A tanning booth is just one of the ways of achieving an even tan, but it’s rapidly becoming the most popular. Other options include whole body sprays, low pressure tanning beds, and of course, traditional sunbathing. A tanning booth is pretty much a vertical tanning bed where you stand instead of lie down. This offers advantages over the bed, which is why it’s becoming the most used method of self-tanning.
A tanning booth is more hygienic as you stand in the middle and don’t come into contact with the bed itself. However clean a salon might be, there are still going to be remnants of the previous occupant on a bed. Standing up ensures the only part of you that touches anything is your feet. Standing also means the bits of you that crease when lying down stay flat, so the tan is more even. It’s also a nicer feeling, as you don’t feel so enclosed while standing in a booth. A tanning bed can feel a little claustrophobic at times.
When visiting a salon for the first time, take a good look around before trying a tanning booth. Look at the staff, do they look competent? Do they have healthy looking tans? Stay away from staff members who are burned or don’t have an even color, they aren’t the best example. Look at the other clients too. Are they healthy looking? Are they burned? While it’s difficult to micro manage everyone who walks through a salon, a well managed one will keep incidents to a minimum.
There is a lot of medical opinion about tanning, and tanning booths are no exception. A worthy salon will talk to you about the risks before letting you loose on their equipment. They should tell you what to look for, how often to tan, how to prepare your skin, how to care for your skin after the tan and offer goggles, either to borrow or to buy. The staff should also show you the tanning booth and how to work it properly. They are very simple devices, but each manufacturer does things a little differently.
Cleanliness and hygiene are vital in any public place, but especially so where people are naked, or almost naked and sweat. A good standard of cleanliness should be evident throughout the salon, and there should be no traces of the previous occupant when you view a tanning booth. Each booth should be cleaned between clients to minimize the risk of cross-contamination.
Once you’re happy with the salon itself, it’s time to try a booth. For a new visitor to the salon, you should be allocated a short time for your first visit, however much you might protest. A good attendant knows that they need to build you up gradually under their supervision, however much experience you might have. This shows that the attendants have had good training, and that the salon is considerate of their clients health.
Tanning booths are the best way of achieving an even tan. They are the most hygienic way of getting an all over tan that even gets the bits that crease when you lie down. If you’re claustrophobic, they are definitely the best option for you.