Unique Ways Northlanders Battle Winter Blues

DULUTH - These dangerously low temperatures are giving some Northlanders the blues and a strong desire to escape.

"Definitely people are getting a lot of seasonal affective disorder and getting cold just tired of the cold,” said Dawn Johnson, owner of AJ’S Tanning Salon.

Some locals are battling winter depression at the tanning salon.

"The UV rays helps stimulate your thyroid and they produce vitamin D in your skin,” said Johnson. “So it just helps you get the light you don't get from being outside this time of year you can get in a tanning bed."

"It's like my own personal little paradise that I can escape to for 20 minutes," said Brooke Peysar.

Peysar has been tanning twice a week this winter.

"Absolutely, it gets me out of the house,” said Peysar. “I can do something and I'm warm and cozy so it's a really good feeling."

Other Northlanders are taking it a step further getting their tans in places like Florida or the Caribbean.

“They wanna find some place warm, get me out of here," Duluth Travel Agency owner Earl Rogers said.

Rogers said the arctic blast is causing his phone to ring off the hook.

"Anything below zero is panic steady for a lot of people."

At the start of this winter's cold snap, he was booking trips to warmer climates mainly for a lot of older and retired Northlanders.

"Oh this is more than we really wanna take, every year it gets worse, can you find us a place,” said Rogers. “They'll go as soon as you can get them out."

Now people of all ages are calling him looking for a warm getaway.

"It's good for your soul,” said Rogers. "If you can get away for a while make a trip go somewhere warm."

If you are thinking of taking a vacation, it is recommended you book early to save money on airfare.