“Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…who’s the fairest of them all?”
“mom a la mode, of course!”
Well, in skin tone at least.
Despite my Southern Italian heritage, I am as fair-skinned as they come – especially right around this time of year, when any semblance of a “tan” has totally faded.
I’ve heard the tales about spray tans, and have seen some successful outcomes on friends – and some not-so-successful outcomes on TV shows (Ross from “Friends” ring a bell?) and have generally been intrigued for years.
So I recently took the plunge. Or rather, stepped into the booth.
The Norvell spray tan booth
I was hyper-vigilant about prepping ahead of time: shaving, exfoliating, moisturizing days in advance to ensure my winter skin was in prime shape for a layer of some faux-summer-lovin’.
And I was also super-choosy about where I was going to go to have this done. Just about every spa and tanning salon around the country offers a form of spray tanning, ranging from private booths to airbrushing by a technician.
I also have an allergy to sesame products, so I had to be sure there were no traces of sesame oil in the solution of which I’d be sprayed from head-to-toe. (Surprisingly, sesame oil appears in lots of beauty products.)
And so off I went to Body Glo Tanning in Ridgefield, NJ – a salon owned by my client’s best friend, Stephanie – late on a Thursday night. Stephanie made me feel so comfortable and walked me through the spraying process step-by-step.
She started by handing me a paper shower cap and cardboard “slippers.”
“Huh?” I asked nervously.
“You’ll be fine” she assured me. “You need to wear these so your hair and the soles of your feet don’t get sprayed. Make sure you push the shower cap as far back as possible so you don’t get a weird tan line on your forehead.”
“OK. Got it.”
Holding my shower cap accessory. The slippers are inside the booth waiting for me!
“The voice in the booth is very, very nice and she’ll talk you through everything else. Just don’t forget to put this lotion on your fingertips and toe nails before you hit the Green Button to start. ”
“OK. So shower cap – push it way back. Follow the voices in your head – I mean, in the booth. Put the lotion on your nails and toenails. Press the Green Button…think I got it.”
I accessorized myself with the appropriate headwear and footwear as directed, assumed the “start position” and hit the Green button in the booth, and felt ready to get glowing.
Except for one thing – I FORGOT TO THE APPLY DARN FINGER/TOE NAIL LOTION!!!!!
Panic set in.
“Oh Cr–!” I manage to mutter as the lovely voice in the booth began her countdown.
“Your session will begin in 3…2…1…”
That was it – the spraying was about to begin. I knew there would be no way I’d be able to lather up in 3 seconds before the start of the mist. So I just went with it.
The process itself was actually kinda neat. A cool mist was sprayed allover the body, in sections. And Stephanie was right – the voice was totally nice and very helpful. Although when I knew it was time to spray my face, I just held my breath for the remaining 30 seconds or so of the spraying process – just in case the misting went off-course.
After the front of my body was sprayed, I was instructed to turn around, and have my back half misted. And then the dryers turned on.
From start-to-finish, the process took probably no more than four minutes. And I was TAN when I emerged from the booth! And able to dress normally without having the solution rub off.
“How did it go?” Stephanie asked me when I emerged from the booth.
“I forgot to put the lotion on my nails, but aside from that, totally great!”
Because I didn’t have a fresh mani or pedi, there was really nothing to worry about – and the solution did not penetrate my nail beds or nails at all. Phew!
So here’s what unfolded in the days to come – I was instructed to wait about 24 hours before showering, at which time, my color would be even more pronounced. And was it!
So much so, that my neighbor, Lauren, literally stopped me in the middle of a conversation the next night and asked – – “Wait — something looks different about you…Did you get spray tanned!?!??”
And my friend Jude thought I was pregnant!
The “healthy glow” that I got from the sunless tanning was definitely noticeable.
Two days after my spray tan
And I have to say – I felt pretty great about how I looked. Between having my hair freshly highlighted and sporting the new tan, I considered giving my pal Jen Aniston a ring to go grab margaritas.
But then I realized that I don’t actually know Jennifer Aniston, and plus I was booked solid for the weekend. Oh well…
Would I go spray tanning again? You betcha. Would I make a weekly hobby out of it? Maybe not so much. But I do see value in getting my glow on for special occasions (like my brother’s upcoming nuptials) and maybe at the very start of bathing suit season.
New to spray tanning? Some tips from mom a la mode and the folks at Norvell (the company that makes the spray tan booth for Body Glo Tanning):
- Plan a few days in advance: to ensure your skin is in prime condition by way of exfoliation, hair removal, moisturizing, etc.
