A variety of signs adorn the walls stipulating time limits, check policies, walk-in customers and the number of people allowed in each room. A smorgasbord of bottles and tubes is displayed along the glass counter. The seductive allure of Australian Gold or Emerald Bay grabs one student, while the promise of protection boasted by Insurance or Heliotherapy lures another.
At the Suntan Shoppe, the waiting room smells of coconut and a poster guaranteeing the world's fastest tan depicts a bronzed beauty waist high in tropical waters.
An alarm buzzes in the background to signify that a customer is having an issue with one of the beds. A fair and confused face emerges from one of the back rooms, obviously a beginner.
"You've got to turn the dial counter clockwise," advises a weary woman from the front desk.
Another face emerges, this one more golden and more secure in her working of the tanning beds.
"I come every week," reports first-year College student, Natalie Meade. "Sometimes I bring girls with me, but not today."
She, like many other University students, says she finds a tan more attractive than being pale.
"I did it in high school, so I guess I'm just used to it," she says.
Meade certainly is not alone. As temperatures rise, more and more students stroll from class to class with a sun-kissed glow about them.
But this glow isn't always the result of a visit to some exotic Spring Break locale.
"Oh it's tanning season alright," says Suntan Shoppe employee Kathy Staton. "Starts about the beginning of March right before Spring Break and lasts through graduation."
She wears a fluorescent green polo shirt decorated by a sun with the salon's logo on it and sports a deep bronze tan. "Like the shirts?" pipes in her manager from the back. "I just ordered 'em."
Staton says many of the Shoppe's customers are students, many of whom seemed willing to admit how often they frequent the tanning beds.
While a few appeared apprehensive, most were not shy about talking about their experiences.
"A lot of my friends do it so I have no problem telling them," says second-year College student Arielle Jamrozek.
But not everyone is quite so open, Staton says, especially men.
"We've always had men tanners," she says. "We have like five state police officers. They come in and say 'shhh don't tell anybody.' I guess they don't think it's macho."
Staton explains that she's even recognized some Virginia football players who come and sign in under different names. Many female students agree that they think the idea of men tanning is strange.
"You would think guys would do it outside with natural outdoorsy stuff. It strikes me as a little odd, but it works," Jamrozek says.
Still though, not all members of the male population feel they have reason to be ashamed. Though this is only his second time tanning, first-year College student Adam Brock laughs when asked if he would tell his friends that he just went tanning.
"Yeah I guess I would tell them," he responds.
But Brock claims that he has more of a motive than pure vanity.
"I'm in the First Year Players performing 'Hair' and I'm wearing a loin cloth for pretty much half the show," he says, laughing. "I don't want to blind the audience with all the bright lights."
Another older woman wanders out from one of the tanning rooms. She expresses concern about getting burned and asks how many hours in the sun 20 minutes equals.
"I was told to ask that," she admits to the woman behind the desk.
The clerk advises her to go slow and increase tanning in small increments.
Many students feel that if they keep tanning to a minimum, they won't have to worry.
"I don't go that much so I think it's not that bad. It probably is," first-year College student Kristen Vanhooser says with a laugh.
Other students suggest that it might even be safer than tanning in the sunlight because the exposure is more controlled.
"I think I have pretty fair skin so if I come a couple of times for just a few minutes, it's better than going away and getting burned," Kerry Sweeney, a fourth-year Nursing student says.
Unfortunately, this can be a dangerous misconception, according to University Hospital dermatology resident Julie Padgett.
"Tanning beds are definitely not safer. The exposure to the elements are all still there," Padgett says. Still though she understands the logic behind pre-tanning practices.
"It's not a bad thought, but I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. It might prevent you from getting a really bad burn in the sun, but you might just get it at the tanning bed," Padgett says.
Because the sun's UV rays can cause skin cancer and wrinkles, tanning salons take precautions to protect both customers and themselves.
"We are required by law to give you the goggles because the eyes are the thinnest part of the skin," Staton says.
She, like two other staff members at the Suntan Shoppe, has received basic certification training.
Ultra Tan, another tanning salon located near Barracks Road in the Millmont Shops, advertises a smarter way to tan with a reduced risk of burning.
Becky Spurlock, an employee at the Ultra Tan salon and a fifth-year Education student says, "The beds here are different. The UVB rays are filtered out, which are the burning ones. So you are only exposed only to the UVA rays or the tanning rays. You don't have a chance of burning, or a slight chance I should say."
The atmosphere in this tanning salon is much different than that of the Suntan Shoppe. In fact, the only thing these two establishments seem to share is sun-kissed clients and a large golden sun mirror as the focal point of decor.
The establishment is larger and much less crowded than it's competitor. Black iron chairs surround the waiting area, rather than the plastic ones of the Suntan Shoppe.
According to Spurlock, who stands in the shop with her own summer glow, customers lay on a mattress, complete with a massage feature while tanning. Tanners can even choose their own CD to enhance their enjoyment and relaxation.
"In the back there is a full vanity mirror and an assortment of body sprays, so that you can come on lunch break or between classes," Spurlock says.
But this unique tanning experience comes at a price. Sessions run at $30 a pop, compared to the Suntan Shoppe's lower cost of $4 for 15 minutes.
Spurlock explains though that because tanning is more intensive, a tanner does not have to come as often.
"It takes three to five times to build your base and you only have to come three or times a month to keep that color," she says.
Although Spurlock contends this is a smarter way to tan, she is unwilling to make any false promises and admits that tanning beds still expose customers to UVB rays.
Regardless many students choose to continue tanning despite the risk.
"I'm invincible," Brock says.
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