Dear TanningBeds.org,

I feel as though Im a seasoned tanner but I remain confused about different ‘levels’ of beds. What is the difference between a 20 minute 3200 watt bed, a 15 minute 4600 watt bed, and a 12 minute 11000 watt bed as far as my tan goes? Which bed will help me achieve the best tan while maintaining cost efficiency? Is the 11000 watt bed really worth the money? How much better for my tan is the 15 minute bed compared to the 20 minute one? Ive browsed the wed but cant find anything conclusive. I realized theres alot of questions but theyre all necessary!

Thanks!

Sarah

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Dear Sarah,

Very good question and one that can’t have a simple YES/NO answer. First, understand that the concept of “Level 1″, “Level 2″ & “Level 3″ is subjective. There is no real definition of what these actually mean, and in reality, it is very possible to get a better tan in a Level 1 than a Level 2. It is also very possible to get a better tan in a Level 2 than a Level 1. The reason that the “Levels” of tanning beds were created were not solely to give you choices about quality of tan, they were marketing and sales based.

Now, I don’t mean to sound cynical about this, and in most situations, you will get a tan faster in the higher level beds, but I think it is helpful to understand what drove the industry into creating levels of tanning. For salon owners, this lets them offer a low monthly rate for tanning, and gives them the opportunity to “upsell” customers to actually make a profit. As their expenses have gone up, so has the pressure to offer a low monthly charge for base tanning. First lets look at bit at history, particularly with American manufacturers.

In the 1980s, salons would typically have all the same bed, or all similar beds. 24 lamps was the most common. This is why most lamps still come in boxes of 24. Of course, manufacturer’s wanted to sell more beds and sell more expensive beds, so the 26 lamp bed was born. (That’s two more than 24, right? Must be better!). Next, the 32 lamp bed. The 24, 26 and 32 lamp beds were all the same session time, usually 20 minutes. At that time, if you had all 32 lamp beds and the competition had 24 or 26 lamp tanning beds, then you had an advantage because your beds were “better”, bigger and more comfortable. In reality, they did tan better as you got better coverage and more lamps certainly does help you tan faster. All was well.

European makers began building tanning beds with even more lamps AND the new 160W VHOR lamps, with 60% more power a reflector built inside the lamp. The most famous is the Cosmolux VHR (the term VHR is actually trademarked by Cosmedico, which is why other similar lamps are called VHOR). These beds were much more expensive, and tanned you in 15 minutes or so. The solution was to offer them in limited numbers as an “upgrade” for an extra $1 or $2 per session. It was wildly successful. Unfortunately, American manufacturers missed the point. Some offered the same old bed but with higher UVB lamps, and called them “10 minute beds”. Where most lamps were about 4.2% UVB at the time, these new lamps were 6.5%, and they continued to use 100w non-reflector lamps. Unfortunately for them, these beds rather sucked at tanning you. 10 minutes just wasn’t enough time, and when you raise the UVB, you lower the UVA. They went for a quick fix, and the European makers again took the lead by simply producing better equipment. Making matters worse for American manufacturers is the fact that in the 1990s, the dollar was pretty strong so it was relatively cheap to import the better quality beds from Europe anyway. Many salons began using the basic 24 to 32 lamp American beds as “base line” and the higher output European beds as the “upgrade”.

Since then, the concept naturally evolved into 3 levels. In marketing, this makes perfect sense as the “Good”, “Better”, “Best” concept is well known and understood. Again, salon owners can offer you a good tan pretty cheap, and have the ability to give you more for a fee. You can choose. Since they don’t really make any money with the basic packages, all their profit actually comes from lotion sales and upsell fees.

Now, with the background established, we get to your actual question: Are they worth the extra money?. The answer is simple: Maybe. All beds do the same thing, get you tan. Some do it faster than others. Some give you a more sunlike tan than others. Some are more comfortable. When you are paying extra for a Level 2 or Level 3 bed, you are not buying “a better tan”. You are buying a better tanning experience.

The reason most people use tanning beds isn’t just to get dark, and everyone has different priorities when it comes to tanning. Some of us tan because we enjoy the experience, the deep warmth, the relaxation, maybe a short nap. Others are more concerned with just getting a base tan fast. Maybe someone else has the goal of having the darkest tan in the office. For each one of these types, different levels of beds are the right solution.

Personally, I tan in a tanning bed for two reasons: First, I spend a lot of time outdoors with my wife (we both love camping, fishing, etc.), so I like to keep a base tan to reduce the chance of getting sunburned. Second, I enjoy the relaxation and deep penetrating heat. For me, a Level 1 bed is perfect, because I don’t want short session times. I would rather relax for a while when I tan. I might consider spending a little more for a Level 2 bed if it was still 20 minutes and it was bigger and more comfortable. That would be worth an extra buck or two each time I tan. I don’t really worry about how dark I get or how fast I tan, because those aren’t primary concerns for me.

You, on the other hand, likely have very different reasons for tanning, and the best level for you should be decided based on your circumstances. They will all do the same thing in the long run: get you tan. If you are wanting to get exceptionally dark, or get dark as fast as possible, or want to stay in the bed for shorter times, then the higher levels make more sense. If you enjoy “the experience” more, tan very frequently or on a budget, then the Level 1 beds make more sense.

Dennis