How to Use a Tanning Bed

Tanning salons caught on like wildfire in the 80's, just after being introduced by Freidrich Wolff in 1978. Nowadays, using a tanning bed is not as popular as it once was, now that the threat of melanoma (aka skin cancer) has all but scared away most avid tanning fanatics.

Tanning still has a few popular uses nowadays:

• Young adults who want to stay attractive
• Preparing for bikini/swimsuit season
• Bodybuilders tanning for competitions
• Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Tanning booth vs. Tanning Bed, it's up to you, but wear your tanning goggles!

Tanning Booth versus Tanning Bed

One drawback of the tanning bed is that you can get the little white "bunny tail" where your tailbone rests on the acryclic sheet.  To fix this, roll over halfway through your tanning visit.  Or, you could stand in the tanning booth for 20 minutes, and not have any pressure points.  But, that's just not as relaxing for some people.

Ask the cashier of your local tanning salon which of their packages will work best for your tanning goal. Also ask which tanning lotion will be best for you as well. There are as many different tanning lotions as there are skin types and tanning goals.

Once you've paid for your tanning package, the cashier will assign a tanning bed and room number. Once you're in your room, close and lock the door, and take off your clothes. You can keep the bare essentials, if you're afraid of being walking in on or toasting your privates. Or if you're going for an even all-over tan, you may want to tan nude to avoid any leaving tan lines.

How to use a tanning bed

Rub in the tanning lotion on your entire body, but not your face, it can cause acne. Open the door of the tanning booth or lift the lid on the tanning bed, depending upon which one you're using.

Now, if you're using a tanning bed, you might want to position a pillow or towel under your head to make things more comfortable. You might also want to turn on your iPod and the fan. Things will get pretty warm when this things heats up.

If you have long hair, you'll want to fasten your hair up on top of your head with a scrunchy or clip. This will make sure that your hair doesn't get in the way of the tanning bed and make sure you don't end up with odd tan lines on your face.

Now, most importantly, wear the eye protection provided by the tanning salon during the entire time that the tanning bed/tanning booth is in operation. The UVA/UVB light from these is so strong that is can cause cataracts if you're not wearing proper eye protection. Closing your eyes is not enough. Your eyelids are thin enough that the enough of the rays will pass through them and still injure your cornea.

Now, fire up the tanning bed. You might have a single "start" button to press or a timer to set, depending upon how your tanning salon works. If you're just starting tanning and are fairly pale, your first few visits should be from 6 to 10 minutes. After a while you can build up to as high as 30 minutes per session.

Booth or bed, once the timer runs out, the lights will turn off, indicating that you've been baked to golden perfection. Open the lid or door, remove your goggles, and wipe off the lotion and sweat with a towel. Put your clothes back on and get your stuff! Remember to take your iPod with you as you leave.

Don't shower for the rest of the day, some soaps can work against your tan if you use them too soon after tanning. Now that you know how to use a tanning bed, you're ready for a healthy, radiant tan.

Aaron Andrews is a lifelong user of tanning beds. He has worked in a number of tanning salons since the mid-1980's, and then for a tanning bed manufacturer and tanning bed supply company. He now puts his years of knowledge and experience into a series of tanning tips to help you make the best tanning decisions for your skin type and operates TanIndoors.com, a site dedicated to improving your indoor tanning experience.