Beach and resort
Swimsuit on the first afternoon, with no week of easing into the sun first.
Travel spray tan · Santa Cruz, California
The trip starts in Santa Cruz.
Book the tan when you book the trip, and the color is one thing you no longer have to figure out. A vacation spray tan from Jana looks like your own skin in new light, holds through the days you care about most, and stays off the white shirt you packed.
Leaving in a day or two? Call or text (831) 479-8266 about a same-day tan. Online booking closes 12 hours ahead, and you’ll want room to rinse before you go.
Every reason to go
Wherever you’re headed.
Cruises
A spray tan before a cruise means formal night and the pool deck are both covered from the moment you board.
Destination weddings
A destination wedding guest spray tan lets you show up in every photo with color that matches your face and suits the dress.
Reunions
Everyone you went to school with will be holding a phone, and you’ll be glad you thought ahead.
Winter escapes
Land somewhere warm in January looking like you’ve already had a few days of it.
Road trips
Highway 1 with the windows down and short sleeves on, and nothing to think about but the next stop.
Big birthdays
The fortieth in Tulum or the sixtieth in Sonoma deserves pictures you’ll actually want to keep.
Just because
A trip doesn’t need a reason, and the tan doesn’t either.
First spray tan? You don’t need to know any of the vocabulary. Tell Jana where you’re going and when you leave, and she’ll work out the formula and the rinse time from there.
The three worries, answered
What people ask before a trip.
One
Will it look natural?
Jana chooses your formula in a real conversation about your skin, your undertone, your departure and how much depth you want, then applies every tan herself. She’s been matching color on Santa Cruz skin since 2007, which is why the result reads as you after a good week outdoors.
Two
Will it last the trip?
A spray tan lasts 7 to 14 days depending on your prep, your aftercare and how active you are. Salt water, sand, sweat and friction shorten it, so the timeline below covers what to do before you leave and while you’re away to keep it through the photos that matter.
Three
Will it get on my clothes?
Wear dark, loose clothing until your first rinse. After that, the color washes out of most fabrics, though no one can promise it for every one. That’s why the white linen goes in the suitcase for day two.
The trip, in order
Before you go, while you’re away, after you’re home.
Leg one
Before you go
Upstairs at 1515 Capitola Road
Book when the trip is booked.
Pick your appointment as soon as the dates are set, so the tan fits around your departure rather than the other way around. Online booking closes 12 hours ahead.
First time, big trip? Do a trial.
Book a trial at least two weeks ahead. You’ll see how the color develops on your skin and how it fades, and you’ll walk into the real appointment knowing exactly what to expect.
The prep week.
Exfoliate gently with a glove at every shower, every day and on the day itself. Skip scrubs. Drink plenty of water, moisturize regularly, wear sunscreen and avoid new tan lines. Shave or wax ideally the day before, though a gentle shave that morning is fine.
None of this is a condition of booking, but skipped prep can show up in the result, so it’s worth the week.
Tan as close to departure as you can.
Leave enough time for the rinse before you travel. Arrive clean and dry, with no lotion, oil, deodorant or makeup, and wear dark, loose clothing. Make the first rinse lukewarm water only, then pat dry. Color keeps developing for about 24 hours.
Pack the white linen for day two.
Travel in something dark and loose. Once you’ve rinsed and settled, the white shirt is ready for dinner on the second night.
Leg two
While you’re away
Wherever you land
Moisturize every day.
Use products free of mineral oil. Hotel lotion often isn’t, so check the label or bring your own.
Wear sunscreen.
A spray tan isn’t sunscreen. Use your usual protection for the whole trip.
Skip heat for the first 24 hours.
Sauna, steam, hot yoga, hot tubs, long baths, hard workouts and swimming can all wait until the second day.
Touch up with the travel mist.
Face, hands and feet fade first. A light pass of Glow on the Go keeps them level with the rest of you.
Rinse and moisturize after swimming.
Ocean salt, sand and chlorine all shorten a tan. A quick freshwater rinse and moisturizer after each swim helps the color hold.
Leg three
After you’re home
Back in Santa Cruz County
Seven to fourteen days.
That’s the usual life of a tan, depending on your prep, your aftercare and how much time you spent in the water. It fades evenly, so there’s no rush to scrub it off.
Come back for the next one.
Plenty of clients book a return visit for the week after they land, or before the next trip. A 3-tan plan is valid for 12 months and works for any visit.
Bronze Organics or Classic Bronze$200Rapid Development$215Unity NR$260
Find the formula for your trip
Four formulas that travel well.
Every formula develops over about 24 hours. What differs is the color of the bronzer and how long you wait to rinse it. Rinse times below are for planning; Jana gives you your own at the appointment, and you can switch formulas there too.
Rapid Development
$75full body
A violet-based bronzer that develops into a cool, even brown.
- Rinse
- 2, 4 or 6 hours, by depth
- Suits
- Tight departures. The short rinse fits between the studio and an evening flight out of SJC or SFO.
Unity NR
$90full body
A neutral bronzer that suits almost any undertone, made with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and peptides. EcoCert DHA, labeled vegan, gluten-free and nut-free.
- Rinse
- 2, 4 or 6 hours, by depth
- Suits
- Humid destinations and active trips. The manufacturer describes it as sweat-resistant.
Bronze Organics
$70full body
A warm golden-brown bronzer with walnut and aloe.
- Rinse
- 8 to 12 hours
- Suits
- Anyone who prefers organic ingredients and can tan in the evening, sleep on it and rinse before leaving.
