Tanning salons offer a variety of packages, specials, prices, products and use a variety of tanning beds, making it difficult to know which salon to choose if you don’t have a personal recommendation. Here are a few things to look for when deciding.  Ask for a detailed breakdown of their pricing before any specials, so you can see if you can afford their services when the special is no longer offered. Think about convenience factors, such as how close it is to your home or work, whether or not you have to schedule appointments or if your gym already has tanning beds. Ask if they use high-efficiency bulbs and how often they are changed. Ask if you can see the beds to get a look at how well maintained they appear. Look around – is everything spick and span? Do you see employees going in and out of the booths cleaning beds between customers? If the reception area is dirty, for instance, that’s probably not a good sign. Talk with the staff. Well-trained professionals should help you determine your skin type, which they’ll use to create a tanning schedule so you tan fairly quickly but without getting scorched. Getting a base tan will occur with consistent and incremental increases in tanning sessions, tanning times and tanning bed levels. This will all be determined by the schedule you’ve created with the salon you’ve selected. A general rule of thumb is that at first you will only tan every 2-4 days for about 5 -7 minutes and then build from there. Don’t assume that if you have light skin you just need to tan longer. The likely result of doing this will be a bad burn. Salons will try to sell you all kinds of lotions designed to make you tan faster and darker, to make your tan last longer and so forth. Many of these lotions – accelerators, maximizers, bronzers, intensifiers – are quite expensive and reviews on how well they work are mixed. Go online and see what others have to say.  If you decide to experiment, try one at a time. If you use more than one, and you find you’re getting the results you hoped to achieve, you won’t know which lotion was responsible. Trying one at a time, then, is the less expensive way to go. They can also often be purchased much less expensively online than in the salons. Wait to shower if you use a bronzing lotion. After you tan in a tanning bed, wait 3-4 hours before you take a shower if you use a bronzing lotion that you find is working for you. Also, it is a myth that showering after using a tanning bed will somehow wash away your tan. It won’t. Just as with tanning outside, tanning beds expose your skin to UV rays. If you decide to use a tanning lotion, see if it has SPF protection and a factor of at least 15. If not, get and apply one 20-30 minutes before you bed in the bed. Some people prefer to go nude, while others decide to wear the bathing suit they plan to wear in the summer. Either is fine.  Using different bathing suits, however, will leave your tan uneven, and perhaps even with a variety of tan lines jig-jagging across your body. You will also want to wear the goggles they provide to protect your eyes, or purchase your own. Closing your eyes or putting a towel over them won’t protect them from UV rays, which can cause significant damage to your retinas. Also, to avoid raccoon eyes, move the goggles around on your eyes throughout each tanning session. Like tanning in the sun, always make sure you exfoliate prior to tanning in a tanning bed or booth. Moisturize after exfoliation as well. Just as you would when laying outside in the sun, you want to adjust your body so that all parts are being exposed to the light for about the same amount of time. In a tanning bed, you don’t have to flip from front to back because the lights are both above and below you, and to one degree or another around you. So twist in different directions occasionally. Think about the places where your body is bent (like in the crook of your arms or at the base of your neck), or where your skin is bunching up. If you don’t readjust often enough, this will create tanning wrinkles. Once your base tan is established, you will likely drop to tanning just 2 days per week. A good salon won’t try to convince you that you need more than that. Also, continue your regimen of exfoliating, moisturizing and drinking plenty of fluids.
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One-sentence summary -- Choose a good tanning salon. Decide how to build your base tan. Consider using special lotions. Wear sunscreen. Decide what or what not to wear in the bed. Prep your skin before tanning. Move around in the bed. Maintain your base tan.


Stay hydrated throughout the day to help flush out lactic acid from your body. Dehydration can also add soreness to your muscles and make it more painful for you.  Put a lemon in your water to help reduce lactic buildup.  Avoid drinking anything that’s sugary or caffeinated. Some coaches will recommend eating 20 grams of protein between 30-60 minutes after a workout. Dig into a cup of Greek yogurt with whey protein mixed in. Or, drink a shake made with chia seeds, flaxseed, and oats. The amino acid leucine found within whey proteins helps your muscles to change protein into fuel. Potassium can help to reduce muscle soreness and cramping. You can get your potassium from your diet by eating fruits or vegetables, such as bananas or kiwis. Or, you can talk with your doctor about taking a daily supplement or multivitamin. Winter squash and potatoes are other good food sources of potassium. A foam roller is exactly what it sounds like, a small tube-shaped piece of foam. Sit on an exercise mat on the floor and position the roller to 1 side of your sore muscles. Apply gentle pressure as you roll the foam over your muscles. Repeat this rolling motion until you feel your muscles begin to release.  In some cases you can actually use your bodyweight to apply pressure. For example, if your back thighs are sore, place the roller on the mat. Then, sit on the mat with your thigh directly on top of the roller. Place your hands on the mat and use them to move your thigh in a rocking motion on the roller. Foam rollers are available online or at most fitness stores. But, if you don’t have one, you can roll a tennis ball over your muscles. Pour 1 to 2 cups (180 to 360 grams) of the salt into a full tub.. A 30-minute salt bath can help reduce inflammation and flush toxins from your body. Purchase Epsom salt at your local drug store. Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, can lower your feeling of soreness, but they do not fix the underlying problem. If you take medication, use only the recommended dosage. If you find yourself dealing with muscle soreness on a regular basis, reach out to your doctor for advice.
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One-sentence summary --
Drink 8 glasses of water every day. Eat a whey protein snack 30-60 minutes after exerting yourself. Intake at least 1,600 mg of potassium each day. Apply a foam roller to your sore muscles for 5-10 minutes. Soak in a tub with Epsom salt. Take over-the-counter pain medications sparingly.