- Get your manicure and pedicure a day or two before your spray tan session. This is mainly because any exfoliating/moisturizing your nail technician will do to you will cause your “tan” to rub off if you go AFTER a spray tan.
- Make your spray tan appointment for later at night. Be freshly showered but with no makeup, perfume, lotions or creams, as the tanning solution will not adhere as well.
- If you are fair-skinned (or it’s your first time going spray tanning), opt for the lowest grade of solution possible. Your color will develop strongly 24 hours after being sprayed. Better to play it safe than looking like an Oompa-Loompa.
- If you have any allergies or sensitive skin, ask your technician to show you the ingredient label on the tanning solution bottle. I can tell you that the solution used on me included Walnut Shell Extract or Oil, so someone with a nut allergy may have an issue with this.
- Be prepared to have friends and family members ask you if you are pregnant, did something different to your hair, or just got back from Cabo. 🙂
Have any spray tanning experiences or additional advice for newbies you wish to share? Feel free to comment below!
oxox
-mom a la mode
{I was not compensated in any way for this post. I did receive a complimentary spray tan for trial purposes. All opinions expressed here are solely mine. I do not know Jennifer Aniston. But would like to.}
The summer day camps allow your children to
be active and enjoy themselves in a supervised manner for
a day. Little notes or trinkets help her get through the day without too much
homesickness. There are various sports activities at the camp such as base
ball, table tennis and other games. In truth, there are so many different tents for
camping that picking the right one can often be overwhelming.
This kind of camps is recommended as they enjoy the full backing
of the government. Two blocks of classes which each last two weeks will teach visual
and theater arts and will culminate in short plays performed by campers.
My experiences for 6 years as a camper and more than a
dozen years as a counselor, waterfront director and eventually program director
have taught me that there are plenty of things that kids hate about summer camp.
This gives them the chance to learn from instructors who
have a different musical and teaching style than that which they are accustomed to.
Vegetables usually appeared and were typically winter-roots from the camp root-cellar.
This film was centered around the preparation and serving of French food.
I went spray tanning 2 days before a trip At airport I was pulled back by tsa agents saying I have explosives materials on me. I sat with 15 agents for 45 minutes looking through all my suitcases I was patted down twice and was told 3 times I was not able to go on my flight. They could not find the source. they said they detected my shoes my suit case and body my hair. Finally after being put through hell. almost missed my flight they determind it was my tanning spray. They did let me fly but I had TSa agent next to during entire flight. It was a terrible experience. Tanning companys need to be aware of this as to TSA agents.
Oh wow — I’ve never heard of such a thing! Sorry to hear about your experience. Thank you for sharing here.
Your tan came out great! I’m usually a tanning lotion gal, but this makes me want to try spray tanning more often.
Great story! We love hearing about fun spray tan stories. Did you choose the booth because you were more comfortable that way? We only have a spray tan tech who does it. I’d love to add a booth down the road.
Thank you for your comment! The salon I went to — Body Glo Tanning — has this amazing Norvell booth and yes, I chose that salon because I felt comfortable with the owner and the quality of the booth experience.
We use Norvell and South Seas Skincare solutions. Both are paraban free, which helps us reach to customers who have allergies. In addition, both of those products are not tested on animals, which is golden to us. Get it golden.. lol
Oooh, you do have a nice glow!! I’ve never had a spray tan either, so thanks for the tips, especially ingredient checking (I’m allergic to sesame seeds and nuts).
And you have nice olive skin so the spray tan will look even nicer on you, Lauren! Thanks for your comment.
p.s. I didn’t know you, too, were allergic to sesame!?! Do you avoid bread crumbs, etc., too??
Yes, I have to check food labels all the time! My sesame allergy is milder than the nut one. I’m extra careful with desserts. When I’m in doubt, I don’t eat it. I also always have to check skin care labels.
Yep, I hear ya. I check EVERY food label for questionable products and am the same way with beauty products.
I put it off for many, many years. I was quite happy with the outcome, so I’d say give it a whirl. Just be careful where you go — get recommendations. And don’t forget to exfoliate!!!
Thanks for your comment!
I’m white as they come, but have never considered a spray tan. Maybe I should rethink it 🙂
Awesome 🙂 You look great too!
Thanks 😉
So funny! I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to hear you when you realized you forgot the cream! By the way, great picture.
Thank you! Yeah, it was a little terrifying, actually, when I realized I forgot the cream!!