taking to Myspace to connect with customers and spread the word about her services. And between Myspace and word-of-mouth referrals, Glow spread like wildfire across Rochester.

“Things got crazy, fast,” Anne Marie said.

Soon, Glow’s customer-base and demand became too much for the initial mobile structure. In 2010, Anne Marie opened the first Glow Sunless Tanning location in Brighton. Today, with a loyal customer-base that continues to grow, she has three locations across Rochester: in Brighton, Downtown on Park Ave, and in Greece with plans of opening more in the very near future.

There are a number of benefits associated with custom tanning. Unlike its highly dangerous counterpart that requires multiple visits to achieve a noticeable difference in skin tone, custom spray tanning offers you palpable results in minutes. From start to finish, the process of a custom spray tan takes no more than 15 minutes. From the minute you enter your private session with Anne Marie or one of her trained trained specialists, what might seem like an awkward encounter is already extremely comfortable.

My spray tan with Anne Marie was my first private spray tan session to date, and I was admittedly nervous about stripping down. But she made me feel comfortable and talked me through every step of the process. Before we began, she asked me to tell her exactly what I wanted and created a spray tan formula that catered to my specific needs.

The spraying process was fast and straightforward, as Anne Marie gave clear instructions throughout. Within minutes, I was sprayed from head to toe. The spray itself, although cold, was brief and entirely odorless. After a short drying period, I looked in the mirror and I already noticed a difference — my pale skin had transformed into the familiar honeyed-olive glow I typically achieve after days in the sun.

With proper care and moisturizing, spray tans last anywhere between a week and ten days. At all three locations, Glow Salons offer a wide range of skin care and maintenance products from South Seas Skin Care. As her career was taking off, DeSalvo took a liking to the products due to their unparalleled quality. Eventually, she became the East Coast distributor for the brand.

Today, she uses her platform as a leading custom spray tan specialist in the city to help other women succeed.

“I was really drawn to helping other women with their businesses so I started training women with spray tanning and sold product to local salons as well as sole proprietors.”

She continued, “It was such a good feeling for me to be able to help other women with their dream. I did that on my own so it felt great to help others.”

In 2016, Anne Marie’s husband, AJ, joined the Glow team as Vice President.

“AJ has been by my side and supportive of Glow since the day I met him in 2009. He has always believed in me and in Glow,” she said. “I’m very fortunate to have a husband who lets me follow my dreams and is by my side every step of the way.”

With the support of her husband and business partner, Anne Marie’s momentum doesn’t seem to be waning. In 2017, she tells me to expect exciting things coming from Glow Sunless Tanning salons.

And today, Anne Marie’s purpose as an entrepreneur has taken on a whole new meaning.

“Everything AJ and I do is for our son. Everyday we work hard for him and his future.”

After all, spray tans may fade, but passion and dedication never cease to glow.

THE GLOW MISSION

At Glow, the mission is to make each client feel comfortable and at ease at every visit. Glow uses the highest quality products along with a trained and professional staff for flawless results each time .

At Glow, they understand that everyone has different needs and expectations so they are committed to meeting and exceeding those needs and expectations.

They stand behind their top-notch services with guaranteed satisfaction!

Their quality is second to none!

PROVIDING A SAFE TANNING ALTERNATIVE

For many women, the desire to be tan presents a difficult conundrum. Although the sun and tanning beds give a sun kissed, beautiful look, they also have harmful side effects—from aesthetic issues like dark spots to serious issues such as skin cancer. Glow Sunless Tanning Salon & Spa in Rochester offers a safe option for men and women alike.