ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Indoor tanning works, but how well it works often depends on you, the tanner. Follow these tips to get a golden tan with serious staying power:

Avoid the Shower Before and After you Tan

You shouldn't shower right before you tan. Showering can actually strip the body of its natural oils and you want your skin to be as moist as possible to both help the tan develop and prevent your skin from drying out.

Showering right after a visit to the tanning salon is also going to wreak havoc on your tan. A hot shower, soap, and a loofah is a recipe for an exfoliation disaster. So. . .

Don't Exfoliate

Exfoliation actually works to take a tan away. It's great for keeping your skin healthy and fresh-looking, but every layer you scrub away is a layer of tanned skin. Unless you're committed to regular tanning, try to keep the exfoliating to a minimum.

Wear a Shower Cap in the Tanning Bed if Your Hair is Treated

Wear a shower cap if your hair is treated because some of the dyes and chemicals will hurt the acrylic on an indoor tanning bed. Plus, some chemicals may also react with the UV-B rays resulting in possible discoloration. Tan and green outfits may look great in the fall, but for your skin-hair combo, not so much.

Moisturize and Use Lotions

This one should be drilled into your head by now, but it's so critical it's worth saying again and again: always moisturize after you tan . UV lights can dry out your skin and moisturizing can prevent tan-stripping flaky skin.

Tan Naked

Tanning naked is the only way to avoid tan lines. If you're concerned about "certain areas" that may have never seen the light of day, you can use commercial cover ups or a small piece of cloth for protection to protect yourself during your time in the tanning bed.

Oh, the bikini tan line – that dreaded tanning side effect that curses beach goers everywhere. So, how do you get rid of it or avoid it all together? You guessed it, by using indoor tanning beds.

The best way to avoid a bikini tan line is to tan indoors in the nude. Tanning salons are very secure, you can usually lock the door and they’re also very hygienic. Most people tan in the nude, the salons expect it and they provide towels and sometimes robes for your comfort. Also, a salon is required to sanitize tanning beds after every use, so they’re clean.

Safe Indoor Tanning

I’m often asked about the proper way to tan. My answer? In a tanning bed!

Seriously though, if you’re tanning at a good salon, they will walk you back to your tanning room and show you exactly how everything on the tanning beds works – the timing system, the radio, the fans, everything.

Or, if you’re tanning on a home system, a good retailer (like ETS Tan) will teach you everything you need to know about your tanning bed from the regular maintenance to the proper way to tan in your system.

People often ask me how to get a darker tan and I always say the key is consistency, good tanning beds and going slow. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, tanning is a process. It’s not a race. You need to start your tanning off slow and build your initial tan up to a good base.

Build From the Base Up

Once you have that slowly built-up base, you can start to work on a rich, dark tan. Trust me, deep tans don’t come from single or occasional "power" sessions – they come from a consistent use of good tanning beds over a period of time.

Probably the most common question asked by new tanning bed users (and yes, even experienced tanners) is how often should you tan? I’ve said it a thousand times before and I’ll say it again, tanning is a process and it’s all about consistency when you use tanning beds. So, how often you should tan will depend on your skin type, the type of beds you’re using and your desired tan level.

Getting a Tan Started

It depends on your skin type, but getting a base tan started can take anywhere from eight sessions to fifteen sessions in a traditional tanning bed (3-5 sessions in a high-pressure bed) to develop a good tan. But, you have to do it slowly.