1. Why choose Sunless?

Sunless spray tanning has come a long way since it began decades ago. People who either can't tan naturally, or choose not to tan for a variety of reasons, still want to have glowing tan skin. Whether they want to look good for an upcoming event, or just to cheer themselves up, a sunless spray tan can give a perfect, flawless, natural-looking tan...INSTANTLY!

2. How does the D.H.A. solution make your skin tan?

The D.H.A. solution causes the proteins in the outside layer of your skin to react with the oxygen in the air resulting in a bronzing effect. The best way to understand this can be illustrated in this analogy: When you take a bite out of an apple and set it down the fruit begins to turn brown after it is exposed to the air for a while. This is a very similar chemical reaction to what takes place with the D.H.A. and your skin after an airbrush session. So you can see that you are not applying a dye or color to your skin but rather creating a situation where your skin develops a beautiful natural bronze color on its own through a natural chemical enhancement.

3. What is the air-brushed sunless tanning process?

The air-brushed sunless tanning process uses an ingredient called dihydroxyacetone (DHA) to react with the skins amino acids. The reaction is like that of the sun, but is not damaging to the skin. The process results in a golden tan appearance that can last up to 10 days. This new process appeals to both people who already like tanning beds and those who don't.

4. What kind of results can I expect?

Anahata Tan’s Sunless Airbrush solution has only pink and brown undertones so you will not be orange at all! The color is very natural-looking...most of our customer's friends think they went on vacation, not got a spray tan. If you currently have fair skin, your color will be light and natural-looking. If you try to go too dark when you have fair skin, you will look fake and people will notice. You want to have a natural-looking tan, and that is what we try to achieve here at Anahata Tan. If you are already tan, you will get dramatically darker. The darker you are coming in, the darker your spray tan will be. We have the ability to make your color lighter or darker, depending on your preference, but we start each new customer at the same color level as the majority of our customers are very satisfied with this level of color.

5. How "instant" is the tan?

As we are spraying you, we are also applying a cosmetic bronzer. This bronzer helps us, as technicians, see where we've sprayed you and to ensure even color. The bronzer also helps to give you some instant color. The real sunless process, however, takes up to 8 hours to develop, so while you will leave our salon with some color, the real color will develop darker and darker as the day goes on, peaking at around 8-10 hours.

6. How long will this last?

This really depends on several factors. The air-brushed sunless tanning process only affects the epidermis layer of skin. Since cells are constantly being naturally discarded it is recommended that you exfoliate with some type of scrub (like our Hempz Pomegranate Sugar Scrub or Norvell Exfoliator) before you have the DHA solution applied. Just like with a UV generated tan, using a moisturizer designed specifically for sunless maintenance will prolong the life of your tan. Results can still be seen up to 10 days after application with a good tan extending lotion but average life is 5-7 days.

7. What are the challenges associated with the air-brushed sunless tanning process?

If you have used a self tanner from the drug store then you know some of the problems associated with the process: orange color, streaking, blotches, and tanned palms etc. The air-brushed sunless tanning process virtually eliminates most problems associated with self tanning. After being sprayed you need to avoid perspiration and showering for at least 8 hours.

8. What do I wear during the application process?

Females can wear as little or as much clothing as you like. Male tanners do need to wear briefs or boxer-briefs. Keep in mind that whatever you do wear while getting sprayed will leave you with tan lines. Any garments worn while being sprayed may get stained. Anahata Tan can provide a bikini top if you do not want to wear your own.

9. What can I expect during my visit?

Anahata Tan prides itself on making our customers feel very comfortable during the sunless tanning process and it is our #1 goal! You will be in a private room where you will be able to get dressed and undressed privately. A technician will help you apply a barrier cream lotion on your hands and feet to avoid over-application on these sensitive areas. Barrier cream on the elbows and knees is NOT necessary with our solution. You will wear a hair covering to protect your hair. Nose plugs are available but because of the minimal overspray of the solution, most customers don't feel the need to use them.

Technicians use a hand-held sprayer (much like a paint sprayer) and spray air mixed with a light solution to your skin. The process can be cold to the skin, but we do try to keep the room warm with a heater to help alleviate that (if you can be really warm when you get here, that helps!).

The solution dries almost instantly so there is no need to wait for it to dry. Technicians will wipe excess color off of your hands and feet for you. Your skin may feel a little sticky for an hour or two after application but will be less sticky as the day goes on.

Your sunless airbrush session is complete!

10. Why is keeping skin moisturized essential to maintain great sunless results?

It is important to keep skin moisturized after sunless tanning as dry, flaky skin will slough off faster and color will fade sooner. Sunless tan-extending products with a light self-tanning bronzer, like Hempz Touch of Summer, Designer Skin’s Tinted Love and Black Tan Extender, help hydrate skin and maintain even, natural-looking color longer by providing subtle bronzers.

11. How frequently do you recommend I get an airbrush sunless spray? Can I do it several days in a row?

The frequency of sunless tanning application depends on your skin cell turn over and preference of color intensity. People with quick cell turn-overs may want to get sprayed once a week to keep color fresh, while others may need to wait and get sprayed every other week. It is important to fully exfoliate prior to your next sunless session to prevent "layering" of old color. Anahata Tan’s Airbrush solution does not require back-to-back application - 1 session will give you perfect color!

12. Can I use a sunless spray in addition to a regular tanning bed? Absolutely. In fact, the sunless tanning results are phenomenal over a nice base tan. If you want to combine both applications in a single visit, we recommend to use the tanning bed first, then the sunless spray. We call it a "cocktail".

13. Will the spray tan from a spray tanning application come off on my clothes? Yes, some of the bronze color may rub off on clothing or bed sheets. This is most likely to happen when you get dressed immediately after tanning. To minimize the chance of the tint transferring to clothing, we recommend that you wear loose-fitting, darker clothes after your spray session. The cosmetic tint is water-soluble. Therefore, in most cases, the color will come out of cotton clothing in the wash. If you wish, we can use clear solution (without cosmetic bronzers) instead of the more popular solutions which give you instant color. The results of the clear solution are exactly the same after the sunless has developed. However, your tan will take about 8-12 hours to fully develop and you will be leaving the salon without any immediate color.

14. Will a sunless spray tan affect the color of my nails or nail polish? The solution will not discolor nail polish. However, the solution can cause unnatural coloration of cuticles and nails. Therefore, we recommend you apply a barrier cream to nails and cuticles prior to a sunless spray application to avoid any discoloration.

15. Will a sunless spray tan discolor my hair? DHA reacts with proteins. As hair is a protein, it can discolor some hair types if it penetrates the hair follicles. Those with light hair, such as blonde, white, or grey hair should take extra precautions. It is recommended you wear a protective hair cap, provided by Anahata Tan, to ensure protection from discoloration. Make sure the forehead, ears, and hairline are exposed.

16. Why do I need to wear sunscreen even if I have a sunless tan? Although you may feel and look like you have a real tan, a sunless tan is only the temporary appearance of a tan and therefore provides your skin with no real sunburn protection. It is absolutely necessary you wear a sunscreen when outdoors to protect your skin from burning.