An Illawarra man has been ordered to pay $19,500 in fines and $14,000 in legal costs for running an illegal cosmetic tanning business and failing to comply with a notice to cease and desist his operations.
A NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) investigation found Mr Nicholas Ivanovski was providing illegal commercial tanning services out of his residential property in Port Kembla.
Clients would book through the now-deleted 'Glolounge' Instagram page and let themselves in and out of a residential basement for 35-70 minute sessions in ultraviolet (UV) tanning beds.
Between 20 September 2024 and 2 April 2025, records indicate that Mr Ivanovski made more than $50,600 in profit from providing illicit tanning services, which expose people to unsafe levels of radiation.
NSW EPA Executive Director of Regulatory Practice and Services Emma Whale said the use of UV tanning beds, or solaria, could increase a young person's risk of skin cancer by up to 75%.
"UV tanning businesses have been illegal in NSW since 2014, and we recently strengthened the laws to increase penalties and make it easier to catch these underground operators," Ms Whale said.
"In this case, we received an anonymous tip-off which led to a thorough investigation of this illegal business, uncovering evidence of more than 800 transactions over a period of six months.
"The defendant also failed to comply with a legal notice to stop providing the tanning services, amassing an additional $1,851 in payments over six days before finally closing his business.
"We're pleased the Court agreed that the business' prolonged operation led to significant radiation exposure, particularly for young people who may have frequently used the tanning beds."
Mr Ivanovksi was found guilty of two offences in Port Kembla Local Court on Wednesday 24 June, and ordered to forfeit his tanning beds.
This is the second recent solaria prosecution led by the EPA, following a conviction in the Local Court of NSW in early June which resulted in $35,300 in fines and legal costs for a Sydney tanning business.
