Tanning FAQs

Certain skin types cannot tan, but anybody can get a beautiful golden-tan look with our sunless tanning system. Our tanning professionals can help you determine the type of tanning best suited to your skin type. The six basic skin types are:

Tanning without a lotion will deplete your skin of its much-needed moisture. Indoor tanning lotions can help stimulate the production of melanin, your skin’s natural dark pigment, so that your skin tans more quickly, gets darker and keeps its tan longer. Plus, our lotions have moisturizers that keep your skin soft and healthy. Premium lotions deliver vitamins, moisturizers, natural oils and other ingredients to revitalize the skin and encourage melanin production.

No appointments are required. Since our salons have more beds than the average tanning salon, you should be able to get a bed whenever you want with minimal or no waiting time.

We offer a no-hassle monthly membership with no contracts required. You may cancel your membership at any time without worry of cancellation fees.

No. All Palm Beach Tan memberships are good at any of our locations.

Sometimes you may not be able to take advantage of your tanning membership due to work commitments, pregnancy or perhaps an injury. You can put your membership on our Stay & Save™ Program. We will bill you only $5 per month, which is accumulated in an account for you to use on lotions, upgrades or other products. Then when you are ready to come back to tanning, we will reactivate your account without you having to pay another new member fee.

We recommend that you check with your doctor.

We're sure you will be delighted with the results of your session; however, during the first 30 days of your membership if you are not completely satisfied, we will refund all of your money less the cost of actual tanning sessions used.

If you can't get color from the sun, you can't get color in a UV bed. However, our sunless tanning system can give you a natural-looking tan without any UV exposure at all.

Yes, it is required by law in most states because eyelids are not thick enough to protect your eyes from UV damage. We provide FDA-approved eyewear at no charge in each tanning room as well as clear goggles in the Mystic Rooms.

Since each tanning bed is in a private room, you can wear whatever you’re most comfortable in – or nothing at all.

We use FDA-approved cleaning and disinfecting solutions after every customer's tanning session. The store manager will be happy to show you our cleaning logs. The solution is tested daily to ensure proper sanitizing properties exist.

We follow the manufacturer's guidelines for bulb replacement so that you will achieve the best results from your sessions. We typically change our bulbs when they have reached 80% of their capacity so your tan doesn't suffer from weaker UV rays.

The Mystic Tan^® booth is a private, self-contained unit that, in just seconds, employs a revolutionary spray process to apply a uniform amount of tanning mist to the entire body. When the tanning session is complete, you simply step out of the booth, towel off any excess tanning mist, dress and exit. The result is an even, natural-looking tan.

MagneTan™ technology is our patented process that uses the human body's own magnetic properties to attract Mystic Tan Tanning Myst to every exposed surface of the skin. When authentic Mystic Tan Tanning Myst passes through the spray nozzles in a Mystic Tan booth, the micro-particles of Tanning Myst become polarized, taking on the characteristics of "tiny magnets." These particles adhere evenly to the skin to create an even, natural-looking tan.

Most sunless tanners don’t wear clothes in the booth. However, if you’d be more comfortable wearing a bathing suit or underwear, be advised that, while the Insta-Color Bronzer™ we use in our BronzMyst™ is water-soluble and should wash out, the Tanning Myst may stain.

Mystic Tan Tanning Myst has been thoroughly tested by a third-party lab, and the results showed no eye or skin irritation. Mystic Tan Tanning Myst has been used in more than 15 million tanning sessions with no adverse reactions. We provide clear goggles to wear while you tan.

While no one should purposely inhale or ingest the Mystic Tan Myst, it is known that DHA  (dihydroxyacetone, the active tanning ingredient) is a non-hazardous compound that causes no adverse reaction in moderate quantities when applied topically or even ingested. DHA has been used as a diet supplement in sports nutrition and is non-carcinogenic. Testing has further shown that DHA is less toxic than aspirin, caffeine and even common table salt. Based on our research, the maximum amount of DHA that could accidentally be ingested or breathed during a one-minute Mystic Tan sunless tanning session would be .05 milligrams (equivalent to less than one grain of common table salt). Ingesting this minimal amount of DHA should pose no health risk. Nose filters are available for purchase.

Many customers wear a disposable shower cap, provided by the salon, to keep Tanning Myst from getting into their hair. Other customers tan without covering their hair. The Mystic Tan Tanning Myst does not penetrate the hair follicle. The Insta-Color Bronzer we use in our BronzMyst is water-soluble and will easily wash out.

When applying DHA sunless products in a spray or mist, it may be difficult to avoid exposure to eyes and lips or guard against accidental inhalation of the Tanning Myst. Mystic Tan, Inc. and the FDA recommend that users cover the area of the eyes with standard UV tanning eyewear, protect the lips with lip balm, and use a nose filter to protect membranes in the nasal passages, as well as avoid inhaling or ingesting the product.

