Yang Di/ Shanghai Daily

A new generation of bronzed entertainment and beauty icons are making the tan chic again. Everywhere you look in magazines, in movies and television shows, among others, beautifl bronzed bodies sport year-round tans.
For years tanning has been associated with beauty and health. The desire for glowing skin increases as the temperature heats up. However, even with the limited time and space to lie in the sun in a city like Shanghai, short sleeves and skirts can still come out to play with a bronze body with a bit of artificial help.
A new trend is sweeping the city as more people, both expats and Chinese, are turning to tanning salons to develop an artificial tan. The concept has been popular in the West for decades.
Although the Chinese desire for pale skin has a long history, increasingly more locals are traveling overseas and for many, more now prefer to showcase their sun-kissed glow in summer, similar to the trend in Western countries.
Ivan Lam, owner of Bronze Bodies Tanning Club located on Tongren Road, grew up in Australia and came to Shanghai three years ago. He opened one of the first tanning clubs in the city two years ago. The club uses tanning machines imported from the West and it has a very international service atmosphere.
Salon tanning works on the same principal as sun tanning - the skin is exposed to ultraviolet light to promote tanning.
"Tanning beds have become a popular and easy way to tan," Lam said. "It emits a mixture of UVA and UVB (ultraviolet types A and B, respectively) that resembles the effects of sunlight. People tan because it is quicker than using the sun but without leaving tan lines."
Lam said any visit must always begin with an assessment of the client's skin type and based on the colors of the skin, hair and eyes.
Tanning is a process that takes time to develop. On average, Asians need five to six visits before the skin develops a tanned look. People of Northern European descent should allow up to 12 visits. Each tanning session takes 10 to 14 minutes and costs 90 yuan (US$11.25).
In general, expats tend to head to the tanning salon for a little color in winter. In contrast, Chinese prefer to show their bronzed look in summer, according to Lam.
Tanning beds generally come in two basic formats - tanning beds that are either horizontal or vertical. Bronze Bodies imports its sunbeds from MegaSun, a leading German-based manufacturer.
During the tanning procedure, it is essential to use eye protection such as goggles because UV light can harm the corneas without a person being aware of any such injury. The skin will also tan better when it's moisturized. Tanning lotion that has been specially formulated to create a better color produces a better result than tanning without.
But people should remember to use solariums with extreme caution, particularly if they have a natural predisposition to sunburn or skin cancer. "Consider your medical history and be aware if your family members have any history of skin cancer," Lam said.
Those with excessive moles and freckles, pregnant women and people using antibiotics should also avoid tanning beds.
However, whether you tan outdoors in natural sunlight or indoors in a salon, tanning is not risk-free. The health risks associated with tanning beds are the same as tanning in the sun.
Long-time exposure to solar radiation - whether from the sun or a tanning lamp - damages the skin to some extent. Overexposure can cause injuries to the eyes, premature aging and wrinkling of the skin. It can also increase your chances of developing skin cancer later in life. If you do choose to tan it is important to limit your visits to tanning salons.
On the other hand, some UV radiation is good for the body's health. Exposure to UV rays helps our bodies produce vitamin D. UV rays from the sun trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin, creating vitamin D for our bodies to use.
Any deficiency in this important vitamin can cause serious health problems and such problems are becoming more common than most realize.
Here are a few popular tanning salons around town.

￥ Bronze Bodies Tanning Club
Address: Room 1/FB, Silver Tower, Jiuan Plaza, 258 Tongren Road (near Nanjing Road W.)
Tel: 6247-7377

￥ M.H. Tanning Salon
Address: 34 Xinhui Road (near Jiangning Road)
Tel: 6276-2566

￥ Sunpoint Tanning
Address: 607 Chengdu Road N. (near Beijing Road W.)
Tel: 6272-2090

￥ Solar Tanning Club
Address: Room 225, 2/F, 100 Luban Road (near Liyuan Road)
Tel: 5150-5056

￥ Sole Tanning Studio
Address: 168 Hongqiao Road (near Yishan Road N.)
Tel: 5425-2405
Address: 299 Yichuan Road (near Yanchang Road W.)
Tel: 5694-8500
Address: 3-4/F, Best Fit, 816 Zhangyang Road
Tel: 5835-6707
Address: 3/F, Alexadria Club, Building 6-7, Lane 123 Xingye Road
Tel: 5358-1185