Japanese treatment |
Why, you may ask yourself, would anyone wish to visit a solarium in the middle of this gloriously sunny island? Well, safety, for one thing. We've all seen those poor pink lobsters on the beach known as tourists just one step away from suffering heat-stroke, so what better way to tan safely than in a strictly-controlled environment. The trouble with the sun is there's no dimmer switch.
The other reason for visiting a solarium in your local spa is of course the opportunity to go straight from the booth or bed to the pool or Jacuzzi, a luxury not afforded those at the beach.
Those who've used a tanning bed before will realise the obvious advantages - you get to have a lie down, for one thing. Tanning booths are becoming more popular, as there is more freedom of movement and it is easier to tan those inaccessible parts, beneath the arms for example. Because you're tanning standing up in a booth, sessions tend to be much shorter, generally a maximum of about fifteen minutes. Because of the shorter sessions, booths have a tendency to be more powerful than beds.
Precautions.
Used sensibly, a tanning salon is an equally effective way of browning yourself as lounging around in the sun but there are a couple of common sense things to bear in mind. Firstly, if you can't get a tan in the sunshine (very fair people and natural redheads can suffer this) then you won't get a tan in a salon either. Both salons and natural sunshine are UV radiation, after all. Secondly, don't overdo it. Just like a day at the beach, it is possible to suffer from burning in a booth or bed. Unlike a day at the beach, however, in a salon there are generally experts on hand to make sure you're looking after yourself.
