Spray Tanning Tips & Advice
So you're looking to make a quick upgrade to your pasty white skin huh? Spray tanning is definitely a good way to get color fast without having to expose yourself to UV rays. I usually go tanning in regular tanning beds and I decided to try something that would work a little faster with less hassle. I went to Beach Bum Tanning Salon (usually where I go for my regular tanning) and got information and a package for custom spray tanning.
Here are the basics:
- Shave/Wax and shower at LEAST 8 hours prior to getting a spray tan.
- Do not put any moisturizer on as the spray will not exfoliate/blend into your skin as well.
- Wear loose dark clothing to your spray tan appointment.
- Take all of your jewelry off.
- Make sure once your tan is complete you let yourself dry for about 5 minutes and that you are even all over your body.
- When you get home from tanning do not shower for 8 hours after.
- When you finally do take a shower, do NOT exfoliate; do NOT use a loofa, and do NOT use HOT water.
If you shower in hot water, (which is generally what I like to do) your spray tan will come off A LOT faster. You will actually be able to see a lot of the spray come off your body while you shower the first time regardless but using hot water will dull/shorten the life of your spray tan. Your first shower should actually be a “rinse” and you should not even be using soap.
Now that you’ve become more familiar with some of the basic spray tan tips I’ll let you know what I personally thought of it and you can comment, ask questions and let me know how your experiences go.
If you’re getting a custom air brush spray tan most places require an appointment but if you’re using the mystic tanning booths you can usually just come in like using a normal tanning bed.
The actual experience of standing in front of some random girl basically naked in a thong was a little weird at first but I mean c’mon if that’s the only price I have to pay to be tan and sexy then that’s fine with me! =) The first thing you need to do is put on the shower cap over your hair so your hair doesn’t get sprayed. Once that is done you can pick a shade you would like to be. Beach Bum Tanning Salon has 4 levels. The first time I went I did Beach. This color can be seen on Beach Bum’s website. It is supposed to make you look like you laid out on the beach for about a week. I really liked this color because it settled well and overall looked real (none of that orange tint and it wasn’t too dark either). Now remember this is coming from someone who used to chronically tan on the Diamond (highest level) beds for several years. I am definitely one of those girls who loves to get dark, but when it comes to spray tanning less is more.
You are told to stand in front of a drop down sheet, kind of like a green screen (haha). The spray tanner will tell you how to stand; i.e. with your hands and legs out, thigh out, head up and so forth. These positions are alternated through two rounds of spraying your body. They do this so that they can make sure to get all angles of your body and not have you wake up the next day with white knuckles…but that’s another story for my second spray tan experience. Before the spray is applied they usually ask you if you want the exfoliation which of course costs about $10 more. I highly recommend you allow them to put the exfoliation spray on because your body will absorb the spray tan a lot better and faster.
After you’re done getting sprayed they usually use a tool to blow air on you to help dry the spray. You also must stand in front of a heated lap/fan for 5 minutes after the whole procedure is complete to assure you are dry and ready to put clothing back on.
Again, as mentioned before, you must bring loose baggy dark clothes to wear. The spray tan rubs off and the best items to wear are sweat pants that are black, no bras and baggy shirts. (OH AND NO SOCKS!!! Flip flops only!) If you wear socks, when you come home your feet will be white and the rest of you will be tan. So I hope that’s enough motivation to get you to bring some flip flops.
After care is quite simple, you can buy a tan extender and it should keep your tan for a little bit longer. All you do is shower as usual, of course not using hot water, and put the moisturizer tan extender on after your shower. After you get out of the shower don’t rub your body just pat it dry or allow yourself to air dry. This again will assure your tan will not rub off.
Air brush tanning can be a very big annoyance as if you are like me and work out a lot, when you sweat it will come off on your clothing. Ok, so let’s recap; what two things do I advise to stay away from? Hot showers and anything that causes severe sweating. Any residue that comes off on your clothes can be washed and usually goes away in the wash.
Spray tanning is totally ok for people who have acrylic tips too! You don’t have to wear those annoying finger nail savers that you usually would in the tanning beds. The spray can spray directly over your nails and the acrylic resists it. You might find a few splotches here and there of spray but you can easily rub it off with your fingers or rinse it off with water.
So I would say overall good experience, but the second time I went spray tanning at a different Beach Bum Tanning Salon they did a pretty bad job. The girl was super talkative and she sprayed over my body multiple times so I thought it was gonna look awesome. Yet unfortunately when I came home later that night I realized she had missed like one section in the middle of my knuckles and it was extremely obvious and weird. The girl also missed a section around my elbow. Even if these spots weren’t very visible I would still care because you’re supposed to get your monies worth. I came back the next day and had another girl fix JUST my knuckle which was pretty funny. She did her best but she couldn’t match the color very much. It looked very weird and left a bad taste in my mouth for future spray tanning sessions. The moral of this story is if your spray tan girl is talking a lot… STOP RESPONDING because she is NOT paying attention to what she’s doing and it’s at your expense!!!
