Getting a great tan from a tanning bed isn’t complicated, but there’s a clear difference between people who follow a proper approach and people who just show up and hope for the best. The difference shows in the results — and in how long the tan actually lasts.

The short answer on how to get the best tan in a tanning bed: exfoliate beforehand, choose the right bed level for your skin type, use an indoor tanning lotion, keep moving throughout your session, and moisturize straight after. Build your sessions gradually rather than going long and hard from the start.

Below are 11 tips — covering everything from prep to aftercare — that will give you noticeably better results from every session. Whether you’re brand new to tanning beds or you’ve been using them for years but aren’t seeing the results you want, there’s something here worth knowing.

Key Takeaways

Exfoliating 24 hours before your session removes dead skin cells that block even UV absorption
There are 6 Fitzpatrick skin types — knowing yours determines which bed level is safe and appropriate for you
Always use an indoor tanning lotion, never regular outdoor sunscreen, which blocks UV and defeats the purpose
Your first session should never exceed 4–8 minutes regardless of skin type — build up gradually
Protective goggles are non-negotiable — eyelids are not thick enough to block UV from reaching your retina
Moisturizing immediately after your session helps lock in color and prevents patchy fading
Melanin production continues for several hours after your session ends — the full result isn’t visible immediately
Waiting at least 24 hours between sessions is an FDA requirement and an important safety measure

How Tanning Beds Actually Work

Understanding the basic mechanism behind tanning beds makes every tip below make more sense, so it’s worth covering briefly.

Tanning beds work by emitting ultraviolet (UV) radiation — primarily UVA rays in most beds, with some UVB depending on the lamp type. When UV reaches the skin, it triggers melanocytes (the pigment-producing cells in the deeper layers of skin) to produce more melanin. Melanin is the pigment responsible for the darker color you see after a tan. It’s essentially your skin’s protective response to UV exposure.

The key thing to understand is that melanin production doesn’t switch off the moment you step out of the bed. The process continues for several hours after your session — which is why the color you see immediately after isn’t your final result. It also explains why building sessions gradually works far better than pushing session times aggressively from the start.

Tip #1: Know Your Skin Type First

Before you book a session or choose a bed level, knowing your skin type is essential — it determines how quickly you burn, how well you tan, and which starting session length is safe for you.

The standard classification used in dermatology is the Fitzpatrick scale, which runs from Type I through to Type VI:

Type I – Very fair, often with freckles. Always burns, almost never tans. Tanning beds carry the highest risk for this skin type and extreme caution is required
Type II – Fair to light beige. Burns easily, tans minimally. Needs to start very short and build very gradually
Type III – Light to medium. Burns moderately, tans gradually. A manageable starting point for most beginners
Type IV – Olive or light brown. Burns minimally, tans well. Typically handles tanning beds comfortably
Type V – Medium brown. Rarely burns, tans easily and deeply
Type VI – Dark brown to black. Very rarely burns. Less UV exposure needed to maintain color

If you have Type I or Type II skin, be especially careful — the risk of burning is high and the margin for error is small. Reading our guide on tanning tips for pale skin is a good starting point before your first session.

Tip #2: Choose the Right Bed Level

Tanning beds are typically categorized in levels 1 through 6, and the level you choose should match both your skin type and your experience with UV exposure.

Here’s a general breakdown of what each range offers:

Levels 1–2 – Low-pressure lamps with UV output similar to natural sunlight. Best for beginners, fair skin types, and those building a base tan from scratch. Sessions are longer but the UV intensity is lower
Levels 3–4 – Medium-pressure lamps with higher UVA output. Faster results, suited for those who already have a base tan and some UV tolerance
Levels 5–6 – High-pressure lamps producing primarily UVA. Fastest results, deepest color, longest-lasting tan. Best reserved for those with more experience and a well-established base

A good tanning salon will have a consultant who can help you choose the right level for your skin type and goals. Don’t be tempted to jump to a higher level too quickly — building properly on a lower level first is what produces deep, even, long-lasting color. For a deeper look at equipment choices, our guide on stand-up vs lay-down tanning beds is worth reading too.

