Q: WHY SHOULD I USE A TANNING LOTION?
A: For more reasons than you would expect! To encourage and maintain healthy skin by:

• counteracting the drying effects if tanning
• replenishing vitamins your skin needs anyway to reduce or eliminate oxidative damage bu environmental pollutants
• taking advantage of the time when, during tanning, your pores open up and can absorb and retain moisture and vitamins better than any other time
• to prepare the skin to tan better and DOUBLE your results, saving money and time spent on tanning sessions
• to dramatically extend the life of your tan

Q: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR LOTIONS AND THE ONES I SEE AT THE STORE FOR $10?
A: Ingredients, quality, and most importantly, results. The higher the price reflects the amount of reserach and technology that has gone into developing a professional tanning lotion, as awell as what's inside. A store-brought accelerator is like your basic moisturizer with the stuff that damages acrylic. Our lotions are bioengineered with state of the art ingredients that not only produce a darker tan but replace the vitamins your skin needs anyway to reduce pxidative damage from environmental pollutants.

Q: WHY ARE LOTIONS SO EXPENSIVE?
A: Because they are expensive to make. The antioxidant ingredients that they contain in considerable amounts are the most expensive to manufacture, but they make a huge difference and are worth the results. Keep in mind that you'll be saving money on tanning by using a professional lotion because you will get twice as much out of each session and retain the color you get longer.

Q: WHAT IS A TINGLE?
A: It's a special kind of formula in an accelerating lotion that stimulates the blood capillaries and causes them to expand and rise to the surface of the skin. This gives your skin an immediate red flush, often in some places more than others and causes a tingling sensation, hence the name tingle. This redness is only temporary, and can be somewhat uncomfortable, but gives you better results than a non-tingle.

Q: WHY WON'T MY FACE TAN?
A: The skin on your face is thinner and has less capacity for melanin production. Facial accelerators are a must, even for those who don't have difficulty tanning their face, because of their moisturizing , anti-aging, wrinkle reducing, and firming functions. Regular accelerators don't address facial tanning needs specifically, and they may contain ingredients not suitable for sensitive facial skin. An alternative option for tanning your face is to use a facial self tanner or bronzing powder. The latest self tanners and bronzers give incredibly natural results, and are virtually undetectable next to a real tan. California Tan Sunddenly Sun bronzing powder is one we carry.

Q: WHAT CAN I DO IF I DON'T WANT TO TAN MY FACE?
A: You should use a sunscreen, but it needs to be a full-spectrum or broad-spectrum type to filter out the UVA. A towel over your face is only as effective as an SPF 8, so you may want to invest in our SPF 20 lotion for more or full protection.

Q: HOW CAN I AVOID GETTING WHITE LINES ON MY SIDES?
A: In the Level 1 beds, it may be necessary to re-position yourself during your session by turning on your sides. The upgrade beds are designed with 360 degree coverage, so white lines are usually eliminated. Still, the undisputed best way to acieve total coverage is the Stand-up bed, where you can get underarms, pressure points, and everything else without worrying about how you position yourself.

Q: WHY DON'T MY LEGS SEEM TO TAN?
A: They say that the farther away from your heart a part of your body is, the harder it is to tan. That would make sense, since your legs and especially your feet are the hardest to tan. The reason why is that most people have at least some cholesterol build up along artery walls, and it makes it much more difficult for blood (and therefore oxygen) to flow to the extremities. Oxygen that comes from the ouside, too, assists the tanning process. So wearing pants, especially tight pants, and shoes that cover the legs or feet completely may be causing enough oxygen deprivation to hinder the tanning process. Your skin may be so badly oxygen deprived in these areas from being fully covered that any momnts it has to absorb oxygen from the air are going to be used for basic maintenance of the skin's condition, and then to support the tanning process.

Q: WHY DOES IT SEEM LIKE I'M NOT GETTING DARKER ANYMORE?
A: You've probably reached your tanning plateau, and changing your lotion should make a big difference. If you've been using a non-tingle, it's best to move to a low tingle at this point. Also, you may be spacing on your sessions too far apart to build color and instead are just maintaining a certain level. Another this to consider is your skin care routine.

• is your skin as clean as possible when you tan?
• do you use a moisturizer after each sessions and after showering?
• do you exfoliate regularly?

Q: HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO COME TO MAINTAIN THE COLOR THAT I HAVE?
A: On average, 1-2 sessions a week in the Level 3 or 4 or 2-3 sessions in the Level 1 or 2 is all it takes.

Q: CAN I GO THE FULL TIME? I DON'T CARE IF I BURN.
A: First and foremost, the golden rule of tanning is NEVER BURN. You may not be aware of the consequences of allowing your skin to burn. Sunburn is the biggest risk factor for skin cancer - ONE instance of sunburn increases your risk by 50%! Sunburns do not "fade into tans", but rather, a sunburn is an injury on top of a tan. You may not care if you burn, but we do. (If a customer's skin type or base tan is not dark enough to protect itself from burning, then no, we will not, under any circumstances, allow them to burn intentionally, for any session length during which a burn is likely to occur. We consider the health of your skin more important than our business. You may be used to the "no questions asked" manner in which other salons allow customers to choose their own tanning times, but that's not our policy. We would rather take the time to educate our clients, help them understand why we don't allow our clients to burn, and go from there.

