Tanning
How long should you go on a sunbed? UK times by skin type
By Stuart · Co-owner of Beautano, 15 years in the tanning industry
It is the question we get asked before almost every first session: how long should I actually go on for?
The honest answer is that it depends on your skin type, and that a shorter first session is always the right call. But there is more to it than a number, and most of the time charts you will find online were written for American beds that are nothing like ours.
Most people start between 3 and 9 minutes depending on skin type, then build up over several sessions. UK beds are legally capped at 0.3 W/m², so sessions here are shorter than the 15 to 20 minutes American charts suggest.
Leave 24 hours between sessions, 48 if you are skin type 2. We set your actual times after a skin assessment on your first visit.
First: who should not use a sunbed
This part is not up for negotiation, and any salon that skips it is not looking after you.
- Skin type 1 — should not use a sunbed under any circumstances
- Anyone under 18 — illegal in Scotland and across the UK
- A family history of skin cancer
- Photosensitising medication — some antibiotics, acne treatments and others
- A condition made worse by sunlight
- A history of bad sunburn, particularly in childhood
Skin type 1 means very fair or sensitive skin, often with red or strawberry blonde hair, freckles, and pale blue, grey or green eyes. If that is you, you will barely tan in real sunlight either, and a sunbed will burn you rather than colour you.
If you are not sure which type you are, ask us before you book anything. We would rather turn a session away than put you on a bed you should not be on.
Sunbed times by skin type
These are starting points, not prescriptions.
| Skin type | You typically | First session | Building up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | Always burn, never tan | Not suitable | — |
| Type 2 | Usually burn, tan slightly | 3–5 min | 8–10 min |
| Type 3 | Sometimes burn, tan gradually | 5–7 min | 10–12 min |
| Type 4 | Rarely burn, tan easily | 7–9 min | 12–15 min |
| Type 5–6 | Very rarely burn, tan readily | 9–12 min | Up to the bed’s maximum |
Your actual times depend on the bed as well as your skin, which is why we set them in person rather than leaving you to guess from a chart.
Every commercial sunbed in the UK is capped at 0.3 W/m² of effective irradiance. That limit came from the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Products and sits in the British standard. American tanning charts are written for beds with no equivalent cap, which is why they quote 15 and 20 minute sessions. Following one of those here will not give you a faster tan, it will just burn you.
How often can you go?
Leave at least 24 hours between sessions. If you are skin type 2, make it 48 hours.
Two or three sessions a week is a sensible working pattern for most people once they are past the first few. Your colour carries on developing after you leave the bed, so resting is not wasted time, it is part of how the tan builds.
The European Standard also advises no more than 60 sessions in a year. That is worth knowing, because at three a week you would pass it inside five months.
Doubling your minutes does not double your colour. Past a certain point your skin has produced all the pigment it is going to for that session, and the extra time is just burn risk with nothing to show for it. Frequency beats duration, every time.
Building a base
The first few sessions are not really about colour, they are about getting your skin to respond. That is why we start short.
Go too hard early and you burn. Burnt skin peels, and peeling takes off the colour you just paid for, so you end up further back than when you started. It is genuinely faster to go slowly.
Once you have a base, the same session length gives you noticeably more.
While you are in there
- Always wear the goggles. Closed eyes are not protection, eyelid skin is far too thin
- Use a tanning lotion. Hydrated skin takes colour more evenly
- Take off makeup and perfume first, they can cause patchy reactions
- Change position once during the session for a more even result
Which bed changes the answer
Not every bed is the same, so the same person will have different times in different rooms.
The megaSun K11 Air Select is our full-LED bed, climate controlled, with UV tanning and a UV-free red light mode. Because it is sensor-tuned it handles session pacing far more precisely than a standard bed.
The Hapro Luxura V8 is our stand-up, which suits quick, even top-ups and anyone who does not fancy lying down.
All five rooms and their prices are on the prices page.
Common questions
How long should my first session be? Between 3 and 9 minutes depending on your skin type, and shorter than you think is the right instinct. We set it after a skin assessment.
Can I go two days in a row? Leave 24 hours minimum, 48 if you are skin type 2. Back-to-back days do not build colour faster, they just raise your burn risk.
How long until I see a tan? Usually three or four sessions before it is obvious. Colour keeps developing for hours after you get off the bed.
Is a longer session better value? No. Past the point where your skin has produced its pigment for that session, extra minutes do nothing except increase risk.
Why does the chart I found online say 20 minutes? It is almost certainly American. UK beds are capped at 0.3 W/m² and those charts are not written for them.
Do I still need to use lotion? It helps a lot. Dry skin tans unevenly and loses colour faster between sessions.
Come and get your times set properly
We are on the Southside in Nitshill, open seven days, five rooms including the K11 Air Select.
Come in and we will do a skin assessment and set times that suit you rather than a number off the internet.
Book a session or drop in for a chat first.
Tanning is a cosmetic choice for over 18s only, and every session is supervised.