Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Contributed Photo
Red Carpet Tan is a new business that provides airbrush tans to customers in their homes. Airbrush tanning is a healthier alternative to bronzing in a tanning bed.
With a business on wheels, Ryan Imming and his wife, Anya, bring their product straight to their customer. Their company, Red Carpet Tan, provides customers with an airbrushed tan in the comfort of their own home.
Red Carpet Tan is based out of the Immings’ home in Kansas City, Mo., but they are looking for business in Lawrence.
“I know the college market pretty well and feel our service would make a great fit for students,” Ryan Imming said.
The Immings started their business this year after a year of training to become airbrush certified. While tanning at home has been done by Hollywood’s stars and seen on reality shows such as “Real Housewives of Orange County,” the Immings saw an open market to bring home tanning to the Midwest.
Imming said he is proud to offer his customers a product that comes with no negative side effects.
Unlike bronzing in a tanning bed, spray tans don’t expose the skin to ultraviolet rays. Even high-pressure tanning beds, which are found at some tanning salons and known for being safer for the skin than a basic level tanning bed, still do harm to the skin. High-pressure beds filter out type B UV rays, but type A rays still reach the skin.
Because of the harmful effects of the UV rays, dermatologists discourage the use of tanning beds. Dr. Celeste Angel, a dermatologist at the Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center’s Leawood location, said patients interested in getting some color before a vacation should use spray tans over tanning beds.
“It’s hard enough to protect yourself from the sun,” Angel said. “It’s not smart to expose yourself to those harmful rays on purpose.”
According to the American Skin Association, tanning permanently damages the genetic structure of the skin. When the genetic structure of the skin’s outer layer is affected, the risk of skin cancer rises significantly. It has also been found that people 35 and younger who use tanning beds have a higher risk for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
“I know tanning is something a lot of college students do, which is why I want to offer them an alternative,” Imming said.
The Immings use the same equipment and solution as tanning salons that provide spray tans, so they said they are relying on their convenience and group specials to draw in customers.
The Immings recently began advertising in Lawrence and have already attracted the attention of at least one KU student. Lyndsey Carrel, Spring Hill junior, had never had a spray tan done before, but was happy with the results she received from Red Carpet Tan.
“I thought the experience was more professional and comfortable by getting it done in my own home instead of a salon,” Carrel said.
The airbrush process takes less than 30 minutes, but the cosmetic bronzer’s active compounds continue to work for about six hours after the treatment to bring out color in the skin. The visible results of a spray tan are equal to tanning in a tanning bed about six times.
The spray tan lasts 10 to 14 days. Moisturizing makes it last longer. The spray tan fades like a regular tan, caused by the loss of dead and excess skin cells.
Red Carpet Tan offers groups rates for those interested in hosting a tanning party.
— Edited by Cory Bunting
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Comments
New KC company offers in-home tanning
Is this an ad or a news article?
New KC company offers in-home tanning
Sounds like an ad to me...
The fact that these people can have this business and make a profit off of it is amusing to me. Americans are so lazy!
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