Living: Going for the Bronze

Zonker Harris, tanner extraordinaire in the comic strip Doonesbury, had the right idea, just an outdated approach. To prepare for big tanning competitions like the George Hamilton Cocoa Butter Open, Zonker would spend hours under the sun with an old-fashioned reflector. Today, seekers of the perfect tan have an easier time of it: they simply drop by the neighborhood tanning salon, cozy up to a bank of ultraviolet lamps and emerge looking as if they have just returned from Hawaii. “The ordinary person who can’t afford a vacation can get a lasting tan for a fraction of the money,” says Martin Rothschild, president of Rothschild Sunsystems in Albany. “It used to be just movie stars and captains of industry who looked good. Now a lot of ordinary people are beautiful too.”

For people whose ideal of beauty is a bronze complexion in February, tanning parlors are sprouting faster than dandelions in May. Though no precise figures are available, tanning salons are raking in an estimated $300 million a year. At one of the trendiest, Hollywood’s Uvasun, such celebrities as Liza Minnelli, Rod Stewart, Mariel Hemingway and even Mr. Tan himself, George Hamilton, spend upwards of $30 an hour to maintain their sunbaked looks. Less exclusive salons charge between $3 and $15 for half an hour in the synthetic sunlight. UVA Tan, located in an upscale Atlanta suburb, expanded two months ago from four tanning machines to eight, serves a free Continental breakfast in the mornings, and had customers lining up outside at 7 a.m. during January’s sub-zero cold.

Though tanning parlors do their biggest business from January to May, catching indoor rays is becoming a year-round pastime. Some palefaces like to establish a base tan before going on vacation; others simply prefer the tanning parlor to a trek to the beach. “I used to call in to work sick so that I could lie out in the sun,” says Lola Lanza, 41, of Houston. “Now I can just come here on my lunch hour.” Jeannie Frazier, 25, who spends $60 a month to cultivate her tan, maintains that a salon is “better than the sun. ( You don’t get hot, and you don’t get sand all over.”

One reason for the growing popularity of tanning salons is an advance in technology. Old-fashioned sunlamps emit strong doses of ultraviolet radiation, which can cause a quick sunburn if one is not careful. New tanning machines, however, block out most of the sunburn-linked beta rays (UVB) in favor of alpha rays (UVA), which promote a more gradual tan. The most popular device for soaking up UVA is a clamshell-like tanning bed. The customer lies down on a Plexiglas surface, closes the lid and relaxes as lights from above and below bake him to a golden brown.

Though UVA tanning is less likely to cause an immediate sunburn, doctors warn that it may present the same long-term dangers caused by overexposure to the sun, including premature aging of the skin and a risk of skin cancer. “There is no such thing as a safe tan,” says Darrell Rigel, a dermatologist who teaches at New York University School of Medicine. “The only reason ultraviolet alpha is less bad than beta is that it has less energy. If you intensify the alpha rays to get a tan, the damage is just as great as if you had normal amounts of beta.” Some research has also indicated that UVA rays may damage deep blood vessels in the skin and could affect the body’s immune system.

Salon operators reply that tanning machines are safer than sunlight because they can be more carefully regulated. “Anything can be abused,” says Randy Novak, owner of Tan Chicago. “But the damage from sunbathing comes from out of doors because it isn’t controllable. You can reduce the danger at a tanning parlor.” The Food and Drug Administration requires tanning machines to carry labels warning that users should wear goggles to protect their eyes and that people taking photosensitive drugs, including some antibiotics, should consult their doctors before going under the lamps.

Whatever the risks, tan enthusiasts seem willing to overlook them for the immediate benefit: a healthy-looking golden glow. Says Rob Bernstein, 31, who spends 30 minutes each weekday at a tanning salon in Dallas: “I think a year- round tan is a good, successful, power look. It’s just a part of good grooming.” Better yet, a tan in the dead of winter implies that the wearer has the money and leisure to travel to exotic, sunny locales. Says Jeff Russell, 23, of Evanston, Ill.: “It’s a conversation piece. People are always asking, ‘Where have you been?’ ” The only problem is that the truthful answer may soon be all too commonplace: down at the tanning salon for a quick once-over.