A New Hue for You

If lightboxes, pungent chemicals and claustrophobic machines are a turnoff, an organic spray tan may be the best way to get your winter coating on.
The odorless airbrushing process takes five minutes to cover the entire body. Experts say streaking is not a worry and the tanning solution won’t stain hair or clothing. Perhaps most important, there’s no need to fear you’ll appear as orange as an Oompa Loompa.
        The process, says Devon Tucker, is safe and simple.
        “The solution contains dihydroxyacetone, which comes from sugar beets,” says Tucker, owner of Covet Spa in Greenville. “It’s organic. I watched the guy spray it in his mouth twice during the demonstration.”
        The tan ($48 per treatment) is available in three shades, starting with level one for fair-skinned folks. The recipient must stay dry for six hours after treatment to allow the color to develop. Tucker recommends using moisturizer twice a day because the tan fades due to exfoliation.
        The first treatment lasts five to seven days and can remain for up to 15 days after the third treatment. “For some people it’s longer,” Tucker says. “It depends on the natural melanin level in the skin.”
        She strongly recommends a 30-minute body exfoliator treatment to prepare the skin for the spray tan application. One of five varieties of body scrub will be recommended according to skin type.
        “It sloughs off the dead cells and gives it the perfect surface to adhere to,” Tucker says.
        Customers can purchase treatments in a series of three, six, nine or 12. The different series offer a discount and include one or more exfoliator treatments.