tanning salons
 

Does anyone here 'fake and bake' at tanning salons?

I am considering going into one because it's freakin april and still feels like winter here in sacramento. some of my sisters, friends, and even this guy i had a date with use them. i always thought they were just as bad or even worse than sitting out in the sun. I have tried the self tanners but they simply turn my skin orange and i find some way to screw it up. So i am researching right now.

What types of questions should I ask when I go in?
And does anyone have any suggestions on how to actually go about this (what to wear or not wear, sunscreen or not, time in the bed, etc).

And maybe if this is even a good option. I used to tan well as a kid but I would have to burn in order for me to do anything. However nowdays, I burn, but then just stay red for a few days and then turn back to white.

Any advice is great. Thanks!

Guilty of fake-n-baken! My advice to you...go in a regular bed the first time for 8 minutes maximum (since you said you burn easily). Skip the next day to give your body a break. The following day, jump up to 10 minutes. Basically, go every other day, and add 2 minutes onto your time...ONLY if you haven't burned!!! Do not use outside sunscreen because outside rays are UV...and indoor tanning lights are mainly UB rays. Instead, use an indoor tanning lotion...this should help prevent burning. I would ask the person behind the counter which type of lotion would work best for you (tell her what you mentioned here). As far as what to wear, most people usually go naked, but it's not wrong to wear a bathing suit bottom or underware when you go in. Whatever makes you feel comfortable. Oh yeah, when I go, I usually only expose my face for half of the time in the bed. The other half I have it covered so I don't get all red!

Hope this helps! Good luck :)

Edited to add: get in the habit of applying body lotion as soon as you get out of the shower if you are tanning. First, it retains your tan longer and it also helps to reduce the leather looking skin that some people start to obtain!

I have never been to a tanning salon and I will never go to one.

I am a proud to look like a ghost, lol.

Actually, almost every person in my family has skin cancer except for me so I'm trying to not become the next victim.

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Yes guilty of the fake n' bake!! Jadey28's advice was great! Remember to always use lotion, in or out of the bed. Especially after showers. Use enhancing lotion in the bed to soften your skin.
I swore I'd never go to the tanning bed after I turned 20 and didn't have to worry about any more proms. Well, two days ago I broke my 1 year and a half promise. But it felt so good! It is so relaxing, and its just a quiet time where you honestly can picture yourself at the beach!
I agree that is dangerous, but if you don't go like everyday non-stop for a year I think we'll all be okay.
And yes most people go nakey! That way no tan lines...and no tan lines are good!! ;)
Post back and tell us what you thought if you go!!

I refuse to go to those places. You're simply frying yourself from the inside out. You don't know you're hurting your body, but you are. I've seen way too many people who have tanned and their skin looks like leather. Maybe you could try one of those spray booths, if they're avaliable in your area? You just stand and this thing sprays your whole body, but don't rub it! They showed it on the "other half" and it really worked. Otherwise, if you can't get a good fake tan from a bottle, take a cue from the past and cover up. You don't have to be tan to be beautiful.

I'll go to them occasionly during the winter when it's too cold to tan naturally.

My advice is don't go in them more than once a week. Tanning beds give you a unique color that's different from a natural tan. People who tan a lot in tanning beds look orange to me.

Go in for maybe 10 minutes maximum the first time until you build up enough coloring to go in longer. You can go naked but I strongly advise you to wear at least sunblock 25 on the parts of your body that have never seen the light of day or else you'll be miserable for the next 3 days.

thanks for the advice everyone.

i am not really looking for a dramatic change over. just a little bit more color. i haven't heard of spray booths jenny so they probably aren't available around here. and bottle tans are great, only i end up with streaks cuz i am clumbsy. ;)
And i agree about the "stigma" of tanning booths. I have seen girls roam around campus in the middle of december with an orangey tone to them and it looks bad and obviously fake.
I am just looking for other alternatives to tanning because, like i said before, it is so hard for me to tan outdoors.

One of the girls I work with had this done and she ended up looking slightly orange. Then again, she's working the "bulging midriff hanging over the hip-huggers" look 4 days out of 5, so she probably thought she was stylin'.

lol that's great...I'm sure it was a lovely look for her!

