Spray tan vs sunbeds — the honest comparison

It’s a fair question, and one we hear a lot — especially from clients who’ve used sunbeds for years and are wondering whether to make the switch. So here’s the honest, head-to-head comparison. No salesy spin, just the facts as we see them after 17 years of tanning clients across Hertfordshire and North West London.

Safety

This is the only category where there isn’t really a debate. Sunbed use is classed by the World Health Organisation as a Group 1 carcinogen — the same category as tobacco. Every sunbed session damages skin DNA, accelerates ageing, and increases the lifetime risk of melanoma.

Spray tans contain no UV. The active ingredient, DHA, reacts only with the outermost layer of dead skin cells and is approved for cosmetic use across the UK, EU and US. It’s the single biggest reason most of our regulars switched.

Winner: spray tan, by a landslide.

Colour result

A modern professional spray tan gives a deeper, more uniform colour than most sunbed sessions — and it’s instant. You walk out bronzed. Sunbeds build colour gradually over multiple sessions, and the result depends heavily on your natural melanin levels.

Spray tans are also customisable. We colour-match the depth of solution to your skin tone, eye colour and the look you want. Sunbeds give you whatever colour your skin produces.

Winner: spray tan for control and speed; sunbeds for the very darkest results (at a serious cost).

Cost

A sunbed course typically runs £40–£80 for 8–10 sessions, plus the cost of accelerator creams. You need repeated visits to build and maintain colour, and the salon journey adds up.

A Sunkissed mobile spray tan starts at £40 for a full body tan that lasts 7–10 days. No travel, no parking, no top-up sessions needed during that period. For most clients the per-week cost is comparable, with a far better result.

Convenience

Sunbeds mean driving to a salon, waiting for a room, lying in a hot tube for 6–12 minutes, and driving home. Mobile spray tanning means I come to you, set up in your kitchen or bedroom, and you’re done in 25 minutes.

Winner: mobile spray tan, comfortably.

Longevity

Sunbed colour fades over 2–3 weeks as skin naturally regenerates. Spray tan colour lasts 7–10 days. So sunbeds win on duration per session — but only if you’re willing to take the health risks to maintain it.

Skin condition over time

Long-term sunbed users almost always show visible skin damage: leathery texture, hyperpigmentation, deep lines, dryness. Long-term spray tan clients tend to have better skin than average because the prep routine (exfoliating, daily moisturising) is fantastic for skin health. That’s not a small thing.

So who still wins on sunbeds?

Honestly — nobody. The deepest colour comes at the cost of measurable skin damage and increased cancer risk. Modern spray tans give a deeper, more even, more flattering colour with zero health downside.

The bottom line

If you’ve been using sunbeds for years, you might be sceptical that a spray tan can match the colour. Book a single Sunkissed appointment, see the result, and decide for yourself. Most clients who switch never go back. Browse our pricing, check the areas we cover, or read how long a spray tan really lasts if you’re worried about value. Pregnant? See our note on spray tanning during pregnancy.