Body Dysmorphia: Tanning Addictions and Where to Draw the Line with Your Clients
There's a difference between a client who loves being tan and a client who can't stop because they genuinely don't see themselves clearly anymore.
And as a spray tan artist, you're going to encounter both. The question is: do you know how to tell them apart? And more importantly, do you know when to step in?
This isn't an easy conversation. It's uncomfortable. It's messy. And the spray tan industry doesn't talk about it nearly enough. But if you're in this business long enough, you will have a client whose relationship with tanning has crossed a line.
What Body Dysmorphia Actually Looks Like
Body dysmorphia isn't just "caring a lot about how you look." It's a mental health condition where someone becomes obsessively focused on perceived flaws in their appearance—flaws that are often minor or don't exist at all.
In the context of spray tanning, it can show up as:
Someone who asks for darker and darker solutions every session, never satisfied with the result
A client who panics when their tan starts to fade even slightly, treating it like a crisis
Someone who cancels plans, avoids social situations, or expresses extreme distress about their skin tone
A person who refuses to leave the house without being freshly sprayed
This isn't vanity. This isn't someone who just really likes being tan. This is someone whose self-worth is tangled up in their appearance to a degree that's affecting their mental health and daily life.
And when you're the person providing the service, they're using to cope? You're part of the equation whether you want to be or not.
The Signs of Tanning Addiction
Not everyone with body dysmorphia has a tanning addiction, and not everyone with a tanning addiction has body dysmorphia. But there's often overlap, and as an artist, you need to recognize the red flags.
Never being satisfied.
No matter how dark you go, no matter how perfect the application, they always want more. They look in the mirror and still see "pale" even when they're several shades deeper than their natural tone.
Emotional dependency.
They tell you they "can't function" without a tan. They express genuine distress or anxiety when they can't get an appointment. Their mood is visibly tied to whether or not they're freshly sprayed.
Ignoring your professional advice.
You tell them going darker won't look natural. You warn them about over-tanning and skin damage from constant application. They don't care. They push for it anyway.
Using tanning as a coping mechanism.
They book appointments after stressful events. They talk about needing a tan to "feel like themselves again." They use it as emotional regulation instead of enhancement.
If you're seeing these patterns consistently, you're not just dealing with a loyal client. You're dealing with someone who's using your service to feed a compulsion.
Where to Draw the Line (And Why It Matters)
Here's the hard part: you're not their therapist. You're not their doctor. You can't diagnose them, and you can't fix them.
But you also can't keep enabling behavior that's clearly unhealthy just because it's good for business.
So where's the line?
The line is when continuing to provide the service is doing more harm than good.
If a client is coming in multiple times a week, asking for increasingly dark solutions, expressing distress about their appearance, and showing signs that this is about something deeper than just wanting to look good, you have a responsibility to pause.
Not to shame them. Not to cut them off cold. But to have a conversation.
How to Have the Conversation (Without Making It Worse)
This is delicate. You don't want to embarrass them, trigger them, or make them feel like you're rejecting them. But you also can't keep pretending everything is fine.
Here's how to approach it:
1. Be gentle, but direct.
"Hey, I've noticed you've been booking a lot more frequently lately, and I just want to check in. How are you feeling about everything? Is there something specific you're trying to achieve with your tan?"
2. Express concern, not judgment.
"I care about you as a client, and I want to make sure the service I'm providing is actually helping you feel good."
3. Acknowledge what you're seeing without diagnosing.
"I've noticed that no matter how dark we go, you're still asking for more. And I'm wondering if maybe this has become more about how you're feeling internally than about the tan itself."
4. Set a boundary if needed.
"I think it might be a good idea to space out your appointments a bit. Not because I don't want to work with you, but because I want to make sure we're doing this in a way that's healthy for your skin and for you overall."
5. Offer resources if you feel comfortable.
"If you're dealing with some tough feelings about your appearance, it might help to talk to someone who specializes in that. I'm always here to make you feel good in your skin, but I want to make sure you're supported in other ways too."
Will this conversation be awkward? Probably. Will some clients get defensive or upset? Maybe. But the alternative is continuing to profit off someone's pain, and that's not the business we're trying to build.
What If They Push Back?
Some clients won't hear you. They'll insist they're fine. They'll say you're overreacting. They'll tell you it's their body and their choice.
And technically, they're right. You can't force someone to get help. You can't make them see what they're not ready to see.
But you can still set a boundary.
You can say, "I hear you, and I respect your autonomy. But I'm not comfortable continuing to spray you at this frequency. It doesn't feel right to me professionally, and I need to honor that."
It's not about controlling them. It's about protecting your own integrity as an artist and recognizing when your service is being used in a way it wasn't intended.
The Spray Tan Industry's Responsibility
This isn't just an individual artist issue. This is an industry-wide conversation we need to be having.
The beauty industry at large profits off insecurity. It thrives when people feel like they're never enough. Never thin enough, never clear-skinned enough, never tan enough. And spray tanning is part of that ecosystem whether we like it or not.
But we have a choice in how we participate.
We can be the artists who see the signs and say something. We can refuse to enable behavior that's clearly driven by something deeper than wanting to glow. We can create spaces where clients feel seen, valued, and supported.
And we can admit that sometimes, the most ethical thing to do is turn down business.
When Saying No Is the Right Call
There will be times when a client's relationship with tanning is so unhealthy that continuing to provide the service feels wrong.
Maybe they're coming in weekly. Maybe they're visibly distressed every time they look in the mirror. Maybe they've told you outright that they hate how they look no matter what you do.
In those cases, saying no isn't cruel. It's compassionate.
It's saying, "I care about you more than I care about this appointment. And I don't think spraying you right now is actually helping you."
Will they be upset? Possibly. Will they go somewhere else? Maybe. But at least you won't be complicit in something that's feeding their pain.
Tanning Should Enhance, Not Define
At its best, spray tanning is about enhancement. It's about feeling polished, confident, and like the best version of yourself. It's a tool for empowerment, not a crutch for self-worth.
But when it crosses into compulsion—when a client can't function without it, when they're never satisfied, when their mental health is visibly tied to their tan—it's no longer empowering. It's a Band-Aid on something that needs real healing.
As spray tan artists, we don't have all the answers. We can't fix body dysmorphia or tanning addiction. But we can recognize when we're part of a cycle that's hurting someone. And we can choose to step back, speak up, and prioritize their wellbeing over our bottom line.
Because at the end of the day, we're not just in the business of making people tan. We're in the business of making people feel good. And sometimes, that means knowing when to say, "Let's pause."
Glow should feel good. Not necessary.
