Can You Get a Pedicure Before a Spray Tan? What to Schedule First
If you're planning a pedicure and a spray tan before a vacation, wedding, or special event, you may be wondering which appointment should come first.
In most cases, schedule your manicure or pedicure before your spray tan.
Pedicures often involve soaking, exfoliation, scrubs, lotions, oils, and massage—all things you generally want to avoid immediately after a fresh spray tan. However, those same products can also leave residue on your skin before tanning, so you'll want enough time between appointments to properly prepare your skin.
At BlushTan San Diego, we recommend treating your spray tan as one of the final steps in your beauty routine.
Should You Get a Pedicure Before or After a Spray Tan?
Get your pedicure before your spray tan whenever possible.
A typical pedicure may include soaking your feet, exfoliating the skin, removing dry skin, applying lotion or oil, and massaging your feet and lower legs.
If you do all of that after getting a spray tan, you could remove or fade color around your feet, ankles, and lower legs.
Scheduling the pedicure first helps avoid disturbing your fresh tan.
Can You Get a Spray Tan Right After a Pedicure?
It's better not to go directly from the nail salon to your spray tan appointment.
Pedicures often finish with lotions, oils, or creams on the feet and legs. Those products may create a barrier between your skin and the tanning solution.
Instead, leave yourself enough time to follow your normal spray tan preparation routine and arrive with clean, properly prepared skin.
For the complete checklist, read our guide to what to do before a spray tan.
Can Pedicure Lotion Affect a Spray Tan?
Yes. Heavy lotion, oil, or cream left on your feet and legs can potentially interfere with how evenly tanning solution contacts your skin.
That's why simply scheduling the pedicure first isn't the only consideration.
You also want to make sure any products used during your pedicure have been removed appropriately before your tanning appointment.
Don't compensate by aggressively scrubbing your feet right before your spray tan. The goal is clean, prepared skin—not irritated skin.
Can You Get a Pedicure After a Spray Tan?
You can eventually return to your normal nail-care routine, but a pedicure immediately after a fresh spray tan isn't ideal.
Think about what happens during a typical pedicure: your feet soak in water, dead skin is exfoliated, and products may be massaged into your feet and lower legs.
Those steps can encourage your sunless color to fade faster in those areas.
If you have an important event coming up, schedule the pedicure before the tan instead.
What Happens If You Soak Your Feet After a Spray Tan?
Water exposure is particularly important while your spray tan is developing.
You should follow the specific rinse instructions provided for your tan and avoid unnecessary water exposure before it's time for your first rinse.
Even after your tan has developed, prolonged soaking and exfoliation may contribute to faster fading.
That's why a long pedicure soak isn't something I'd schedule immediately after getting your spray tan.
Should You Get a Manicure Before a Spray Tan Too?
Ideally, yes.
A manicure usually involves less skin than a pedicure, but there can still be soaking, exfoliation, cuticle products, hand creams, and oils involved.
Scheduling your manicure first means you won't have to worry about those products or processes interfering with a freshly applied tan.
Before your spray tan, make sure your hands are prepared according to the instructions from your spray tan artist.
Will a Spray Tan Stain Your Nails?
Your spray tan artist can take appropriate steps during your appointment to help protect areas where you don't want tanning solution to develop.
If you're concerned about a fresh manicure, nail color, cuticles, or particularly light nail polish, mention it to your technician before the application begins. Our water-based solution doesn’t stain nails.
Don't apply extra oils or heavy creams immediately before your appointment unless instructed to do so, since those products may spread beyond the area you're trying to protect.
What About Gel Nails or Acrylic Nails?
Having gel polish, acrylic nails, or another manicure doesn't prevent you from getting a spray tan.
The more important consideration is the skin surrounding your nails and any lotions, oils, or other products used during your nail appointment.
If you've just had your nails done, make sure you're following your spray tan preparation instructions before arriving for your appointment.
What Order Should You Schedule Beauty Appointments Before an Event?
If you're preparing for a wedding, vacation, photoshoot, or another important event, your spray tan is usually better toward the end of your beauty schedule.
For example:
First: Waxing, massage, manicure, pedicure, and other treatments that involve exfoliation, oils, lotions, or significant contact with your skin.
Next: Follow your recommended spray tan preparation routine.
Then: Get your custom airbrush spray tan.
Afterward: Follow your development and aftercare instructions and avoid treatments that could prematurely exfoliate your tan.
Planning ahead means you don't have to choose between protecting your manicure, pedicure, and spray tan at the last minute.
What If You're Getting a Spray Tan Before a Vacation?
This order becomes especially useful before a trip.
It's common to schedule nails, waxing, a massage, and a spray tan in the days leading up to a vacation. Try not to squeeze everything into the few hours immediately before you leave.
Complete treatments involving water, oils, exfoliation, or significant rubbing of the skin first. Then make your spray tan one of your final appointments.
If you're heading somewhere sunny, remember that a spray tan does not replace sunscreen or protect your skin from UV exposure.
Get a Custom Spray Tan in San Diego
A little planning can help your beauty appointments work together rather than against each other.
If you're getting a manicure or pedicure and a spray tan, schedule your nails first and your spray tan afterward. Make sure any oils, creams, and lotions used during your nail appointment are appropriately removed before it's time to tan.
BlushTan San Diego provides customized airbrush spray tanning at locations in Bankers Hill, La Jolla, and Encinitas.
Explore our spray tanning services or schedule your next custom airbrush tan.
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FAQs
Should I get a pedicure before or after a spray tan?
Schedule your pedicure before your spray tan whenever possible. Soaking, exfoliation, lotions, and massage during a pedicure may interfere with or prematurely fade a fresh tan.
Can I get a spray tan right after a pedicure?
It's better to leave enough time to remove any lotion, oil, or cream used during your pedicure and properly prepare your skin before the spray tan.
Can I get a pedicure after a spray tan?
Avoid scheduling a pedicure immediately after a fresh spray tan. Soaking and exfoliating the feet may cause the color around your feet and ankles to fade faster.
Should I get a manicure before or after a spray tan?
A manicure is also best scheduled before your spray tan, particularly if it includes soaking, exfoliation, oils, or hand creams.
Can you get a spray tan with gel or acrylic nails?
Yes. Gel polish and acrylic nails generally don't prevent you from getting a spray tan. Let your spray tan artist know if you have concerns about your nails or surrounding skin.