Spray and glow and go

Spray-on, salon tans sweep head to toe from Hollywood to Carrollwood.

[Times photo: Lara Cerri]

Gia Angarano has her body airbrushed brown at Thee Hair Gallery Salon & Spa in St. Petersburg.

TAMPA - The sun is shining brightly in the Sunshine State and world-class beaches are within a short driving distance, but still 17-year-old Claire Vasterling stands in a room the size of a walk-in closet to get a tan.

In a black bikini, as if she were going to the beach, she stretches out her arms like an airplane. Tanning specialist Julie Tate waves a small canister airbrush over the teen's wrists, her arms and then, her shoulders.

"Close your eyes," Tate says.

A thin mist covers Claire's face, which slowly glows sienna.

"I like having that sun look," Claire says.

The newest trend in tanning doesn't involve the sun or a tanning bed, and it is as fake as a beauty contestant's smile. It is spray-on tanning.

Introduced a few years ago, spray-on tans swept through Hollywood. That glow on Jennifer Aniston isn't as natural as you think. Jennifer Lopez, Julianna Margulies, Tori Spelling, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera - all have it done, reveals the latest People magazine.

The fake tan has hit Tampa Bay, at salons such as Raydiance in Brandon and Tampa and Thee Hair Gallery Salon & Spa in St. Petersburg.

D.I. Body & Boutique on Davis Islands began offering it three months ago, and now its spiral appointment book is filling fast. Most clients are from the toe-ring set. Many avoid tanning beds because of potentially harmful ultraviolet rays. These clients also shun the sun, fearing skin cancer and wrinkles. No one wants to look "leathery," said Denise Barnett, a pharmaceutical representative and a spray-tan customer.

These clients are also too busy to baste hours in the hot sun. A spray-on tan takes minutes and lasts about a week. It's the microwave version of tanning.

The mist contains the same product found in many over-the-counter, self-tanning products: dihydroxyacetone, or DHA. Approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration about 30 years ago, DHA reacts with amino acids on the skin's surface to produce a bronzed appearance.

But self-tanning products came with complaints: streaking, pumpkin-colored patches, skin that looked like Tang.

Tanning devotees screamed for something better.

Enter technology.

There are two methods.

By hand. A spa technician uses a chrome airbrush hooked up to a compressor to shoot a fine mist of DHA, aloe vera and bronzer over the skin. In tiny circles, the airbrush is waved as if doing a T-shirt. The mist has a slight starchy smell. Covering the entire body takes 15 minutes. It takes another 15 minutes in front of a fan to dry.

The other method is by machine. Marcus Callaway, district manager of Malibu Rayz in Tampa, explained:

First, you put lotion on the palms of your hands, fingernails and toe nails. "A barrier."

Then, you slip on a shower cap to prevent hair from getting damp. You disrobe, completely if you want to because the rooms are private.

Next, you step into the shower-like stall and press the bright green button.

Three pivoting nozzles spray a fine mist over the entire body for 15 seconds. You turn around and the back is sprayed for another 15 seconds.

The client can towel off immediately, Callaway said.

With both methods, the client emerges brown. But the instant brownness is caused by the bronzer in the mist. It takes hours for the DHA to react with the skin to cause the more lasting, deeper darkness. Clients are asked not to shower for four to six hours afterward.

Costs differ from salon to salon, but generally a spray-on technique - by hand or machine - costs about $25 to $35. Some salons offer legs-only or face-only spraying for $10 to $20.

"A lot of people did it before the prom," said Vasterling, who recently graduated from Plant High School in South Tampa.

Malibu Rayz in Carrollwood recently did a group of 5-year-old beauty contestants.

Gia Angarano, 22, of St. Petersburg said she's a "beach bunny," but got her body airbrushed brown at Thee Hair Gallery Salon & Spa.

She will be a bridesmaid in a few weeks. "I don't want strap marks," she said.

At the Davis Islands salon, the next client, Jane Toombs, emerges from her session. She walks out of the room. Her cheeks glow. Light bounces off her shoulders.

She is visiting friends in Seattle next week.

"I want to look like I come from Florida," she said.

- Times researcher Smitha Ballal contributed to this report.

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