Planet Beach

OH NO… HERE WE GO AGAIN!!! PLEASE RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!!! There is no deal too good here that would be worth what I (and it seems like many, many other people) am going through.
It’s been years that this situation has been going on. After a long while now, and me thinking that this has finally gone away… here we go again. Apparently, Todd (the owner) sold this to another collection agency and again, I received another collection letter. This time, it was sent to my address with a completely different name! I didn’t open it, however, I know it was regarding Planet Beach because my daughter received one too (she never even signed a contract and at the time, she was underage!) My daughter called to try and speak with Todd about this, and was treated so rudely… she just couldn’t believe it! It was shocking and unbelievable! Todd even stated to her «I remember your family. Your mom and dad were having marital problems.»…WHAT???
AGAIN…PLEASE BEWARE!

Love this place! I have Been coming here for awhile now and to be honest I wouldn’t consider tanning anywhere else, friendly staff, clean beds, and convenient! I come here like 3 – 4 times a weeks and I’m always in and out, never have to wait!

I used to be an employee here at Planet Beach in 2014. The one (and only) upside to this facility is that the owner, Todd, does make sure the place is clean. He always made it clear that cleanliness was extremely important (and I agree).
However, I have never had such a disrespectful manager/​boss in my life. He was extremely rude to us, I could not believe the things he would say. He even told my coworker she could not eat fast food on her breaks or she could not work there, because Planet Beach needs a certain «image.» He was rude to clients that were confused about the contracts he was eager to make them sign, but never went into detail about the cancelation policy. You are not allowed to cancel until your 3 months (or agreement) is fulfilled (which is fine) but it takes another billing cycle to go through so you have to pay another month anyway.
Working here, I have had several phone calls from previous clients thinking they had canceled, but we’re still being billed. I specifically remember one, Kathy, who had been billed for 2 years after she made it clear she wanted to cancel. Even if you say you want to cancel directly to Todd’s face, he will continue to bill you unless you sign the form, which he probably will neglect to tell you about. He blamed the 2 years of billing on Kathy, saying she was confused about the cancelation policy (of course) and never refunded her. He has billed people twice in a month, billed them for longer than their contracts, and continued to bill after cancelation. I used to receive phone calls daily from clients about refunds that they would never get from Todd.
Also, there were many times the Internet wasn’t working, or the beds were missing parts, but unless I continuously bugged him, they weren’t getting fixed.
All Todd ever cared about was our sales and making sure we sold memberships, not caring at all about the client and only about the money. Aside from the Lumiere products, almost all the lotions and tanning products are online for ¼ of the price, and Todd would be furious if we didn’t sell them. Clients are not stupid, they have Internet.
Honestly, I could go on all day talking about how the facility is lacking and how Todd is the most disrespectful person I’ve ever met, but I will just end here with this:
My family, old coworkers, their families, and friends will not be stepping foot in that facility ever again. If any of you get a membership here, be careful by tracking your credit card charges, and make sure you are 100% clear on your contract with copies of all the paperwork.

Update: Just filed a complaint with the California Dept. of Consumer Affairs. Filed one with the BBB a couple days ago. I tried to get online to find out how to complain about Todd Smith and the Petaluma Planet Beach with the corporate office but found Planet Beach franchises have complaints filed against them all over the country and many of their franchisees are unhappy — in short, sounds like a bit of a pyramid scheme and corporate couldn’t care less about shady business practices once they have sold off their lousy machines. Buyer, please beware! Don’t set yourself up for the stress that going to this «spa» will bring into your life. Absolutely horrendous experience! If you look on Unilocal,this guy has about 100 complaints and maybe 4 employees giving him 5 stars. This is so wrong! And he seriously sees himself as some sort of victim! If you have been burned by Todd Smith and Planet Beach, we should organize. I am getting in touch with the district attorney’s Environmental & Consumer Law Division 2300 County Center Dr. Suite B-​170 Santa Rosa, CA 95 403‑3011
Phone (707) 565‑3161. You should too. He needs to be stopped from his shameful business practices.

(One of those — why do I need to give a star reviews.)
Canceling a membership can be an ordeal. I am still in the process.
Read your contract carefully
Although we provided all information they needed Planet Beach lost it.
Credit card info is kept on paper records.

Update to the issue on getting the fees returned for my daughter. I spoke to Todd and let’s just say it was the most disrespectful business conversation I have ever had with an owner of a company. He hung up on my twice and essentially said he will not return my daughters 60.00 since she didn’t sign a piece of paper and the contract will automatically renews. Could careless that she broke out in hives and obviously stated 3 months earlier she wanted out of her contract. She has now paid 240.00 for one tanning session and because this is a business with some of the worst business practices they could care less This is over 60.00 is all I asked Todd to return, completely ridiculous and I will continue to fight because now is a matter of principal which Todd clearly has none!!!

