Solar Jail is a tanning salon on the roof of The Adobe Skyscraper owned and operated by Brent Ko. The "salon" consists of 50 or so deck chairs and a small booth to pay for time. Patrons are allowed to hang out on the roof for a small fee, and are encouraged to dip their toes in the rain water barrel (assuming they've signed a Rainwater Waiver). The trap door leading back into the building is locked for long periods at a time to encourage “total sun exposure.” The booth attendant has emergency access.
Slogan
“Solar Jail—your mandatory sentence for being pale.”
Founding
The Solar Jail was the first business to be established at the top of the The Adobe Skyscraper. According to local legend, Mr. Ko overheard an anecdote about cooking steak and eggs on top of a hot summertime roof and decided to turn the idea into a business. In the industry, this practice is called “flipping the slip.” The following clipping from May 1999 edition of The Daily Admirer explains.
When we moved in here, the vacancy rate was close to 90%. They were charging almost nothing for office space, and when we came to look at the roof before signing the lease, they told us they'd give us the roof for free because it smelt strongly of Plutonium Sun Screen, which appealed to me and also appealed to my employees. Anyway, we've been up here ever since, and the rest, as they say, is mystery.
—Brent Ko, Septermber 1999