Classic Bronze
$70full body
A reddish-brown bronzer that reads as natural, sun-warmed color.
- Rinse
- 8 to 12 hours
- Suits
- The look of a week outdoors, for an overnight rinse before a morning departure.
Prices are for full-body coverage and vary by coverage area.
Finishing touches
Small additions for the send-off.
Shimmer Hydration
$25 with a tan · $35 on its own
A soft sheen that suits a send-off dinner the same evening, at Shadowbrook or anywhere in Capitola Village. It washes off with your first shower, so shimmer for an event later in the trip means a short return visit.
Book Shimmer HydrationDolce Dust
$15
A finishing powder in shimmer or matte. The manufacturer says it cuts transfer and stickiness, which helps on a travel day. Ask for it at your appointment.
Normalize
$20 with a tan · $30 on its own
A pH-balancing pre-treatment applied just before your tan to prepare the skin for even color.
Book NormalizePack it with you
What clients ask about while packing.
You don’t need any of these for a good tan. They help if you want the color to go a little further, or you’d like something for the hotel bathroom shelf.
Glow on the Go mist$25 to $40
For touching up face, hands and feet while you’re away. The 3.4 oz bottle is carry-on size.
ViewExtend Hydrating Serum$40
A daily moisturizer for tanned skin that adds two to three days to your color.
ViewTan Me BB Cream$35
A tinted cream for your face, handy on the days it fades ahead of the rest of you.
ViewPHydra-Luxe body wash$25
Cleanses without stripping color, so the hotel shower isn’t working against you.
ViewExfoliating Mitt$13
For gentle exfoliation at every shower in the prep week, and again before your next tan.
View
Why deSoleil
One studio, one technician, since 2007.
deSoleil is a private, appointment-only studio upstairs at 1515 Capitola Road, Suite N, near 16th Avenue, with parking behind the building. Jana opened it in 2007 and still applies every tan herself, so the person who chooses your formula is the person who sprays it.
She has worked with Infinity Sun formulas since the studio’s first day, and nineteen years of seeing how they develop on real skin before real trips goes into every rinse time she gives. Clients come in from Boulder Creek and Bonny Doon, from Seascape and Pajaro Dunes, and many of them are first-timers who mention the cruise halfway through the conversation.
Since 2007·Jana applies every tan·Infinity Sun
From clients
Kind words.
“The custom color matching is unmatched. It didn’t look like a spray tan—it looked like I spent a week in the Mediterranean.”
“My tan was perfectly event-ready. No streaks, no smell, just a flawless finish for my wedding weekend.”
“I’ve never felt more comfortable in a studio. Jana has this incredible way of matching your skin so perfectly that you just feel like the best version of yourself, not like you’re wearing a tan.”
Questions before a trip
Travel spray tan FAQ.
How long before a trip should I spray tan?
As close to departure as you can, while leaving room for the rinse. Every formula develops over about 24 hours, so a tan the day before you leave usually has you fully developed by the time you board. If this is your first spray tan and the trip is a big one, book a trial at least two weeks ahead so you know how the color develops and fades on your skin.
How long will a travel spray tan last?
Seven to fourteen days, depending on your prep, your aftercare and how active the trip is. Ocean salt, sand, sweat and friction all shorten a tan, so daily moisturizing with mineral-oil-free products does a lot of the work. The Extend Hydrating Serum adds two to three days.
What should I wear to the appointment?
Dark, loose clothing for the ride home and the hours until your rinse. Arrive clean and dry, with no lotion, oil, deodorant or makeup on your skin.
When can I shower after a spray tan?
At the rinse time Jana gives you. As a planning guide, Rapid Development and Unity NR rinse at 2, 4 or 6 hours depending on depth, and Bronze Organics and Classic Bronze rinse at 8 to 12 hours. Make the first rinse lukewarm water only, then pat dry. The rinse is separate from development, which continues for about 24 hours either way.
Can I swim after a spray tan?
Yes, after the first 24 hours. Skip swimming, hot tubs, long baths and hard workouts that first day. Salt water, chlorine and sand shorten a tan, so rinse off and moisturize after every swim.
Do I still need sunscreen?
Yes. A spray tan isn’t sunscreen, so wear your usual sun protection the whole trip. In the weeks before your appointment, sunscreen also helps you avoid new tan lines.
Can I get a same-day tan before I leave?
Call or text (831) 479-8266 and Jana will look for a spot. Online booking closes 12 hours ahead, so same-day tans are arranged by phone. Leave yourself enough time to rinse before you travel.
How long is the appointment?
About twenty minutes, sometimes longer. You stand for the application, with no chair and no barrier cream, and the formula is chosen in a short conversation with Jana before she starts.
Can I switch formulas at the appointment?
Yes. Book the formula that sounds closest, and if a different one suits your skin, undertone or departure time better, Jana will switch it at the appointment.
Do I need a trial before my trip?
It’s not required. For a first spray tan before a trip that matters, a trial at least two weeks ahead lets you see your color and how it fades before you’re packing. Returning clients usually skip it.
Which formula is best for a beach trip?
It depends on your undertone, how deep you want to go and when you leave, which is what the conversation with Jana is for. Unity NR is sweat-resistant according to the manufacturer, which helps in humid heat, and Rapid Development keeps the rinse short before an early flight. If you can tan in the evening and rinse in the morning, Bronze Organics and Classic Bronze both work well.
The trip starts here
Book your travel tan.
Choose a time that leaves room to rinse before you go. Jana will help with the formula when you arrive.
Planning a honeymoon? See the honeymoon glow on our bridal site.