I'm looking ahead at my work schedule and thinking that for the first time, because of time constraints, I might have to use a tanning bed to help with my base tan before the show in 5 weeks. I just don't think that I'll have enough time to get a decent amount of natural sun tanning in.

Can any of you give me any advice on the best and safest way to get a good base tan using a tanning bed? Thanks.

hey maddog...i'm the queen of tanning beds...iv'e been using them for 15yrs and i live in florida!...i tan about 4-5 times a week to keep a good dark color. if you are fair skin start of with 15min in a low powered bed, you don't want to burn up first thing!...gradually increase your time, i go in a high powered bed that only takes 15 min to tan. tanning lotion is important to help get and keep your tan. there is millions out there and they can be costly. California Tan is a good product because in comes in different levels of tanning up until you hit your plateu. some of them have bronzers in them. some tanning salons have stand up beds to get under your arms and your sides. you only need to hit those twice a week. you can get a pretty decent tan in two weeks. when i was in my last weeks before my show, i was staying in the bed 30min and i would lose tons of water this way too. hope this helps....kat

I own a day spa, recently got rid of the tanning beds in favor of airbrush tanning. used it for my last show prep and it ws great. only need about 3-4 sprays for a nice base. compared to 3 weeks worth of tanning in a bed 5 days a week. check to see if someone near you offers it. no uv damage either!!!

I tan in beds alot too. I know it's not really good for you but I jst feel better w/ a tan. I agree w/ what Kat said. I would only add make sure you use a good after tan mosturizer. At least for me it tends to dry my skin out. They usually sell them at the salons w/ the tanning stuff

the airbrush painting is good, you can get the same affect by using 1-2 coats of pro tan...which is better than what they use for airbrushing..with the tanning bed i find it tightning my skin more and losing extra water beneath my skin...tanning bed can be safe if used wisely, yes it does have UV rays, but 10x stronger if you were to be in the sun for 10 min!...being in a tanning bed is regulated time as opposed to being in the sun all day. it only took me a week to get a decent tan and i'm irish fair skin!....kat

So Tammy you simply skipped the Bed, did the 3-4 visits to the Airbrush, the ProTan ? How many coats of ProTan did it take to get dark enough with the airbrush base ?

I have done the Bed, 2 airbrush then the ProTan. I would love to SKIP the tanning bed altogether as it is so damaging to the skin and I get sun freckles which show through the ProTan especially on the Chest. Yuck !