Tanning Recommendations

[vowsatsea]

I was thinking about going tanning before my cruise in May. I have a tendency to burn really bad if I don't have a base tan already.

 

Does anyone have any good places that they would recommend, like a Hollywood Tan or something?

 

Of course I'm looking for a good price, but I'm also looking for a nice clean place that lots of you would use.

 

Thanks for the help! :D

[shebring02lx]

Tanning booths and their companies are going to vary by state.

So I can not help you out in this department.

However, I do recommend that if you do burn easily it may take you a bit longer to develop your base tan in a tanning bed, so make sure to go about a month to two months before the cruise!.

Make sure to use a realllly good lotion and after tan moisturizer.

Good luck and happy crusin!

[pickleo]

I would suggest going to Hollywood tan. They have 3 different strength beds you can choose from. I believe the cost is $19.99 per month for unlimited use of the lowest bed. I always start in the lowest strength bed and gradually work myself up to the highest one. Good luck.

[Browneyez]

I am doing SuperTan and they are great!

[MzTre]

I'm going to Hollywood Tan right now. That $19.99 deal is if you sign up for 3 months, it's $19.99 per month. I joined for one month only, my cruise is in 2 weeks!! :D It was around $40 for lowest strength booth....plus I had to buy the bronzer for another $25....yeah she talked me into it!! I would start off slow then work ur way up...if you end up getting really red the first time wait a couple days before you go back. Good luck!!

[vacationingdiva]

Sabrett,

 

I am going to a local place so I don't have any good recommendations.

 

I do think that Shebring02lx is right on! I start really slow to avoid burning. .. and just work my way up. And as shebring said, give yourself plenty of time!

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[Akalways]

While I don't have a site-specific recommendation, I will step out and say use caution when adding minutes and beware the recommendation of the tanning personnel who don't know your specific skin type. Also, if you have colored, highlighted or permed hair be sure to cover your head with a towel. If you take any medications (particularly hormones or birth control types) be sure to use something on your face or you *might* end up with some nasty brown marks - this does not happen to everyone but can (living proof here!). Lastly, be sure to use an exfolliant or scrub in the bath and lots of lotion, oil, etc. after drying off. Makes a tremendous difference.

 

I'm not against tanning (since obviously I use such places myself) but I learned all of the above the hard way and only wish to save someone else problems.

 

Deb

[TMarie]

I would recommend that you DONT go to a tanning bed.

 

I just went for my follow up at my dermatologist today for my follow up and was told i have precancerous melanoma. This doesnt mean i have cancer YET. But for the rest of my life i have to go to the dermatologist to have a full body check every 6 months to prevent it.

 

I was reading up on tanning beds prior to this and learned that the "new" tanning beds only prevent the UV ray that is considered bad. The UV that it uses just hasnt had enough testing yet to prove that it is dangerous to your skin.

 

I am also fair skinned and went to the tanning bed right before my first cruise. I burned once. I fully healed and slowly built up a tan. It didnt last long because fair skin wont hold a tan as well as darker skin tones.

 

According to my dermatologist, tanning is what causes cancer, not just getting a burn.

 

If you want that sun bronzed look- check out the new self tanners or find a tanning company that offers the spray on tan. They are alot better than they used to be. And even if you dont like them as well as laying naked in the warm tanning bed, its alot better than laying naked on a cold table while someone digs precancerous moles out of your back...

 

Dermatologist also recommended lathering on the sunblock EVERY HOUR.

[vowsatsea]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. The main reason I wanted to do it was because I went to the beach last year for a week. We were having a heat wave here in NY with temps over 100 degrees. I put on sunblock every half hour, because it was bad out. I still got some of the worst sunburn you've ever seen. I had blisters all up and down my arm. I had to cut my shirt off and I couldn't sleep more than an hour during the night. The blisters didn't pop or heal until I came home from the vacation.

 

And just so everyone knows--I got that sunburn without laying in the sun. I never lay in the sun. I got it playing volleyball in the sand and swimming in the water. It was definitely a downfall to the vacation and I definitely don't want that to happen again :o

 

TMarie - sorry about what you heard from you dermatologist. It is definitely great that it was caught before it got out of hand. I wish you lots of luck and definitely stay out of the sun!

[C-Ked]

Ouch! You got that badly burned, and you were reapplying sunblock regularly? I'm so sorry!

 

Are you sure even getting a base tan is a good idea for you? Sounds like you've got really sun-sensitive skin, and I'm not sure going to the tanning beds is the best solution... I'd increase the SPF factor of your sunscreen, and reapply every hour (or more frequently if you're swimming or getting sweaty). Definitely talk to the people running the tanning salon about your skin sensitivity before getting into any tanning beds...

