Tiki Appreciates You! Customer Appreciation Week

Monday May 14th-Friday May 18th

All clients with an active package/membership are invited to take advantage of each of these 5 specials. Don’t have a package or membership? Just but one that day and you’re eligible for the specials all week as long as you still have active sessions/stars on your account or any active membership.

1. Free 1 Level Upgrade
2. $5 Off For Every $25 You Spend On Any Regularly Priced Lotion Bottle
3. Half Price Any 1 Packet Of Lotion
4. $5 Autobronzer/$10 VersaSpa “Cocktail Session” When Combined With A UV Session That Day
5.  Free 1 Level Upgrade With each New Client That You Bring (And Your New Client Also Gets A Free Level 1 Session!) *

“When you ingest vitamin D, only about 60 percent of it sticks to vitamin D-binding protein, but when you make vitamin D in your skin, 100 percent binds to the protein.” — Dr. Michael F. Holick, vitamin D research pioneer from the Boston University School of Medicine.

Holick’s quote, from his latest book, “The Vitamin D Solution”, points out that every cell in the body has a vitamin D receptor and that vitamin D derived from sun exposure to the skin works 40 percent better to activate the receptor than dietary vitamin D, which is scarce in comparison. Holick also refers to research showing that more than 1 million North Americans have conditions that prevent vitamin D absorption from supplements or diet — making it incredibly obvious that UV exposure to the skin is natural and intended.

Dermatology industry lobbyists have continued to downplay evidence showing that vitamin D does more than simply help the body process calcium for stronger bones. Holick, a professor of medicine at BU who was also an award-winning professor of dermatology at the school, was fired from the dermatology department in 2004 after he published a book titled, “The UV Advantage.” Dr. Barbara Gilchrest, then chair of the dermatology department, called his work “an embarrassment” and “schlock science.”

Almost everything in Holick’s 2004 book has since been validated by thousands of studies, as vitamin D research has been the hottest topic in medicine in the past three years. Gilchrest – who now serves as the editor of the Archives of Dermatology – has not rescinded her comment.

If you are new to sunless tanning you may be wondering: what’s the difference between sunless spray booths and airbrush tanning? To help you decide here’s Tiki’s guide to sunless options:

Sunless Spray Booths:

The major benefit of these is that they are generally faster than airbrush tanning and secondly some clients prefer the privacy offered by being in a room alone with just the booth. Tiki will soon be offering two types of sunless booths(currently the Autobronzer is featured at all locations) so here is some info on the two.

California Tan Autobronzer: (Available At All Tiki Locations)

This booth offers a quick session time with very little time required after the session in order to dry and get on your way. The solution in these does not contain instant bronzers so it will initially go on clear. The nice thing about that is that there is no possibility of getting bronzer on your clothes. The other benefit is that you can come in during your work day and do a quick spray and then go back to work without looking like you just got spray tanned. The color will appear gradually over a few hours and will continue to develop overnight. The way these booths work is also unique in that the solution is electrically charged so that it is attracted to your skin. (that’s the reason for those two metal plates that you will be standing on so don’t put anything such as a towel between your feet and those plates). This results in a very even application with very little solution in the air around you. Some clients that have used other booths initially think the booth did not spray correctly because of how relatively dry they are after the spray.

VersaSpa (Just Arrived At Ocean & Sea Girt Locations)

Think of this as an automated airbrush application vs. a spray application. Essentially the booth uses the exact same system of high pressure air and sunless solution as you would see an airbrush artist using so the results will be more like an airbrush session. The booth does take a bit longer to complete a session than the Autobronzer but it does offer some unique benefits. The first is that the booth will actually apply a PH balancing pre-spray treatment to your skin before the actual sunless treatment. This will help the solution dry evenly and will result in more even wear of the color over time.  The other feature is an after spray moisturizer that will help the solution dry better and also hydrate the skin to help the color last longer and more evenly. In this booth we will be using a solution with cosmetic bronzers so you will see instant color. There is even a heater to keep you warm and comfy as well as help dry you faster. As if that wasn’t enough to get Tiki excited here’s the really cool part: you can choose to spray your whole body, your face only, or just your legs!

