Almost every culture in history has worshipped the sun, from ancient Egypt to golden Hollywood.

And it's easy to understand why: A big ball of fire crosses the heavens each day, causing crops to grow, beach gear to sell and actor George Hamilton to smile white-toothed by the pool.

Oh, the sun has its critics. Many doctors say sun exposure causes skin cancer. But still others contend sunlight is healthy, as long as one avoids sunburn, that the lack of sunlight is what makes people sick and depressed.

Which brings us to today's topic, aggravating speed bumps. Just kidding. Here's today's topic in a limerick: Beat the winter grays, with banks of UV rays. Don't be depressed. Just get undressed. And turn woes into hip, hip hurrays.

It could be the motto for Terry and Rose Pepper, the South Strabane couple who absolutely love ultraviolet rays, so much that they opened Riviera Sun Tanning Salon and Gifts in December 1999 after seizing a tanning bed in lieu of rent. And before they could say "pass the suntan lotion," they had one golden brown business.

	Robert J. Pavuchak, Post-Gazette Michele Romano, manager of the Riviera Sun Tanning salon in Collier, swings open the door to the "Viper," the highest-intensity tanning bed. Click photo for larger image.

Today, their sizable salon on Oak Spring Road in South Strabane offers 19 tanning units and stands as a monument to the bright idea of browning people on human rotisseries known as tanning beds. What charcoal grills do to wieners and hamburgers, tanning beds do to people: They turn pink meat brown.

Riviera Sun Tanning LLC now offers people a chance to own a Riviera Sun franchise. The Peppers are turning their successful local salon into a national chain.

The one on Oak Spring Road has a computerized customer base of more than 7,000, persuading the entrepreneurially hot Peppers to take their saucy success to the next level. The key is that Riviera Sun has so many tanning beds, appointments are unnecessary. The computerized beds turn off automatically, so each human marshmallow gets browned, not burnt.

The salon sells lotions and whatever supplies tan fans demand, including mini-goggles to prevent eye damage. If the Peppers show you photos of idiots who tanned without goggles, it will ruin your lunch.

The past three years, Riviera Sun has been rated one of the top 250 tanning salons in the nation, according to Looking Fit magazine, which praised the Peppers for business innovations, quality service and fine treatment of employees.

Success in South Strabane prompted the Peppers to open a second salon November 2003 as a "cookie-cutter" franchise model in Collier Town Square, in Collier.

The Heidelberg-area salon features warehouse decor with inviting tanning beds in a long hallway of rooms. It includes a stand-up tanning bed, a 6-second Sun Spritz unit for a realistic spray-on tan and 15 traditional tanning beds.

For proof of the salon's success, take a look at the Peppers' daughter-in-law, Michele Romano, of Scott, who manages the salon. She's a model of successful tanning -- browner than a crescent roll. More bronze than most sculptures. Oh, how George Hamilton would drool.

"Our staff has to be tanned," she said. "Customers want to know what we do and what products we use."

Modern ambience is paramount to the perfect tanning experience.

"We wanted to create a more lofty setting, industrial yet tranquil," Romano said. The Collier salon features black-and-gold decor with red accents. I'd suggest it resembles a Steelers uniform after a brutal game, but that would be gauche. Actually, this decor encourages people to turn pale hides sienna.

Within a year, the Peppers hope to have as many as 10 franchises in southwestern Pennsylvania, with discussions under way for franchises in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Florida and New Jersey.

And the Peppers' tanning gig was pure accident.

They once operated Century 21 Terra Real Estate and each was earning a six-figure income, they said. They bought the house on Oak Spring Road and rented it to various businesses, including a manicurist with one tanning bed.

When the lady no longer could pay her lease, the Peppers took the tanning bed instead. Based on their research, they felt there was a profitable future in turning peach skin brown. So they bought five more tanning beds and opened for business as Riviera Sun, a name inspired by their vacations to France.

By then, Rose was fed up with her regular job. "I woke up one morning and told my husband, 'I quit real estate.' " The pleasant surprise? They found that all six tanning beds usually were filled with basting humanity.

"People were lined up out the door, and cars were parked out on the road," Terry said, "We thought, 'There could be something here.' "

So they put tanning beds in each room of the house, 19 units in all, including the region's first Sun Spritz machine for tanning without UV rays. They soon discovered that tanning brightens psyches.

"The light makes me feel good, and I like the color," said Stevie Mackey, a Washington and Jefferson College student from West Mifflin and regular Riviera Sun customer. "I feel healthier and more lively."

Each day, the Peppers witness the transformation of downtrodden souls into sun-drunken characters. Just like sunlight, UV rays tan the skin, make it produce vitamin D and spike the human martini with intoxicating attitude adjusters.

"In winter, Pittsburghers don't see much sunlight. They get depressed and need a boost," Romano said, noting it also soothes arthritis. "Bad weather gets people down, so they come in here depressed and leave happy."

Bake their hide and awaken their pride. It could be another Riviera Sun motto.

The salons' busiest season is February through June, which includes prom season. Young ladies and gentlemen -- it's a 70-30 mix -- get base tans with goals of becoming human cornflakes by May.

Valentine's Day and Christmas bring people in, and there's usually a rush before vacation season. Customer's range in age from early teens to old beans.

The Peppers' franchise fee is $20,000, which does not include the cost of the property, equipment or supplies. The entire operation is computerized, and employees must be trained and certified.

But for now, only a fraction of potential customers use tanning salons, so the Peppers think the business will grow exponentially: "Only 4 percent of the 67 percent of people who are potential tanners are tanning right now," Rose said.

If their future beamed any brighter, one might find George Hamilton on a beach towel beside them.