{"id":3444,"date":"2025-04-06T09:23:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-06T09:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/3444\/"},"modified":"2025-04-06T09:23:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-06T09:23:13","slug":"inside-uks-tanning-capital-where-sunbed-shops-flog-50p-a-minute-sessions-to-locals-amid-surge-in-deadly-skin-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/3444\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside UK’s tanning capital where sunbed shops flog 50p a minute sessions to locals amid surge in deadly skin cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

STRETCHED out beneath the UV lamps in her favourite booth at her local tanning salon, mum Aimee Kirkham soaks up the only 15 minutes of peace and quiet she’ll get that day.<\/p>\n

For Aimee, 31, going on sunbeds is a vital part of her day and despite regular use of UV lamps increasing the risk of melanoma<\/a>, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 20 per cent, she thinks looking and feeling good far outweighs the dangers.<\/p>\n

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Aimee Kirkham, 31, says being tanned is good for her mental healthCredit: Glen Minikin<\/p>\n

She has three kids aged 13, 11 and eight and lives in Blackpool, dubbed the \u2018Lancashire Riviera\u2019, where a trip to a tanning salon has become as much a part of life as donkey rides and a stick of rock.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The town has the highest number of sunbed shops per capita than anywhere else in the country with an astonishing 51 tanning salons lining the streets. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s a staggering 249 per cent above the national average, according to a new survey<\/a> by beauty and wellness hub Fresha.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Made famous by its tower and ballroom, the town has 34.2 tanning salons per 100,000 residents compared to 9.8 nationwide.<\/p>\n

Tanning beds are particularly dangerous because they mainly produce UVA radiation which penetrates the skin on a deeper level than UVB (sunlight contains both).<\/p>\n

Around six people die of melanoma every day in the UK<\/a> and according to Cancer Research UK, rates have increased by 32 per cent in the past ten years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blackpool has a higher recorded prevalence of cancer<\/a>, including skin cancer, compared to the national average, with a rate of 4.4 per cent in 2023\/24, significantly higher than the national rate of 3.6 per cent.<\/p>\n

Yet Starr Gate Tanning, run by former IT worker Craig Allen which lies just a two-minute walk from Blackpool south beach, is doing a roaring trade offering sessions for just over 50p a minute. [A 60-minute package costs \u00a334.99]<\/p>\n

Aimee, is the first through the doors at 10am.<\/p>\n

She spends up to \u00a335 a week of her hard-earned cash there, having three to four 15-minute sessions but says: “I don’t really stop to think about how much time I spend on the beds or how much it costs, I really value my time in the salon.<\/p>\n

“It separates me from my working day before I get home to my partner and kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Aimee visits Starr Gate Tanning Salon four times a weekCredit: Glen Minikin\"Woman<\/a><\/p>\n

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She believes looking and feeling good outweighs the danger of skin cancer caused by sun bed exposureCredit: Glen Minikin<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the startling numbers speak for themselves – using sunbeds before the age of 35 increases your chance of developing melanoma by 59 per cent, according to Cancer Research UK.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Aimee, a care worker and cleaner insists: “I know that people say it’s bad for you, but that honestly doesn’t trouble me, in fact I can say for certain that it’s been good for me. I love being tanned, it\u2019s good for my mental health.<\/p>\n

“I try to protect myself against the harm caused by the UV rays by using a good SPF cream on my face and by not overdoing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Salon owner Craig, 54, opened Starr Gate Tanning in February 2023 after leaving his previous job in IT for a multinational company.<\/p>\n

“We get a real mix of customers, a lot of men are among our regulars,” he said. “We do get young women in their twenties coming to us but the biggest group are thirties and above.<\/p>\n

“The only reason I can think of that Blackpool has so many tanning shops is that we can go quite a while without seeing the sun here. And as they’re quite spread out so we don’t feel a big element of competition.”<\/p>\n

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Craig says there is enough space for all the tanning shopsCredit: Glen Minikin\"California<\/a><\/p>\n

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There are more sunbed and tanning shops per capita in Blackpool than anywhere else in the UKCredit: Glen Minikin\"Blackpool<\/a><\/p>\n

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Blackpool is also one of the most deprived towns in the countryCredit: Glen Minikin<\/p>\n

The town is also one of the most deprived in the country, coming consistently near the top in the\u00a0English Indices of Deprivation for the last decade.<\/p>\n

Aimee added: “Life can get tough for people, so if they need cheering up it’s no surprise.”<\/p>\n

The most recent data from charity Melanoma Focus reveals 28 per cent of UK adults admit to using sunbeds, with this figure rising to 43 per cent among 18 to 25-year-olds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Sun\u2019s Dying for a Tan<\/a> campaign has shone a light on the terrifying consequences of using sunbeds and has received the support of Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts and TOWIE\u2019s Georgia Kousoulou.<\/p>\n

But Craig insists his Blackpool salon is \u2018safe\u2019, and suggests that using sunbeds could actually be \u2018good for you\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Just some of the tanning salons in Blackpool<\/p>\n

“All our tubes here meet the European Standard and we’re obviously very careful that no-one under 18 is able to use our beds,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

“I’m convinced that, used in moderation, sunbeds can be good for you, especially where mental health is concerned. There was a study last year that said sunbeds could actually be beneficial in places with gloomier weather where the people don’t get as much natural UV.”<\/p>\n

The Edinburgh University study Craig refers to was funded by Health Data Research UK and published in the journal Health and Place.<\/p>\n

It found that whilst sunbed use was linked to a 23 per cent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 14 per cent lower risk of death from cancer, those with a higher estimated UV exposure had an increased risk of being diagnosed with melanoma.<\/p>\n

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Caroline Madden spent 15 years battling TWO bouts of deadly skin cancer after using sunbeds religiouslyCredit: SWNS\"Close-up<\/a><\/p>\n

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Caroline had stage three malignant melanomaCredit: SWNS<\/p>\n

Former sunbed user Caroline Madden, 58, knows all too well the damaging consequences after she spent 15 years battling two bouts of deadly skin cancer and had to undergo \u201chorrendous\u201d treatment.<\/p>\n

The single mum-of-two was diagnosed with a stage three malignant melanoma in 2009 on her ankle and nine years later the disease was detected in her pelvis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She\u2019d spent her teens and twenties using sunbeds.<\/p>\n

Caroline says: \u201cEveryone who smokes thinks they\u2019re going to be the one who doesn\u2019t get lung cancer, and it\u2019s the same with any sort of sunburn or sunbed use.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big thing about malignant melanomas is that people don\u2019t take them seriously.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“You get the same thing all the time – \u2018It\u2019s only skin cancer, it\u2019ll be fine, it will just be cut out\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cNowadays you have amazing false tans…’Why are you going on a sunbed?'”<\/p>\n

Can you spot the cancerous moles from the harmless ones? <\/p>\n

IF you’ve spotted a new mole or lingering mark on your skin, don’t be too quick to dismiss it. <\/p>\n

It’s important to know what your skin looks like normally, to helps you notice any unusual changes.<\/p>\n

The ABCDE rule can be followed to assess the health of a mole.<\/p>\n

If your mole falls into the following, it\u2019s worth getting checked:<\/p>\n