After months of coercing, my tanning addict girlfriend (at the time) finally convinced me to swallow my pride and spend some time in the lighted coffin. It was free, she had goggles for me, and I liked being tan, so, why not? She made the terrible mistake of forgetting to tell me to leave some sort of cover up for the parts of me that have never tanned. After dealing with the worst sun burn of my life, ON MY ASS, I shouted my distaste of tanning once more and swore to never go back. Spring break comes around a year later, and in the name of research, I vow to give it another chance. So in this edition of “How to Get Your Boyfriend To,” I’ll lend my experience and some tips to help you get your boy toy to join your GTL lifestyle.
Getting Him to Go
Honestly he’s your man, you know how to get him moving when needed. Feel free to tell him you’re willing to try new things if he does as well. If not, hit him with the ‘oh just try it once,’ bat your eyelashes in that pleading way you have, and tell him how sexy his muscles will look with a tan. Explain how it’s free to try and if there are any costs you’ll pay for them.
The First Trip
Think of this whole experience like a first date; the goal is to get future dates. You don’t have to sell the experience to him the first time, you just have to keep him willing to go again. You want to make sure the trip is as enjoyable as possible to increase chances he’ll start tanning regularly.
– Use sample lotion, or some of your lotion (I know it’s expensive, just go with it) to coat him up so hopefully he’ll see some results. Dry skin reflects UV rays, so the lotion helps him soak it up.
– Tell him to KEEP HIS BOXERS ON. That’s right, the tanning sin, KEEP CLOTHES ON. As much as you’d love for those white thighs and cute little hiney to be tanned, if he gets burned bad the first time, he is never going back. Let him get comfortable with tanning (and hopefully get a membership) before HE makes the decision to tan the parts that have never seen the light of day. In the meantime, just have him hike his boxers up to reveal more skin.
– I personally use SPF 15 on my face so I don’t look like a tomato. If one of my friends comes back and has tomato face, he is probably getting made fun of. So I’d recommend some kind of protection on the face (or put the towel over it for part of the time).
– How long? My call: 7 minutes. Depending on his skin tone and existing tan you may go for a little bit longer, but less is more. I’ve always wondered how time spent in a tanning bed compared to time in the sun. Sadly my research is inconclusive. Tanning bed’s tend to use UVA rays, and sun has both UVA and UVB. Your sun exposure varies outside, compared to the enclosed bed.
After the Bed
You are both tan and oily, so what better time for a couples shower? This gives you the perfect opportunity to wash each other off. If that’s a little too spicy for your curry, go get a bottle of aloe lotion. He won’t forget the amazing aloe massage after the tanning bed and that alone could keep him coming back for more.
Dealing with the Boys
Let’s face it; his boys might give him crap. The best thing you can do is compliment him on how great his tan looks. If you’re around when they are saying something, mention how much you love his sexy tan while seductively feeling up his shirt on his stomach and winking at them.
Future Trips
Tanning memberships aren’t too bad, at about $10-$20 a month. I’d HIGHLY consider purchasing it for him as a little anniversary gift or something along those sorts. Then he’ll feel obligated to go.
Bam, you just created some more couple time for each other. All your girlfriends will be envious of your wonderfully tanned couples defaults. Let the haters hate.
Recommendation: Check out Sol y Luna tanning. They have 3 free tans (you do have to buy a sample lotion in the range of $7 and they have to be used in 5 days) which should be enough to get him hooked.