ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Tanning regularly is the key to getting the best tanning bed tan. If you let your sessions lapse, your tan will soon follow.

Building Up a Tan

When you first start building a tan, you should be going to an indoor tanning salon between three and four times a week. Once you’ve built up that base tan, you’ll only need maintenance sessions between one and three times a week, depending on your skin tone. If you’re using a high-pressure bed, you can often get away with going once every two weeks.

Most people see results after just a few tans, but it can take about three weeks of regular tanning before you’ll see a deep, noticeable tan. Remember, tanning is a process not a race. So, if you’re trying to get a base tan before your next vacation, you’ll want to plan ahead and start working on your tan three to four weeks ahead of time.

The Benefits of Lotions

When tanning indoors, you don’t have to wear an SPF lotion. Why? Because an SPF lotion is designed to protect you while spending an extended amount of time in the sun. When you’re using a tanning bed you’re only getting a few minutes of exposure as opposed to a few hours.

You also want to avoid using outdoor lotions in indoor tanning beds. These lotions can harm the tanning bed acrylics and adversely affect your tan. Instead, use products that are designed specifically for indoor tanning. These lotions are sold at all tanning salons and are designed to both moisturize the skin and help you achieve a deeper, better tan.

Tanning Safety

A good tanning salon will be able to offer you a skin analysis and recommend a tanning program that will help you achieve the color you want. For example, someone with fairer skin may need to start with a shorter exposure time, gradually increasing their tanning bed time with each visit. You can tan up to a maximum of once every 24 hours, but you should wait at least 48 hours between tanning sessions.

Finally, you should never tan (outdoors or indoors) if you’re currently using photosensitizing medication. Drugs like Accutane, Cipro, Intal and even Benadryl can dramatically increase the risk of overexposure. If you’re not sure, speak to your doctor, pharmacist or consult a tanning professional.

How to Get a Deeper Tan

If you’re a regular in the tanning beds, but aren’t getting any darker you may have hit what tanning professionals call a “tanning plateau.” You want to get a deeper tan, but it’s just not happening, so what do you do next?

Try a New Indoor Tanning Lotion

If you feel like you’ve hit your tanning plateau and you’re already using a good indoor lotion, then maybe it’s time to switch your product.

Think of it like changing your shampoo. You can use the best shampoo out there, but if you use it every day over and over again, eventually your hair will get used to it and go limp with residue build-up. You try a new shampoo and BAM – your hair’s looking great again. Tanning lotions act in a similar way.

So, if you’ve reached a tanning maximum and you’re already using a good lotion, then ask your salon staff for a new product recommendation or try upgrading to a better lotion. And if you’re not already using a good indoor lotion, then now is the time to start.

Everyone Has a Limit

At some point everybody will reach a tanning limit. A person can only get so dark and that level of darkness will depend on their skin type. So, yes, it’s possible to bump up your tan a little more with a new lotion or strategy, but it’s also possible to reach a maximum tanning level.

Enhance a Tan With Spray-On Tans

Some salons call it a cocktail, others call it the double-dip, but the traditional tanning bed session followed by a spray-on tanning session is a great way to enhance an existing tan. Because the pores are open from the tanning bed, the sunless spray-on gives you a deep, dark tan.