Photo by Erin Nelson.
Haley Farish, the aesthetician at Tanology Spray Tan & Beauty Bar, shows the different services and products offered at the store in Cahaba Heights.
Lindy White said her Tanology business that’s spread from Auburn to Vestavia Hills started simply — she wanted to get a spray tan close to home.
“I moved to Auburn in 2008, and the places I’d lived before I was able to get a good spray tan by hand,” she said.
Her mom had been diagnosed with melanoma in the past, so White was serious about avoiding tanning in ways she believed could be detrimental to her health.
“I would drive to Atlanta to get a spray tan, and I had friends there I could visit too while I was there, but that just wasn’t feasible on a regular basis,” White said. “I thought, ‘I’m going to get a spray tan machine so I can do it myself, and maybe some of these college girls will want a spray tan, too.’”
Turns out, they did.
“I did it out of my garage, and it grew and it grew,” White said.
That was in 2010. She eventually moved to a different house and continued running her business out of her basement, then got a dedicated space for Tanology in Auburn.
Along the way, she became a master certified technician.
“Then I started to see that I needed to get a facial and a brow wax and thought, ‘I really would like the concept of a beauty bar — being able to get these beauty services in a relaxing environment, but get them done quickly and efficiently,’” White said.
So the beauty bar was added in 2020 to offer facials and lash and brow services, along with skincare, tanning products and teeth whitening.
And the business kept growing.
“I had so many girls from Auburn who were graduating and moving to Birmingham,” White said. “I’d get calls and texts every week asking if I recommended anybody there. That’s when the seed was planted for a second location in the Birmingham area.”
As she looked for a place, she “stumbled upon Heights Village and fell in love with the area.”
And in September 2022, she opened the Tanology location at 3108 Heights Village.
“God opened every single door and made it super easy,” White said. “It’s been the biggest blessing. Everyone there has been so welcoming, the chamber has been fabulous and all the businesses in the shopping center have been wonderful. We have loved being there.”
She said Tanology’s services are perfect for the busy working mom who doesn’t have time to drive to a spa and be there for two hours. The team wants to provide the best beauty services possible with an efficiency that sets them apart, White said.
“We want people to walk out feeling better, feeling empowered and like they’ve been taken care of,” she said.
White said she’s so grateful for the chance to serve clients in the area and is still amazed at how Tanology has developed from its humble beginnings.
“We get a lot of laughs — people come in and say, ‘Just think, I used to get my spray tans in your basement,’” White said. “I always tell people they’re an OG if they’ve had a garage or basement tan.”
Tanology is open Mondays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Tuesdays and Fridays 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Wednesdays and Thursdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
White said they also take group appointments and are happy to stay late. For more information, visit tanologyau.com or follow them on Facebook or Instagram @tanologyau.