I bought a series of «massage, facial and hydro-​derma fusion treatments» for what looked like a great price of $ 49 on Living Social. I never heard of a hydro-​derma fusion treatment, but I thought for the massage alone it would be worth driving up to Petaluma. Even in the fine print of the offer there is no mention that the «massage» consists of sitting in a massage chair for 15 minutes or laying on a table that has an automatic roller that goes up and down where your spine is supposed to be. It wasn’t until I called to book my first appointment that I was «warned» by the staff person that all work was done by machines.
Each piece of equipment was in an individual room, so at least you had privacy. I tried all the different equipment and I must say that I did feel more relaxed walking out than when I arrived. But I could say the same thing about sitting in a massage chair at my chiropractor’s office for 15 minutes.
As a «contempo spa», rock music plays constantly, even when you are trying to relax on their equipment. I brought my iPod to drown out their music.
At my first appointment, before the first session the staff wanted to sell products to «enhance the experience» such as a cellulite firming cream (I used it but honestly, I couldn’t tell any difference afterward) and other products that are meant to cleanse toxins from your body, among other things. And if you even wanted water, you had to buy it.
Staff people are there to schedule your appointments and push buttons to turn on equipment, and they are not even very good at that. On one appointment, I rescheduled the appointment within their (very strict) 24 hour time frame, but the staff person forgot to change it in the book, so I ended up arguing with the manager so I didn’t have to lose my appointment. He also told me that my coupon expired before it actually did, and for that reason also didn’t want to allow me to keep my appointment. Luckily I had a copy of the coupon to verify the expiration date.
Staff people varied in their helpfulness. One fellow, I think he was the manager, was very helpful. But I had a young woman help me with some other machines, and showed me into the room and turned on the equipment, but didn’t offer any advice on how to get into the equipment, how to position your body, etc. When I asked her where the bathroom was, she waved her hand and said it was down the hall, but there were 5 or 6 doors «down the hall». Maybe I caught her on a bad day.

BEWARE! Pure and simple ripoff, they will make you pay 2months after u cancel, and make sure to sign AND obtain a copy of cancellation notice otherwise they’ll keep ripping you off. wanna tan — go to snap fitness (or similar) — $ 20 tan when u want cancel when you want. Planet Beach — never again!

It’s okay… just not my kind of place. This wasn’t the «spa» I was expecting. I wanted to relax and get a facial and massage so I bought a deal on groupon. Turns out this is a self service kind of spa and it’s a little hard to relax when you are constantly getting up and moving into a different room onto a different machine after every 10 – 20 mins. Yes, I said machine. They have massage chairs as opposed to real hands. And a hydro massage which is a bed that pumps water and the pressure from the water massages your body. The hydro massage was very loud so it was hard for me to relax. The massage chair with te led facial was alright. The red light therapy terrified me. It was way too bright under the light again making it difficult to relax and I felt claustrophobic and the therapy lasted 12 mins, so when you’re just about to adjust it was over.
All in all not my cup of tea. Not a relaxing experience I wanted. The concept would be great for others.

Run, do not walk, away from this place.
I had so many complications with my billing, had I known this would be the case I would have taken my business elsewhere immediately.
On 7÷12÷13 I received a text message from the owner, Todd, saying the payment for my mother’s account didn’t go through. He asked if I had changed cards or anything. I said no nothing’s different. He then asked me to TEXT MY CARD NUMBER to him so he could compare. I have no problem doing this in person or when I have called the establishment but sending my CC info via text didn’t seem like a smart thing for me to do.
So the charge went through just fine. Great. But then there’s a $ 15 charge the next day? I know my mom had needed a bottle of water on our last visit there so I asked the receptionist to bill my account. I think water is $ 1. The receptionist asked if we wanted to make any more appointments and we said no we would call if we did.
Fast forward I find out the $ 15 charge is for a no call no show fee for a missed appointment. When I brought this up with Todd he told me «it wasn’t the first time it had happened.»
Excuse me? The one time I was ever a no call/​no show for anything I had been hit by a semi truck on my way to work. And I eventually called even then.
Once during a parade we were delayed as parking was difficult, I tried calling but no one picked up. When we arrived Daniella at the front desk told us it was no big deal and she would have called me if it was going to be an issue.
It irks me after the countless times I waited patiently for the service I booked to become available. Seriously?
And now I get to enjoy loathing texts from Todd. Fun times.

