Tanning Salon Help Needed!

[mst]

I am the palest girl in the world. And, we are going away in a few weeks. So, I would like to do some tanning before we go to hopefully avoid getting burned and ruining our vacation.

Any advice? I wanted to go to the Gold's Gym near my house, but people told me to stay away from Gym's. Do I need to? I am not trying to get tan, but rather a base tan so that I do not burn on vacation. I am not someone who lies out (I love to, but I get too burned), and I wear plenty of sunblock (but I usually miss one tiny spot and it burns!)

[wallycat]

Just my very humble opinion.
If you don't want to get burned, wear sunblock and protective clothing. There is no such thing as a "healthy" tan. A tan is an indication that your skin is trying to repair itself from sun damage.

If you care how you'll look 10+ years down the road and don't want to risk various skin cancers, wear sunblock.

disclaimer: I hate summer and the sun and I swear I'm an albino :o
I went through my teens slathering in baby oil and wish someone had told me about skin damage then :rolleyes:

[Chefzhat]

No matter what kind of base you put down - if you always burn, you'll probably burn on your vacation as well. You might be better off using a sunless tan product, and then wearing a high spf block on your vacation. You'll still look tan, but be protecting your skin.

JHMO.

Debie

[KristinK]

Just a quick note - a tanning bed will NOT give you a base tan. Yes, you may get color (or even a burn) from tanning, but it won't stop you from getting burnt in the real sun.

That said, if you're set on tanning just to avoid looking like a ghost, my advice is to go 1-2 times per week and not for the full amount of time (beds usually have 20 minute max, booths have 8-10). That way, you can gradually build color without getting burnt. Or you can try Mystic Tan or Hollywood Tan for their UV-free spray - it's easier than applying lotion yourself, without the damaging lights - but it is expensive, and again, it won't give you a base tan.

As for Gold's Gym, I can't offer an opinion - but I do think you might be better off going to a tanning salon, where the employees most likely will have a better understanding of how everything works and how much you will be able to tolerate.

[valchemist]

Originally posted by wallycat
Just my very humble opinion.
If you don't want to get burned, wear sunblock and protective clothing. There is no such thing as a "healthy" tan. A tan is an indication that your skin is trying to repair itself from sun damage.

If you care how you'll look 10+ years down the road and don't want to risk various skin cancers, wear sunblock.

disclaimer: I hate summer and the sun and I swear I'm an albino :o
I went through my teens slathering in baby oil and wish someone had told me about skin damage then :rolleyes:

ditto everything here.

except for the part "I wish someone had told me..."

my dad bothered me about it to no end, but I didn't listen.

[sunberst]

true the tanning bed wont assure that you wont get burned in the real sun, but i feel it helps to some degree.

before going on beach vacations, i have tanned in the tanning salon a few times to get some color & get my skin use to it. i didnt burn on vacation, just got tanner. but had i just walked off the plane w/my white bod and plopped down on the beach, i would have burned.

still WEAR SUNSCREEN while on vacation even if you look tan. especially since you said you have a history of burning.

[lorilei]

Originally posted by wallycat
There is no such thing as a "healthy" tan. A tan is an indication that your skin is trying to repair itself from sun damage.


Now, Ana -- how do you suppose we're going to convince the rest of the world of this? :) My legs are definitely not adequate "poster" material for an albino campaign :rolleyes:

[HejazSunKat]

Somebody started a thread a month or so ago about 'Mystic Tan' which is some kind of spray on (i.e. fake) tan that's supposed to look really natural and lasts about 2 weeks. I've been thinking of trying that instead before a vacation I'm going on the end of July. That way (assuming it really works) I'll have the 'look' without the skin damage. I used to go to tanning salons but it always seemed sorta weird and absurd to me to be lying there with silly little goggles on purposely irradiating myself (plus which it never seemed to work for me).