My first ever tanning bed session! WEeeird!

[Gladiola]

"And if you use a towel, then you don't need the goggles?"

I don't think the skin of your eyelids or the cloth of a towel are as effective at protecting your eyes - not sure though. I figure better safe than sorry, since I know for certain tanning is dangerous.

"The machine is a 6000 watt (?) machine - is that average, or low?"
I've heard that if the bulbs are new or not makes a big difference. Otherwise, I dunno.

"There is a stand-up booth, too, so I'll use that one sometimes."
Aside from the 'close quarters' issue, you can put your hands up on a bar so you don't have to worry about white underarms or sides.

"how long should it take to get a dark tan? I have 10.5 weeks ..."
Personally I have no idea. The only time I've ever gotten really dark tan was on the beach in Greece - took a week of several hours a day.... slaving away in a bikini working for that tan

"And, just for interest, how much do you pay on average in America for 30 mins in a bed?"
Yikes - 30 min??? I think the timers don't go any higher than 20 min. I usually do 15 or so at first, up to 20 per session when I'm a little tan. A session is $6 or $7 here usually (Maryland).

 

[b fold the truth]

Ok..so I have a tool bag in my truck...haha...I used to be a tanning bed repair service man. You need to either wear the goggles or the wink-ease stickers if you can. Having a dark tan is not as important as saving your eyes.

As far as the power of the bed or if it is a 30 minute bed or not...it does not matter. You should inquire about how many lamps that it has, what kind of bulbs they use, how many hours do they use the bulbs before they change them, and when was the last time that they were changed.

I have worked on many old piece of junk tanning beds that would "light" someone up with a burn because they always used good bulbs.

As far as time...if you have never tanned before, went the full time, and did not burn at all...you need to find a new place to tan. I tan very easily and about once a week still. I rarely ever go more than 1/2 time in a tanning bed here because I will burn. I use a good quality accelerator lotion and they use strong bulbs too. Just ask Night Fly about her tanning experience(s) in my home town. We tried to warn her...both times!!!!

B True

 

[SteelWeaver]

Whoa b fold! Really? Darn it! The beds are at my gym, which is a kind of old-style private gym - where the equipment's all old, etc. I think the tanning beds bring in most of this guy's revenue, and he's giving me a "competitors' discount" for tanning. I guess his tanning beds have been a bit over-used, because I haven't tanned for a couple of years, and I didn't notice any difference the next day.

How often should the bulbs be changed? Or, after how many hours of use? I guess I better go searching for another place - that sucks, I don't have time and this place is convenient. Grr.

But thanks for the info! I would have been wasting my money.

 

[SteelWeaver]

Oh, and how many lamps should it have?

And what happened to Night Fly?

 

[b fold the truth]

We used to sell bulbs that would last for 1,000 hours...but they were totally shot for the last couple of hundred of use hours. We changed our ever 600 hours to stay competitive.

Look for a tanning salon which has 32 lamp or larger beds. If they are less than 32...they are probably not commercial use beds. Some 28's are ok...but they are mostly designed for home use.

Feel free to ask questions.

B True

 

[Temple]

Does it matter what brand of bulb you use in your bed? I bought one a year ago, it doesn't get a lot of use - just me and my sisters.

 

[b fold the truth]

We were the distributors for Super Sun in Kentucky...we always had good luck out of them...always. They are a fairly cheap bulb as far as price and we could offer them at a very very competitive price because we ordered and sold so many.

There are tons of different kinds of lamps, reflector, vho, those that put out more A rays than B rays...and vice versa.

Look around on www.tropicstoo.com I believe.

B True

 

[Temple]

Thank you - I will check it out.

 

[b fold the truth]

If you need any help...please just pm me. I can give you some specifics on how to get lotion at a cheaper price and how to order from this site.

B True

 

[Temple]

will do - and again - thanks.
Now give us the scoop on Nightfly's tanning experiencs...