Yankeegals Cafe The World through my eyes…

 
1.) You can not get locked in a tanning bed like all those scary movies have you to believe. They DO NOT lock! They do not close tightly around you either. You can easily move around, and switch from your back to your stomach while underneath them. There is plenty of wiggle room.   
2.) Certain medications and herbs will make you extremely light sensitive, and you should not be tanning or in natural sunshine for extended periods, if you are on certain meds/herbs. This said, many people take a 500mg dose of B3/Niacin about 30mins prior to tanning. It works as a tingle lotion.
 

3.) The term (Hot New Bulbs!) That you see on many tanning salon windows..is a marketing ploy, and how hot the lights get when your tanning have nothing to do with the actual tanning process. In fact, they shouldn’t be getting that hot at all. There is no reason to come out all sticky and sweaty, unless the bed has been running non stop. The salon that I tan at, has eight different beds to choose from, and one stand up bed.They are all cleaned and sanitized after each and every use. I watch them do this all the time, and actually checked out the salons cleaning supplies, just to make sure. With the stand up booth your body never touches anything, so you do not need to worry about germs. They do steam the floor where you stand after each use though. The stand up beds are probably the best choice for the most even tan. You can raise your arms and hold onto straps, stand straight or stand with your legs apart. Very versatile!
4.) We all fall under one of the three skin types.
Type 3′s look more “bronze” when they have a tan.  Type 2′s look more “pinkish”(not red/burned) when they tan, and Type 4′s look a more “brownish” when they get a tan.~The tanning salon told me that I’m a type 3.
5.) There are tanning beds that don’t give out hardly any harmful rays. The bulbs on these beds, which are called HP beds, are made of Quartz bulbs, not fluorescent, which have a solar ratio of 2% UVB and 98% UVA. UVB rays promote aging and skin cancer.
6.) HP(High Pressure beds) run for $40-$80 grand each, or $30 dollars a session at the salon, but are the best for your skin, and you only need to go for 3 days in a row to get a fast dark tan, and then only twice a month to maintain it.These beds run for 30 minutes max, which you can stay for, and not get burned at all. Very Cool! The only place that I know of that uses these extra $$ beds is called, Palm Beach Tanning. They are a franchise. HP beds continue to tan you for 24-48 hours AFTER you tan compared to a LP bed which only tans you for 8-10 hours after you’ve tanned.
7.) With LP (Low Pressure beds), you need to start off very slow. You need to go every other day for several weeks to build a base tan. Just as you would in the sun. You need to start off laying in the bed for only 3mins for the first couple days, then 5mins,7mins,9mins,then 11-12 mins which will be the max. amount of time. If you go for the full time, which is 12mins.But they do have older LP beds that run for 20mins, but they are not as nice. These sessions are only $3-6 dollars each, or $40 a month, Or $300 a year. I don’t know why anyone would want to go the whole year though, unless you lived in Alaska maybe. LP beds have more UVA then UVB rays.
8.) Yes, there could be hidden cams in the tanning rooms! I mean, there could be… I am pretty smart at where they would be, and what they look like though. I had a lady tell me that she was tanning at a salon once, that only had one bed and there was a tinted window in there. She always wondered if anyone was out-right watching her. I would say so!
I don’t think I would tan somewhere that had windows in the rooms. If you are that self-consious about hidden cams though, don’t go tanning! Honestly, if you lay out at the pool or beach, your going to get looked at most likely, so….

Not that I’m saying I wouldn’t be totally creeped out if a stranger was watching me! I would!

9.) UVB is more efficient at signaling melanocytes in your skin to begin producing more melanin.
 UVA is more efficient at oxidizing the melanin your skin has already produced, turning it brown.

UVB beds will only get to the top layers of skin.  UVA beds penetrate much deeper. UVB also provides your skin with essential vitamin D! This is alwasy a good thing. Have you ever noticed that when you are outside in the sun for a while, you just feel better when you go back inside, this is due to the vitamin D3 rush! You should get at least 20mins of Sunshine each day to get a beneficial amount of vitamin D3 so you won’t get sick. In the winter time I take 8000IU’s of Vitamin D3 every couple days.  UVB beds are also used to treat conditions like psoriasis and eczema. They have come a long way since the 70′s!

HP Tanning Bed

LP tanning bed-The ones that they have at Gyms.

Stand-up tanning booth

The best of the best! (The HP Ergoline!) For the Sci-fi in you!!

The one I mainly use, along with the stand up one.