If you've been using sunbeds regularly and your colour has stopped improving, you're not imagining it. There are specific reasons why results plateau — and specific ways to break through them. This guide covers everything you need to know about how to get a darker tan on a sunbed: skin prep, the right products, timing, in-session technique, and the aftercare that makes colour last.

In this guide:

Quick summary — five things that make the biggest difference:

  1. Exfoliate 24 hours before your session

  2. Apply a tan accelerator or sunbed cream before getting on

  3. Space sessions at least 48 hours apart

  4. Moisturise immediately after every session

  5. Use gradual tanning drops on rest days to maintain colour

Why your tan might have stopped progressing

Hitting a plateau is one of the most common frustrations for regular sunbed users. The good news is that it's almost always fixable — and usually comes down to one of four things.

Your skin isn't being exfoliated. Dead skin cells accumulate on the surface and block consistent colour development, leading to a patchy, dull result no matter how many sessions you do.

You're not using a tanning product. UV exposure alone is significantly less effective than UV combined with a quality accelerator or sunbed cream. The difference in results is not subtle.

Your sessions are too close together. Consecutive daily sessions don't give your skin adequate time to develop and repair between exposures. Spacing makes a measurable difference to depth of colour.

Your skin is dehydrated. Dry skin tans unevenly and fades faster — moisturised skin holds colour for longer and develops more consistently under UV.

Fix these four things and your results will change. The rest of this guide explains exactly how.

Prepare your skin before every session

Preparation is the most consistently skipped step — and the one that makes the most difference to your starting point.

Exfoliate 24 hours before your session, not immediately before. Exfoliating too close to a session can sensitise the skin and cause irritation under UV. Give it a full day between exfoliation and sunbed use — your skin will be fresh, smooth, and ready to develop colour evenly.

Moisturise the night before. Going into a session with well-hydrated skin means more even colour development and better retention afterwards. A simple body moisturiser the evening before is enough.

Shower and make sure skin is clean and dry before applying any product. Don't apply heavy perfume or deodorant directly onto skin before a session — these can react under UV and cause patchy results or irritation.

Keeping on top of aftercare between sessions also plays a role in how prepared your skin is for the next one. Our guide on how to preserve a tan covers the between-session routine that keeps your base in the best possible condition.

Use the right product before you get on the sunbed

The biggest difference comes from using a tan accelerator before your session, which helps the skin respond more effectively to UV exposure. This is the single biggest upgrade most regular sunbed users aren't making — and the results speak for themselves. For a deeper look at the best options on the market, the best sunbed tan enhancer guide breaks them down in detail.

Here are the three product types that produce a genuine difference, and how to use each one:

Tan accelerators

Applied to skin before a session, tan accelerators support the skin's natural colour development process under UV. They're the most popular format for a reason — easy to apply, absorbed quickly, and consistently effective. Browse the full sunbed tan accelerator range to find the right formula for your skin. For those chasing deeper colour, the dark tanning accelerator collection is worth a look — these are formulated specifically for building maximum depth.

Sunbed tanning cream

Sunbed creams combine skin conditioning with UV session support, and some formulas include bronzing ingredients that add immediate depth to your colour. Apply before getting on and give it a few minutes to absorb. The sunbed tan cream and tanning cream for sunbeds collections cover a range of formulas — from lighter moisturising creams to richer bronzing blends.

Nasal tanning spray

A nasal tanning spray is used as part of a complementary routine alongside UV exposure. Many experienced users combine it with a topical accelerator — the two formats work well together and the combination often produces faster, deeper colour than either product alone. Apply the nasal spray 15–30 minutes before your session, then apply your topical product and get on the bed.

All of these products are available together across the sunbed tanning products range — browse by type or build your own stack.

Not sure if you need a nasal tanner or a tan accelerator? Read our comparison guide.

Timing and frequency — how to structure your sessions

How often you tan matters as much as how long you tan. More sessions don't automatically mean better results — the spacing between them does.

Allow at least 48 hours between sessions. This gives your skin time to develop the colour from your last session and repair before the next one. Consecutive daily sessions often produce diminishing returns and can put unnecessary stress on the skin.

Build session duration gradually, especially when you're introducing a new product to your routine. If you're using a tan accelerator or sunbed cream for the first time, your skin may respond more intensely than usual — start at your normal duration and adjust from there.

Consistency over several weeks outperforms intensity over a few days. A steady routine of well-spaced sessions with good prep and product use will produce deeper, more even colour than a burst of back-to-back sessions.

One tip worth knowing: some skin types respond slightly better to morning sessions due to natural cortisol levels at that time of day. It's not a hard rule, but if you have flexibility on timing, morning sessions are worth trying.

Technique during the session

What you do during the session itself has more impact than most people realise.

Apply your product evenly across all skin and give it 5–10 minutes to absorb fully before getting on the bed. Unabsorbed product doesn't perform as well and can transfer unevenly onto the surface.

