A woman in a white swimsuit and open linen shirt walks down the wooden stairs to Seacliff State Beach, the concrete ship offshore

Your first visit

Your first spray tan, step by step.

Most first-time clients arrive with the same quiet questions: what happens in the room, and whether it will look natural. Here's the whole appointment, in order, so you can walk in already knowing.

Book your first tan

Jana makes you feel very comfortable and is very knowledgable about different tanning applications. She knows her stuff.

Julie P.

The appointment, in order

Nine steps in four chapters, from a smooth start to the moment your tan is fully developed. Nothing is a surprise, and each turn in the room is explained before it happens.

A woman works exfoliating gloves along her arm at a bright shower by the sea

Before you come.

Step 1
The week before.
Exfoliate gently and moisturize every day, and finish any shaving or waxing at least a day ahead.
Step 2
The morning of.
Exfoliate once more and arrive with nothing on your skin. Everything else is provided.

Jana sits by the studio window, ready to talk through your skin and the occasion

Arriving and talking.

Step 3
Arriving.
The studio is upstairs at 1515 Capitola Road, Suite N, with a parking lot behind the building and a waiting room if you arrive early. Your appointment is reserved for you alone, so there's no rush.
Step 4
The conversation.
Jana asks about your skin, the occasion and how deep you'd like to go, then chooses your formula with you. A lighter first tan is always an option.

The deSoleil treatment room: charcoal textured walls, a tall mirror lit by warm bulbs, a black tufted bench, line-art prints and a white vanity

In the room.

Step 5
Getting ready.
You have a private changing room. Wear whatever feels comfortable; many first-timers choose a swimsuit or their own undergarments, and some prefer nothing at all for the most even result. Disposable G-strings, hair caps, clips and ties, and sole protectors are all provided.
Step 6
The application.
About twenty minutes, with each turn explained before it happens.

A woman in a black tee and loose black pants walks a sunny coastal street after her tan, car keys in hand

After you leave.

Step 7
Heading home.
You'll leave with your rinse time and simple instructions for the evening. The instructions page has your whole exit plan.
Step 8
Resting up.
Until your rinse, stay dry and take it easy: no getting wet, no doing dishes, no bathing the children. Someone else can have the dishes tonight.
Step 9
Your rinse.
At the rinse time Jana gives you, a lukewarm rinse washes away the guide bronzer while the tan keeps developing underneath. It is fully developed about 24 hours after your appointment, and then the dress, the bikini and the spotlight are all yours.

Why it looks deeper tonight

Two colors, one tan.

You leave with a guide bronzer on top and a tan developing underneath. By the next morning only the tan is left.

01In the studio
Mostly guide bronzer, the tan just starting.
02First rinse
The bronzer washes away; the tan keeps developing.
03Next morning
Fully developed, about 24 hours on. All tan.
04The fade
Over 7 to 14 days, softly, as your skin renews.

Step through it in the Bronze Protocol →

On the evening of her first tan, a blonde woman in a rust satin cami and cream trousers smiles at her reflection in the bedroom mirror

Jana smiles beside the big window of her charcoal-walled studio, ready to welcome you

Meet Jana.

Jana began spray tanning in 2002 and has applied every tan at deSoleil since the studio opened in 2007. She's the one who greets you, talks through your skin and your plans, and applies your tan, so the person who learns what you like is the person you'll see next time.

More about Jana →

Before you come in

A little preparation, and plenty you can skip.

A smooth, bare canvas takes color most evenly. Here is the short version, and the full plan lives on the instructions page.

A bright shower with white tile and warm wood, a stool holding folded dark towels

Before you arrive

Exfoliate gently with your exfoliating gloves every day beforehand, and again that morning
Finish shaving or waxing at least a day ahead
Arrive clean and dry, with no product on your skin

In the shopExfoliating gloves

Leave at home

Deodorant, makeup, lotion and oil: your skin goes bare for a few hours
A sauna, hard workout or swim before your first rinse

A loose, dark T-shirt dress and an oversized zip hoodie hang on wall pegs above a pair of slides — **Your trip-home outfit**The instructions page has the whole list, down to the pajama pants.

The full day-of checklist →

The morning after her first tan, a blonde woman in a black halter swimsuit walks laughing out of the shallows at Natural Bridges, the rock arch behind her — One visit, and the beach, the dress and the photos are all yours.

Two questions

Curious which formula suits you?

You never have to choose before you arrive. If you like to walk in with a favorite in mind, answer two questions and see where Jana would likely start.

When can you rinse?

What matters most?

Answer both questions for a good place to start. The choice is always made with Jana at your appointment.

A brunette woman in a sage knit top and white shorts sits on a window seat above the sea, smiling at her phone

Quiet questions

What first-timers worry about

"Will it look natural?"

Depth and undertone are chosen for your skin before anything is sprayed, and a first tan can start a shade softer.

"What if it's too dark tonight?"

What you see that evening is mostly the guide color, a cosmetic tint that rinses away in your first shower. The tan underneath is softer.

"Will it get on my clothes?"

A little guide bronzer can rub off before your first rinse, and it washes out of most fabrics. The instructions page has the whole plan for the trip home.

"Will I feel awkward?"

Almost everyone expects to, and almost no one does. Jana has seen every kind of body since 2007, the room is private, and you wear whatever feels comfortable.

"Will it be even?"

A week of gentle exfoliation and daily moisturizer gives the tan a smooth surface. The rest is in the application.