If you’re choosing between a spray tan and a tanning bed, the safer option is clear: a spray tan uses zero UV, while UV tanning devices are classified by the World Health Organization’s cancer agency as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), the same category as tobacco smoking. That category reflects how strong the evidence is, not how big the risk is, but the evidence is strong. Here’s the honest, side-by-side comparison.
Which Is Healthier, Spray Tan or Tanning Bed?
It comes down to UV exposure. Tanning beds use UV radiation, the same thing the sun uses to tan (and burn) your skin, and Health Canada puts it plainly: “There is no safe way to tan.” A spray tan uses none — your colour comes from a reaction on the surface of your skin, with no radiation involved. In the spray tan vs tanning bed debate, that single difference is what makes a spray tan the healthier choice.
How Much Skin Damage Do Tanning Beds Cause?
Tanning beds cause premature aging, wrinkles, age spots, and a higher risk of skin cancer. According to Health Canada, some tanning beds give off up to 10 times more UVB and, on average, 2 to 14 times more UVA than the midday summer sun, and the WHO reports that people who have ever used a sunbed have a 20% higher risk of melanoma. A spray tan involves no UV: the colour simply fades as your skin naturally sheds.
Which One Looks Better?
This is closer than you might think. A tanning bed builds colour gradually over several sessions, while a spray tan gives you an even, natural-looking glow in a single visit. Both can look great — but only one comes without the health risk. Worried about looking orange? That’s down to the formula, not the method.
Cost and Time
Tanning-bed memberships add up, and you need repeated sessions to build and maintain a base tan. A spray tan gives you full colour in a single 4-minute session in our automated booth, and our memberships keep regular tans affordable.
The verdict is simple: if you want colour without the cancer risk, a spray tan is the only safe choice. Book your session at TANNED TO in Toronto.
Sources
IARC (World Health Organization): Sunbeds and UV radiation · World Health Organization: Restricting sunbeds to prevent skin cancer · Health Canada: Tanning beds and equipment
