With Prom right around the corner, many people will be heading out to get an instant bronzed glow for their night out. To avoid everyone’s spray tan nightmare, which is coming out of the booth orange and looking a little like an Oompaloopa, you really need to consider your opinions and do some research. Look online at reviews, call and ask questions, ask your friends… anything to get better knowledge about what kind of service you will ultimately be receiving.

In my personal experience, I have had the best luck spray tanning at Yankee Clippers in Skaneateles, and I think a large component of that is somebody actually sprays you. I know that can be a little uncomfortable, but this way you get more of a customized tan because unlike a machine that just does a quick up and down, side to side spray, a person can more accurately spray your skin. Also, to eliminate some of the awkwardness, you are able to wear a bathing suit or underwear of some sort into the booth so it’s really not all that up close and personal.

However, going back to the machines, Zoom Tan’s technology is made up of all machines. I used to get packages of spray tans to use there, but progressively I noticed my tans did not come out the way they should. I looked very speckled, which is sometimes normal but it was an excessive amount and the smell of the spray on my skin was very strong. Although the deal breaker was the spray tan I got for prom last year at Zoom Tan. I had patches all over my skin and they weren’t able to be covered either because of the design of my dress. There was a big white patch left right under my neck. It most certainly didn’t ruin my night, but it did terminate any further business with Zoom Tan.

Anyhow, no matter where you go to tan, there are a few things you should do beforehand. One would be to shower, a lot of times with spray tans you have to wait a few hours to shower. Typically I would go in at night and sleep with it on so it would have about 8 hours to sit, and then shower in the morning. Showering will not wash the color off right away either, but you definitely want to wait. Another thing you will want to do that follows up nicely with showering is shaving/exfoliating. It is in your best interest to tan with your legs shaved and body pretty well exfoliated. Shaving beforehand will help you to prolong shaving after you’ve tanned. However, having to shave won’t interfere with tan. If you do end up having to shave, just use a new razor and don’t press very hard.  The exfoliation will take of any dead skin before you tan as well. It only requires light exfoliating, you don’t need to make your skin raw. Also I would recommend not wearing deodorant to your appointment because some spray tans will have a bad reaction under your arms if you do wear it.

To prolong your tan you can thoroughly moisturize your skin in the time after or you can use a tan extender lotion. You also want to avoid spending excessive time in the water such as long showers, hot tubs, chlorine pools and rain. Sweating can also potentially streak or fade your tan. The most important thing you can do though is call the salon ahead of time and ask for their specific requirements for preparation so you can get the best out of your tan.