Tip #3: Exfoliate 24 Hours Before Your Session

Exfoliating before a tanning session is one of the highest-impact preparation steps you can take, and it’s one of the most skipped. The reason it matters is straightforward: dead skin cells sitting on the surface of your skin absorb UV unevenly and shed faster than fresh skin underneath, causing your tan to fade patchily and fade faster than it should.

By exfoliating the day before your session, you’re removing that top layer and giving the UV direct access to skin cells that will hold the tan for longer and develop more evenly. Pay particular attention to rough areas — elbows, knees, ankles, and the backs of the hands — where dead skin accumulates fastest.

Don’t exfoliate on the same day as your session. Doing so can leave skin more sensitive to UV and increase your burn risk. The night before is ideal. If you want to know more about the best approach, our guide on how to exfoliate before tanning covers the process in detail.

Tip #4: Handle Hair Removal Carefully

Shaving or waxing before your tanning session — rather than after — is the right order of operations, and the reason is simple. Body hair acts as a partial barrier between your skin and the UV rays, meaning it can cause slightly slower or uneven tan development in areas where hair is thick.

More importantly, don’t shave or wax in the 24 hours after a tanning session. Both processes remove the outermost layer of skin cells — the same cells that contain your tan. Removing them too soon after tanning will take your freshly developed color with them, cutting the lifespan of your tan significantly.

One additional note for anyone undergoing laser hair removal: avoid tanning beds for at least a week before and after laser treatments. Tanned skin can be burned by the laser and also blocks the laser from reaching the hair follicle effectively — so timing these two things separately matters.

Tip #5: Moisturize Before and After — With the Right Products

Hydrated skin tans better, holds color longer, and fades more evenly than dry skin. Dry skin reflects UV rather than absorbing it efficiently and sheds faster, which means your tan starts fading sooner. Building moisturizing into your pre- and post-tan routine makes a real, visible difference to your results.

Before your session, apply a light, non-oil-based moisturizer and let it absorb fully. Heavily oil-based products can sit on top of the skin and create a slight barrier that reduces UV absorption — stick to something lightweight.

After your session, moisturize immediately. Your skin will have lost some moisture from the heat and UV exposure, and applying a good hydrating cream right away both cools the skin and helps lock in the developing tan. A fragrance-free option like CeraVe Moisturizing Cream works very well for this. Keeping skin moisturized daily between sessions — not just on tanning days — is what separates a tan that lasts a week from one that lasts two weeks. Dry skin between sessions also increases the risk of tanning bed rashes and skin irritation.

Tip #6: Get Your Tanning Attire Right

What you wear — or don’t wear — in a tanning bed directly affects how even and complete your tan will be.

For the most uniform, all-over color, tanning nude is the most effective option. If you go this route, make sure to protect any areas that would never normally see sunlight — those areas have more sensitive skin and burn more easily. For everyone else, a small bikini or briefs are the next best option for minimizing tan lines while maintaining comfort.

Whatever you choose, make sure clothing isn’t creating pressure points against the skin. Any area where fabric presses firmly against you won’t tan effectively, which can create patchy lines. The same applies to your body weight pressing on the bed surface — which leads us directly to the next tip.

Tip #7: Always Wear Protective Goggles and Adjust Them

Goggles in a tanning bed are non-negotiable, and not just because most salons require them by law. The UV output from tanning beds is significantly more concentrated and consistent than natural sunlight, and your eyelids — despite feeling protective — are nowhere near thick enough to block that radiation from reaching your retina, iris, and pupil.

Repeated UV exposure to unprotected eyes is linked to serious conditions including photokeratitis (essentially sunburn of the cornea), cataracts, and long-term retinal damage [Dain et al., Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 2013]. These are cumulative risks — they build with repeated sessions over time, which makes early habits critical.

When putting on your goggles, adjust them so they sit flush to your eye area with no gaps at the edges. Light leaking in around the sides of poorly fitted goggles still reaches your eyes. Investing in your own pair of tanning goggles rather than using shared salon ones is worth doing if you tan regularly.

