Body & Sol Tanning Boutique, Inc., will hold a grand opening celebration for its newest store at Gloucester’s Fox Mill Centre this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Kathleen Dershem, controller for the Newport News-based tanning chain, said the grand opening will include free tanning sessions for all of-age visitors as well as drawings for prizes. The store opened here Jan. 9.

Dershem said Body & Sol was started by Kristin Barfknecht of York County, a regular tanner who wanted a place to tan that was very sanitary. Therefore, Dershem said Barfknecht decided to open Body & Sol in 2003.

The chain has grown so it now has a corporate office in Newport News, three Body & Sol shops in Newport News, two shops in Williamsburg, one store in York, and now the Gloucester location. Kait-
lin Vincie of Newport News, the chain’s new marketing coordinator, said plans are in the works to open a Body & Sol in Tappahannock by early spring.

Each shop has slightly different tanning options, Dershem said. Brittany Newcomb of Gloucester, manager of the Gloucester shop, said there are seven different types of tanning equipment here, including basic and advanced tanning beds, several deluxe beds (one which provides aromatherapy and another, an open concept bed, that provides excellent maintenance for well-established tans), and a Mystic spray tan booth.

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