(and doing something that scared me).

About a month ago, I decided, out of nowhere, really, that I needed a tan.

I don’t know if it was something about my impending thirtieth birthday or the party that I would be throwing to celebrate, or if I was feeling like I needed a little boost, but I was in search for some safe, natural looking color. My beloved uncle died from Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma, so when it comes to the sun I am very careful (both artificial and natural).

A spray tan seemed like a good idea, in theory, but I had not had any positive experiences with self tanner at home. I think that I spent the entire late spring/summer of 2005 as a light shade of orange. Even the fanciest brands did not provide me with even coverage or a natural look. But I still wanted the glow.

And so, as I often do when looking for advice, I turned to my amazing online community and one of the women mentioned that they had heard good things about Shade Sunless Tanning Company in Ardmore, PA, right on my home turf. Upon typing Shade Sunless into Google I found two awesome things:

1. A 5 star Yelp Review

and

2. Their website (link above)

And why is there website so awesome, you ask?

Oh, just because each of the tans on their menu is named after a 90210 character.

I was sold. She had me at Brenda Walsh, which ended up being the spray tan that I received (as the website says, The Brenda Walsh is suitable for all skin types, paraben free, vitamin and anti-oxidant packed solution with anti-aging extracts and organic aloe vera for added moisturization. Set time 8 hours / lasts about 9 days).

I mean…

I emailed Shade Sunless Tanning Co’s owner, Melissa Dymond, right away, and we promptly set up a date for me to come in and check out what she had to offer.

I put the appointment in my calendar as “Date with Dylan at The Peach Pit.”

Okay, I didn’t, I just thought of that now, but that would have been pretty sweet.

In any case, Melissa and I hit it off right from the beginning. Over email, I explained to her what I was looking for, that this would be my first spray tan, and that I wanted to look good and bright for my upcoming thirtieth.

Leading up to my appointment, I followed the website’s clear instructions meticulously, and was very psyched, as I walked in, wearing loose fitting tie-dye pants from a local kids store,

to see Melissa behind the counter,

beautiful and vibrant with a warm smile and peaceful energy.

First of all, the space is gorgeous. It is like Melissa secretly read 511 and went into my head and designed a store that was so in line with my design aesthetic that I would have happily spent the day (many days) there. She has faux fur, stunning floors and vibrantly colored accents

and the walls are adorned with things like this:

Yup. It’s perfect.

So all was shaping up to be good, except for one thing: Shade Sunless is not a place where you are left standing naked in a private tanning stall, where you are then sprayed, unevenly, inevitably getting tanner in your mouth.

This is custom airbrushing. The real deal. Which means that I had to strip down naked in front of Melissa, who, as incredibly lovely as she is, is still another human being. And I am insecure about my stomach.

It was in this post, from almost five years ago, that I admitted to being a marked woman.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I got stretch marks on my abdomen, and though they are now faded, I don’t like to show my stomach to even my closest friends.

But, this was in the name of two important things:

Doing something that intimidated me (a theme from the lululemon athletica suburban square event last week that I will write about shortly) and getting a beautiful tan.

As my daughter and I say, “We can let it scare us, but we won’t let it stop us.”

And if there is anyone with whom I could feel comfortable, it was (is) Melissa.

The tanning room itself is as lovely as the waiting room, as it is eclectic, funky, colorful and calming all at once.

In case you, like I was a month ago, are a spray tan novice, let me tell you how the whole process goes down at Shade Sunless:

First, you pick the tan package that is right for you. There is the Donna Martin, the Kelly Taylor and many more choices, from which Melissa can help you to choose based on her expertise.

As I mentioned, she suggested the Brenda Walsh for me, noted that I have sensitive skin and also that I am fair, so she decided to make a custom color blend that would be about a 3 to 4 on a scale of one to ten (ten being the darkest tan possible). This would give me a natural, but still noticeable, look.

Then, you strip. You can wear as much or as little as you want. I went for very, very little. If I was doing this, I was doing this.

