Once January hits Eugene, the sun seems to go into hibernation, except on an occasionally lucky clear day. The lack of sunshine is hard for many people in the area: The gray skies and looming rain clouds can cause depression, anxiety — and pasty skin.
Although not the safest solution, getting a nice golden glow from a tanning bed can be a quick fix to improve one’s mood and appearance. Eugene offers a variety of tanning salons, with everything from lay-down beds to stand-up beds to airbrush tans free from UV harm. Prices range from $6 for a single 10-minute tan to $19.95 for a single tan in a high-pressure bed, and many places in the area offer special discounts just for students.
Closest to campus, Precision Cuts and Tanning, at 609 E. 13th, offers packages ranging from $40 to $90. For a package of 10 tans, it will cost $40 for lay-down beds, $60 for stand-up beds and $90 for the Prisma bed, a high-performance bed that gives a longer and deeper tan with less chance of burning. Discount coupons are available in the Student Survival Kit.
Mujeres Boutique and Tanning, at 199 E. 5th, Suite #11, is another tanning salon offering student
discounts in the Student Survival Kit. Open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mujeres has packages for $35, which covers either one month of unlimited tans or 200 minutes, if tanning isn’t something you want to do too often. Mujeres, which also sells clothing and other services, is one of the few places in Eugene that offers Mystic tans, also known as spray-on tans, which many people prefer to UV-based tans. This safe alternative to tanning costs $20 for one session and $35 for two.
Another shop in Eugene that offers spray-on tanning is Eugene Body Wraps and Wellness Center, at 315 E. 13th. According to their Web site, spray-on tans are a better alternative to beds, which can possibly cause negative side effects such as wrinkles and skin cancer.
Prices for spray-on tans at Eugene Body Wraps and Wellness Center are anywhere from $30 to $60 for a full-body tan, $10 to $20 for the face only and $15 to $30 for just the legs. Specials are offered for first-timers and packages can also be purchased for as low as $80 and can save consumers up to as much as $360. They also offer many other services such as body wraps,
waxing, facials, massages, student discounts and coupons that can be found on their Web site
www.eugenebodywraps.com.
The Wolff Sun Center, at
3145 W. 11th, has nine lay-down beds and a variety of packages to choose from. Single tans can be purchased from $4 to $10 and packages start at $28 for 100 minutes, and up to $88 for 600 minutes. Their “Deal of the Day” can be found in The Register-Guard every few weeks for a special discount on packages.
Tanner’s Paradise, at 1950 Echo Hollow Rd. #D, has a variety of lay-down beds. A single session in the Gold Bed will cost $6.50; in a Platinum Bed, a single tan will cost $9.50; in the Orbitz Bed, one tan costs $12.50; and in the High Pressure Bed, a single 20-minute tan starts at $19.95. The differences in the cost reflect an obvious difference in the beds. The Gold bed gives a nice surface tan, but the Platinum will give a deeper tan that takes longer to show up but lasts longer than a surface tan. One step up is the Orbitz bed, which will help maintain a beautiful glow for those who already have a base tan. Finally, the High Pressure bed has a 99 percent bronzing rate and a 1 percent burning rate, making it almost impossible to burn your buns.

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