Are you so translucent that folks can see your inner organs if they look close enough? Well, it’s the dead of summer, and if, God forbid, you look dead, may we suggest a visit to one of Kansas City’s best spray tan artists? Forget the sun! The tan-tastic team at In Kansas City has compiled some of our fave sunless tanning specialists.
TanFastic Mobile – https://tanfasticmobile.com
Owner Andrea Irish’s battle cry? “The sun is not your friend, but we are.” Irish has been doing professional spray tans since 2005 and loves giving people a healthy glow. Even better? She’ll come to you. She’s one of only a handful of local spray tan artists who take their act on the road. You’ll often find her out and about in her cushy TanVan—especially during homecoming and prom season. With an infectious laugh, she’ll put you at ease right off the bat when your oh-so pasty whiteness is on display in front of her. “My passion is people. My ultimate goal is to give my clients confidence and make them feel good about themselves,” says Irish. “And if your ultimate goal is to be a flawless, bronzed creature—well, I can help you out and then some.”
Bronzed n Beautiful – https://www.bronzednbeautiful.com
Owners George Mack and Malinda McHenry opened their state-of-the-art spray tan boutique in 2012 in Overland Park. They’re only one of a small number of places who use a plant-based, organic tanning solution. Plus, their staff is comprised of licensed estheticians and cosmetologists. Bonus—they offer a modern extraction system so the spray goes directly on you and not, say, up your nose. Who knew? “We want you to look natural so that people think this is the tan God gave you,” says McHenry. From dance clubs to cheer teams to pageant contestants to bodybuilders, they do it all. With two private studios, they are capable of doing large parties. They’ll even powder you down afterwards, so you aren’t instantly sticky when you hit the humid weather outside.
Beyoutify – https://beyoutifykc.com
With some killer Yelp reviews under her belt, owner Ashley Davis is proud of her mad-crazy airbrush spray tanning skills. She’s also the hardest working woman in showbusiness. She’s a one-woman show with a mile-long, five-year pedigree under her belt. Not only is she a licensed esthetician, but trained in Los Angeles, a.k.a. “the land of bronze goddesses”. “Celebs love them some spray tans,” says Davis. She built her KC business from ground up and swears by the Midtown area. “I like the 39thstreet area. It has an LA city-vibe, but in a more condensed area,” says Davis. “And I like the eclectic mix of people. Lots of small businesses can support each other.” And while she tans plenty of women, she’s noticed her male clientele are life-long frequent fliers. “Every man that comes in here is a return client—as long as they can get over their friends teasing them,” said Davis. Since people feel vulnerable when they’re getting a spray tan, Davis strives to make everyone feel at ease. “You’re pretty exposed in these types of situations, and it takes a special person to make them feel comfortable,” says Davis. “We’re a judgement-free zone. That’s where they ‘be you’ in Beyoutify came from.”
HealthiTan – https://healthitan.com
This mother/daughter spray tan team is celebrating their ninth anniversary this year. Turns out, it was a labor of love. The two started the family business to get over the grief of losing the family patriarch. Back in 2008, however, spray tans were a new thing. Undaunted, they forged ahead. “My background is in geology and geo-physics,” says mom and owner Joni Williams. “Spray tans were the farthest thing from my mind. So, we took some business classes, hired a consultant from California to train us and—boom—we were in business.” The duo’s claim to fame? They’ve used the same popular South Seas Skincare solution—the one used by “Dancing With The Stars”—since they started and swear by it. “It adjusts nicely to your skin tone,” says Williams. “We’ve personally spray-tanned the entire cast of DWTS when they traveled through KC.” Even better? They donate a portion of their proceeds to The Skin Cancer Foundation.
Recreating Rays – http://www.recreatingrays.com
Shonna Dexter knows a thing or two about what constitutes a good spray tan. Why? Her business was born seven years ago as the result of a few horrific spray tans incidents. “I am very fair and the results I would get were really unnatural looking,” says Dexter. “So, after a couple poor experiences, I called up my husband and said, ‘I’m going to be a spray tan artist.’” And that’s exactly what she did. Not only is Dexter self-taught, she’s turned her passion in to a collaborative effort with her sun-free sisterhood. She’s the founder of The Association of Sunless Tanning Professionals—the only organization of its kind in the world created for spray tanners. The group convenes in Vegas for a “Sunless Summit” each year to learn about tips, techniques and tricks of the spray tan trade. She’s all about promoting an industry that still has, as she calls it, an “orange stigma attached to it.” She’s determined to change that–one tan at a time. “If you’ve never had a bad spray tan, then you know someone who has, or you’ve seen someone with it,” says Dexter. “You’ve probably seen really good spray tans too. You just didn’t know it.”