Solarium

Solarium.

Already some of you are thinking 'um NO.'

And you're absolutely right, but... it's something I've tried and maybe a little bit of you is curious, so I'll write about it... with my head hanging in shame.

So I was curious. There's something dangerous about the solarium (massive understatement) but there's also something about the danger that makes it appealing.

Sometimes I used to go as a bit of an "I'm angry at myself - take that body!". Or perhaps that was just my excuse to go.

I had one summer of super tanned-up-ness. Yep I'll admit, I liked how I looked. But realism came into play and I stopped going.

What's it like? Well you find your local place, make a call, appointment booked. Easy peasy. Plus it's really cheap which is a concern. One session is like $15.

So when I first went I spoke to the counter person about it... I said it was my first time etc.

She suggested that I go to one of the lie down ones. They have levels - the rooms at this place were labelled with numbers.

So I went to room 1 which is the least one.

You go in, lock the door behind you, strip off to whatever you are comfy ( I went nekked - if I was gonna do it I may as well go the whole way). Then you pop on the glasses thingy's (picture at top).

If you want to, you can buy some cream stuff that makes you tan easier. Your choice there. It's definitely not a sunscreen or anything. And really - you're going to the solarium... it would be a bit silly to wear sunscreen... (mind you while saying that I feel really really stupid).

Ok so you're nekked, goggles on, door locked, you lie in the tube thing. Now there's always those horror movies that have people getting locked into the tube and fried. That doesn't happen. They have an automatic switch off after like 10 or 15 mins, so even if someone buckled you in there, you'd just be lying in a dark tube. boo hoo.

So I think I had to press a button to start it, then you climb in with your goggles on and you just lie there til it switches off. Then you get up, give the thing a spray and a wipe with the provided implements, pop your clothes on, go out and pay.

Right so the procedure itself is pretty straightforward. When you take off the goggles and look in the mirror sometimes you look a bit splotchy but it's just your eyes adjusting.

When you leave... to be honest it feels like you've been sitting in a microwave. Your body feels all unnaturally warm. And not like "sitting by a heater" warm. It's weird but not painful or anything.

Ok so I did that first session and all was okay. Went home, saw a bit of a tan develop over that day and the next couple.

But of course. It wasn't enough.

So next time I went again and went in the same room, but I think this time I went for a bit of a longer time. I think it switched off but I switched it on again... which is not like a big no no... it's a personal choice.

Oh and I should mention at this point that the chick I talked to recommended coming every week an a half HAHAHAHAAH I was like "ohhh ok" thinking "wow you're crazy why don't you just inject me with cancer now"

Anyway, so I went the next time... couple weeks after the first. Did the extra time.

Sigh.

I got SO burnt. Between my boobs was a crisp... I peeled. My butt..... oh my poor bum. It was stripey. HAHAHA. Yes literally stripey. See the lie down beds - they kind of have these waves to them - thus the stripes.

So I had stripe burn on my bum :( Oh the shame. Lucky the only person that saw that was my boyfriend, who of course had a chuckle, but also did the "well it kind of serves your right". Deserved.

So that was not a pleasant experience. Plus it hurt to sit down. I admit it!!!!!
Oh and if you've ever been burnt really badly on your cleavage... that really hurts. :(

I felt so stupid.

But I went back.

After I healed of course. But this time I put sunscreen on my cleavage hahahahah. Oh and I also purposely made sure that I moved around a bit in the tube so I wouldnt' be a zebra.
All was well.

Then I discovered the standing one (as pictured).

Ohhh goody.

So the standing one is basically an upright coffin but more spacey. Sorry I couldn't think of any other way of describing it, and since it's a solarium I'm discussing here.... it kind of is a coffin isn't it?

I digress.

So the standing one has benefits. For starters - no stripey-ness. With this one you walk in, close the door (don't worry it doesn't lock, it kind of doesn't really even close if that makes sense? No it doesn't... ok so you pull it shut but it doesn't click or anything).

So no stripey. You stand in there with your arms up, so your armpits get done too. Also in the tube you tend to not be so tanned on your sides because the rays are coming from above and below. With the standing one you can move around to ensure full coverage... plus it has sides, so you are fully covered.

Also - it's kind of nice to have the freedom to move a bit more.

Umm this one is stronger though. I would stand in there and have sweat dripping off me. But it was "worth it" sweat.

The stand up booth became my favourite. Plus not as many people seemed to like it, so I could always book in.

I no longer got burnt... I even started using the stuff that helps the tan along (even in a tanning booth your legs often still refuse to tan).

So as I said, I was looking beautifully tanned. Go me. And I wasn't needing to mess around with sprays every couple of days. yay for me.

BUT.

What can I say? I'm not a stupid girl. I knew it was really bad for me - and that feeling of being microwaved when you leave? You just 'know' it's not right.

It just isn't worth it.

I couldn't continue to go knowing what I was doing to myself. And I also knew that I was becoming a bit hooked. I also became so tanned that it was starting to get to that "over the top" look.

It just wasn't right. There's no other way of saying it.

So I'm saying to you - even if you read this and think 'oh hey it's kind of easy and has results'. It's just not right.

Give it a try if you want to, just know that you're intelligent and an intelligent person makes intelligent decisions.

Go buy a spraytan.


PS you'd be amazed by how many GUYS go to the solarium. Just putting that out there.