No UV, ten minutes, five to ten days
Spray tans
A hand-applied spray tan, mixed to your skin in light, medium or dark. Fifteen minutes in the booth, developed overnight, gone in a week or so.
A spray tan involves no UV. It is a sugar-based product, called DHA, that reacts with the very top layer of your skin and fades as that layer sheds.
Come in loose dark clothes, with clean skin, no deodorant or perfume. You stand in the tent in whatever you are comfortable in, and Leanne or Carys applies the colour by hand with a small gun. It takes about ten minutes, and a further five in front of the fan.
Leave the guide colour on for eight hours, so overnight is ideal. Your first shower should be lukewarm, with no scrubbing, and pat rather than rub. You are then left with the colour, which lasts five days in a light shade and eight to ten in a dark one.
Exfoliate the day before and shave or wax at least 24 hours before. Our timing tool works out the right day for your event. DHA is not sun protection, so a spray tan does not stop you burning. You still need sunscreen.
What is included
- A shade mixed to your skin, with no patch of orange
- Paper underwear if you want it, and a sticky foot pad
- A fan-dry, then aftercare written down
- A free touch-up on hands if needed in the first 24 hours
What it costs
Full body £24, half body £15. The price list has everything, and the skin check tells you which way we would go.
Questions about spray tans
Is it safe when pregnant?
DHA stays in the very top layer of skin, but we follow the usual advice: wait until after the first trimester, ask your midwife, and keep the room well aired. It is your call, and we are happy to wait.
Do you do spray tans for under-18s?
Yes, from sixteen with a parent's written consent. A spray has no UV; it is a good answer for a prom. No under-18 can use a sunbed.
Will it stain my clothes?
The guide colour can transfer for the first eight hours. Wear something dark and loose. It washes out of most things.
Not sure which? Four questions, ten seconds.
The skin check tells you honestly whether a sunbed is right for your skin. A spray always is, and it has no UV in it at all.