Uh, not about the skin cancer OR the fake look. Plus, I don't need it. :D

I am a HUGE advocate of the Mystic Tanning system. It is a spray on tan booth that gives a fairly good natural look. If you feel compelled to use a tanning bed as well, be sure to go to a well regarded establishment, not just the cheapest you can find. Ask them how often they change their bulbs and when they were last changed. This makes a HUGE difference in the amount of time you spend in the bed. Also, you can combine the mystic tan with the beds and it gives you better all around color and the mystic tan has moisturizers in it that will keep your skin from getting dried out.

Click here to find a location for Mystic Tan .

Laura

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Hey, I know I just posted..but I just remembered some stuff. My friend went to a Mystic Tan place for her AOII formal and the next day it was gone. So if you decide to do that make sure you do it by the book and perfect!!!
Second, all of the self tanners in the world are orange. Except, and this may be with my skin color only, Coppertone's. The one in the tealish bottle w/ lotion on one side and the tanner on the other. It works really well and stays on forever. Plus since you have lotion to even it out there are not many streaks if any at all. Thats my advice, both are harder than just giving up and going to the tanning bed. But whatever works.... I do when I care.

I always get coupons in the mail and some are for tanning salons. They advertise one free Spray on tan if you buy 2 ; I read in Allure that it usually takes 3 times in the booth to get a good even tan.
Anyone see the new cloth tans by Lancome? Apparently you rub the cloth over you for a tan. I don't think it would work bc what if you rub an area too much?! I think it would be all uneven.
I'm really pale and I haven't wore shorts yet because of my paleness. I have used tanning beds, but it takes so many times to get tan. I miss florida at least i had a great tan from going to the beach all the time.

I've seen what happens to people that fake bake for their whole lives, my mom's best friend had skin cancer on almost her entire torso.

Don't do it, man. Just wait.

see that's what i am afraid of. tho i don't plan on using it for the rest of my life. it can't hurt for just a month... right?

I don't remember the facts, but I do know that even one bad regular sun burn ups your chance of getting skin cancer, I don't know about using a tanning bed for a month, I'm sure it isn't going to put you as much at risk as a lifetime user, but there is still risk there.

Having had 5 people in my family have cancer and seeing how horrible it is to go through, I personally wouldn't risk it just to get a tan.

But really, it's all about what you feel comfortable doing.

If you read the little instructional things posted inside nearly all tanning beds, they say: If you do not tan well in an outside setting, you will not tan well in a tanning bed.

That's what i figured. well that answers my question. i will stick to bottle tans. thanks everyone tho.

I used to tan a few times a week because my roommate worked at the tanning salon near campus and let me tan free. I look back at pictures of myself with my orange-y, Oompa Loompa-looking legs and am like, "Did I think that looked GOOD?"

I have heard, though, that tanning bed technology has improved a lot since then. Just be careful and don't overdo it!

Here's some helpful hints from a tanning salon patron:

First of all be very careful about the amount of time you spend in a bed. Every tanning salon is different and some use higher watt bulbs that can burn you faster in shorter periods of time. I start out at 5 to 8 minutes and continue that for a week or until I'm not burning after going. Then I increase my minutes accordingly.

Be careful if the salon has just changed their bulbs on the beds. Most will post signs, but it's always good to ask because if they have then they are EXTRA strong at first and you should cut back the amount of minutes you go for...this includes if you've been tanning for a while.

Always use a tanning lotion (NOT AN SPF - that ruins their beds). A few good lotions that I've used are Sweedish Beauty, Joop!, Butter Milk... tanning lotions help increase the tanning process and decrease the amount of dryness you get from tanning without lotion.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wear the goggles. I don't care how STUPID it sounds...but just protect your eyes.

Furthermore if you start to feel really really hot while in the bed, don't feel stupid if you get out and stop it...or put a towel on your face or the area that feels very hot. The places on our bodies that "never see the light of day" BURN faster and usually worse than others. If you tan naked be careful cuz if you burn your A$$ it will itch and hurt for weeks (speaking from experience). :p

Do some research too on the salons. See what places offer special student discounts and what places offer tanning prices by the minute versus a monthly package. I like to start out by the minute because if I burn myself and can't go for a few days I don't feel like I'm wasting my money. Then I might switch to a salon that goes by the month once I've built up my tan. There are some places that also offer "Early Bird" specials where you can tan for however many minutes between certain A.M. hours. That's always nice cuz then you don't have to buy a package.