Last but not least would be packages. Just as any other tanning you can buy a package of sessions which basically gives you a discounted rate for a certain amount of spray tans. If you’re a student they usually have even more discounted rates all you have to do is show them your student ID. When I went to Beach Bum Tanning Salon they charged me $20 for my first spray tan and I believe it was $25 for each subsequent session with my student ID.
Overall spray tanning is a good idea if you’re looking for quick results. You will look good but after a day or so you’ll start to see the tan fading and certain spots of you looking darker than others. I like to call this the “dirty” phase. This is the part where you start to kind of look dirty depending on how dark you got spray tanned and how hard you are trying to scrub the tan off. If you notice this dulling/fading effect come into play and you just want to get rid of the tan, I suggest you take a hot shower and use a loofa and scrub very very hard. You will probably have to repeat this multiple times throughout the next few showers but it’ll come off. You can also just wait it out. The first time I tanned I waited it out and had no “dirty” effect but the second time from the bad Beach Bum Tanning place I saw this happen. It can be a 50/50 chance. You have to do your research on where your getting spray tanned. Custom air brush spray tanning is definitely a really cool sunless and UV-free experience but it requires high maintenance, it gets expensive, and you’re probably better off saving it for special occasions.
April 7th, 2012 at 9:50 pm
TIP for feet
When you do the booth tan, take 2 wipes and stand on them in the booth, the move easy with you when you are turning and it totally eliminates the orange on bottom of your feet.
February 29th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
You can double dip. You tan usually in an instant bed than right after you spray tan. It looks so much better. Amazing
August 14th, 2011 at 7:58 am
Good choice I’m sure you’ll look great!
August 13th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
I am about to get a mystic spray tan for the first time. I got a spa package as a gift and tanning is part of it. Since I would like to get lightly tanned for my wedding in the future, I wanted to see what it would be like. I am REALLY pale so I’m going with the lightest color; hopefully it doesn’t look orange
July 10th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
I usually only get a spray tan the day before a special event (3 days before if a person rather than machine sprays me). The place I go to has VersaSpa rather than Mystic Tan and I like it A LOT better. I did get the “dirty” phase on about the 3rd day, but mainly just on my legs. The spray tan came off easily when I dried off after a shower (just scrub a little). Does the spray tan act as a barrier when you go back to UV tanning beds?
July 8th, 2011 at 7:26 am
Hey if any of you are heading out to get a spray tan let me offer you some words of wisdom..DO NOT WEAR WHITE! I made the mistake of wearing a white shirt to get my initial tan and the inside of the shirt got stained when i got dressed.
June 24th, 2011 at 10:05 am
I go tanning and I have fair skin… im filially starting to get a nice base so that when I go into the sun I will receive more color or tan. I just got a spray tan yesterday and im scared that when it goes away my actual tan will be gone. Is it true that when ur spray tan goes away the top layer of your skin comes off?
June 9th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
i got a spray tan two days ago and tomorrows the dance … and i have dance tonight what happpends if i sweat?
June 8th, 2011 at 8:42 am
I need help…I Got a spray tan done there today in the morning it went fine but all these little inperfections are coming up my body looks dirty I’m so mortofied.I’m going on holidays tomorrow and the girl who gave me the tan told me that all that dirty look will come off when I have a shower and moisturies I’m really scared that it will still look terrible
help me
May 27th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
I’ve learned more from your comments, than from the ladies at the tanning place that serviced me! The day prior to my sray tan session, I visited the location, made my apmt and was told I had to wait 4 hrs before showering. The day of my spray tan session, I was told to wait 8 hrs! So, I missed the huge party I was to go to that evening…as I had my session apmt mid day! It looks great, but I am now scare to endure the fading process!
May 25th, 2011 at 2:06 am
i was woundering, whats the best position to put ur hands in when ur in the booth, some ppl just do the straight down and then some say to do the claw thing. Im trying it out for the first time this weekend and i really dnt want to look horrible. whats the diff from a bronzer and the clear and im filipino n i have a tint of color right now but what shade would be the best?? lol just woundering B)
May 20th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
i got a spray tan and i took a shower and my face is the only thing that is pale? i did use an acne wash but it is pale? its bothering me because my body is tan but my face is white
May 13th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
i get a spray tan at palm beach in the Mystic its not a high fashion salon but i really like it they have me use this PH balancer which comes in a gel or lotion it helps absorb the tan and makes it more even, and also makes it last longer. I really enjoy it:) oh and EMILEE i dont believe there is an age limit for spray tanning but usually depending on what salon you go to there is an age limit for UV tanning where i go its 16 but i know places that it is 15 so youll just have to ask and do your research.
May 10th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
How old do you have to be or is there a age limit?
April 29th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
@Aly: Hmmm…. I’m not sure, I don’t think I’d recommend you do that. I’ve always kept the two separate but it’s possible that there’s nothing wrong with it… you’d have to ask the employees at the salon if people ever do that and I’m sure they’ll be able to tell you. Sorry I couldn’t help more!
April 29th, 2011 at 12:38 am
Okay I just got a spray tan today and I was wondering if I went in a tanning bed tomorrow will it make me darker?
