With tanning season in full swing, we are talking about spray tanning here at Pure Spa Direct day in and day out. We specialize in custom airbrush tanning, with a wide offering of equipment to suit every technician's need. The other day, however, I was curious to compare a custom airbrush tan with a spray tan done in a booth, so my coworker and I headed over to our local tanning salon to test out the Mystic Tan HD.
I have to admit, I was a little nervous going in. Being confined in a small space, having tanning solution sprayed at me? How was it going to cover my whole body? How would my face come out? What about my hands and my feet? These are the trickiest parts of the body, so would a standardized machine be able to measure up to my custom standards? These are the zillions of thoughts racing through my head as I waited for Rebeca to get her tan.
Once Rebeca was done, one of the workers went to clean the tanning booth, then the other girl beckoned for me to come to the room. She told me to liberally apply barrier cream to my feet and hands, then get in the booth and wave my hand in front of the sensor to turn the booth on. Sounded easy enough, right? So I get ready...barrier cream all my bendable parts, put my hair cap on, the whole kit and kaboodle, I get in the booth, wave my hand in front of the sensor, and.....nothing. Wave my hand some more. Nothing. There was no sensing going on in that sensor. So NOW I have to get dressed, take off my hair cap, etc. and walk all the way to the front of the salon to get the girl who was helping me. Turns out, she forgot to turn the booth on for me.
So my first adventure over, I am ready to get tan already! I step into the booth (which, by the way, was running in "heat up mode" while I got ready) and wave my hand in front of the sensor. Ahhhh that time it sensed me, hooray! There are easy to read numbers on the floor to tell me where to put my feet, and a very pleasant voice instructs me on where to stand. The actual tanning part only takes about 2 minutes. You stand in 4 different positions (based on what the nice tanning booth lady is telling you) while the sprayer moves up and down, spraying your tanning solution concoction of choice. I felt like I was being choked with a fog of tanning solution, and I had not been offered nose plugs. Rebeca, however, is about 4 inches taller than me, and she did not feel as though the spray in the air was excessive. Maybe I am just too close to the floor.
Once all the tanning solution has been sprayed, the Mystic Tan HD booth blows hot air to dry your tan - a very nice touch in the middle of winter! I was afraid of standing in the warm air too long though, as I did not want to get caught in the booth during the spray down cycle!
I chose the darkest tanning solution, and added the "boost" to it, which is supposed to give you a color guide for instant gratification PLUS add 1/2 shade darkness to your solution. When I came out of the booth, my entire body, except for my face, appeared the same color as before I went it. It did begin to gradually darken during the next few hours, however.
When I inspected my tan the next day, I did notice some inconsistencies in my tan color. Some areas had overly darkened, while other areas did not. My right foot, for example, looked FANTASTIC! I was excited, because I always have a problem with my feet looking naturally tanned. When I checked out my left foot, however, there was a large dark splotch on the side of my foot (it looked like tanning solution pooled there), and there were several light spots where I was hardly tanned. Also, my left arm was not nearly as dark as my right. The tan was definitely not even.
Overall, I was impressed by the Mystic Tan HD booth tan. I was much more comfortable undressing to get in a booth than if a person was spray tanning me, and the Mystic Tan HD was warm and the instructions were clear. However, my experience would have been better if my technician was clear in her instructions, highlighting the importance of staff knowledge. I also found my skin to be excessively dry after my tan. My tan did crackle on my legs 3 days in. I don't think I will switch to a booth tan on a regular basis, but if I am tight on cash and/or time, the Mystic Tan HD is a possible option!
Pros Of Booth Tan
- Quick Application
- Easy to understand instructions
- Less expensive than a custom tan
Cons of Booth Tan
- No trained technician customizing your tan experience
- All bodies are not made the same, so even coverage is not guaranteed
- 2 light coats of tanning solution provides a better tan - tanning booth only does 1 heavier coat
- A trained technician should be able to choose the best shade for you, while I had to choose my own
- Overspray/fogging solution in the booth - I found it to be uncomfortable