The world of competition spray tanning

For many British women, spray tanning is a part of their weekly beauty regime. It makes them feel confident and beautiful in a matter of minutes, without damaging their skin. Over in Europe, however, women are less familiar with bronzing their skin through spray tanning and tend to associate this more with bodybuilding and fitness competitions. This could be seen as a misconception of this bronzing treatment, as these athletes require multiple layers of dark tanning solution to help enhance their incredibly sculpted bodies. They have had months of hard, gruelling workouts and intense diets in preparation for these competitions so it’s important their muscles are bronzed to the maximum for the best definition.

Aura’s product expert Karina Iszatt, the official spray tanner for the International Bodybuilding Federation of Switzerland, explained the process:
“Competition tanning usually consists of using two solutions: the base coat containing DHA and then a top coat which is just guide colour with no DHA. If you are unable to apply a base coat the night before the competition for maximum colour development, it is possible to mix one-quarter base coat with three-quarter top coat on the day to gain a deep dark colour, and this will gradually darken over a few hours as the DHA reacts with the amino acids in the skin. The competitors like to be very dark due to the strong stage lighting, and emphasis of their muscles and form, so the solution is applied more intensely.

“The Aura Elite Spa is the perfect spray tanning machine for competitions as it has speed control allowing you to spray fast for your first application and slower for the second more dense application. I always advise applying two coats. With the Elite Spa it is also possible to refine the spray jet in order to define muscle areas like the abdominals, biceps and quads. When you spray at a competition you are usually in a room shared with all the competitors preparing themselves for their class, so it’s very important you do not have a loud spray tanning machine, or a kit that takes up space which may be limited. The Elite Spa is extra quiet and packs away neatly with space for solution in its robust carry case”.

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