Glowing: Chronicles of My First Spray Tan

Today I had my first spray tan, and let me tell you… I’m glowing!  I don’t know how I’ve made it this long without one of these.  Being tan makes me feel younger, healthier, and to be perfectly honest – skinnier!  Tanning booths have gotten such a bad (and well deserving) reputation, I feel guilty every single time I climb into one.  This image of my mother’s angry face combined with Will Smith’s mother on the introduction to Fresh Prince of Bel Air comes to mind immediately.  But for those of us who work 50+ hours a week sometimes getting a “real” tan isn’t an option!

I was greeted by the Manager of Gorgeous Glo, Donna, with a smiling face and sparking white wine, which is EXACTLY what I needed after my heinous day at work.  She gave me the quick rundown and walked me back to the tanning room.  Let’s start by saying it’s definitely not something for the overly modest or insecure, although you have the option of  how much of yourself you actually want to expose.  Being a spray tan “virgin” I had to ask what the typical procedure was and packed extra underwear of varying shapes and sizes just in case.  Donna said I can strip down completely, wear the disposable thong provided by Gorgeous Glo, or wear my own underwear.  So off it went and in she came and we got the party started!  I made some awkward comment about her seeing a lot of naked bodies and she was so cute when she said “Oh yes, I’ve been doing this for years, I don’t remember any of them.”

The spray tan comes out of something similar to a hairdryer.  It was a quick, cold, spray —  up, down, all around, and BOOM!  Less than ten minutes later we were finished and she put me in the “dry off” room with a warm blow dryer and some fans for seven minutes to dry my new tan.   I drank my wine, warmed myself up with the dryer and checked out my luxurious new look.  I also wanted to kick myself for not taking a before and after photo!  I looked like I just got back from a relaxing vacation in the tropics, and I kind of felt like it too.  I wouldn’t have minded hanging out at Glo for a few more hours!

The overall assessment: Quick, painless, and only slightly awkward!  Donna warned me to moisturize, moisturize, MOISTURIZE! She did a great job of explaining that the bronzers are going to be strongest for the next 8-10 hours and not to panic, that after the first shower the tan will be more subtle.  According to the reviews the tan should last a full 5-7 days!  Nice!  So to answer the question that you’re all wondering: Would I do it again?  Absolutely!  Thank you to the lovely ladies of Gorgeous Glo!  It was a fabulous experience and I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a stunning, natural-looking spray tan.

Who’s Done It?

Olivia Wilde, Katherine McPhee, and the entire Dancing with the Stars cast.  Victoria’sSecret models Alessandra Ambrosio, Marisa Miller, and Miranda Kerr are also known to utilize spray tanning.