Pay attention to the areas that are usually covered — sides, underarms, the tops of the feet. These tend to be significantly paler than the rest of the body, and targeting them deliberately during sessions will even out your overall colour over time.

Relax and lie flat. Tensing or gripping the bed creates pressure points that receive less UV exposure and result in uneven colour. The more relaxed and flat you are, the more consistent the result.

If you're using a nasal tanning spray, apply it 15–30 minutes before the session — not during. It should be part of your pre-session prep routine, not an afterthought on the way to the bed.

Aftercare — making your colour last longer

Most colour is lost in the 24 hours after a session, not during it. What you do immediately after is what determines how long your tan stays.

Moisturise immediately after showering — this is the single most effective aftercare habit you can build. Apply a generous amount while your skin is still slightly warm. Hydrated skin retains colour significantly longer than dry skin.

Use a gentle, non-exfoliating shower gel after sessions. Harsh soaps and scrubs accelerate skin cell turnover, which fades colour faster. Switch to something milder on your post-session shower.

Keep showers shorter and cooler than usual after a session. Long, hot showers are one of the fastest ways to strip colour — they increase skin cell turnover and reduce the lifespan of your tan.

On rest days between sessions, gradual tanning drops are an underrated tool for maintaining and building on your base. Added to your regular moisturiser, they top up colour steadily without needing another sunbed session. It's one of the easiest ways to keep your tan looking its best between visits.

For a complete breakdown of between-session maintenance, the how to preserve a tan guide covers everything in detail.

What about fair skin — can pale skin get dark on a sunbed?

Yes — but it takes longer and requires more consistency than it does for medium or olive skin tones. If you have fair skin and feel like you're not making progress, the answer is rarely more time on the bed. It's almost always better preparation and the right product.

Start with shorter session durations and build gradually. Use a tan accelerator for fair skin — these are formulated to support colour development in skin that responds more slowly to UV, and they make a real difference to the pace and evenness of results.

The same principles apply regardless of skin tone: prep, product, patience. For fairer skin, just extend the timeline and keep the routine consistent. Results do come — they just need a longer runway.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my tan not getting darker on a sunbed?

The most common reasons are: dead skin cell buildup blocking even UV absorption — fix by exfoliating 24 hours before sessions; sessions spaced too closely together without the 48-hour rest period for melanin to fully develop; no tanning product being used, since UV exposure alone is significantly less effective than UV combined with a quality accelerator or sunbed cream; and dehydrated skin, which reflects UV rather than absorbing it. Address one of these at a time and results will typically improve within 3–5 sessions.

How do you make a sunbed tan darker?

The single biggest upgrade most regular sunbed users aren't making is using a tan accelerator or sunbed cream before sessions. UV exposure alone is measurably less effective than UV combined with a product that primes the skin's melanin response. Beyond that: exfoliate 24 hours before sessions, space sessions at least 48 hours apart, and moisturise immediately after every session. Consistent use of these four practices produces noticeably deeper colour within 2–3 weeks.

How long does it take to get a dark tan on a sunbed?

For most skin types (Types III–IV on the Fitzpatrick scale), a noticeable base tan develops after 3–5 sessions over 2 weeks with consistent 48-hour spacing between each. Deeper, darker colour typically takes 4–6 weeks of regular sessions with good prep and a tan accelerator. Fair skin (Type II) should expect the process to take longer — 6–8 sessions for an initial base and several additional weeks of maintenance to build meaningful depth. Type I skin should not use sunbeds.

What is the best way to tan on a sunbed?

The best results come from a consistent routine: exfoliate the day before, apply a tan accelerator or sunbed cream 20–30 minutes before the session, allow at least 48 hours between sessions, and moisturise immediately after every session. Using a nasal tanning spray as part of the routine adds a systemic melanin-priming effect that topical products alone don't provide. Consistency over several weeks produces deeper colour than any single-session approach.

How do you get the most out of a sunbed session?

Prepare your skin: exfoliate 24 hours before, moisturise the night before, and arrive clean. Apply a tan accelerator or sunbed cream at home 20–30 minutes before the session — not in the changing room immediately before. During the session, lie flat with your arms slightly away from your sides and stay relaxed — tensing creates pressure points that receive less UV exposure. After the session, wait before showering if you've used a bronzer formula, then moisturise immediately. Each of these steps compounds: done consistently, they produce significantly deeper colour than sessions without them.

The full picture

Getting a deeper, longer-lasting tan on a sunbed comes down to five things: exfoliate and moisturise before sessions, use a quality tanning accelerator for sunbeds or sunbed cream, space your sessions properly, stay relaxed and even during the session itself, and prioritise aftercare. Do all five consistently and your results will be noticeably different within a few weeks.

Browse the full sunbed tanning products range to build your routine — or pick up a tanning bundle if you want to try a complete product stack together.

 

0 commentson How to Get a Darker Tan on a Sunbed

Latest Stories

This section doesn’t currently include any content. Add content to this section using the sidebar.