Island Sunsation, a new tanning salon, turns up the heat

Published 3:45 pm Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Windy, bone-chillingly damp, still much too dark too early — and were those really snowflakes swirling in the air last week on Vashon?

Now, with the opening of a new business, there’s finally quick relief for islanders craving fun in the sun.

Island Sunsation, a new venture launched by Sarah St. Germain and Jim Schmidt, is located steps away from St. Germain’s much beloved Sarah’s Salon in Thriftway Plaza — a place of self-care and gentle conversation, filled with vibrant colors and St. Germain’s rotating menagerie of adorable Chihuahua foster dogs.

Tucked down a short hallway from the salon, Island Sunsation is a tiki-themed, coconut-scented and spotlessly clean warren of rooms where islanders can step into a spray tanning and/or skin moisturizing booth and bask inside both red light therapy and UV tanning beds — emerging with a glow that belies the often dreary days of Vashon.

St. Germain said the business was born of popular demand.

“I’ve had so many people ask for a tanning spot here, as there is no other place like this on the island,” she said. “I love connecting with guests and this is another way to do that.”

How could this weary reporter say no to St. Germain’s suggestion to try out the new business and tell Beachcomber readers about it?

Having never had a spray tan or tanning bed session in my long life, I consulted with St. Germain, outlining my slight anxieties about the experience. Of course, with her trademark smile and gentle encouragement, she helped me come up with a great plan — the same thing that has always happened right before she cut my hair.

First, I opted for a quick moisturizing treatment in the modern, high-tech spray booth, exiting after less than five minutes feeling silky and rejuvenated. But the best was yet to come: the red light therapy bed — a treatment using no UV wavelengths that is increasing touted as restorative to inflammation and damaged or wrinkled skin, as well as being a mood-enhancer.

“Yeah, right,” I cynically thought, believing none of that was still possible for me.

But inside the bed, something totally unexpected happened. Behind small, protective goggles, I closed my eyes and saw a swirling orange and yellow cosmos, and then suddenly felt … oh my god, at peace. Swiftly, sense memory kicked in hard, transporting me back to the summers of my youth, when I would lie flat on my back for hours on a towel beside the neighborhood swimming pool, utterly free and dreamy as I baked in the sun.

My 15-minute session flew by in a flash, but that happy, calm feeling I had been flooded with lingered for hours — a feeling St. Germain said is common, because red light therapy is known for increasing dopamine and serotonin levels.

Victoria Morales, Island Sunsation’s gracious and efficient 19-year old manager, said that she, too, had felt the glow and healing effects of red light therapy, which she has utilized to help treat her (invisible to my eyes) acne scars.

Morales smiled, cuddling two of the foster dogs who had wandered down the hall from Sarah’s Salon to greet her.

“I’ve been surprised by all the different people who have come in here,” she said, describing the appeal of the salon’s options to islanders of all ages and walks of life. “They love this place.”

St. Germain said she understands why — and is happy to offer islanders this new experience on Vashon.

“I want them to feel like they have escaped to the topics,” she said.

Island Sunsation is located at 9730 SW Bank Road, Suite 107E, in Thiftway Place. Stop by, or call or text 253-954-4649 to find out more, or visit the Island Sunsation Facebook page.