Now, my question
 

There seems to be a very sensitive length requirement going on here. So . . . Is there anyone on this board that could suggest a tanning "schedule" for a person with Type III skin and absolutely NO tan (forgetting for the moment that I'm burned)? What I mean is, could someone suggest a starting duration (assuming a 15-min. bed) and frequency to build up a nice tan? My main purpose for tanning is that I just had twins and feel terrible about the way my body looks and want a tan to help me feel just a little bit more sexy. Thanks in advance!

Re: Now, my question
 

Aha, now it's working. :)

Re: Now, my question
 

A suggested schedule, per skintype should be posted on all units. Did you refer to that information? When I skintype a new client I pull out a sheet on the particular unit they want to use and show them the manufacturer guidlines. Most are very conservative but it starts the conversation.

Re: Now, my question
 

What type of bed and lotion will you be using?

Re: Now, my question
 

Yeah, I think you did 8 last time and got a little too pink. When your pink fades, tell the tanning guru that you were a lil too pink last time and would like to do 7min. No biggie.

What I tell people is to do the same time twice, then go up a minute. Also in a 7day peroid, no more than 4 tans and not all in a row. The more you vary the light on your skin the better off you are. It'll also give your skin time to actually tan. See, you are exposing your skin to UV NOT tanning in the bed. Tanning happens for 24-48hrs AFTER the session.

After you get a base tan going just tan as often as you feel you need to.

VERY IMPORTANT, you gotta get a tanning lotion that's quality on your skin. It's basically a vitamin supplement that's optimal health for the skin. Get the best you can afford although most salon lotions are good enough. Walmart and drug store are trash. ZERO health benefits. Just as cheap as they can come.

ALSO, there are some lotions that have firming properties that are real good.

Re: Now, my question
 

I've seen people take MONTHS to get their base tan to a point of not having to worry about burning. So be patient. There is really no way to rush BUT if you always keep a base tan (once a week or 10days in the tanning bed) then you won't have to worry about burning.

Re: Now, my question
 

I saw suggested schedules NOWHERE in the tanning salon. There may have been one somewhere on the unit, but I didn't notice it--probably should have looked, huh? I'm actually probably going to go to a different salon next time, just because it's a little closer to my house.

At the salon I'm probably going to go to, I'll likely use either the Klassic 20-min bed or the Ovation 154 15-min bed. I'm leaning toward the Klassic because it's cheaper and I don't mind spending a couple more minutes in the bed to get the same amount of tanning--in fact, I like it to be less intense and longer.

I must confess that I'm using 3-year-old drugstore lotion. It's called Eurotan Optimizer Cobalt. It has Tyrosine in it . . . is that good/bad/useless? When I bought it I really didn't want to spend a lot of money on lotion. I still feel that way. If you can suggest a good lotion that's relatively inexpensive, (or point me to a thread about it) that would be great. A firming lotion would be awesome since I've covered with stretch marks and cellulite (sob).

I'll probably only be able to get to the salon twice a week. Will that be often enough to build up a tan?

Thanks SO much for the replies. I've been meaning to start tanning for about a month now, but kept putting it off because I was so confused about how best to do it.

Re: Now, my question
 

Bah--I just tried to post a lengthy reply addressing all the replies I've gotten so far. Didn't work . . . is it always going to take forever to post messages if they're long?

aimeekat - I saw suggested schedules NOWHERE in the tanning salon. There may have been one somewhere on the unit, but I didn't notice it--probably should have looked, huh? I'm actually probably going to go to a different salon next time, just because it's a little closer to my house.

Re: Now, my question
 

eileen - At the salon I'm probably going to go to, I'll likely use either the Klassic 20-min bed or the Ovation 154 15-min bed. I'm leaning toward the Klassic because it's cheaper and I don't mind spending a couple more minutes in the bed to get the same amount of tanning--in fact, I like it to be less intense and longer.

I must confess that I'm using 3-year-old drugstore lotion. It's called Eurotan Optimizer Cobalt. It has Tyrosine in it . . . is that good/bad/useless? When I bought it I really didn't want to spend a lot of money on lotion. I still feel that way. If you can suggest a good lotion that's relatively inexpensive, (or point me to a thread about it) that would be great. A firming lotion would be awesome since I've covered with stretch marks and cellulite (sob).

Re: Now, my question
 

eileen - At the salon I'm probably going to go to, I'll likely use either the Klassic 20-min bed or the Ovation 154 15-min bed. I'm leaning toward the Klassic because it's cheaper and I don't mind spending a couple more minutes in the bed to get the same amount of tanning--in fact, I like it to be less intense and longer.