One of the largest untapped client bases in the spray tanning industry is men. Chances are good that many of the women you already spray tan are married or dating a potential future tanner!
Traditionally, the most popular use for sunless tanning for men has been in the form of competitive bodybuilding and fitness competitions. Unfortunately this is also the source of one of the most prominent stigmas for why men don’t spray tan. Because most of the photos of men with noticeably fake tans comes from when they are on stage after pumping iron, that is the idea that gets associated with a spray tan. Many men think that the only spray tan is one that looks completely unnatural. But clearly this is not the case.
Once upon a time, spray tanning did look unnatural. It was in its infancy and many companies jumped onto the bandwagon without really knowing what they were doing. This flooded the market with solutions that turned a whole generation of spray tanners into Oompa Loompas. Luckily, other companies took their time, conducted research, and created solutions that looked amazing, but more importantly looked so realistic you can’t tell the difference between a suntan and a sunless tan.
So what’s stopping men from spray tanning now?
Nothing. A lot of men spray tan, but most only do so for special occasions rather than consistently going month after month. Most men get spray tans for the same reason women do: because they want to look more in shape for vacations and holidays, healthier for weddings or family portraits, cruises and beach parties. Some use it to even out their skin tone in the winter or look younger (kind of like hiding your grays) on first dates.
Where do men go for spray tanning?
Besides simply going to a tanning-only salon, many men “get their tan on” at the gym, at hair salons or male-only barber shops. A lot of spas and massage studios have success bringing men in if they offer couples packages. These places most often find success because they offer the spray tan service at a discount or with a certain percentage off when accompanying their massage or hair styling.
This is an important key to finding and securing loyal male customers. Take these two slogans for instance:
1. Look and feel great with a custom spray tan
2. Save $10 on a custom spray tan
Statistically men are more prone to looking for deals and savings rather than being sold on an emotion or a feeling that a service provides, so they would be more inclined to buy if they saw slogan number 2 rather than slogan 1.
Some questions about spray tanning male clients:
How do I spray tan a man?
Spray tanning a man is no different than the techniques used for spray tanning a woman with a few key exceptions:
1. If a man has heavy chest hair/leg hair/etc. then the spray tan solution will not reach those areas as easily–this won’t be a problem if he isn’t planning on shaving his legs/chest because you won’t be able to see the less tanned portions of his skin anyways.
2. Facial hair: if a man has a beard, mustache, or any other type of facial hair make sure that, if he is going to shave it soon, he shave it off BEFORE his spray tan. If he waits until after his spray tan to shave then he is going to wind up with a reverse five-o’clock shadow and have much lighter skin where the beard had been pre-shave.
*This is also important to remember if he is going to shave his legs/chest hair!
Do men have to do anything different after getting a spray tan?
Yes: it’s very important for men to remember to moisturize after every shave! Shaving is an exfoliation process and can remove color from a tan, especially when paired with oil-heavy shaving creams. To counteract the effects of shaving, use a great moisturizer after the initial shave and again before bedtime.
What do men need to do to achieve the best spray tan?