Poor service and at times they were very rude!!! Their phone was always busy. Never returned my call after I left many messages and made poor excuses why they didn’t return my calls. When I scheduled for an appointment (in person), they didn’t have me on their list when I got there. They wasted my time in many occasions. They forgot about me when they said they would check up on me. I had to turn off my own machine even though they were supposed to do it for me. I would never go back nor would I ever recommend this place to anyone unless their managment and employees improve their customer service by a lot. Because I bought a groupon for this place, I was basically stuck at this spa.

just signed up! its nice and clean! new lights in the beds! has been very relaxing! and Brandon was such a great help with my million and one questions!!!
Im in love with the hydration station before i go in to get into the tanning beds! and the massage chair for the facial i pretty much fell asleep in!
great prices also!!!

I signed up for a 3 month membership at the rate of $ 79 a month with the owner. I was told it would be less if i signed up for a longer period of time but i only wanted the 3 months. I received no copy of any paperwork. The experience was nothing special. After 3 months they continued to take money out of my account. They told me I needed to fill out a form to cancel which the owner failed to tell me. It took an additional 30 days to go into effect and an additional $ 79. Well the payments didn’t stop. 3 more months of withdrawals with me calling the owner and him blaming someone else. Good thing I had a copy of the cancelation form because he lost his. It took me over 5 months to get reimbursed.
A 3 month plan that should have cost me only $ 237 ended up costing me $ 632. I was reimbursed for only $ 237 of it with a loss of $ 158 and much annoyance.

A very rude reception, I turned right around and ran out!

The owner of this establishment continuously leaves comments on my review (even after Unilocal has them removed) saying that I «yelled at a pregnant woman.» Is he really serious? I’ve never heard of an owner stooping so low and lying about such things. I would never do such a thing and I think it’s funny that he made that up. I was however very rude to him on the phone, because he got an attitude with me.
You can tell by the reviews and ratings of this place that it’s horrible and it’s true. Don’t go here… dont do it… please don’t.
Here is my original review… enjoy!
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If you want good customer service, go anywhere else. The place looks nice enough, but the downfall of this place is the customer service you’ll receive from the management.
I signed up with this location somewhere in the summer of 2011. When signing up I asked the sales agent representative if it’s possible cancel the membership in a few months because I may be moving. (in my line of work we move pretty often and have no choice but to do so) I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be held liable for any fees or future months. She said that it could be canceled with no problems and I my fears subsided. Before I moved I was sent away for work for a month and during that time the credit card I used to pay the fees had expired. When I came back there was a month or two balance that I owed. I informed them that I needed to cancel because that probable move I spoke about in the beginning has come to reality. I spoke to the management at the store (the individual who has replied to others comments) and he said there was nothing that he could do to cancel it and that I would have to pay for the rest of the contract. He’d call me all the time (at work, when I’m in class, at night when I’m eating, really late while I’m out having a few drinks… He was even texting me!) I told him that I’m not going to pay those fees but I will pay the 1 or 2 months (that they were rightfully due) and then it needs to be canceled. After lots of yelling and confrontations over the phone he said I could either fax (or bring in) a copy of my id/​moving paperwork and pay the 2 months and it would be canceled. I went into the store soon after (right before I was moving) and spoke to a very polite representative who said she had been informed of this. She then asked for my ID and I showed it to her. I then paid the amount due and was on my merry little way. I had a friend with me at the time of cancellation.
Today I get a call from a collection agency saying that I owe $ 333 for a planetbeach account. I told the collection agency that it was canceled and to deal with planetbeach. I then called this location and informed them that they did not take it off. The person who answered the phone was my «best friend» from before. He said that he remembered my account and that it was never canceled. He was extremely rude with me (yet again) and would not acknowledge that it was supposed to be canceled. (when he said it would be) I was extremely frustrated at this person and went off on him. He is one of the rudest representatives I’ve ever had to work with. He wouldn’t budge. I called that friend that was with me at the cancellation and he couldn’t believe it. He said, «I was with you when you canceled that ****! forever ago.»
I just want to point out the fact that every representative (besides the Manager/​owner? who replies below) that I spoke with was very friendly and understanding.
I’m a very nice, calm and chill person. The management of this establishment brings out the absolute worst in me. I’m incredibly furious at this place. This whole situation is a complete nightmare that won’t go away. Life presents you with moments that are beyond your control and most people understand this; not the management here. I honestly think the management of this Planet Beach would be better suited working in a collection agency.
I wish I would of Unilocal’d before joining. Look at the star rating and other comments. Hopefully they get a wake-​up call
Please, save yourself a headache. I URGE you to not go here. If they had a negative star system it would be a –5 stars.
Rant… Complete… Goosfraba!!!

