Benefits of Indoor Tanning:
Now more than ever the tanning industry has taken a bad rap for something that there has never been a bit of conclusive, documented evidence on. ..the risk of developing melanoma by the sole use of an indoor tanning bed. You see, most people combine indoor tanning with outdoor tanning and most people have had some serious sunburning in their youth from the sun, which is deemed more harmful than any indoor rays could be.
Here are some great articles about the benefits of tanning indoors:
So here are the facts:
- Why you should tan indoors:
1) Controlled environment
2) Vitamin D Machine --- see related articles:
3) Helps alleviate acne, psoriasis, eczema (all of these skin conditions, we have customers who will prove it)
4) Benefits with Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.)
5) Elevates your good vibrations and mood.

Vitamin D and Tanning:
Vitamin D is found in tanning and the production of Vitamin D is best in its natural form. If you cannot get sun outdoors a little each day, indoor tanning is the next best thing.
Scientists have discovered Vitamin D Deficiency occurs in the following diseases:
Autism: Research has shown that low maternal vitamin D3 has important ramifications for the developing brain.
Alzheimers: Vitamin-D-sufficient Alzheimer patients had significantly higher Mini-Mental State Examination scores as compared to Vitamin-D-insufficient ones.
Back Pain: Vitamin D deficiency is a major contributor to chronic low back pain as well as persistent, nonspecific musculoskeletal pain.
Breast cancer: Studies show women with low levels of vitamin D have a 222% increased risk for developing breast cancer.
Cancer: Vitamin D inhibits inappropriate cell division and metastasis, reduces blood vessel formation around tumors, and regulates proteins that affect tumor growth
prostrate cancer, osteoporisis, colon cancer and many other diseases.
Colorectal Cancer: Recent studies suggest that women who are vitamin D deficient have a 253% increased risk for developing colorectal cancer.
Diabetes: Preliminary evidence suggests supplementation can increase insulin levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Hypertension: Clinical and experimental data support the view that vitamin D metabolism is involved in blood pressure regulation and other metabolic processes.
Levels of Tanning:

Level 1 - Low pressure beds, also known as standard or starter beds
Lamps with more of the UVB rays (reddening rays) than the tanning rays. The UVB rays help produce the melanin needed in the tanning process. We do not recommend Level 1 beds if you are looking for a deep, dark, long lasting tan Most of the commercial tanning industry is phasing these beds out due to the fact that they have more of the reddening rays than the bronzing rays. The bulbs used are your specialized florescent type bulbs - long and skinny.

Levels 2-4 - Medium pressure, Very High Reflective (VHR) lamps
The VHR or VHO lamps have less UVB than the low pressure lamps, but they are useful in capturing the melanin developed in the low pressure beds and turning it into a deeper, darker tan. These beds still have a high enough percentage of UVB rays that they help in the production of the melanin. A level 2 bed usually has the lowest wattage of the medium pressure beds.
The Level 3 and 4 beds are sometimes referred to as Mega or turbo beds because they have 160-200 wats of power. Sometimes they can be miscontrued as high pressure beds, but they usually have the “bronzing” bulbs which have a 2% UVB or lower combined with the high pressure 99.9% facial quartz lamps. However, bronzing beds are NOT HIGH PRESSURE, they are HIGH INTENSITY beds. Other high intensity beds utilize the combination of high pressure - square quartz lamps in the top and the florescent VHR lamps in the bottom. The lamps in the bottom are often 9K90 series lamps with less than 1% UVB. While these combination beds have less UVB than most Level 4 beds, they are still not 99.9% UVB-free like a Level 5 bed is. Salons often state they have 6-7 levels of tanning, when in fact, it just means their beds have more florescent bulbs, with 200 to 220 watts of power or they have a combination bed that they refer to as their level 5 bed.

Level 5 - High pressure tanning beds
99.9% UVA light interacts with melanin in the top layer of skin to turn it brown. All of the lamps in a high pressure bed are quartz lamps, no long florescent lamps. The original high pressure beds were released with mattresses in the bottom for more comfort for the client as they were 30 minute beds, where the clients flip over in the middle of the session. Many of the newly manufactured beds are straight, uncurved acrylic or glass in the bottom.
Ultrabronz was the leader in high pressure mattress beds and many clients refer to high pressure beds as Ultrabronz beds, despite who the manufacturer is. Our Italian-made Sportarredo high pressure bed does has a mattress as we have many clients who still prefer the comfort that a mattress has to offer..
In a high pressure bed, if you do not already have melanin present in your dead skin layer you will see no results from a high pressure tanning bed session. A person with very creamy white skin should consider stimulating their melanin by first tanning in a Level 2-4 VHR bed with at least 5% UVB blend, which is exactly what our Level 2 bed is. After that, the tanner should use a Level 3 or Level 4 bed before jumping into the Level 5 High Pressure bed. Our bed packages are tailored for our customers to do just this, without paying a fortune to upgrade between packages.

                 What are the advantages of using a High Pressure bed vs. a Level 1 or Level 2 bed:
- Deeper, darker tan in less time      - Almost all bronzing rays so less chance of over-exposure
- Less visits to the tanning salon     - Weekly maintenance of one session per week

                 Average results in a High Pressure Bed:
-- 5 sessions in a high pressure bed=10 sessions in a Level 3 or 4 bed= 20 sessions in a Level 1 bed.

                 Does a person have to start out at a standard bed?
Absolutely not. Most people start at a Level 2 or 3 because it is a medium pressure. Remember Level 1 has more of the reddening rays than the bronzing rays and it takes longer to see results. You would have to go to the tanning salon 4 to 5 times a week to get the results that you would see in 3 visits in a medium pressure bed. You are also exposing your skin for longer periods of time in the tanning bed to more UVB rays, which in time causes pre-mature aging.

                Some recommendations....
Communicate. For the best results in the tanning salon, we recommend that you let your tanning salon consultant know your experiences of tanning both indoors and outdoors.
Change levels. If you are tanning for a cruise or vacation, keep in mind, you will want to jump in a lower level bed a few times before you leave as the higher beds with less UVB do not protect you as well against sunburn in the real world. If you are using primarily a Level 5 bed, you need to have a few sessions in a Level 2 bed or use plenty of SPF50 to protect yourself from unwanted sunburn. If you are not getting the results you need, then change levels. Your body gets used to a certain level and you need to change it up so you do not hit a tanning plateau.
Always use salon-purchased lotion. We cannot express this enough. Do not buy your lotions online. The manufacturer does not sell lotion online and only sells to professional tanning salons. If you purchase online, you are risking having additives to the lotion. We have had clients complain about online lotions making them break out, itchy, red, etc. You do not know what is in that lotion. We stand behind our lotions 100% because we get them directly from a bonafide distributor.
Tan for suggested time. We know our tanning beds. We ask that you do not argue with your tanning consultant about the length of exposure in a certain bed. At a previous tanning salon, you may have gone 10 minutes to start out, but we will not let you go that long as we don't know how your skin will react to our lamps. If we have new lamps, we do not want you to be over-exposed. Chances are, our lamps will be stronger and fresher than most places you have frequented.
Always use a towel to cover areas such as your buttocks and chest that are normally not exposed to the sun at all. This way you do not sunburn those areas when you are first starting out.
Read our medication list to make sure you are not taking a medicine that will make you sensitive to skin.
Always wear goggles. It sounds silly, but just one bad exposure to UV light can create permanent damage.