Taking off my clothes so that I was 98% naked was a bit scary at first, but by five minutes in we were talking about everything from body art to baby names, and I didn’t think twice about the shape of my stomach or any physical imperfections.

First, Melissa has you step onto large sticker like foot protectors, places your hair in a net, and lets you rub a pre-tanning toner all over your body. She rubs lotion on your palms to shield them, and then you stand, arms out so that you are like a giant letter “T” and let the spraying begin.

The first thing that I noticed was that the spray smelled wonderful, like oranges. I am so used to that signature chemical scent from the at-home tanners, that this was a welcome surprise.

Melissa guides you through each step of the tan, as she sprays your entire body, head to toe, even telling you when to inhale and exhale as she carefully does your face.

Then, she coats you with a light dusting of baby powder and you are good to go.

It is funny; because the solution has a bronzer built in, the immediate results are striking. I looked dark brown. But, as she explained, that was essentially just a layer of makeup that would wash off in the shower, leaving a natural looking tan (which it did).

I took many before and after shots for this post, but they have been vetoed by different members of my family and friends for all different reasons.

My sister said, “You are a mother. You cannot put that on the internet!” for example.

But I can use my words to explain the results.

Going in to Shade Sunless, I was pale. This is partly because of my natural complexion, partly because I have been spending a lot of time indoors this winter and partly because of my physical health.

The tan that Melissa provided to me was incredible; Natural, glowing, radiant and subtle enough so that people could say, “You look good!” but not immediately be able to pinpoint why.

I will tell you that the single most positive thing that I heard, over and over and over, was that the spray tan made me “look so healthy.”

I don’t hear that a lot these days.

It made me feel healthy and it made me feel confident.

I went back the next week for my pre-party tan (the first one being a trial run) and stripping became a nothing, as Melissa and I were so lost in conversation that I didn’t even think about the fact that I was, once again, standing naked in front of this woman. This is partly a testament to Melissa and her professionalism and encouragement, but also because after one meeting she felt like a friend. And it is always easier to do something scary when you’re with a friend.

The photo above is one that a friend snapped as we were getting ready for my big birthday bash, and as you can see, I look like me, just a little bit brighter. Healthier. Better.

Melissa gave me so much confidence. Not just with the spray tan (which rocked, 100%, two thumbs up, I couldn’t speak more highly of the quality) but also because of her kindness. She made me feel good for everything that I am and not insecure for the things that I am not (like tight-bodied, mark-free, beautifully curvy, etc.)

I am always completely honest, and I can say that I am so excited for my next spray tan, which I will be getting on May 6, the day before I leave town for a destination wedding.

Do you want to come?

No, seriously. Come join me!

Mommy, Ever After is hosting a Tanning Party on Wednesday, May 6 at 7:30 pm.

We get to hang and talk and enjoy each other as #teamMEA in the comfort of Melissa’s beautiful shop, and she is giving us a great deal by offering $40 custom tans and 20% off of all products that evening.

Check out the link above for the Facebook invite or email me at Rebecca@mommyeverafter.com by that Monday, May 4, to RSVP.

If you cannot make it for the party on the 6th, Melissa is generously offering all Mommy, Ever After readers 10% off of your tanning package. Just drop my name.

You know.

Brenda Walsh.

This site is my third child, and I would never endorse a product, service or person in which I didn’t believe fully.

I believe in Shade Sunless.

I believe in Melissa.

I believe that we will have an awesome time together, partying it up with some faux fur and faux tans on the 6th.

And hey, did you know that the character of Dylan was only supposed to be on for one or two episodes, because Fox executives weren’t sold on either the fictional character or Luke Perry’s ability? That Aaron Spelling used his own funds to pay Perry’s salary during those initial episodes, and the positive audience response led Fox to approve his addition to the regular cast? (Thank you IMDB)

Well, now you do. And now you also know where to get the best sunless tan around.

See you at Shade!

Images via

The two tans described above were provided c/o Shade Sunless Tanning Company. The opinion written is, as always, 100% honest and my own.