 

Hope you can avoid the crazy burns and blisters this time around!

[C-Ked]

Oops, double post, sorry!

[vowsatsea]

Ouch! You got that badly burned, and you were reapplying sunblock regularly? I'm so sorry!

 

Are you sure even getting a base tan is a good idea for you? Sounds like you've got really sun-sensitive skin, and I'm not sure going to the tanning beds is the best solution... I'd increase the SPF factor of your sunscreen, and reapply every hour (or more frequently if you're swimming or getting sweaty). Definitely talk to the people running the tanning salon about your skin sensitivity before getting into any tanning beds...

 

Hope you can avoid the crazy burns and blisters this time around!

 

 

Yeah, I'm definitely thinking twice about going to a tanning salon the more I read on here.

 

I saw your post in the other thread and I was just about to tell you to come on over here and give your opinion on tanning. No one will think your a troll! :D

 

I'd rather come back white as a ghost, than have to hear a horrible diagnosis in the future

[sailingsandy]

I sail in two weeks on Carnival Fantasy so I am using a tanning bed just to get me started with a little color.

 

I am a fair red head (graying) and I am very careful in the sun. I have found that a spf of 50 does help me alot. Yet I find that I get a wind burn so I will be very cautious and well covered all the while we are on the ship or shore.:)

 

This is my first cruise and I have been reading these boards for all the hints that I can find.

 

Thanks to all who take the time to post.

[ScottCrew]

Please please please do not go to tanning beds!!! They are so very dangerous! I went to them every now and then just to get that "base tan" look. I now have 25 inches of scarring on my torso alone and have had 10 surgeries due to a melanoma diagnosis. The very first question that my surgical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston asked me was "when is the last time you were in a tanning bed?"!!! YIKES! I did not go alot but it doesn't take much. Research now shows that people who go to tanning beds before the age of 35 increase their risk of getting melanoma by 75%!!! Any age can get skin cancer though. If you are past 35 do not think you are in the clear! I use the fake lotion tanners if I feel like or I just go pale au natural. Hey, it's just the way God made me. :) Reapply sunscreen every couple of hours, make sure it is at least spf 30, and yes it does expire. Oh, and don't forget to wear a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses that are 100% spf. I have to have my retinas checked for spots annually, tell my hairdresser to search my scalp at each visit, and do the "strip show"/skin check and lymph node check every 3 months for the rest of my life. Sheesh.:(

[vowsatsea]

Well, thanks to this thread (which I am do glad I made), I am not going tanning before my cruise.

 

I'm going to bring a high SPF with me, and whatever happens, happens!

 

 

Thanks everyone!

[Sandi149]

I cannot stress enough to NOT go to those tanning beds. My aunt died of skin cancer. She didn't get it from a tanning bed but when she was younger, in the 1930's and 40s, she would sit out in the sun for hours and hours in the summer and get red like a lobster. Unfortunately, she had gotten skin cancer about 10 years ago and died from it. Please, please, don't do it!!!! I am a very fair skinned person with blonde hair and green eyes and I very rarely sit in the sun. When I go on my cruise I am going to apply a lot of sun block every hour or so and won't be sitting in the sun very much.

[ScottCrew]

Yeah Sabrina!!! I'm so glad you won't be tanning the UV way! :D

 

I always tell people that the temporary tan from UV rays isn't worth a lifetime of permanent scars. Tan or not I'm a road map!:eek:

 

Sandi I'm very sorry to hear about your aunt.

[Cruisenouvelle]

I've had a lot of success using the L'Oreal 'sublime Bronze' bronzer/self tanner. It comes in a tube and gives your skin an instant bronze glow and also tans over the course of a few days. It's not a sunscreen, so you still need to apply that when out in the sun. However it is a safe way to get a quick tan for cruise, class reunion, etc. apply carefully to elbows and knees to avoid the splotchy look. No, I don't work for L'Oreal!

Good luck - enjoy your cruise...won't be long now!!

[Cruzfan34]

I gotta confess that I've gone to the tanning beds for our last two cruises. April 2006 was my first time in a tanning bed. Then I went again in January of this year. I love the way a tan makes everything look more toned and smooth. Yes....I know it's dangerous.

 

I'd really like to try a professional spray tan, but I don't want streaks...that's why I've been going to the beds...it's an amazing, even tan. Anybody tried the spray tan at a salon? How long does it last and how bad are the streaks and splotches? :rolleyes:

[Sandi149]

I gotta confess that I've gone to the tanning beds for our last two cruises. April 2006 was my first time in a tanning bed. Then I went again in January of this year. I love the way a tan makes everything look more toned and smooth. Yes....I know it's dangerous.