Tip #8: Time Your Sessions Correctly — Especially at the Start

Timing is the most important practical variable in tanning bed use. Too short and you won’t see meaningful progress; too long and you risk burning — which not only causes pain but actually sets your tan progress back, since burned and peeling skin sheds the pigment you’ve been building.

For a first session, 4–8 minutes is the appropriate range depending on your skin type. Type I and Type II skin should start at the lower end of this range on a Level 1 bed. Don’t be tempted to push longer because the session feels comfortable at the time — the full UV effect on your skin takes hours to fully develop, and you won’t know you’ve overdone it until later.

After 3–4 sessions at the same time, you can begin increasing gradually — adding 1–2 minutes per increment, not 5–10. The goal is steady, progressive exposure that builds melanin over weeks rather than trying to rush results. If you ever do get burned by a tanning bed, wait until the burn has completely healed before returning, and step back your session time when you do.

Tip #9: Keep Moving Throughout Your Session

Most people lie completely still for the entire tanning session, and this is one of the most common reasons people end up with uneven results. Wherever your body is in contact with the bed surface — your shoulder blades, lower back, the backs of your thighs — UV can’t reach those areas effectively. Add to that naturally awkward areas like under the chin, the insides of the arms, and between the legs, and staying still guarantees you’ll have patches.

The fix is simple: shift your position every minute or two. Stretch your arms above your head occasionally, turn your head to the side and then the other, raise your legs slightly. Small movements throughout the session make a big difference to how evenly the UV reaches your full body, and result in a much more consistent tan overall.

Tip #10: Use an Indoor Tanning Lotion — Not Regular Sunscreen

This is one of the most important and most misunderstood tips in this entire list. Regular outdoor sunscreen is designed to block UV rays — which is exactly the opposite of what you want inside a tanning bed. Using SPF sunscreen in a tanning bed will significantly reduce or eliminate your tan results. It can also damage the acrylic surface of the bed, which is something salons take seriously.

What you want instead is an indoor tanning lotion or accelerator — products specifically formulated to work with UV exposure rather than against it. These typically work by stimulating melanin production, keeping the skin moisturized during the session, and in some cases adding a bronzing tint for immediate color feedback. A good tan accelerator can make a meaningful difference to both the depth and longevity of your tan.

Beginners should start with a basic accelerator rather than a bronzer. Bronzers add extra color on top of the UV result, which can be harder to manage evenly until you have a good feel for your skin’s tanning response. Build that experience first, then introduce a bronzer once you know how your skin behaves. If your goal is a deeper, darker tan without burning, the right lotion is one of the biggest levers available to you.

Tip #11: Follow the 24-Hour Rule and Build Consistently

The FDA requires a minimum of 24 hours between tanning bed sessions, and this isn’t an arbitrary restriction. The melanin production triggered by a session continues for several hours after you leave the bed. Your skin is still actively processing the UV exposure and developing color well after the session ends — which means tanning again immediately would mean exposing skin that is still in the middle of its UV response cycle.

Following the 24-hour tanning rule and spacing sessions 1–3 times per week gives your skin the recovery time it needs to develop color properly and reduces cumulative UV risk. Consistency over weeks beats intensity in any single session. A well-managed routine of 2–3 sessions per week, building session length gradually, will produce deeper and longer-lasting color than aggressive, frequent tanning ever will.

What NOT to Do in a Tanning Bed

Just as important as what to do is knowing what to avoid. A few common mistakes can undermine good results or create unnecessary risk:

Don’t use outdoor sunscreen — it blocks UV and can damage acrylic bed surfaces
Don’t wear contact lenses — UV can transmit through lenses and cause eye irritation even with goggles on. Remove them before your session
Don’t tan with makeup or perfume on — both can react with UV rays and cause uneven pigmentation or skin irritation. Go into the bed with clean, bare skin
Don’t use heavily oil-based body products — products containing mineral oil or petroleum jelly can damage the acrylic surface of the tanning bed
Don’t push session times when you’re new — the discomfort of a burn arrives hours after the session, not during it. Just because it felt fine doesn’t mean you can safely add more time
Don’t skip the goggles — closing your eyes is not protection. Eyelids provide essentially no UV defence
Don’t tan over a fresh sunburn — UV exposure on burned skin causes further damage and will not produce a tan. Wait until fully healed

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to see results from a tanning bed?