Airbrush Tanning:

Considered the best way to get absolutely perfect color, airbrush tanning is the preferred option for those going to an important event as this is applied by a trained airbrush artist who can give you the exact shade of color that’s right for your skin and for the look that you want to achieve. Your artist can even give you more or less color on certain parts of the body as you request. This service generally takes a bit more time than a booth (appointment usually required)but the custom results are worth it!

UV Benefits Outweigh Risks, New Study Says
Friday, October 28th, 2011

The health benefits of carefully increased UV exposure — from the sun or from sunbeds — outweigh the disputed and often-oversimplified risks of permanent skin damage, according to an Oslo University study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition this week.

The study — supported by the Norwegian Cancer Society — pointed out that increased sun exposure to the Norwegian population would elevate depressed vitamin D blood levels by 25 nmol/L, which “might result in 4,000 fewer internal cancers and about 3,000 fewer cancer deaths overall” — a finding they credit to their previous work and Harvard University vitamin D researcher Dr. Edwin Giovannucci’s previous paper published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Johan Moan, of the University of Oslo, was the lead author of the new paper. Contrasting the UV-induced health benefit with the possible risks of UV exposure, the authors wrote, is more complex than many believe.

“Sun exposure is commonly supposed to be the main cause of cutaneous malignant melanoma in most populations. However, the matter is disputed,” Moan and colleagues wrote. “Intermittent sun exposure and severs sunburn in childhood are associated with an increased risk of (melanoma)” but “occupational exposure (farmers, fisherman) and regular weekend sun exposure are associated with decreased risk… Sun exposure may even protect against (melanoma) on shielded sites.”

They continued, “It has also been observed that patients with the highest blood levels of vitamin D have thinner (melanomas) and better survival prognosis.”

The authors want health authorities to take all of this into better perspective rather than issuing blanket anti-UV statements.

“Due to the fear of skin cancer, health authorities warn against sun and sunbed exposure. This policy, as well as the recommended vitamin D doses, may need revision,” the authors write. “UV from the sun and sunbeds is the main vitamin D source. Young people with white or pigmented skin in northern Europe have low vitamin D status. A number of health benefits from sufficient levels of vitamin D have been identified.”

We have all heard the stories in the news concerning the debate about the health aspects of tanning.  So what is the truth? Should we be concerned? Unfortunately, the news media generally likes to reduce complex issues down to simple sound bites and ominous sounding reports in order to get the public’s attention. The fact is that for those that are capable of developing a tan, indoor tanning offers a controlled environment in which to enjoy the benefits of moderate sun exposure. Benefits? You mean besides just looking and feeling good? Yes! There are now many studies which show that the relationship between UV exposure and our health is far more complex than what the anti sun proponents have led us to believe.  After years of advocating sun avoidance perhaps its time to take a fresh look at the facts.

One of the most significant scientific advances to affect human health in some time has been the discovery of the relationship between vitamin D levels and overall health. Research has shown that those with low levels of vitamin d are at increased risk of developing many serious conditions such as heart disease, colon cancer, breast cancer, and other deadly diseases. So what does this have to do with tanning? UV exposure is the body’s natural method of manufacturing this important vitamin! Yes there is vitamin d in milk and in some other foods and there are vitamin d supplements too. The important distinction is first that the form produced by your body after exposure to UV light is the more active version and second that this shows that your body is designed to process and benefit from UV exposure.  Something here suggests that if you need to take pills to get something that your body is lacking then avoiding the sun is going against our bodies’ natural design.

The 3 must have basics before you tan..

• Eyewear –FDA approved
•  Lip Balm –SPF 15+
• Indoor Tanning Lotion

Control: Besides the comfort and convenience that tanning in an indoor salon offers the most significant benefit is the control that is not available at the beach. Your session time when tanning indoors is carefully determined to allow you to achieve your desired amount of color while avoiding burning. Your session time can be adjusted with each visit as your skin builds a base tan to ensure you are getting the best results while minimizing the risks of overexposure. We offer many levels of equipment to customize a program that suits your skin type and tanning goals. In addition, you can be assured of consistent results as the output of our equipment does not fluctuate daily as does the level of exposure from the sun. Click here to read more »