Q: A 10 OR 15 MINUTE SESSION IN A BED IS EQUIVALENT TO HOW MANY HOURS IN THE NATURAL SUN?
A: There is no formula for relating indoor tanning times to outdoor tanning times because the sun's strength and spectral (UVA/UVB) output varies with time of day ,time of year, latitude, elevation, cloud cover, pollution and reflection. You should mention, however, that the sun's average UVB output on a summer day in California is 80%, compared to 2-4% in the beds.

Q: WHY DO I GET HIS ODOR ON MY SKIN AFTER TANNING?
A: There are several possibilities:
The cause is most often a condition called Tinea Versicolor, more commonly called sun spots, that affects tanners. Is is caused by a microscopic fungus from the scalp that falls into shoulders, arms, etc. and leaves bleached areas on the skin, which can spread. We carry a treatment for this specifically and you should protect those areas that are affected further UV exposure until they have begun developing melanin again. A second, less common, cause is genetic determination, where the melanocytes in a certain area may simply not be capable of producing as much melanin as the rest of the skin. For white patches that appear on the shoulder blades and just above the buttocks, the cause may be the pressure from the body as it weighs down on the acrylic. This pressure inhibits the flow of blood through that area of the skin, therby cutting off the supply of oxygen that is essential to the tanning process. Suggest using the standup bed to remedy the problem. Certain medications, some very common, may also react unfavorably upon exposure to UV light. Birth control pills, for some people, cause blotches and uneven pigmentation on the skin.

Q: WHY DOES MY SKIN ITCH FROM TANNING INDOORS?
A: Itching and/or rashes may be linked to several unrelated causes, that is why we need to obtain background information and tanning history from the customer. There is the occasional person who uses a tingle lotion without knowing what it is. This is the easiest rule out and the easiest to fix, so question it first. Some people are naturally photosensitive, and may be more sensitive to UVA than UVB and visa versa. For those people, itching usually occurs all over or in various place that both do and do not touch the acrylic. If the person only experiences this itchiness while tanning indoors or only in our beds, they may be sensitive to high amounts of UVA. People with naturally dry or very dry skin may experience itchiness when they fail to use an accelerator before tanning and/or an adequate moisturizing regimen, especially in dry winter months. The drying effect of tanning can aggrevate skin that's already dry and may cause itchiness all over or in places that are the driest. Usually, skin that doesn't touch the acrylic is the driest because it perspires the least. Some people are susceptible to heat rashes, a cause totally unrelated to UV light. These people usually experience rashes or itching in areas that touch the acrylic. If prone to heat rashes outdooes as well as indoors, itching may occur all over. Certain chemicals or ingredients found in cosmetics, lotions, shampoos, shaving gel, etc. may cause itching as well. Rashes caused by such products generally occur in localized areas on which the products were applied. In these cases, the customer should be advised to tan with teh skin as clean as possible and discontinue use of a suspected product. If the problem persists, the person should discontinue UV exposure until the condition subsides or see a physician. Photo sensitizers in certain medications, skin care products, and even a person's diet may cause rashes or itchiness. Show the customer a list of photo sensitizers to determine whether he or she is using or taking something on the list.

Q. HOW LONG SHOULD I WAIT TO SHOWER AFTER TANNING?
A:Showering right after tanning has no detrimental effect on your tan (tingle and bronzers aside). The issue of drying of the skin by showering is so small that it will not interrupt the tanning process, or cause any uneveness in the tan. Melanogenesis occurs from the inside out, not the other way around. And the skin does not "absorb" UV rays, by the way- melanocyte cells are irradiated and begin to produce melanin from tyrosine, this results in delayed pigment darkening (DPD). The first part of a tan is immediate pigment darkening (IPD), which is the photo-oxidation of melanin granules already present. This occurs quite independently from lotions, showers, etc. Remember, the body has been "tanning" for millions of years, it knows exactly what to do, with or without external factors (lotion companies and salons would like you to think otherwise). So you can shower, not shower, use lotions or not, and you WILL tan. Now about moisturizing, sure it's excellent for your skin, and you can apply it before and after you tan (and shower), and your skin will look and feel great. But in terms of the tanning process itself, if you are properly hydrated (as in drinking plenty H20) your skin will tan properly.

Q. WHY DO I HAVE TO WEAR EYEWEAR?
A:Eyelids block less than 25% of harmful UV rays, so closing your eyes is not protecting you from the UVA and UVB rays from a tanning bed. Red, itchy or watery eyes may be an indication of short-term damage - your eyes have been sunburned! Repeated exposure will reduce night vision, diminish color perception, and increase your probability of brunescent cataracts. Surgery is the only cure for cataracts. UV exposure diminishes color vision.

Q. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN BASE BEDS AND UPGRADE BEDS?
A: Low pressure units emit both UVA & UVB at a low energy level. Low pressure units will give more of a red tone tan, and you'll need to maintain more often. High pressure units generate UVC, UVB, & UVA, but by means of a sophisticated filtering system, only UVA is emitted during a tanning session. It will take fewer sessions with a high pressure unit it to build a golden tan and to keep it.