Airbrush & Spray Tanning

Here at Self Indulgence Tanning & Day Spa, we're more than happy to provide answers to any questions our clients may have about Sunless Tanning. Here we'll discuss the most commonly asked questions over our years of operation.

1. Q. Does a spray tan prevent me from burning in the sun?

A. Although spray tanning gives you a natural-looking tan, it works much differently than UV tanning. With spray tanning, we do not use UV rays - the spray solution interacts with the amino acids in your skin to give you that bronzed look, without the harmful effects of UV exposure. At the end of the process, you have the cosmetic bronzed look, but your skin will still react to the sun as if it were completely un-radiated. We always recommend protecting your skin with high levels of SPF to prevent sun burn (and moisturize your spray tan, too!).

2. Q. I've had bad experiences with sunless before. Are all solutions/applications the same?

A. Absolutely not! As with any other product on the market, sunless solutions are manufactured with different qualities. Over time, sunless has evolved exponentially - here at Self Indulgence, we use the most progressive equipment and sunless solutions to ensure the most natural-looking tan possible.

3. Q. Technician Application vs. Booth Application - which is better?

A. The benefit to having a professionally trained airbrush technician apply your tan is that he/she is able to pay special attention to the method of the application. Certain areas of the body tend to absorb more solution than others, and having it done by a technician allows them to ensure the most even, natural-looking tan possible. It can be completely customized, from the darkness of the solution to the exact location it is applied. The airbrush allows custom shading which can reduce tan lines, make cleavage or abs more noticeable and even de-emphasize hips or love handles. It's quite amazing really.

The Versa Spa booth is automatic. You step in the booth, press a button and it sprays you. It's an all-over tan with 3 levels of tanning. It's a very fast session, taking usually 5-10 minutes. Booth applications generally require a few more preparatory steps; wearing a hair cap, putting on barrier cream, etc., and spray a continuous stream top-to-bottom. However, it all comes down to one thing; personal preference!

4. Q. How long does the tan last?

A. You'll see your color last about 7-10 days, as long as you're taking care of your skin. In order to ensure the longest tan possible, we recommend moisturizing multiple times daily with any basic moisturizer. For the duration of the tan, avoid body scrubs and exfoliants until after your color has faded.

5. Q. I'm going on vacation - is there anything I need to know?

A. Slather on the SPF! As mentioned above, you should treat your skin as if it were completely unradiated, despite how dark your spray tan may be. Also, chlorinated and salt water tend to act as an exfoliant to the skin. If you'll be swimming in a pool or the ocean, limit your time, otherwise your tan will not last quite as long.

6. Q. My friend and I both got the same color depth - why are we not the same color?

A. The color you end up at after the solution fully develops depends on your original skin tone. Just as everyone responds to the sun's rays differently, spray tanning does not make everyone the same color, either. If two people, one with very light skin tone, the other with a slightly deeper skin tone, both choose to tan at the "medium" color depth, the client with the slightly deeper skin tone will end up a little bit darker once developed. Our sunless solution works with your skin tone to create a customized tan. As always, the professionally trained staff at Self Indulgence is ready to help choose a color depth for each client based on their skin tone, and what color they would like to achieve.

7. Q. Will the solution change my hair color? What about my clothes?

A. No! The solution we use is designed not to absorb to hair follicles. When you shower 12 hours after the initial application, any solution that may have gotten in your hair will wash right out. As for clothes, our solution is also water-soluble, meaning it'll wash right out!

8. Q. I've tried a million different sunless products, and I always turn orange. What's the deal?

A. As I mentioned in a previous answer, all products and solutions have varying quality. Low-quality products have a higher tendency to turn users orange. If, however, you're having issues with high-quality products, it could simply be due to your skin's own chemistry. Factors such as acidic skin, hormonal imbalances, and even improperly prepped skin could have a huge impact on the way your airbrush turns out. At Self Indulgence, we have a Normalizing Prep Treatment that is designed to balance the pH of your skin, which basically gives us a perfectly balanced complexion to work with. In addition to this, it also evens out dryer areas of skin, preventing any over-absorption of solution in those areas, creating a much more even, natural, looking tan overall. Talk about a double-whammy!

9. Q. How long until I can shower?

A. Although different products require different amounts of time for development, our solution requires 8-12 to fully develop. In every case, we recommend waiting the full 12 hours before showering, sweating, washing hands, etc. Always double-check the time your tan needs for development in order to ensure a great looking tan!

We also offer a Quick Spray solution that will allow you to shower (warm water rinse) in just 1-3 hours!

10. Q. I'm doing this for a special event. When should I come in?

A. Generally, we recommend coming in 2 days before the scheduled event. Your airbrush will be at its peak color about 48 hours in. For example, if this is for a wedding on Saturday, we would suggest coming in on Thursday. If you're going on vacation, however, we recommend coming in as close to the date of departure as possible. For another example, if you're leaving for a cruise on Wednesday, we would schedule your appointment for Tuesday. Of course, our scheduling is always flexible, so call us with any questions, or for suggestions!

11. Q. I am pregnant... can I get a spray tan? Will you tan pregnant women?

A. We love pregnant bellies and have so much fun spray tanning them!! We absolutely spray tan pregnant women. All we ask is that you have a conversation with your personal doctor to ensure they are OK with your decision to get spray tanned. We have even spray tanned high risk pregnant women. Our solutions are extremely natural and there are no toxins to be absorbed or breathed in from our solution!

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