by Grace Wilson
We all know tanning isn’t good for our skin. No one wants to age themselves unnecessarily. But those of us with light skin will probably always want a darker summer glow. It makes us feel healthy and radiant. We definitely want our skin to look it’s best in more revealing clothes, so what to do?

Body bronzing treatments really have become a great alternative. The products used these days at tanning salons and spas are so much better than the self-tanners of years ago. If you gave up on bronzing lotions after a horribly orange QT tan and swore you’d never do something like that again, well, never say never. You can give yourself a bronzing treatment at home, but having the treatment done professionally will guarantee you get the best, most even application, and it just feels better to have someone else take care of you, doesn’t it?

Body Tanning Treatments, What to Look For

You will definitely need a full-body exfoliation first. This is absolutely a must to get the skin tone as even as possible, and to allow the bronzing lotion to reach deep into the skin. Traditional exfoliation treatments are done with salt, sugar, scratchy gloves, brushes or loofas. Then you’ll be rinsed and dried before the tanning lotion is applied. Application may or may not include a massage, so if you want a massage, be sure to ask if it’s included when you call the spa for your appointment.

The people who do this for a living will know which product to use on your skin to get the best result. If they only have one product available for use on everyone, it’s probably not the best place to get the treatment. Ask when you call. If the only place in town uses just one product, save yourself 50 bucks and do it yourself. You’d be just as well off doing it yourself at home with a self-tanner purchased at the drug store. You seek out a professional for a reason, right? Because they can do better than you can!

Mystic Tan

On a whim I decided to go to a tanning salon to see what kind of sunless tanning options they have these days. I was expecting to find an airbrush tan where the technician sprays you down with a gun not unlike professional house painters. But, even more interesting was something called a Mystic Tan™ which, apparently, gives you a sunless tan in under 60 seconds. How could I pass that up?

They recommend you do a full-body exfoliation (and any shaving) at least four hours before your Mystic Tan™ (which I didn’t do). They also recommend you don’t apply any lotions, deodorants or other products to your skin for 12 hours before your treatment (I didn’t do that either). Then after the treatment, you’re not supposed to shower for another 12 hours (that I could handle). Despite my lazy effort at getting the best result, I have to say I am very happy with how it turned out.

It’s basically a self-guided process. The manager had me watch a two-minute video explaining the simple steps I would go through to get my Mystic Tan. Then I was shown to the booth, which was in a private room. I locked the door, got completely undressed and applied a barrier lotion to several parts of my body –- palms, fingers, toes, heels and around the edges of my feet. I put a shower cap over my hair, covered my eyes with the goggles they gave me, and then stepped into the booth and closed the door. Then all you do is push the green button, step back and get into position. A super fine mist is sprayed all over the front of your body for about 10-15 seconds or so (I held my breath). Then it stops and you have another 10 seconds to turn around before it sprays the back side of your body. The machine stops, you step out of the booth, towel dry, get dressed and go. It was no more complicated than that.

Mystic Tan™ uses DHA (dihydroxyacetone), a carbohydrate compound approved by the FDA for externally applied sunless tanning solutions. I don’t really understand the chemistry of it, but somehow it’s magnetically attracted to your skin and you get a perfectly even application of the lotion. It takes around 24 hours for a Mystic Tan to fully develop. It was quick, simple, and it really worked. I would say it lasted about a week. People who want to maintain a Mystic Tan, buy monthly unlimited packages and come in to the salon every four to five days –- not a big deal since it literally takes less than 60 seconds. Apparently it even works for people who wouldn’t normally tan in the sun.

With any kind of sunless tanning treatment, it’s best to wear dark loose clothes. They may get stained by the bronzer being used, but it generally washes out with no problems. And bring skimpy thongs for your feet. No matter what kind of bronzing you get, don’t shower for several hours.