Most people notice some color development after their first 2–3 sessions, though meaningful results typically show after a week of consistent tanning (2–3 sessions). Remember that melanin production continues for several hours after each session, so your color will look slightly deeper the morning after a session than it did immediately after you stepped out.

Should I shower before or after a tanning session?

Showering before is fine and can actually help — it removes residue, makeup, and product buildup that might affect even UV absorption. If you shower after, wait at least a few hours to allow the tan to fully develop. Showering immediately after a session and scrubbing can interrupt the melanin development process while it’s still active.

How many tanning sessions does it take to get a base tan?

Most people establish a noticeable base tan within 6–10 sessions, depending on their skin type and the bed level they’re using. Lighter skin types will take longer and should not rush this process. A base tan built gradually over several weeks is more even, longer-lasting, and carries less cumulative burn risk than one rushed in a short period.

Can I use a tanning bed every day?

No — the FDA requires a minimum of 24 hours between sessions. Even setting aside the regulatory requirement, daily UV exposure doesn’t produce proportionally faster results. Your skin needs recovery time between sessions to complete the melanin production process properly. Tanning every day also significantly increases cumulative UV exposure and the associated skin cancer risk [IARC Working Group, Lancet Oncology, 2009].

Why is my tan fading unevenly after a tanning bed session?

Uneven fading is almost always caused by one or more of the following: skipping exfoliation before your session, dry skin that sheds faster in patches, staying completely still during the session, or exfoliating or shaving in the days immediately after tanning. Staying moisturized daily between sessions is the single best thing you can do to prevent patchy fading.

Do I need to use special tanning bed lotion?

Yes — you should use a lotion specifically formulated for indoor tanning, not regular outdoor sunscreen. Sunscreen blocks UV, which is the opposite of what you need inside a tanning bed. Indoor tanning lotions are designed to support melanin production, maintain skin hydration during the session, and improve the quality and longevity of your tan. Many salons sell their own range, and your consultant can recommend one suited to your skin type.

How do I avoid tan lines from a tanning bed?

The most effective way is tanning without clothing if your salon allows it, while protecting particularly sensitive areas. If you prefer to wear something, choose minimal coverage — small bikini tops and bottoms, or briefs — and occasionally adjust the position or angle of straps between sessions to avoid the same line forming each time.

Conclusion

Getting the best tan in a tanning bed is genuinely straightforward when you approach it correctly. The tips in this article aren’t complicated — exfoliate beforehand, know your skin type, choose the right bed level, use the right lotion, keep moving, protect your eyes, and build your sessions gradually. Do these things consistently and the results are reliable.

The two most common mistakes are rushing session times too early and skipping the prep and aftercare steps that determine how well the tan develops and how long it lasts. Slow and steady builds far better color than aggressive early sessions ever will.

If you’re newer to tanning beds, be patient with the process. The first few sessions are about building a foundation — the deeper color comes later. Follow these steps, be consistent with your routine, and you’ll get significantly better results than most people walking into a salon without a plan.

References

UV Eye Damage and Tanning Bed Exposure:
Dain, S. J., et al. (2013). Clinical and Experimental Optometry. “UV protective eyewear for indoor tanning.” Study examining the adequacy of eye protection in tanning environments and the risks of UV exposure to ocular structures including the cornea, lens, and retina.

Tanning Beds and Skin Cancer Risk:
IARC Working Group on artificial ultraviolet (UV) light and skin cancer. (2009). Lancet Oncology. “The association of use of sunbeds with cutaneous malignant melanoma and other skin cancers: a systematic review.” Comprehensive review establishing the link between tanning bed use and increased risk of melanoma, with risk increasing with frequency of use and earlier age of first exposure.