Can You Lay on your Stomach in a Tanning Bed?

Yes, to ensure your skin gets evenly exposed, experts advise that you turn and lie on your stomach halfway through your tanning session.

It can be a bit uncomfortable, but lying on your back throughout will not help you to achieve the even tan you want. When you lie on your stomach spread your arms on your side with your palms down and shift your arms occasionally. It is really shocking to know that many people don’t think about the perfect tanning bed positions.

This lack of knowledge leads to an uneven and ugly tan that will leave your confidence shattered. If you don’t properly position yourself in a tanning bed, you will not only achieve uneven results, but your safety may be at risk too. By using the right positions, you will eliminate any risk of damage to your skin and eyes.

One big mistake people make when using tanning beds is that they lie still. Lying flat with your arms at your sides and your legs straight creates an uneven tan. You will have to move around some to make sure the tan covers every curve. Try changing your position every 30 to 90 seconds, depending on the length of your session.

Lie with your arms raised above your head and/or your knees slightly bent. Spend part of your time on the bed with your head and body shifted slightly to the left, and then slightly to the right. If you are a first-time tanner, the process can be a bit confusing.

If you are going to use a tanning bed for tanning, it is important to know how to lie in a tanning bed if you want to get that glowing sun-kissed tan and avoid an uneven tan with tan lines and butt circles. This is why professional tanners stress the importance of proper posture during indoor tanning.

Different Tanning Bed Laying Positions

Even though tanning beds are a quick and very convenient way of achieving a golden glow, poor positioning in a tanning bed can cause you a lot of stress trying to fix the areas that haven’t been properly tanned. So, here are some tanning bed positions that you can use in your next tanning session.

1. On Your Stomach

Although this is not a commonly preferred position, but it is imperative that you lay on your belly to avoid getting creases on your backside. This is how you lay on your stomach.

• Use both of your hands to form a pillow and rest your chin over it. This will ensure that your neck gets properly tanned and also your wrists and other parts of your hands.
• Rest your feet on your toes by raising them and ensuring that your toes maintain contact. This ensures that your feet have very little contact with the tanning bed surface and your feet get an even tan. Your knees also get a chance to get a tan.
• Avoid moving a lot because you will get tired faster not to mention lying on your stomach is already tiring and boring.

2. On Your Back

According to experts, this is the easiest and most common tanning bed position, but you are more likely to get an uneven tan.

Although it is a very comfortable and preferred tanning position, a big part of your body doesn’t get exposed to UV rays, and regardless of how hard you try there will be some parts of your body that you can’t expose lying on your back. Here is how you can properly lie on your back while tanning.

• Try to lie as flat as possible to avoid creases on your back and raise your knees slightly so that they are higher than your body.
• Try resting your feet on your heels so that you expose the soles of your feet to tanning to avoid looking ugly when you are wearing your slip-on.
• If you are comfortable, fold your arms behind your head or rest your arms beside your body but ensure they don’t come in contact with your body. This will ensure that the sides of your body aren’t left un-tanned because of your arm’s shadow.
• Occasionally switch positions by shifting your weight to either side to void getting butt moons.

Tips to Lay in a Tanning Bed to Ensure Good Results

If you don’t properly position yourself in a tanning bed, you will not only achieve uneven results, but your safety may be at risk too. Note that by using the right positions, you will eliminate any risk of damage to your skin and eyes. Here are quick tips to consider and remember;

1. Ask A Staff Member To Go Over The Tanning Process

Indeed, this is very necessary if you are a first-time tanner or you are not familiar with the type of tanning bed. Note that some tanning beds have control buttons for the fan and separate bed bulbs that you can turn on and off. You may also be required to close the lid of the tanning bed before tanning on the machine.

2. Locate Your Timer

Also, remember that not all tanning salons will have a staff member coming to remind you when to turn your body during the tanning session. Most of the standard tanning beds have a timer on the inside that you can use to monitor your session.

3. Remove The Pillow

Most tanning salons provide you with a pillow in their tanning beds to keep you comfortable, but you shouldn’t use it. The pillow will cover your neck when tanning which will result in tan lines and a white stripe on your neck.

4. Use Goggles

After applying your indoor tanning lotion, it is advisable you put on your goggles. You are expected to wear eye protection because our eyes and eyelids are very sensitive to UV light and if the rays penetrate your eyelids they can cause serious damage to your eye.

Closing your eyes won’t work because UV light exposure can cause serious damage to the external and internal structures of your eyes. You also want to avoid getting raccoon eyes by adjusting the goggles during the tanning session occasionally so that they don’t stay in one position for too long.

5. Stretch Out

Stretching during your tanning session also ensures that all parts of your skin get exposed so you get an even tan. If you rest your arms for too long close to your body you can get an uneven tan.

You should avoid lying in one position for too long especially when you are lying flat with your arms too close to the sides of your body. Lie on your back with your arms and legs spread out on either side to ensure you avoid getting tan lines.

Switch positions after some time and place your arms above your head so that the skin on your arms and legs gets exposed and spread your arms and legs apart. Stretching allows more UV rays to penetrate your skin in less time so the more space you allow, the more radiation sets in resulting in a deep, darker tan that will last longer.

Conclusion

To avoid complaining about an uneven tan, tan lines, and butt moons, you are expected to know how to lay on a tanning bed and the proper tanning positions that will ensure you achieve an even tan. It is also necessary that you use a quality tanning lotion since the results will also depend on the quality of the product you use.

Also, make sure that you have prepared your skin well before tanning to avoid burning your skin. Remember not to stay in the tanning bed for too long, hydrate, and keep your skin well moisturized throughout your tanning session and even after.