The Tanning Myst applied in the Mystic Tan tanning booth is moist and very fine. Your skin will feel hydrated and nourished. Tiny droplets remaining on your arms or legs after the session are easily removed by toweling dry. Toweling won't streak your tan, and any Tanning Myst that wipes onto the towel is excess and will not affect your tan. Just towel off the same way you do when you take a shower and then get dressed.

Once you've towel dried, there's little chance of any bronzer or DHA getting on your clothes. If you perspire soon after your sunless tanning session, some of the bronzer may transfer to your clothing. Since the bronzer is completely water-soluble, it will wash out.

To give the DHA enough time to fully set, we recommend waiting a minimum of 4 hours after tanning. Showering sooner may diminish the intensity of the tan. If you tanned using BronzMyst, the Insta-Color Bronzer will wash off in the shower, but the DHA that creates your longer-lasting tan will remain.

Some people notice a slight starchy smell on their skin a few hours after a tanning session. This is simply the DHA reacting to proteins in your skin and it fades away fairly quickly.

Swimming in chlorinated water or salt water can fade the Mystic Tan results, cause possible streaking and will diminish the length of your tan. However, normal activities such as bathing, showering or physical activities will not affect the quality of the tan.

Some 15 million tans can’t be wrong. That’s how many successful Mystic Tans there have been in just a few years. Before Mystic Tan, most self-tanners were creams and lotions applied by hand. That meant inconsistent coverage. Too much lotion applied in one place left the skin looking orange. Not enough lotion left unattractive streaks. Handheld spray-on applicators tend to run and also cause streaking. Our MagneTan technology ensures that a uniform micro-spray of Mystic Tan Tanning Myst covers the entire body in the exact amount required to produce a natural-looking tan.

A great benefit of Mystic Tan is that it is perfect for individuals who can't or prefer not to tan outdoors.

We recommend consulting with your doctor before proceeding with a Mystic Tan tanning session.

The components we use in our sunless tanning mist have been successfully used in cosmetics and food products for decades. If you've had previous allergic reactions to self-tanning lotions or cosmetics, you may want to do a "patch test" first. Put a small amount of mist on a small area of your skin to test for possible reactions.

All Palm Beach Tan salons carry the authentic Mystic Tan^® sunless tanning mists, which contain the following natural ingredients:

• DHA, or dihydroxyacetone, a carbohydrate (monosaccharide sugar) compound usually derived from a vegetable source like beets or sugar cane. Its properties as a skin darkener were discovered in the 1920s but weren't marketed as such until the 1960s, when Coppertone^® introduced Quick Tan^®. DHA was added to the FDA's list of approved cosmetic ingredients in the 1970s as an external tanning agent.
  
  
• When applied, DHA reacts with proteins in the skin's superficial layer to form a golden brown color. Your skin begins to darken two to three hours after application and reaches its peak color within 24 hours. The color will gradually fade through natural exfoliation, just like a tan from the sun. To maintain optimal color, you'll want to tan every 4 to 5 days. 
  
  
• Moisturizers, which help carry the DHA deeper into the skin and promote a softer, smoother finish. Mystic Tan Tanning Myst contains 65% Aloe Vera, a natural moisturizer that helps skin draw moisture to the surface. Aloe Vera also softens the skin and helps smooth wrinkles.

Mystic Tan is designed for customization according to your preferences and tanning needs. That’s why we’ve created multiple formulas, so you can select the one that fits you best.

• Mystic Tan's BronzMyst™ formula contains Insta-Color Bronzer™, a water-soluble, brown-tinted dye that produces an instant tan. The bronzer washes off in the shower or bath, without affecting your overall tan.
  
  
• Mystic Tan's ClearMyst™ formula contains no bronzer at all, so it goes on clear, yet darkens within hours and results in an even, dark, natural-looking tan.
  
  
• Premium with NutraMist™ Plus, in BronzMyst™ and ClearMyst™ formulas, hydrates skin and balances your moisture level for a deep, dark sunless tan, with minimal tanning odor.

You'll be tan after one session, but it may take additional sessions to achieve your desired color. Once you reach your ideal color, you should be able to maintain it by tanning every 4 to 5 days.

Yes. There is nothing in the Mystic Tan Tanning Myst that would prevent you from tanning in tanning beds or the sun. In fact, a number of customers have found that tanning with UV rays and the Mystic Tan Tanning Myst actually gives them a better overall tan. If you plan to use a tanning bed and the Mystic Tan booth in the same day, we recommend that you use the tanning bed first. Remember, however, that the Mystic Tan does not give you any protection from UV rays.