There are various different methods of spray tanning, and the spray tan booth is one of them, known for its convenience and ease-of-use. However, not everyone knows about spray tan booths, so here is everything you need to know about how spray tan booths work.
What is a spray tan booth?
If you aren’t already aware, spray tanning both is a method of spray tanning which takes place completely by machine, without a professional coming to spray you all over. Instead, these machines do all your tanning by themselves and are very quick.
Lots of spray tanning salons, such as Sun Tan City, use spray tanning booths as their standard tanning method, while some others employ professionals to apply your spray tan and some have a mix. If you go to get a spray tan and both options are available, you’ll notice that the booths are cheaper than the professional options, as they are faster, cheaper to run, and convenient for the company, too. There are reasons for this, and we’ll come onto these later.
Spray tan booths basically leave it up to the customer to be in control of how and where they tan, so they do require a little more concentration and awareness from you than other options do. However, this isn’t too difficult, and you can read on to better understand how they work or have a look at another article to see how you should stand when in a tanning booth.
How do spray tan booths work?
You know a little bit about what spray tanning booths are now and knowing how they work is equally as useful. Once you know how spray tanning booths work, you can have a better idea of how to stand or what to do in a tanning booth than before, not to mention the whole process will seem a lot clearer.
As mentioned earlier, tanning booths produce results according to what you do when standing in them, and how accessible you make your body for the tan to be sprayed onto. In other words, the tanning machine won’t detect if your arms are covering the sides of your body, and it will just spray anyway, leaving you with white patches all the way down your sides, which is a big no-no. If you are worried about how you should stand in a tanning booth, you can check that out after this!
Tanning booths work by using spray jets (somewhat like those in a hot tub or jacuzzi) to spray the product onto your body whilst you’re inside the booth, with the door shut. The exact process is different from salon to salon, but this is the general way in which spray tanning booths work, and a member of staff will obviously explain to you the exact procedure before you go in.
Before going into the tanning booth, you are usually required to apply a lotion, known as a barrier cream, to the palms of your hands, and it prevents the tan sticking to them, which therefore prevents any orange palms. You’ll also usually be asked to put on some sort of foot pads for the same reason, and be offered a hair cap, which is very useful to protect your hair from being sprayed, especially if it’s blonde.
Just like an airbrush spray tan, booth spray tans use the same spray tan product (or something very similar) so it will last just as long and go just as deep of a colour. They all use a chemical called dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which reacts with the top layer of skin cells to give you your beautiful colour.
Spray tan booths vs. tents
So, you know all about spray tanning booths, but how do they compare to spray tanning tents? If you spray tan yourself at home, or you go to a spray tanning salon and have your spray tan done by a professional, you’ll most likely have seen spray tanning tents before.
Essentially, if you haven’t seen them before, spray tanning tents are used in conjunction with a handheld spray tanning machine and their purpose is to catch any excess spray which misses your body and prevent it from staining walls, furniture, and other surroundings. They don’t actually do anything for your tan themselves but help to keep the area clean instead.
So, the first thing you’ll notice as a difference between tents and booths is exactly that: spray tanning booths are machines which actually spray you, whilst tents just catch the excess.
Because of their contrasting purposes, tents and booths obviously cost many different prices, too. A booth is much, much more expensive than a tent (which can cost as little as $40) and it also comes with regular maintenance fees and you’ll need to take better care of it. With a tent, you also have to buy the spray tanning machine itself, but even this works out a whole lot cheaper than a spray tanning booth.
Another difference is that most spray tanning tents come in a pop-up design, meaning they can be folded away very quickly, so you only need to have them out when you are actually using them. On the other hand, spray tanning booths are a permanent option as they have lots of pieces and aren’t made of the same material as a tent, so you can’t put them away very easily.
Because of the reasons above, spray tanning booths aren’t very suitable or practical for at-home use, but they work brilliantly in a salon environment. Especially in salons with a quick tanning time and turnover between customers, spray tanning booths are arguably the best option for a convenient salon experience.
Final thoughts
If you are looking for a more affordable spray tanning option than having a professional spray you by hand, the tanning booth is perfect. It also suits a busy lifestyle wonderfully, and it doesn’t take long to achieve your perfect glow. Now you know how tanning booths work, you can decide whether they are your next beauty venture!
