Your instructions

You're the headliner. Here's your run of show.

A spray tan is the easiest thing on your calendar, as long as you play your part in the hours around it. Think of Jana as the crew and this page as your cue sheet: what to do before you arrive, how to make your exit, when to rinse, and how to rest while your tan finishes.

Jump to the checklist Find your rinse time

A blonde woman in a cobalt bikini walks the sand at Capitola Beach at golden hour, a white cover-up over one shoulder

I really liked the separate private dressing room.

Erica C.

Act one · Before you arrive

A little preparation, and a lot you can skip.

Nobody is turned away for skipping preparation, but your skin is the canvas, and a smooth, bare one takes color most evenly. Here is the short list.

A woman in a black swimsuit uses an exfoliating glove on her leg in a bright white shower by a misty window — Gloves, a good wash and a little patience.

Before you arrive

Exfoliate with your exfoliating gloves every day this week, and once more on the morning of your appointment.
Finish any shaving or waxing at least a day ahead.
Moisturize every day and drink plenty of water.
Arrive clean and dry.

In the shopExfoliating gloves

Leave at home

No product on your skin
No deodorant (your underarms can go bare for a few hours)
No makeup
No lotion
No oil

Anything sitting on your skin keeps the tan from developing evenly underneath it.

Black hoodie, tee and wide pants hang on wooden hangers on a cream wall above a pair of flip-flops

Act two · Heading home

Your exit, dressed for comfort.

For the trip home, wear something loose and fully covering, in dark colors: the oversized dress, loose sweatpants or pajama pants, a big tee or sweatshirt. Yes, the pajama pants count. You are not dressing for a runway tonight, you are dressing for a very comfortable exit. Guide bronzer can rub off on fabric before your first rinse, and dark, roomy clothes keep it from showing. If any does land on your clothes, it washes out of most fabrics.

1
The changing room
It is private, and everything you need is provided. When Jana is finished, slip into your exit outfit and take your time.
2
The door
Jana walks you through your rinse time and the simple plan for the rest of your evening, so you leave knowing exactly what happens next.
3
The road
Sit back and sit normally. Seat belts are allowed. Then head straight home, or to wherever the evening is taking you.

Folded dark clothes, an alarm clock and a glass of water wait on a linen-covered table by a window — In your bag: the whole exit outfit.

A laughing woman in a black tee and blue polka dot pants walks a sandy lane of beach cottages with an iced coffee and tote bag — Straight home, in your own comfortable clothes.

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 →

A smiling woman in a white tank top and striped shorts admires her tanned arm in a bright bathroom with a gray towel

Act three · Rest until your rinse

Now do almost nothing.

Until your rinse, your only job is to rest while the tan finishes developing. You are the star of this show, and the star does not do dishes.

No getting wet

Showers, baths, pools, the ocean and long soaks can all wait until you have rinsed. After your rinse, stay out of pools and the ocean for the first 24 hours; after that, swim as much as you like.

No doing dishes

The dishes will keep. They have nowhere else to be, and you do not need a sinkful of suds on your hands.

No bathing the children

They have survived worse than a few hours of splashing without you. Bath time can be someone else's turn.

Heat and heavy sweat are on the list too: no saunas, steam rooms, hot yoga or hard workouts, because they can leave your tan uneven while it finishes.

A woman in loose black loungewear laughs on a cream sofa with popcorn and a remote while a man in yellow gloves washes dishes behind her — Until your rinse: a sofa, a cup of tea and nowhere to be.

A woman in a black swimsuit holds a beige towel beside a running rain shower in a beige stone stall with brass fixtures and eucalyptus

Act four · Your rinse

Rinse on your own clock.

Your rinse time depends on the formula Jana used, and she tells you yours before you leave. When the time comes, step into the shower and rinse that guide bronzer away. The tan underneath keeps developing, and it is fully developed at about 24 hours.

Rapid Development and Unity NRRinse at 2, 4 or 6 hours · Fully developed in about 24 hours

Bronze Organics, Classic Bronze and Ultra DarkRinse at 8 to 12 hours · Fully developed in about 24 hours

Rinse at the time Jana gave you.
Use lukewarm water only, with no soap, and keep it brief.
Pat dry with a dark towel.

After the appointment

Your rinse time, formula by formula.

Choose the formula Jana used today to see when to take your first rinse and what the rest of the day looks like.

Choose your formula, and your instructions will appear here.

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.