Sunless Tanning

[sylvafern]

After several months out of Thailand I'd like to get a bit of a tan before going back to work in Bangkok. I was thinking of getting a spray tan here in NZ but from research it only lasts about 7 days so it will have worn off before I go back to work. Is there anywhere in Bangkok that does spray tans? Has anyone tried spray tans and what do you think of them?

Can you buy self-tanning lotions in Bangkok? I have been using one here but the bottles are pretty heavy to be taking back in my already overloaded suitcases!

(PS - I am not interested in sun-bathing or sun-beds for health reasons which is why I am interested in finding out about sunless tanning!)

[mssabai]

After several months out of Thailand I'd like to get a bit of a tan before going back to work in Bangkok. I was thinking of getting a spray tan here in NZ but from research it only lasts about 7 days so it will have worn off before I go back to work. Is there anywhere in Bangkok that does spray tans? Has anyone tried spray tans and what do you think of them?

Can you buy self-tanning lotions in Bangkok? I have been using one here but the bottles are pretty heavy to be taking back in my already overloaded suitcases!

(PS - I am not interested in sun-bathing or sun-beds for health reasons which is why I am interested in finding out about sunless tanning!)

I had a spray tan before and it was great, could have done with a bit more colour - they choose the strength first - but you can always go and top up.

Afraid I don't know about Bangkok but for all us southern ladies - there is a spray tan booth on the road coming out of Chaweng towards to Lamai. Whhhhooooooppppeeee! Personally hate tanning and am petrified of looking like a bit of old leather so it is perfect for me if I need a little top up. Don't know how much it is though.

Am sure there is one in Bangkok if it has made it to Samui....

[little_muppet]

im sure they have it sell in Boots shop or watson's

[sbk]

I must have been in Thailand far too long. I am a white skinned person and plan on staying that way. After all these years of hearing how beautiful my skin is, I guess I believe it now

[cathyy]

I'm with sbk here. Why on earth do you want to be darker than your natural skin color? I valued my fair skin, and made a conscious decision to keep it that way, decades before the aging effect of tanning was known. Thank heaven you are doing sunless tanning, but why the effort and expense to maintain an artificial skin color? White is beautiful!

[girlx]

when i am in asia i adopt the "white is beautiful" attitude as well because if nothing else it is quite convenient. but also, the last few times i sunbathed i started to get spots and discolorations from the sun. so i quit the sun just as i quit smoking, because i don't want my skin to age any faster than it will inevitably. but i have just spent the past couple months in south america, and especially in argentina and brazil they worship the sun, and there are bronzed goddesses running around everywhere. i remembered why western countries think it looks so healthy. so i was bored in the duty free shop the other day and bought a tube of clinique self tanning cream. i haven't used a self tanner in years! the technology must have improved because i used it twice and came out with a nice deep tan that wasn't orange and streaky like bottle tans in the 80s. my only complaint is that tanning creams still have that horrible smell that doesn't wash off for a day or so. i might use it occasionally in thailand to have a little healthy color... but i will continue to use sunscreen in the sunlight.

[mssabai]

I'm with sbk here. Why on earth do you want to be darker than your natural skin color? I valued my fair skin, and made a conscious decision to keep it that way, decades before the aging effect of tanning was known. Thank heaven you are doing sunless tanning, but why the effort and expense to maintain an artificial skin color? White is beautiful!

White is beautiful - so is black, brown and all the other shades of skin people come in. Although convenient for many farangs, the 'white is beautiful' approach to skin colour in Thailand is horrendously snobbish and results in many women using skin stripping agents in a bid to be whiter.

[ZZZ]

(PS - I am not interested in sun-bathing or sun-beds for health reasons which is why I am interested in finding out about sunless tanning!)

Who says that tanning creams are not dangerous Have a look at the ingredients of these creams and remember that most of these will be absorbed into your blood stream.

These creams are classified as cosmetics and there is virtually no control/testing or any regulation of these products in most countries.

15-20 minutes of sun, outside 11am to 14pm, 3-4 times a week, without sun screen, will give you a healthy tan and a good supply of vitamin D without giving you any adverse health effects.

[RogerL]

We visited Thailand last year, for the first time in about a decade. I knew I'd wear skirts there (makes the Thai toilets easier to use) but I never wear skirts or shorts at home in the US. My legs were really white, so I used some of those newer tanning creams for a couple of weeks before the trip. They did a really nice job of creating an even tan -- much better than the older tanners which gave me orange skin.

When I got to Chiang Mai, I discovered that pale skin is really desired. I got a pedicure at an open air shop. The gal doing the pedicure was great, but spoke no English. Early in the pedicure, she scrubbed my feet, splashed my legs with water and used a pumice stone to try to get the "discoloration" off my legs. I signaled that it was OK, no need to scrub my legs. She stared at my legs for the longest time, trying to figure out why someone would want their skin to look darker, I imagine.

Why is it that women always seem to want their appearance to be the opposite of what Mother Nature intended? Those with pale skin want tans, dark ladies value light skin. Women with straight hair want curls and those with curls wish they had straight hair.

Incidentally, to answer a question from the OP, I did see self-tanning lotions and creams in Thailand in the western-style grocery stores and "chemist" shops. The range of beauty and grooming products in Thailand was very impressive -- better than what I can find in my little town in Michigan.

Mrs. Roger L.