☀️ The Family Business Built Around the Glow

🏗️ Sunnyside's 99-Unit Project Is Stuck in Limbo

🏠 Queens Home Prices Climbed — But Fewer Deals Got Done

🚨 Four Suspects Wanted in a Dutch Kills Gunpoint Robbery

Walk in and the first thing you notice is the glow. Not just from the beds, but from the people. There's something about a tanning salon that feels like a small escape, a little pocket of warmth in the middle of a regular Tuesday. Sol Kiss Tanning & Wellness has that energy, and it makes a lot more sense once you know the story behind it.

About a year ago, Christopher's daughter came home with news: the woman who had run the tanning salon for 18 years was ready to move on. Eighteen years. That's not a business, that's a career. Christopher saw it differently. He saw a family opportunity. Within months, he, his wife, and his daughter had taken over the space, rebranded it as Sol Kiss Tanning & Wellness, and started reshaping what a neighborhood tanning salon could be. Christopher isn't new to running a business either. His other company, a medical courier logistics operation he founded back in 2012, is still going strong. He knows what it takes to build something real and sustain it.

Here's how it works inside Sol Kiss Tanning & Wellness. UV tanning is still at the core, with a lineup of beds suited to different skin types and goals, whether that's a quick pre-vacation base or year-round maintenance. The team coaches every client through the process, because what works for one person genuinely doesn't work for the next. If a session doesn't deliver the result you wanted, Christopher has been known to comp you another one just to make it right. Then there's the boutique corner, curated by his wife, stocked with bathing suits, cover-ups, sunglasses, color contacts, flip-flops, and the kind of beachwear you'd normally scramble to find the week before a trip. And Christopher's daughter handles custom spray tans, which require an appointment and a proper prep routine she'll walk you through so you leave looking exactly how you pictured.

The piece that's been turning heads is the red light and near-infrared therapy machine they invested in, and it's medical grade. Red light therapy boosts oxygen flow into your cells, speeds up muscle recovery, supports better sleep, and has shown results for digestion and in some cases hair growth. It's a completely different conversation from tanning. They're seeing clients from 17 to 83 coming in for it, people who never would have walked into a tanning salon otherwise, and leaving feeling noticeably better. No UV, no chemicals, no 24-hour wait period between sessions.

Christopher is also not shy about the UV conversation. He gets ahead of it directly: yes, UV in excessive amounts carries risk. The science is there. But a regulated indoor session, where the exposure is capped and calibrated to your skin type, is a fraction of what you absorb walking through the park on a bright afternoon with no protection. His point is that a base tan is your skin's natural defense mechanism. It's not vanity, it's biology. The facility takes cleanliness just as seriously. If there's a quiet moment, someone is cleaning. The beds are double-inspected between every client. When you're dealing with close contact and UV equipment, that standard matters.

Sol Kiss Tanning & Wellness keeps things simple on purpose. No memberships. Walk-ins welcome for UV and red light therapy. The philosophy is that people should come when they want to and not feel locked in. It's a family operation and they treat it that way, from the client coaching to the free lotion samples they hand out when they place a bulk order, to the way they follow up after sessions to see how your skin responded.

To follow along, catch specials, and see what's new at Sol Kiss Tanning & Wellness, find them on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Their website is also in progress and worth bookmarking at https://solkisstanningandwellness.com/. You can also reach them directly at (718) 767-8267.

Sol Kiss Tanning & Wellness is the kind of place that makes you wonder why you hadn't gone sooner. A local family, a thoughtful approach, and a service that genuinely makes you feel better on the way out. That's worth knowing about.

Anyone who's walked past 43-42 43rd Street in Sunnyside lately has probably noticed the same thing: not much is happening. The eight-story, 99-unit project has been sitting on hold, with signage on-site still promising a spring 2026 completion date that came and went months ago without so much as an updated timeline.

The building, designed by Gerald Caliendo Architects for developer John J. Ciafone of City View Construction Corp., was planned as a 79-foot-tall structure spanning nearly 74,000 square feet. Beyond the 99 rental-sized units — averaging a modest 677 square feet apiece — the plans call for more than 6,600 square feet of commercial space, two cellar levels, and a 138-space parking garage tucked underneath it all.

For a neighborhood that's absorbed a steady stream of new mid-rise buildings in recent years, a stalled project is a reminder that Queens' housing pipeline isn't always a straight line from permit to move-in day. No word yet from the developer on what's holding things up or when work might pick back up — we'll keep you posted.

👉 Read more: New York YIMBY | QNS

New numbers are in for the second quarter of 2026, and if you've been house-hunting — or just nosy about what your neighbor's co-op might be worth — the northwest Queens market (Astoria, Ditmars-Steinway, LIC, Sunnyside, Woodside, and a few neighbors) told a mixed story this spring.

According to figures from Miller Samuel and Douglas Elliman, the average price of a home in the area actually dipped slightly, from $1,318,356 last year to $1,291,571 this year, with closings falling from 149 to 132. Apartments told the opposite story: average prices climbed from $631,531 to $696,585, even as closings sank sharply, from 368 down to just 248.

Translation: fewer people are closing deals overall, but the ones who are closing are paying more for apartments and a little less, on average, for houses. If you're shopping this summer, that combination of rising co-op and condo prices with a shrinking pool of closings suggests good units aren't sitting long — even if the overall pace across the market has cooled.

👉 Read more: QNS

The 114th Precinct is asking for the public's help after four men allegedly attacked and robbed someone at gunpoint in Dutch Kills late on the night of Sunday, June 7. Police released surveillance images of the suspects on July 7, hoping a familiar face jogs someone's memory.

All four suspects are described as having medium complexions and appearing to be between 18 and 25 years old. NYPD is offering a reward of up to $3,500 for information leading to an arrest and indictment — tipsters can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (8477), or 888-57-PISTA for Spanish speakers, or submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.

The case lands amid a rougher year for robbery numbers precinct-wide: as of July 5, the 114th had logged 115 robberies in 2026, up from 93 at the same point last year — a jump of nearly 24%. It's a good reminder to stay alert on the walk home, and to actually call it in if something looks off.

👉 Read more: QNS

Astoria Insider is inviting local businesses and organizations to be featured in its growing community newsletter.

The platform highlights local news, events and community stories, providing businesses with an opportunity to reach a highly engaged local audience and showcase what they offer.

From restaurants and shops to services and community groups, all are encouraged to participate and share their story with readers across the Astoria and surrounding areas. Don’t own a business? That’s ok… Know of one that should be featured?

Those interested in being featured can reach out to learn more about available opportunities and upcoming editions. Click the button below to feature your business or send an email to [email protected] with your business details and we’ll reach out!