UMass Amherst Collegiettes know the struggle of trying to not resemble Casper The Ghost after surviving the brutally cold, winter months. How does a college student deal? Going to The Golden Booty, duh.
I know what you might be thinking if you are unfamiliar with this pirate-themed tanning salon: Um, what?
I chatted with Eden Clark, one of the two owners of Golden Booty, about this funny name. She told me that her oldest son, Dylan, is really into pirates, so she came up with the name of the tanning salon as a play on words.
Not only is the name hilarious, but there are amazing tanning packages for everyone, but especially for UMass Amherst students. There are lay-down tanning beds, stand up tanning options, and sunless tanning options. My favorite part about the lay-down tanning beds is the fact that they give me three small towels to protect my face while I tan. My second favorite part is that they have Bath and Body Works coconut lime body spray to make you feel like you are on vacation getting a tan on the beach.
I asked Eden why she thinks so many UMass Amherst girls love The Golden Booty and she said that it is such a popular place mostly because of word of mouth. Most of the workers are students at UMass, so they usually tell their friends and their friends end up joining The Golden Booty bandwagon. Eden also mentioned that the maintenance units are cleaned frequently and that they have the cheapest tanning prices in Amherst.
I also asked Eden why she thinks tanning is an important part of someone’s beauty routine and she had a fabulous list of reasons: it helps boost endorphins, puts someone in a good mood, helps the body produce Vitamin D naturally as opposed to taking supplements of it, and generally makes someone feel confident because some people feel good when they are tan.
After I bombarded her with those questions, I decided to ask another: what her top three favorite tanning lotions are. I always stare at the various lotions for sale when I check in at the salon and wonder which ones are the best.
Snooki reluctantly decided to pose for me here.
Eden’s top three favorite lotions are iXcel by MR International which is exclusively sold at The Golden Booty, JWoww Natural Black because it smells like purple, (which cracked me up) and works well, and Kardashian Glow Intensifier because it smells great and works well.
If you have not noticed, The Golden Booty recently bought a Keurig for its bronzed patrons. I asked Eden this one last question: why she decided to splurge on something so nice for the customers. She said that she used to have a single pot for her and Kim, the other perfectly tan owner, but she decided to get a Keurig because they are awesome coffee makers. Plus, the customers love walking out of the salon with coffee, tea, or apple cider.
The Golden Booty has a fun Facebook page and Twitter account that you can follow for updates on what is going on over at 6 University Drive. Last weekend, the workers set up a prize wheel where I won a free package of tanning lotion. I also see on the social media accounts that there are frequently other deals such as buy one tan get another free.
If being tan makes you feel happy and confident, which is good for your overall being, then you need to go to the Golden Booty.