This place has the worst customer service ever. I will never again set foot in the door, unless they close and something better takes their place.
Went in for my first ever mystic tan. Everything was fine, although they do not tell you that the price of the color is separate from the tan, not a big deal. Anyway, on our way out the girl behind the counter mentioned how they do spa parties and how they close down the place for two hours and you can bring food, drinks, and even a movie for a good time with your friends. The brochure didn’t list the mystic tan, so I asked if you could do that service also, the girl said yes. Sweet! so I made a reservation. Then, before the party date came up I went in to get another spray tan before my Vegas trip. Turns out the power was out. No big deal, I’ll come back later, I’m just glad I wasnt in the machine when it went out! So the guy, I assume he was the owner, was apologetic and took our phone numbers and said he would call as soon as the power came back on. No surprise, he didn’t call. We had appointments and everything. Well, I decided to overlook that, and their other bad reviews and go ahead with the spa party before my wedding. When they called to confirm the party I asked the girl on the phone to make sure the mystic tan was included. She had no idea if it could be done or not and she told me she would ask the owner and call me back. I called the next day after not getting a response and they informed me that they would include it for an additional $ 20 dollars a person and the girl on the phone (Colette?) was rude and hung up before I could even thank her and say bye! I thought it was extremely rude. Do not go here unless you want to be treated like crap. Customer service is key! They obviously don’t understand that. I’ll be taking my bridesmaids and my money somewhere else!

This is an interesting concept of a hands free spa. Although I enjoyed the services, nothing beats the feel of real hands rubbing your down.
First, the location a little hard to find. There are two 151 Petaluma Blvds, look for the newer buildings, Century Theatre, etc. But do head over to the other 151 Petaluma Blvd in the older part of town and check out the guitar shop.
I brought my man here because it was the only place in the bay with the Hydrojet massage. Besides that, we didn’t know what to expect. The reception gal was pleasant and explained the process clearly. For the massages, you get on/​in a table bed and it does all the work.
We signed up for the Oxygen therapy, which is just air. Whatever they try to sell you about the benefits of air, here is a free tip: open your mouth and suck in, or for a more concentrated hit — inhale with your nostrils.
I would say the best part about this place is the hydration therapy. It’s a personal sauna pod with crazy LED lights. All I needed was some house music and I would have been in my own singular rave session.
The rooms were separated by «walls” that did not reach the ceiling so you could almost hear what’s going on all around you, a little distraction.
Besides that, everything was pleasant and inexpensive. Your first visit includes a free session, and most other sessions are only $ 30.

This Salon is hands down the best Salon around. All new state of the art equipment! Why go somewhere else when you can get a tan, a massage, a facial treatment and more all at around the same price of all the other places!
I tried the Hydration unit today for the first time and i was surprised on how good i felt after. I love all of the other thier machines and im sure i will fall in love with this one!
Everything is nice and clean and the staff are really friendly. Thanks!
5 STARS!

A little surprised at how many negative hits there are for the cost and being charged after canceling when the contract clearly states the time frame for cancelation. Having moved from the city, I never found a tanning salon that charges less that $ 100 a month and that was for the crappy ones. My last place was about $ 140 for tanning alone. Granted I was a little bent out of shape about the 60 days cancelation however it was clearly stated and my decision to accept it or walk out and $ 50 a month is a great deal especially since they offer other services as well.
They are open late during the week and I can typically make a last minute appt. So, four stars. They would be five stars if they were open until later on the weekends.

Unlike some other reviews, I really enjoy Petaluma Planet Beach and feel the reviews may be a bit harsh. They have 3 tanning beds (1 stand up, 1 high pressure and 1 lay down), 2 LED Lumiere rooms, 2 massage rooms with oxygen, a mystic tan room, 2 hydration steam rooms and a teeth whitening room.
If you pay in full, it is quite feasible. You do have to pay extra for mystic cartridges or other misc products but is still very reasonable.
As far as the employees go, Stacy is a true delight. I would not have joined if it wasn’t for her. She is always upbeat, smiling and hardworking.
As far as the owner Todd, it is true that like the previous reviews he is «salesy» as is one other of the other girls that works there, however keep in perspective that he has a huge overhead. I don’t buy anything I don’t want.
I enjoy my time there. Give them a try.