First-timers
You’ll know exactly what happens before you arrive.
Most first-timers are not worried about the color. They are worried about not knowing what to expect. So here is the whole thing, start to finish.
Exfoliate 48 hours ahead and again the night before with a non-oil-based product, focusing on elbows, knees, ankles, heels and underarms. Shave 12 to 24 hours before, or wax 24 to 48 hours before.
Finish your shower at least three hours before your appointment. Afterwards apply no lotion, oil, deodorant or perfume. Wear loose, dark clothing and open-toe shoes.
Your natural tone, undertone, the depth you want, your timeline and any areas that need extra attention. Disposable undergarments are available if you would like them. Wear as much or as little as you are comfortable in. The application itself takes about 30 minutes, and the studio is cleaned and reset before you arrive.
A pH balancing spray goes on first so the color develops evenly and true to the match. Then lotion into whichever areas are driest, a barrier spray over the rest, the airbrush application, and a moisture seal and finishing powder to end. That is the Experience. A Student Glow is quicker: the same matching, the same barrier spray and the same application, without the pH spray, the lotion or the finishing steps.
Original solutions rinse at 8 to 12 hours; rapid solutions anywhere from 1 to 8 hours depending on how deep you want the color. Your exact window is written down before you leave. Warm water only, no soap or loofah, rinse until the water runs clear, then pat dry rather than rubbing.
Moisturize once or twice daily with fragrance-free, sulfate-free products. Skip hot baths, saunas, chlorine, saltwater and exfoliants.
The three things people actually worry about
Looking orange
Orange comes from two things: a solution whose undertone fights yours, and a DHA strength that is too high for your skin. DHA is the ingredient that develops the color, and it comes in different strengths; too much of it for your skin reads orange no matter how carefully it is sprayed. Your natural tone, your undertone and the DHA strength are all chosen here before anything is sprayed, rather than one universal bottle for everyone, which is the entire reason the result reads as skin.
Streaks and dark hands
Hands, feet, elbows, knees and ankles absorb more color because the skin there is thicker and drier. A barrier spray goes on before any color, on every service, so those areas do not finish darker than the rest of you.
Not knowing the rules afterwards
You leave with an aftercare card: your rinse window, written on it, and what to do until then. Full detail lives on the prep and aftercare page.
First-timer questions
Will I look orange?
Orange is a matching problem, not a spray tan problem, and the match is the whole appointment. It comes from two things decided before anything is sprayed: a solution whose undertone fights yours, and a DHA strength too high for your skin type (DHA is the ingredient that creates the color). Seana reads your natural tone and undertone first, then chooses the solution and the depth around your skin rather than spraying one universal bottle at everyone. If you have gone orange somewhere else, say so at the start. It narrows the match.
I have never had a spray tan. What actually happens?
You get prep instructions before you arrive. At the appointment your natural tone, undertone, desired depth and timeline are discussed before anything is sprayed. You leave with an aftercare card with your rinse window written on it, so there is no guessing afterwards.
How long does a spray tan appointment take?
The Sunless Method Experience takes about 30 minutes and the Student Glow about 20, with time to talk through your color first. Seana blocks extra time around every appointment to clean, disinfect and reset the studio, so nothing is rushed and you never walk into someone else’s session. For a group, allow roughly 30 minutes per person plus a longer reset at the end.
What do I wear during the appointment?
As much or as little as you are comfortable in. Disposable undergarments are provided if you would like them.
What do I wear afterwards?
Loose, dark clothing and open-toe shoes or flip-flops. Avoid tight bras, leggings and sneakers until after you rinse. Anything tight can rub the color while it develops.
Do I have to be a student to book the Student Glow?
No, but Seana will point you to the Sunless Method Experience instead. The Student Glow is built around younger skin, which in her experience needs less prep than adult skin does. Students can book the Experience as well, and plenty do.
Now you know what happens.
Book the Brentwood studio, or a mobile appointment anywhere inside the 10-mile radius.