How to Use a Tanning Bed

Indoor tanning spas became all the rage in the mid-80's, just after the tanning bed was invented by Fredrich Wolff in the late 70's. These days, tanning salons are not as trendy as in the 80's, given that the risk of melanoma also known as skin cancer has alarmed the largest part of devoted tanning advocates.

Tanning has a few popular uses nowadays:

• Young adults and teens trying to attract the opposite sex


• Preparing for summar vacation


• Bodybuilders tanning for competitions


• Light therapy for seasonal depression

Regardless of your motivation, you want to get yourself an indoor tan. It's time for you to know how to use a tanning bed. Realize that there are two fundamental sorts of full body tanners to choose from, tanning booths and beds. The choice of booth or bed may be limited by the options offered at tanning saloons in your area. Ask the manager of your closest tanning salon which of their packages will work best for your tanning goal.

Ask the attendant which tanning lotion will work for you too. There are just as many varieties of tanning lotions as there are skin colors and tanning goals.

After you have bought your tanning package, the cashier assigns you a tanning bed and a room.

After you make it to your tanning suite, close and lock the door, and get as naked as you feel comfortable. You can leave your underwear on if you're afraid of being walked in on or frying your hoo-hoo. But, if you’re hoping to darken evenly, you should get used to the idea of tanning nude to avoid any tan lines.

How to use a tanning bed:
Apply tanning lotion all over your body, but not your face, since the lotion is not hypoallergenic, it can trigger breakouts, especially with the added heat/sweat. Open the door of the tanning booth or lift the lid on the tanning bed, as appropriate.

If you’re using a tanning booth, you might want to bring a CD, tape, or boombox so you can jam out while you're just standing there.

If your hair is long, you should put your hair up using a hair tie. Otherwise, when the fan starts going, your hair might get in the way, and put funky tan lines on your face.

Next, it is critical that you put on the goggles provided by the tanning salon during the entire time that the tanning bed/tanning booth is in operation. The UVA/UVB light from facial tanning lamps is so strong that it can cause cataracts if you're not wearing UV goggles. Closing your eyes is not enough. Your eyelids are thin enough that the enough of the UV will go right through them and still hurt your eyes.

At long last, turn on the tanning unit. You might need a single “start” button to press or to set a timer, depending upon how your tanning salon works. If you're just starting tanning and are fairly pale, your first few visits should be from 6 to 10 minutes. After a while you can build up to as high as half an hour per session.

An important tanning fact is that your skin remains the same when you're using a tanning bed. If you get sunburn quickly at the pool, you will probably fry even faster in the tanning salon.

Bed or booth, once the timer runs out, the lights will turn off, indicating that you've been baked to golden beauty. Get up/out of the tanner, take off your sunclipse, and dry off the sweat with a towel. Dress yourself and collect your belongings!

Remember to grab your boom box as you leave. Don't take a shower after tanning; soap's properties can reduce your tan if used too soon after tanning. Now that you know how to use a tanning bed, you're all set for a healthy, radiant indoor tan.