New Tanning Experience at The London Orchid

My natural skin tone is between medium to tanned and although I have no problem walking out in the sun without an umbrella, I'm afraid I've been cooped up indoors a bit too much lately. Tanning, real or fake, takes work. To think that most Malaysian women do everything in their power NOT to get darker! :P

I haven't been basking out in the balcony nor have I been visiting the tanning salon (Note: Both options are NOT safe). My self-tanners have been untouched as well because I'm far too lazy to contort my body to reach unreachable areas eg. my back. So, you can imagine my excitement when I tried out spray tanning for the first time. Heck, I didn't even know such service existed in Malaysia.

Read on for my experience.

The London Orchid, owned by Leagha McMahon, offers your usual spa stuff such as facial treatments, body massages and manicures. But what really stood out for me was their spray tanning service, which is rare and possibly non-existent in Malaysia.

*PAUSE*

What's Spray Tanning?

Picture a compressed airbrush gun spraying a tanning solution all over you. The solution contains DHA which is the same stuff they put in self-tanners to make your skin darker, except in a higher concentration.

*PLAY*

I was very pleased to have met Leagha. Not only did she make me feel comfortable (you'll know why this is important later on!), she is very knowledgeable and walked me through the entire process so that I'd know what to expect and understand how spray tanning works.

The London Orchid has a dedicated tanning room, allowing ample space to move around. Getting a spray tan requires a mini stretching exercise it seems! The spray gun is human-operated which means you'll need to be de-clothed. You can opt to wear a bikini (if you don't mind it getting stained) if you prefer but you'll get tan lines . If you're okay with going topless at the very least, a disposable thong will be provided and for those who want a wee bit more coverage, like I did, a regular disposable undie. A pair of sticky foot pads were also provided to prevent the solution from getting on the soles of the feet.

You know those misters they have in restaurants where you can feel the mist but it isn't really bothersome? That's how spray tanning feels like. The process was over pretty quickly so you should be in and out within 20 minutes.

Fresh out of the tanning room, I looked pretty baked and it's primarily due to the bronze guide color which washes off in the shower. The actual color takes 8 hours to develop during which you're advised to not get wet or sweaty even. Leagha used Sun Labs 12% on me. Those with lighter skin tones may wanna go for a lower dose of DHA to avoid looking like a walking carrot.

The tan was most beautiful on the second and third day where I've had people assume that I'd been out in the sun. It's certainly a much deeper color achieved in a shorter time compared to the usual five days of slathering on self-tanner to build the color.

Moisturizing daily and exfoliating every other day is impartial to ensure that the color will last longer and fade evenly. Nevertheless, by the 7th day, my skin was pretty much back to its regular color. You should also exfoliate and moisturize the day before your session so that you'll get an even coverage.

Considering how tiresome it is to apply self-tanning lotion and never being able to get an even application on the back, spray tanning is a relief. However, at RM210 per session, I'll probably only reserve it for special occasions though it's hard not to be tempted to have it done more frequently.

Check out The London Orchid website and Facebook page for full list of services.

67M Plaza Damansara, Damansara Heights Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 50490 +603 2095 6009 or +601 73060706