Spray tanning · Santa Cruz · Since 2007
A spray tan in Santa Cruz that no one can tell is a spray tan.
Every deSoleil tan is applied by Jana, who began spray tanning in 2002 and opened this studio on Capitola Road in 2007. The depth and undertone are matched to your complexion and to wherever you're headed, so people notice that you look well rested, not that you've been tanned.
Your date
A tan looks its best one to two days after the appointment. Pick the date and see when to book.
One standard, kept since 2007
Thousands of tans later, a client's first visit and her two-hundredth still rest on the same three things.
The part clients mention first
It's rarely the tan itself. Clients tell Jana they stopped checking the mirror before a Friday dinner in Capitola Village, skipped the bronzer and the leg makeup that morning, and wore the sleeveless dress without a second thought. A tan takes one small worry off the list and keeps it off for a week or two, which is why so many women come back for the feeling as much as for the glow.
Between board meetings and investor calls, I don't have time for a tan that looks like a tan. Jana gives me that rested, polished look, and I can count on the results.
Whatever's on your calendar
A tan planned around the day it's for.
Free checklist · yours to keep
The Spray Tan Checklist
Every tan, prepared properly.
First tan or fiftieth, a good tan becomes a beautiful one in the shower a few days before. This checklist keeps every step on one printable page, so nothing is left to memory before a trip, an event or an ordinary Thursday.
- Preparation, the appointment and aftercare in the order you need them
- Boxes you can tick on screen or on paper
- Printed with your name, for every tan after this one
Never had a spray tan?
You're in good company. Plenty of regulars started exactly where you are, a little unsure what to wear and worried about looking unnatural. The appointment takes about twenty minutes, every step is explained before it happens, and the changing room is yours alone. You don't need to choose a formula, either: that conversation happens when you arrive, and a first tan can always start a shade softer.
Your first visit, step by step →
The science, simply
How a spray tan actually works.
No sun, no tanning bed and nothing painted on. Here is what happens to your skin, in four steps.
- 01
It starts with a sugar.
The active ingredient in every formula is DHA, a simple sugar made from plants. It's sprayed on as a fine mist.
- 02
It browns only the top layer.
DHA reacts with the very top layer of your skin, cells that are already on their way out. It's a little like the way bread turns golden in a toaster. Nothing goes deeper, and there's no UV.
- 03
It develops over a day.
The browning starts within the first hour and keeps building for about 24 hours, even after you rinse. The tint you leave with is a guide color that washes off in your first shower.
- 04
It fades as your skin renews.
Your skin sheds that top layer naturally, so a tan fades gently over 7 to 14 days. Moisturized skin sheds slowly and evenly, which is why it lasts longer.
Why preparation matters: exfoliating clears away loose, dry skin so the tan develops evenly, while lotion, oil and deodorant sit on top of your skin and block it. How to prepare → More of the science →
Sent by a friend?
Most new clients find the studio the old-fashioned way: a friend's arms looked suspiciously good at book club, and she gave up the name. If that's your story, you've already done the research, and the rest is picking a time.
This is the best spray tan I've ever had.
Gift cards
For the person who never books one for themselves.
A new mother, a bride's best friend, a daughter before her first prom. A deSoleil gift card arrives by email, works for any service, and leaves the choice of formula to Jana and the person you give it to.
Your tan, on your calendar.
Online booking stays open until 12 hours before each appointment, and same-day tans are a text away at (831) 479-8266. Because Jana sees one client at a time, late weekday afternoons and the short weekend hours tend to fill first. Clients come from Santa Cruz, Capitola, Soquel, Aptos, Scotts Valley, Watsonville, Pleasure Point, Seascape and Boulder Creek.
