Planet Fitness is the perfect gym for someone who is looking to help create healthier habits for themselves without having to break the bank.
There’s a combination of bodybuilders and gym rookies at Planet Fitness, so you won’t have to worry about being too noticeably new.
The staff is also incredibly helpful, and they are glad to show you how a piece of equipment works.
Those who are willing to pay a little more for their memberships can have access to unlimited tanning.
What Kind Of Tanning Beds Are At Planet Fitness?
For tanning at Planet Fitness, you have your choice of a bed or stand-up tanning booths.
What is available at each location is different between them, but you can find out by calling ahead of time and scheduling a tanning appointment.
Planet Fitness’s beds and booths use a combination of UVA rays and UVB rays.
Forms of Ultraviolet Rays
There are three forms of ultraviolet light: Ultraviolet A, Ultraviolet B, and Ultraviolet C.
UVA rays have longer wavelengths and are what will age your skin.
Ultraviolet B rays have shorter wavelengths and are what burns the skin.
UVB rays are what get your skin to that nice, golden tone that you’re looking for.
The tanning beds at Planet Fitness use the combination of UVA and UVB in order to tan their patrons effectively and efficiently.
The sun has about 95% UVA rays and 5% UVB rays.
When you are tanning in the sun, you are mostly taking in UVA rays.
These rays have the lowest amount of energy of the three types of ultraviolet rays.
UVA rays are what give you that short-term tan that you see as soon as you walk out of your tanning appointment.
It’s the UVB rays that give you the long-term tan that will remain with you for weeks.
When you are soaking in Ultraviolet A rays, the rays are sinking deeper into your skin than Ultraviolet B rays.
Unlike Ultraviolet B rays, Ultraviolet A rays are capable of penetrating clouds and even windows.
This means you can get a sunburn from them even when it’s cloudy or you’re indoors.
Ultraviolet A rays can’t even be absorbed by the Ozone like Ultraviolet B rays.
Tips For Using Planet Fitness’s Tanning Beds
You should always exercise a little extra caution at tanning places that don’t specialize in tanning.
Any gym tanning salon isn’t going to have the same level of professionalism as a tanning salon or bar.
There are things that tanning professionals will do for their patrons that a gym isn’t going to think of doing.
When you go to use the tanning bed at Planet Fitness, you may notice that there is a cleaning solution and paper towels next to the tanning bed.
It is up to you to clean the tanning bed before and after you use it.
Don’t trust the person who went before you to have cleaned the bed.
Always assume that someone else’s germs are squirming all over that thing.
A good rub down with the cleaning solution should kill all of the germs to make it safer for you.
You should also be watchful of the lights in the tanning bed.
New tanning lights work vastly more efficiently than older ones.
If you notice that tanning lights are brighter or feel hotter than normal, halve the amount of time you spend in the tanning bed.
Staying in too long will cause serious damage to your skin and eyes.
The key to getting a healthy tan in the tanning beds at Planet Fitness is to not stay in for too long.
It is better to shorten the amount of time you are spending in the tanning bed and increase the number of times you tan than to just increase the amount of time in one session.
You should also start and finish every tanning session with lotion to help keep your skin moisturized.
Older patrons also recommend using the standing booths for those who may have knee problems or went too hard on leg day.
How To Prepare For Your Tanning Session
For the best tanning results, you should prepare your skin for it.
The preparation work that you do beforehand will help your tan be more even and last longer.
You want to give your skin the best chance in the tanning bed and for the future.
One to two days before your tanning appointment, you will want to shave and exfoliate.
Shaving with even the lightest sunburn is like scraping your skin against the blacktop on the hottest summer day.
The day you go for your tan, you’ll want to treat your skin kindly for the next few days in order to help it heal evenly.
You will also want to make sure that you have exfoliated your entire body.
The drier skin that you can gently scrub off, the more even your tan will be.
After you have washed your body, you will want to moisturize it.
It is best to use moisturizers that don’t rely on oil beforehand, although after you tan is another story.
You will want to check any of the medications you may be on before even making your tanning appointment.
