Sunless tanning equipment means the set, the technique and the technology all put together in the same room thus working a sunless tanning unit. The social impact of sunless tanning is growing. A lot of people embrace this lifestyle year by year, as a healthy way of maintaining the appeal of a tanned skin.

The tanning industry is astonishing. It's hard to imagine how many vehicles or entities are behind the salons and how many professional trainers and accesories are needed to comfort and satisfy demanding indoor tanners.

First of all, a tanning bed can be of a vertical or a lie-down type. Secondly, the bed and lamp work together, thus providing the ultraviolet light to the client. Each type of tanning bed bulb or tanning lamp (vertical or lie-down) has its own supporters. Some owners prefer the vertical type, for the easy cleaning after the session (bench, canopy acrylics, goggles, wipe and vacuum fans and vents, hoses). Also, in a limited space, more vertical tanning beds can be accomodated, which is very convenient for a salon owner. Others prefer classic sunless beds, since clients expect a private, quiet manner to relax, far away from the office, mobile phone and other worries and obligations. The intensity of the tan and the tanning speed depend on three factors:

1. the UV output from the lamps;
2. the skin type
3. the distance between the body and the tubes

Besides tanning bed bulb or tanning bed lamp, tanning bed lotion or other tanning bed products have to be applied before a tanning session, depending on the skin type. Tanning oil is also recommended in salons.

Tanning oil is basic and at hand because of its easy application to the skin. Tanning oil is meant to protect against “bad” UV rays: UVA and UVB, which are responsible for sunburns and damage to the skin. Yet, there are two different types:

• tanning oil assimilated to sunscreen
• tanning oil used just for intensifying the outdoor suntan

Some experts suggest a 30 minutes before exposure application, especially for pregnant women and children to a better protection.

Of much interest is how a tanning oil works. Tanning oils can have various compositions, including either an organic chemical compound absorbing UV rays(such as oxybenzone) or an opaque element reflecting light (such as zinc oxyde). In the both situations, the indoor UV rays are blocked.

On the other hand, indoor tanning must be restricted for some categories. Diabetics, pregnant and breast feeding women, asthmatics and those suffering from breathing problems have to be extremely careful. To remove some side effects of the indoor tanning exposure (heat, air-blowing, dryness resulting sometimes after sessions), there are accessories such as blankets, saunas and goggles available for the consumers.

The tanning lamp is very important, as it is the UV light supplier. Technical knowledge is a must for the salon's staff; improper running of the sun-lamps leads to a critical point where the equipment either fails from its normal full ability, or burns-out. As often as not, both. The damaging factor is a too high temperature of the lamp.

The UV light, the bulbs/lamps supplied by the manufacturers are: UVA rays (tanning and aging) and UVB rays (burning type). The tanning equipment provides a base tan and for that goal 4 weeks are necessary (up 3 to 5 times weekly, 20 minutes each time). To maintain the result, the indoor tanner has to move thereafter to a conventional bed, available at salons or beauty shops or even in his own home.