Step in for a tan, a cup of Joe and more

Cafe Soleil is not your average cafe.

At its 423 Sedgwick Road S.W. location, customers can get a haircut, go tanning, buy jewelry — and oh yeah, get a cup of coffee.

Owner Ronda Looney, 50, said she jumped at the opportunity for a bigger space, and they re-opened on Aug. 2. She had been doing business on 1541 Piperberry Way S.E. since 2005.

“It’s a better location,” she said of the 2,500-square-foot cafe, “plus, a drive-thru window, and I was ready to expand.”

On her old digs, she said it was difficult to get in and out of, and the parking lot on the back side made it hard for people to see that there were customers there.

Now, they’re more readily available for those seeking a full-service espresso bar, which includes smoothies, protein powders and milkshakes.

Or a haircut, which starts at $20 for men and $40 for women, and are done by one of six stylists, who also do facial waxing.

With 11 tanning units — and the ability to do spray tans, too — Looney is especially proud that they use an organic solution. The derivative of sugarcane lacks a large amount of the chemical DHA.

“Some of the self-tanning booths have a tendency to turn some people orange,” she said. “Ours does not.”

Tans are $25, or three for $60.

Cafe Soleil also offers red-light therapy, which she says is about “health, wellness and beauty.”

The in-fared light therapy, which uses an electronic shaker plate to tone muscles, is said to produce collagen in the body and elastin in the skin, and therefore reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It can also heal connective tissues, Looney said.

“I have a pinched sciatic nerve and by the end of the day, I’m hurting,” she said. “I go in there for 12 minutes and my pain is gone. I’m not claiming anything, but so far we’re seeing really good results.”

The therapy is $35 a month, with a limit of one treatment a day. New clients can purchase a one-month package of unlimited use, plus three upgrades, for $19.99.

Looney said the cafe’s drive-thru opens at 4:30 a.m., with tanning beginning at 6 a.m. They close at 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and at 8 p.m. on Friday. Weekend hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

“I close early on Sunday because I’m a single mom and I want my kids home with me for Sunday dinner,” she said. “I feel that anyone who works for me should have that opportunity.”

And Looney, no stranger to the region’s odd winters of late, said that if it snows, and she is unable to open, her customers won’t lose out. One-month packages are extended by a day, just as they are during holidays.

“I believe if you pay for 30 days, you’re going to get 30 days,” she said.

“My goal has been — and always will be — to be the Nordstrom of customer service,” she said. “I think I’ve met that goal. I take care of my customers by making sure I change the lamps when I’m supposed to.”

And, similar to the upscale department store, Looney holds an anniversary sale, in May, and a half-yearly, in November. The three-day events include free tans, catered food and giveaways.

She also sells Mary Kay products and has jewery for sale up front.

Looney, who said she got into the field when the “whole corporation thing” tired her out, thought that business and tanning would go well together.

“I thought they were two of the best things in the Northwest because tanning also produces Vitamin D,” she said. “Studies have found that pretty much everyone in the Northwest is Vitamin D deficient.”

Contact Port Orchard Independent Staff writer Chris Chancellor at cchancellor@portorchardindependent.com or (360) 876-4414.

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