Many medications, such as birth control and antidepressants, can make your skin more sensitive to the ultraviolet lights of the tanning bed.
Your skin’s sensitivity doesn’t affect how well you tan, only how quickly you will burn.
Right before your appointment, there are still a couple of things you can do to prepare.
You should first make sure to take off any makeup or jewelry.
Both these things can melt and cause intense burns on your skin that will leave scars.
You should also avoid wearing any perfumes or essential oils because it’s like adding vegetable oil to a hot pan.
You should also apply SPF lip balm to keep your lips safe.
Tips For Using Tanning Beds
Unless you’re going with someone that you are especially close with, tanning in a tanning bed for the first time is awkward.
You’re not weird for feeling awkward while potentially getting naked in a place where you have never been naked before.
Here are some tips to help you get comfortable with the whole situation.
On the topic of nudity, you’re going to have to decide how much of your body is going to be exposed to the rays of the tanning bed.
Most people will either strip down to their swimsuits or be fully naked.
You don’t want your professional tan to end up with tacky tan lines.
If you do decide to go naked, then it is still best to cover up the “lower bits” of yourself due to their sensitivity to the sun.
That is one of the last places you want a sunburn.
Those who are looking to really bronze their skin will want to buy an indoor tanning bronzer and intensifier.
You need to ensure that any product you put on right before you tan is made for indoor tanning.
Other products can severely damage the machine and won’t be helpful in developing your tan.
This is the most important tip if you keep yourself safe while using a tanning bed.
You need some kind of eye protection.
It is required by law for you to be offered some kind of eye protection when using a tanning bed.
Take advantage of the eye protection that your tanning professional or gym provides.
The damage that can be caused to your eyes by tanning beds can lead to burning, vision loss, and cataracts.
Your eyelids are extremely thin flaps of skin, and they won’t be enough to handle the intense ultraviolet lights that will be penetrating your eyelid.
Aftercare For Your Tan
The care you give your skin before and after your tanning session is incredibly important to the health of your skin and the longevity of your tan.
The care you give your skin after the harsh rays it absorbs during your tanning session can slow down premature aging and help your skin be healthier for longer.
Your aftercare is just as crucial as your preparation.
You should never tan more than once per day.
Even tanning once per day is incredibly harmful to your skin, but it is for your own good.
Any place you go in the United States will not allow you to tan more than once in 24 hours because the United States Food & Drug Administration made it a law for tanning services.
The tanning process doesn’t stop after you walk out of the gym.
It continues for multiple days and takes seven to 10 days to heal from the initial burn.
There is a lot of long-term damage that is involved in frequent tanning.
Those who are looking to tan regularly should not do so more than three times per week.
However, each person’s skin is different, so it may be even less for those with paler, more sensitive skin.
While some people may not be able to tan regularly, you can get a tan extender that heals your skin and helps you extend your golden glow.
When looking through all the tan extenders, you will want to look for extenders that have ingredients such as vitamin E, aloe, panthenol, vitamin B5, shea butter, and sunflower oil.
These ingredients are known for healing your skin and restoring moisture where it is needed most.
Don’t underestimate the power of a good tan extender.
Tanning Bed Benefits
Many people feel happier and better after getting their tan, and it isn’t all in their heads.
That supercharged dose of ultraviolet light can help your body produce serotonin, the chemical in your body that is responsible for lifting your mood and helping you regulate anxiety.
There are other bonuses to tanning beds that you may not know about.
Tanning beds offer an excellent way to get an even tan every time.
This is particularly great for those with scars. Sometimes, the hardest part of an injury or surgery is having to deal with the scars for what can seem and sometimes be a lifetime.
Tanning is a great way to reduce the noticeability of scars because it helps your skin darken to a similar color as your scar.
This method can also be applied to stretch marks.
Those with jaundiced skin know how hard it can be to cover up.
The yellowness of the skin is almost erased when you get a tan because the darker your skin is, the harder it is to notice jaundice.
When medical conditions persist for many years, it can be nice to finally have a solution to help return yourself back to normal physically.