My wife and I will be going to SXM in September to celebrate our 39th anniversary and this will be our 1st venture into the CO beach. Since we both have "virgin" bits can anyone advise if going to a tanning salon prior to our trip would be beneficial? And if so, how much before we go and what frequency. Thanks

Looks like the website was hacked with all of these new posts by "moderator" so I am readdressing this to get it moved to the top. Thanx. I wish hackers would have their computers seized!

The wife and I work up our all over tans in the backyard and in the pool. Being out in the sun, the air and the water nude is an experience in itself. Since you aren't going until Sept you should consider getting your tan outside. It will give you a natural tan and get you ready for being bare in public. Better yet find a nearby naturist club and join up. You won't regret it. Why resort to a tanning salon when the real world is wide open to you.

I usually go 5-7 times in the 2 weeks leading up to vacation. However, we use jam77's method to prep also. --Sxmdoc

We are going in September also. Its a great time of year. We used to do the tan booth but just use the good old open air when we can If its not all tan by the ime we get there we really don't care.

Island Bound

Like others have said..... Get outside as much as possible prior to your trip. I would not go to a tanning salon, they are horrible for you. If you show up white, no problem....You will be tan in no time after you hit the beach. Just lather on the sunscreen lotion:)

Like others have said..... Get outside as much as possible prior to your trip. I would not go to a tanning salon, they are horrible for you. If you show up white, no problem....You will be tan in no time after you hit the beach. Just lather on the sunscreen lotion:)

LIKE OTHERS HAVE SAID DON'T WORRY ABOUT LOOKING LIKE YOU JUST CAME FROM AN AMISH NUDIST CAMP. THE TAN LINES LEAVE QUICKLY AS YOU ENJOY THE SUN.

Forget the tanning salon. Get the cottontails tanned naturally. Just apply and re-apply sunscreen often and get those parts tanned slowly and naturally.

Thanks to all for the tips. Unfortunately we live in an area that seclusion is an issue so the natural way, while we would like to, is just not feasible. We were thinking that a tanning salon might be a good alternative but it sounds like it may not be as good as we thought. I suppose we will just have to be careful when we get there to overdue it. The better half has Sicilian ancestry so her skin tans more easily. My heritage is Irish so not only do i have "size" issues, I burn real easy.

Usually it's too cold in Maine for any natural tanning. We use the tanning booth. The place we go to has stand up booths that are probably not as powerful as tanning beds?... we'll start hitting the tanning booth about 3 times a week for 8-10 mins. each time, starting at about 4-6 weeks away from departure. It's funny as departure day arrives we feel pretty darkened and ready, but once you hit that St. Martin sun you can still burn quickly. We've seen many a fair skinned visitor with awful "vacationing ruining" sunburns early on in their trip! Be careful, get under the umbrella at peak times, and especially be mindful of your exposure in the water. The water is so warm and comfortable, and the people friendly, you can accidentally bask in it for an hour or more and burn to a frazzle without ever feeling it.

So true about the peak sun hours. 15 mins. during peak will burn you pretty well without lotion.

Life's a beach!

We go to Club O completely tanless. In fact, my wife uses 100 spf and doesn't tan at all. One caveat remember to flip over from time to time. Last Christmas we were there for a week and I ended up looking like a black and white cookie.