April 19th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
thank you for explaining everything very clear
April 19th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
THANKS FOR EVERYTHNG REALLY HELPS IM GETTING ONE FOR MY PROM AND I WASN’T SURE HOW IT WOULD LOOK OR TURN OUT BEC AUSE IT’S MY 1ST TIME
April 16th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
very informative article!!!!!!!!
March 28th, 2011 at 6:40 pm
I have an event on Saturday that i would like to be tan for, but i have never done it before and am not sure how much in advance i should do it..?
March 12th, 2011 at 1:40 am
Thankyouu for that it was very informative. But just one question when you wore a thong, after your spray tan did it look a bit odd if you were naked and you just had that little white patch? Im only asking cos im wanting a spray tan and i dont know whether to go fully naked or not…
March 4th, 2011 at 11:25 am
Thanks u answered all my questions. Very informative.
May 12th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Tallie,
did you put any of the cream on before you sprayed?? If not i reccomend putting a thin layer of the cream or lotion on your hands before hand. Then after you spray i usually wait a few minutes then wash my hands. Works like a charm. If that doesn’t seem to help you can use some lemon juice, or even hair removal cream.
April 21st, 2010 at 12:30 am
I just got a spray tan done a couple weeks ago because I am getting married in June. I wanted to try it now to see how it would look. Everything looked good except for my hands. My hands looked dirty immediately afterwards and just got worse as the days went on. Do you have any tips or suggestions to help with this?
March 24th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
What if you get a spray tan and then go in a tanning bed after? Would that make your spray tan bake into your skin so it lasts longer?
March 22nd, 2010 at 1:09 am
I’ve tanned in beds for the last couple years and have recently decided to switch to spray tans only… It’s better and safer for your skin. I found Mystic to be uneven and orange looking even on my tanned skin. I recommend a Versa spa spray tan. You won’t smell like you’ve been tanning and the color is great!!! The booth is open and you won’t feel like you can’t breathe. I love that there were 4 different positions to stand in to ensure even coverage.
March 1st, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Daniel- I’ve never tried this, but I have heard that lemon juice can help you remove the excess on your feet. Maybe try a pumice stone on your soles also. If you are going to try both, I would recommend the pumice stone first. Good luck!
February 26th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
i’m getting married in a few weeks. and i’m pretty white. i dont want my tan to rub off on my strapless wedding dress..under the arms and what not.. and i dont want to start looking splochy on my honeymoon. we are going to the beach for 3 days. a friend of mine told me that she had a spray tan done once and after a few days she started peeling and it looked like she had some kind of skin disease. any ideas on when i should get my spray tan to avoid all of the above? or just some tips in general?
February 26th, 2010 at 3:55 am
just sprayed myself. I’m scared. I forgot to make sure I wasn’t stepping in the excess in the shower and the bottom of my feet are blackkk. Anything that’ll help get rid of that??
February 21st, 2010 at 1:05 pm
i don’t see why not, i guess try not to get too dark of a color though so that your legs don’t look very different from the rest of your body
February 20th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
will spray tan help cover varicous veins so can i just get my legs done
February 20th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
can i just get my legs spray tanned
January 26th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Not all “spray tans” rub off. There are different solutions, bronzer mist and clear mist. The bronzer mist is a washable color that top top layer will wash off when wet ( or rub off on clothing) The tanning salon I work for has clear mist spray. therefore you wont see immediate color it starts to develop over the next couple hours and is fully developed in 6 hours. This one is very nice also because you dont have to worry about any of your tan rubbing or sweating off. Always make sure to exfoliate before you got to get spray tanned and wait to shower for 4 hours afterwards to get maximum results. Most places have different levels you can get ( light med dark) if you have a good base tan built already going w/ the darker level should be fine, however its when people w/ very white skin w/o a base color and then try to get a dark spray, that turns up orange. I also recommend “cocktailing” which is tanning right before you do the spray tan. This will give you amazing results. And most good spray tans should last for 5-7 days w-o and “dirty” affects. Enjoy!
January 8th, 2010 at 11:32 am
I got a mystic spray tan and the way I was instructed to stand it completely missed my left arm. Are you suppose to stand straight in facing the jet or actually follow the numbers on the floor? Bececause the numbers on the floor actually start you out at an angle to the jet and continues to ask you to follow the numbers on the floor. I went over it in my head after the tan showed up and I can see how it missed my arm. What are your suggetions?
September 29th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Okayy, so i was wanting to get a spray on tan for my homecoming dance.. If i start sweating in my dress, will the spray on tan rub off on to the dress? Like under the arms?
June 17th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Exfoliate!!!!!
May 8th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
UM ON THE SWEATING THING DID IT LOOK BAD AFTER U HAD SWEAT OR DID IT JUST GET ON UR CLOTHES?? AND I KINDA GOT BURNT SO IM AFRAID I MIGHT BE PEALING IN A COUPLE DAYS (ITS FRIDAY NOW AND IM GETTIN MY TAN ON TUESDAY) WHAT DO I DO IF IM PEALING THEN??
May 8th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
WOW UR REALLY GOOD! U HELPED ME ALOT ALREADY AND IM TOTALLY NOT AS NERVOUS ABOUT MY TAN! THANX!!!!