You booked your glow. Now let’s make sure your skin is ready for it.
A beautiful spray tan starts before you ever step into the studio. How you exfoliate, shave, moisturize, and care for your skin in the 24 to 48 hours before your appointment can make a noticeable difference in how evenly your tan develops and how long it lasts.
At Carmel Sunless, every spray tan is customized to you, your skin, and the result you’re looking for. Think of your pre-tan prep as creating the perfect canvas for your custom glow.
Here’s everything you need to know before your appointment.
48 Hours Before Your Spray Tan
Exfoliate from head to toe
Exfoliation is one of the most important steps in preparing for your spray tan.
DHA, the active tanning ingredient in sunless solutions, reacts with amino acids in the outermost layer of your skin. If you have areas of dry or uneven skin, those areas can absorb the tanning solution differently and may develop darker or fade faster.
For the most even result, thoroughly exfoliate your body approximately 24 to 48 hours before your appointment.
Pay extra attention to areas that tend to be dry, including:
Elbows
Knees
Ankles
Hands
Feet
Choose a gentle exfoliating mitt or body scrub that does not leave behind a heavy oil or moisturizing residue.
Avoid heavily oil based scrubs immediately before your appointment. Oils can leave a barrier on the skin that may interfere with how evenly your spray tan develops.
Schedule waxing, facials, and other skin treatments
If you plan to wax, get a facial, dermaplane, or receive another exfoliating skin treatment, try to schedule it at least 24 to 48 hours before your spray tan.
These services remove dead skin cells, which is exactly what we want before tanning, but doing them too close to your appointment can leave the skin sensitive.
They can also remove your tan if performed afterward, so whenever possible, schedule your beauty appointments in the correct order:
Exfoliating treatments first. Spray tan last.
24 Hours Before Your Spray Tan
Shave
If you shave, we recommend doing so the day before your spray tan rather than immediately before your appointment.
Shaving exfoliates the skin, and shaving right before a spray tan may leave your skin more sensitive. Giving your skin some time between shaving and tanning helps create a smoother canvas.
Moisturize
Hydrated skin generally holds a spray tan more evenly than very dry skin.
The day before your appointment, moisturize your skin well, especially if you tend to be dry.
This is your opportunity to hydrate. On the day of your appointment, however, we want your skin clean and free of products unless your Carmel Sunless artist tells you otherwise.
The Day of Your Spray Tan
Shower before your appointment
Ideally, take your final pre-tan shower several hours before your appointment.
Your skin should be completely clean, cool, and dry when you arrive.
If you have to shower close to your appointment time, avoid an extremely hot shower and give your body time to cool down completely before being sprayed.
Arrive with clean, product-free skin
This one is important.
Please arrive without:
Lotion
Body oils
Perfume
Deodorant
Makeup on areas being sprayed
Heavy skincare products
Self-tanner residue
These products can create a barrier between your skin and your spray tan solution, potentially affecting how evenly your color develops.
If you’re coming straight from work, school, or another appointment, don’t panic. Just let your artist know. We can help determine what needs to be removed before your tan.
What Should I Wear to My Spray Tan Appointment?
Comfort is key. We put together a whole list of ideas here.
We recommend arriving in dark, loose-fitting clothing that will not rub tightly against your freshly sprayed skin.
Think:
Oversized T-shirt or sweatshirt
Loose sweatpants or pajama-style pants
Loose jumpsuit
Slides or loose sandals
Try to avoid tight leggings, sports bras, jeans, socks, and anything with snug elastic immediately after your appointment.
For your spray tan itself, wear whatever makes you most comfortable.
Some clients choose underwear, a swimsuit, disposable garments, or no clothing at all. Your comfort and privacy are always the priority.
Don't Forget About the Weather
Arizona and Texas both like to keep us on our toes.
If rain is in the forecast, bring loose, protective clothing and closed-toe shoes that will help keep water off your skin.
If it’s extremely hot outside, try to stay cool before and after your appointment. Excessive sweating while your tan is developing can affect the finished result.
And yes, that means we recommend skipping the workout after your tan.
What About Manicures and Pedicures?
Whenever possible, schedule your manicure, pedicure, massage, facial, and other beauty treatments before your spray tan.
Soaking, scrubbing, oils, lotions, acetone, massage oils, and exfoliating treatments can all interfere with or remove a developing spray tan.
If you're preparing for a wedding, vacation, photoshoot, homecoming, competition, or another big event, your Carmel Sunless artist can help you think through the timing of your appointments.
The Carmel Sunless Pre-Tan Checklist
Before you head to your appointment, make sure you can check these off:
✓ Exfoliated 24 to 48 hours beforehand
✓ Shaved or waxed ahead of time
✓ Completed manicures, pedicures, facials, or massages beforehand
✓ Showered and allowed skin to completely cool and dry
✓ Removed lotion, deodorant, perfume, makeup, and oils
✓ Packed or worn dark, loose-fitting clothes
✓ Planned to avoid water, sweating, and tight clothing after your appointment
Then leave the rest to us.
Your Glow Is Customized to You
At Carmel Sunless, we don't believe a spray tan should be one shade fits all.
Your artist will talk with you about your natural coloring, desired depth, upcoming plans, rinse time, and previous tanning experiences before selecting or blending your custom solution.
Depending on your service, we may also incorporate skin-prepping and post-tan enhancements designed to support an even, long-lasting result.
If you're not sure what shade you want, that's completely okay. You don't need to speak “spray tan.” Tell us how you want to look and feel, and we'll take it from there.
Your job is to prep the canvas. Our job is to create the glow.
We can't wait to see you at Carmel Sunless.
Serving Scottsdale, Arizona and Austin, Texas.
