TL;DR: amazing experience, beautiful tan, super professional and relaxed (even for this ball of…read moreanxiety here).
I have put off getting a spray tan for so long, but I finally felt like it was worth braving close human interaction to have a spray tan done correctly. See, I can personally screw up the world's most fool-proof self-tanning method, even when I think I'm being careful, and I'm so bad at it that my friends and family consider bad sunless tanning my "thing" (well, along with bad hair removal, but that's another story). Also, I'm mid-30's, so I am realizing the dangers of actual tanning, which means tanning beds are out of the question (RIP my wrinkle-less, tan, self in 2006). So needless to say, I was nervous about having a tan done in person. What if it rains? What if I'm too hideous to look at? What if they think I'm wearing the wrong things? What if it's completely awkward?
It took the prodding from a few friends to finally make this appointment, but fortunately, you can do it ONLINE! No talking to people! That was excellent. It meant I could change my mind 14 times before finally confirming my appt, and I could do it in the middle of the night, outside of business hours.
Also, once I arrived, parking was super easy! We all know that you shouldn't sweat, swim, get rained on, etc after tanning, so this was a big concern of mine (because let's be honest, who doesn't sweat in this humidity and heat, even if you're only walking two blocks from garage to location?). Browning Studio Downtown is on Church Street, across from Biscuit Head, and they have their own parking lot. Yay! Vanessa even walked me to my car with a huge umbrella to insure that I wouldn't get drizzled on after my session. Talk about amazing customer service.
Finally, and regarding my biggest concern, I worried that because I am not a cute person (IMO), that this would be an awkward experience. I made sure to follow the prep guides on their website, but I still worried about being it being weird...basically, worried about being judged. However, as soon as I arrived, Vanessa was so sweet, chill, and just relaxed, that it made me feel completely at ease. She was friendly when I arrived, explained the process without sounding too clinical (she literally said "some clients do X, some do Y, and some do Z, and I'm used to it, so please don't be modest for my sake"), and we chatted completely normally for the whole session. For a super anxious person like me, being able to act like everything is totally normal (because it is) was a big plus.
Annnd finally, this tan looks amazing. It is completely natural-looking, with no hints of orange or weird splotchy parts. I have incredibly sensitive skin, which is why I chose Browning Studio in the first place, because I have heard such great things about their organic tanning mix. I went from regular Irish-pale to looking like I worship tanning(beds) in half a day. I'm incredibly impressed with customer service and the actual service provided, and I'll definitely be back!
