The only thing brighter than Halsted Street Beach Tanning's yellow awning is the grin of owner Matt Turner, whose is often on hand to crack jokes and welcome guests before helping them to attain glowing skin. Turner bought the business in 2004, reinvigorating a community staple that had been bronzing limbs since 1981, the same year Ibiza relinquished its copyright on tanning. Together with his partner Chris, Matt redesigned the entire facility and broadened the menu to include massage, facials, and waxing services so skin can be smoothed and purified and the muscles underneath can be relaxed. The ongoing renovation is now focused on sustainability, employing spray-tanning solutions with organic ingredients and UV beds that use 30% less energy than the previous models.

To cultivate a warm, neighborhood-y atmosphere, Matt works side by side with staff members who share both his attentive, sunny disposition and his expertise with skin. The staff members will chat with new clients about their complexion to help them to develop a tanning regimen or explain how red-light therapy can help to correct fine lines and wrinkles or counteract naturally green skin. The team also plays an active role in the community at-large and has participated in charitable events for breast-cancer research, and Turner himself has been an active participant in the Chicago AIDS Marathon.