The Sun Zone Tanning Salon in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania

With summer coming, you may be thinking of getting a tan. There are several tanning salons to choose from in the Bridgeville area, but the best by far is The Sun Zone.

The Sun Zone tanning salon is located at 3249 Washington Pike, in Portman's Country Commons, along with Portman's, Beez, DiBartola Dental and Bambino's Child Care Center. It's located right next to South Fayette Shop n Save, about 2 miles from the I-79 Bridgeville exit. You'll find the actual salon underneath the Portman's building.

The Sun Zone is a small salon, but it still manages to fit 4 tanning beds inside. Each of the tanning beds has a maximum tanning time of 15 minutes. The bulbs in the beds are strong, giving you a nice tan in a shorter amount of time. The newer and stronger the bulbs, the more even your tan will be. You also want to look for a tanning bed that has the bulbs close together. At The Sun Zone, each of the beds are equipped with bulbs that are fit close together, allowing you to achieve a nice, even tan all over, without those obvious tan lines.

If you are beginner tanner, meaning you have never tanned before, or you haven't tanned in a long time, I would suggest starting out with a short amount of time in your tanning bed. The girls at the salon will recommend that you start off slow, and then work your way up. This allows your skin to build the tan, without burning it. If you have pale skin and jump into a tanning bed and lay in it for 15 minutes, you are going to be sorry. Trust me, you will burn. Tanning bed burns are usually much worse than regular sun burns, and take longer to heal. Start off tanning for about 7 minutes, then the next day, 8, and so on until you reach 15 minutes. The Sun Zone, like the majority of other tanning salons, will only allow you to tan once per day. You wouldn't want to tan more than that anyway.

The Sun Zone has a nice selection of tanning lotions to choose from. They carry brand name lotions, like California Tan, Emerald Bay, Australian Gold and more. Sometimes, they will even have a sale bin, where you can find some great deals on tanning lotions and accessories. I bought a large bottle of Australian Gold Cheeky Brown, which usually costs about $13, for only $7! Before you buy any lotions online, check out what The Sun Zone has to offer right there in the salon.

The only thing I don't like about the salon are the hours, especially on Fridays and on the weekends. The hours vary, but during the week you can expect them to be open until about 7 pm. On Fridays, they are open in the morning, but close around 1 pm. Weekends are the same - open in the mornings until early afternoon. Sometimes, this can be inconvenient for me, but I try to work my schedule around the salon's hours. I only live and work about 2 miles away from the salon, so I can easily drive down on my lunch break or after work to tan. The salon does require an appointment for tanning, although I have walked in a few times when they weren't very busy.

I do have a few tips for tanners at The Sun Zone, and other tanning salons. You will need to wear eye protection, to protect your eyes against the UV lights. Don't worry; they will not give you "raccoon eyes". Also, decide how you are going to tan. Will you tan nude, or in your bathing suit? Remember, if you tan in your bathing suit, you will get tan lines. Tanning nude may be a good choice for you, because you will get a complete body tan with no lines. The Sun Zone, like other salons, has private locked rooms with each tanning bed, so nobody can get in and see you. When it's time to start tanning, you usually have about 2-3 minutes to get undressed and apply any tanning lotions. Then, your bed will turn on. Make sure you wear your goggles! Lay down on your back, or stomach, and pull the top lid over you. You can listen to your iPod or CD player while you tan, if desired. The 15 minutes does pass pretty quick, and the bed will shut off automatically. When you're done, get dressed and clean off your bed with the provided towel and cleanser. A lot of people think that they don't have to clean their bed, but it's a nice thing to do because you will probably leave sweat on the bed, and the salon workers probably don't get much joy from cleaning up your sweat!

Another tip is to buy a monthly package if you can. Tanning packages vary, from 1 month up to 3 months. Don't buy individual tans, since they are usually more expensive all together than a package. For a 1 month unlimited tanning package, it's about $45. There is no limit to how many days per month you can tan, but you can only tan once per day. At The Sun Zone, you'll have to initial a piece of paper, proving that you tanned for that day. I would recommend tanning at least 3-4 times per week for a great looking tan, although you may find that more or less works better for you. I've tanned every day of the week before, and achieved a fast tan, although it probably wasn't the best for my skin.

Remember, tanning beds are not a safe alternative to the sun. They are just as dangerous. Before you decide to tan at a salon, look over your options. There are many self-tanners out there, and daily glow moisturizers out there that can give you similar results, although they may not look as real as a tanning bed tan. The Sun Zone is a great place to go if you are looking into tanning at a salon. Not only is the tanning salon staff friendly, the salon is very clean and welcoming. You can contact The Sun Zone at (412) 257-8266.