 

I'd really like to try a professional spray tan, but I don't want streaks...that's why I've been going to the beds...it's an amazing, even tan. Anybody tried the spray tan at a salon? How long does it last and how bad are the streaks and splotches? :rolleyes:

 

 

You know what.....I would much rather look like Casper the friendly ghost then get skin cancer. I just cannot stress enough how bad those tanning beds are. I think they are even worse than sitting out in the sun.

 

I don't know anything about the spray on tanning lotions and such but I'm sure there are professional salons that will do it where it would look good. You might want to check them out.

[spleenstomper]

I bought 10 sessions... the only 10 sessions of my life. I too am fair and know about the risks, but here's the thing: I'm going to Hawaii and we're going to be doing mostly outside activities (the ship sails at night). The longtitude of Hawaii is about 10 degress closer to the equator, and I've spoken with other fair skinned people who have been to Hawaii and they all burned on the first day. For some, it ruined the rest of the trip (and this was with sunscreen on).

 

So I've decided, against better judgement perhaps, to do 10 sessions in a tanning booth. I'm going to start off at 4 minutes.

 

Here's my tannning booth questions: Do you have to turn over? Like do I do 2 minutes each side for a total of 4 minutes? Or 4 minutes each side? Also, with the scrub... I do a body scrub after I get home, or before I go tan?

 

I also have some seasonal eczema flaring up right now.. so I hope the tanning might help clear that up... so I don't get lestioporsis (sp?) from the fresh water in Hawaii (you can't go in fresh water with open sores). I don't know if tanning works for eczema the way it works for other skin conditions. (I've tried heavy duty prescription cremes but they haven't worked.. the next step is a cortosone shot, which I'd prefer not to do).

 

So anyway.... that's what I've decided to do. I figure I don't have to do all 10 sessions if I burn or freak out or change my mind. etc.

[TMarie]

I sail in two weeks on Carnival Fantasy so I am using a tanning bed just to get me started with a little color.

 

I am a fair red head (graying) and I am very careful in the sun. I have found that a spf of 50 does help me alot. Yet I find that I get a wind burn so I will be very cautious and well covered all the while we are on the ship or shore.:)

 

This is my first cruise and I have been reading these boards for all the hints that I can find.

 

Thanks to all who take the time to post.

 

Just so ya know, redheads are NOT supposed to tan AT ALL...red heads are in the same class as fair skinned blonde haired blued/ or green eyeds gals like me....We are the most likely to get one of the three types of skin cancer. I read that we were 50% more likely to get it than other skin tone/eye color/hair color combinations...

 

And it probably wasnt wind burn but sunburn since the wind cools ya off, you dont realize you are getting burned until its already too late. Thats the same reason they put fans in tanning beds...

[spleenstomper]

yeah, I don't tan either. I'll get a small bit of color.. but not really a tan. I'm not going for a "base tan" and I'm not going for "vanity". Because I don't go in the sun at all (other than daily exposure).. I'll effectively be going from little sun exposure to 11 days worth of intensive exposure... so I'm using the "tanning" beds as a gradual exposure.

 

I'm sure I'll never go to a tanning bed again. And I do get yearly mole checks by my doctor... I had one removed from my left arm several months ago (clear pathology), and I'm probably going to get my been-there-since-childhood mole removed from my chest right after Hawaii.

 

((((T. Marie)))) I'm so glad yours was caught early and that you didn't have to do chemo. Keep on preaching.... my DH had testicular cancer, stage II, 8 years ago... so I'm all about telling the men to do a monthly testicular exam (as they are supposed to do just like women are supposed to do monthly breast exams).

[wenderbender]

I used to use a tanning bed, but I won't anymore. I go to the spray tanning booths now. It is a little more expensive, but worth it. I love the results. It looks real and never has any streaking. You just put lotion on your palms and feet so they don't tan. Go into a booth for a few seconds while it automatically sprays you then come out and towel off. I was nervous the first time about the results, but after no one could believe it was a spray tan. I will be going before my cruise in 2 weeks. I will be sure to bring good sunscreen with me on the cruise though.

[spleenstomper]

I'm curious about the spray tans.. that's strictly for cosmetic reasons only, right? Does it give any kind of skin protection? See, I'm fine with my white as a ghost skin. I just don't want to burn (and when I burn, it tends to be bad and blister... I've burned even with sunblock applied regularly). I've bought 5 brands of sunblock already for this trip... just in case one brand doesn't work as well as another.