I think this might be another issue of locality. Remember that Britain
doesn't get a hell of a lot of sunshine, and it's always been important
to have a tan over summer so you can lie about your holiday on the
continent :-)
On the other hand, I've never heard of anyone in Australia with their
own personal sunbed, and the "tanning salons" around my neck of the
woods you could count on one hand (and I don't know how they make money
during summer - maybe I should look for some then :-)).
cheers
-steve