Tricky ST Tropez Tanning Situation What to do?

[Layla-Louise]

A bride to be booked in for a fully body tan and came with her daughter who is to be bridesmaid on the day thursday evening for a trail run to see how the St Tropez Classic lotion application that i use would turn out.
I explain the procedure to them both and handed out the St Tropez Pre treatment advice slip and explained that ST TROPEZ is a one strength tan that works with your own unique skin chemistry and works within the bacteria in the skin so that everyone with have a unique shade.

This morning she phoned me to say her colour hasnt come out even and there are white pataches so i asked her if she could pop in for me to have a look.
When she came to me this morning i thought her tanned looked fine her face was glowing and in particular her legs and arms had taken quite well to the tan and their was no white streaks. She agreed that she likes the colour on her face, arms and legs but felt disappointed that her chest,bust abdomen area we'rent as dark. i could see that the colour had developed there so it wasnt that no colour was developed at all but it was more subtle but yet i felt it looked natural.
im know i applied sufficient tan to the area as i stuck to the St Tropez guidelines and ensure that it was all covered with the guide colour.
I think my client was just panicking about it because of her bridal dress so wanted her chest to stand out more.
As she spent £100 paying for her daughters tan which came out fine & buying products to maintain the tan i offered to reapply the tan again in that area for it to be darker free of charge to her but she said she couldnt do it today so we agreed tomorrow morning.

just before i left the salon got a message from her saying she doesnt feel well to come in tomorrow she'll phone me next week to sort it out, i phoned her back to say that i can only do it over the 24 hour period cos by next week it would of had 4 days so the orginal tan would start to gradually fade everytime she showers.

she said shes on medication called MEBERVERINE i said i'll look it up to see if it might of affected the colour but cant find anything tan related just that its for irrititable bowel sydrome thought it was a coniendance that the medication shes taking for adbdomen area is the area that didnt develop as well though?

any suggestions salon geek please so that i can be preapared in case she calls tomorrow to decide shes well to have the tan reapplied on that area again if i do it do you suggest she washes it off after 4 hours so that it doesnt go darker than the rest? but then im also worried that it might no have an affect if i do that.

hope you can help me sorry its abit of a long explanation
thankyou
layla

 

[Curly Bamboo]

Her medication is for spasms and bloating for IBS. It does not effect st tropez tan.

The skin is lighter in the abdomen area than other areas of the body so after a tan it would not achieve the same colour as your legs. Each client will absorb the colour differently and also what you think is dark is not what the client calls dark.

I agree with your suggestion of reapplying but leave on at least 8 hours.

 

[Layla-Louise]

aww Thankyou you've put my mind at ease now you been a great help what you said makes sense that the abdomen and bust area generally is lighter and i guess where are arms are more exposed during the day they tend to tan even better with the St Tropez tan.
8 hours ok ill do that
just i wasnt sure i was worried that it might even darker than the rest of the area thats why i said 4 hours as its the minumum time required.

i understand that st tropez also works by going only as dark as the skin wouold naturally go by tanning, so i guess if she feels like she wants to go to salon that does spray tanning instead then wouldnt the result be similar, as you say it only absorbs as much as it can

 

[SallyGirlJojo]

i also have this problem and i'm not on any medication, it takes better on my arms and tummy (where i tan better in the sun) than on my chest, face and legs (where i hardly tan at all!)talking of st tropez... i'm off to do mine now! prom 2moro!

 

[Layla-Louise]

i guess clients have really high expectations that if they dont tan well in the sun that the fake tan will help with that problem in giving them the colour they desire. it so diffucult because as a therapist you never know how it would turn out because everyones so different.

 

[Curly Bamboo]

Layla - don't worry, its about managing the clients expectation. You have done well by giving the client as much information as possible.

I have also had clients who have come in for the second tan the next day to get a darker colour because their skin did not develop as dark as they wanted.

 

[Layla-Louise]

but do you charge them extra for this as your using more tanning product?
you see if my client comes in later today i dont think i could expect her to pay seen as it paid for hers and her daughters tan and products on thursdays which totaled up to £100 & she prebooked her wedding tan too although im not to sure she'll have it now.
thankyou

 

[weezie]

Next time I guess you could say a top up for a darker tan cost £** I've seen this on price lists for St tropez. I know from experience that the bust area with any tan sometimes doesn't take as well for some reason. I'm not sure what she's complaining about if the tan is even without streaks and lighter is preferable to orange! She probably got hot and sweated on her chest and stomach. You have offered her a top up that she didn't want to take, she was fine when she left you and suddenly is ill, there's not much more you can do. She should just use her daughters lotion and top up with bronzer if needed.

I feel sorry for you having to worry about this. :hug: Slap on a little bit more on her chest for your peace of mind if anything! I wouldn't charge her as a goodwill gesture as you will find it hard to work out the pricing plus she will then be happy and keep her next appointment.

 

[LBR]

I've always found I don't tan as dark on my chest either and when you do want it to go darker you put more on that area. What happens is that it's too dark and becomes really noticeable either with the tan sitting in your pores or when it comes off, it is really noticeable.

I personally now prefer to do a normal spray over that area and I am happy the way it comes out.

 

[collin]

Unfortunatley clients expectations of the outcome of a spraytan don't always match the reality of what the product can do (whichever brand is being used) particularly for a first timer having a tan.

JFYI just because an individual does not tan with UV (natural sun or sunbed) doesnt mean they wont get the tan effect with a spraytan.....the process of tan development are completly different.
A spraytan therefore offers a good solution to individuals who cannot (or dont want to) tan from UV exposure.

 

[Layla-Louise]

Yeah well she never did call me back on the saturday and like you said theres not much more i can do as i did offer to top it up for her on the friday when she came in to show me, then she said saturday and phoned to say she was ill.
I won't do it free of charge now as thursday will be a week that shes had the tan so it will begin to fade a little by then anyway.
I think maybe she was trying to use it as an excuse cos she said her hands have faded quite abit and its only the 2nd day, i did say to her your hands are naturally lighter anyway and you do have to be concious that you do tend you wash your hands quite abit anyway throughout the day, which she admitted that she had.
I just suggested that when she washes them to use the St Tropez Moisturizer with the vitamin L-tyrosine in it that is a natural tan accelator which prolongs the life of the tan.
I guess its all good experience and now if i had another client come in and say her chest area isnt darker than i'll say thats it quite common and that everyones different. im even thinking of doing 2nd application of st tropez tan if client wanting to go darker done within 24hours recieves 25% off then that way i still get my money cos its near £60 something they've paid for their tan anyway.

 

[Curly Bamboo]

LL - I think you dealt with it very professionally. Good for you.

When I get Brides coming is, i ask if they have had a tan before and know how their colour will come out. If not we do a patch test and I would apply to the fairest and darkest areas so they can see the difference.

I have also had clients who come back the second day for an all over tan again to achieve a darker colour. This is where you can offer a discount!