The secret to a beautiful spray tan is not what happens during your session. It happens before, in the small things you do in the days leading up, and after, in how you look after your shade. The rule fits in one sentence: your skin should be clean, dry and exfoliated when we arrive.
Why preparation changes everything
The solution sits on the surface layer of your skin. If that layer is still carrying dead cells, leftover cream or deodorant, the shade grips unevenly and fades faster wherever the skin flakes. Smooth, bare skin does the opposite: it takes sunless tanning evenly, from your collarbone to your ankles.
It is a question of how long it lasts, too. Careful preparation buys you several extra days of glow. It is the difference between a decent tan and a tan everyone asks you about.
Your countdown
Here is how to spread the steps across the three days before your session. Nothing complicated, but each step has its moment.
Exfoliation, the step that matters most
Exfoliate your whole body 3 to 1 day before your session. Spend extra time on dry areas: elbows, knees, ankles, and the tops of your feet and hands. Those are the spots that soak up the most solution and go too dark when they are not prepared.
One rule to remember: no exfoliating on the day of your appointment. Scrubbing right before leaves the skin irritated and the pores open, and the shade lands unevenly. The mitt, the brush and the scrub go away the day before.
Shaving and waxing: at least 24 hours ahead
Shave or wax at least 24 hours before your session, never on the day itself. Both open your pores, and an open pore holds the solution as a small darker dot. Twenty four hours is what your skin needs to close up and get its smooth surface back.
If you are unsure about the order, keep it simple: wax or shave first, exfoliate after, then leave your skin alone.
Moisturizing: yes before, no on the day
Moisturize generously in the days leading up. Supple skin holds its shade longer and fades more gracefully, without patches that flake.
That said, no cream or lotion on the day of your appointment. Anything oily forms a barrier between your skin and the solution, and the shade will not take. Moisturizing picks back up after your session, once your first shower is done.
Showering before your session
Ideally, your shower happens the day before. If you need one on the day, take it no later than 3 hours before your session, with lukewarm water only, and rinse thoroughly.
Hot water opens your pores, which is exactly what we are trying to avoid. Lukewarm, short, well rinsed: your skin stays clean without being stripped. And no oily soap or shower oil.
The day of: what to wear, what to skip
Arrive with bare skin. No makeup, no cream, no sunscreen, no deodorant, no perfume. Those are the five most common slips, and each one leaves a visible mark on the result.
As for what you wear during the application, you choose: with or without underwear, or in a swimsuit, whatever feels most comfortable. What matters is what you bring for afterwards, loose dark clothing and dark sandals or slippers. While the shade sets, anything tight leaves an imprint.
What happens after your session
Preparation opens the show, aftercare keeps it running. Leave your shade on for the time we tell you before your first shower, rinse with lukewarm water and no soap, then get back to moisturizing daily. Stay away from exfoliants, chlorine and salt water, which strip the glow before its time.
And if you are not sure which package suits you yet, our Find Your Glow quiz walks you through it in a minute. We come to you across Laval, Montreal and the North Shore: see our mobile spray tan service.
