How to Host a Spray Tan Party: Bachelorettes, Bat Mitzvahs & More

A spray tan party is a group booking: Rosie comes to your home and tans your guests one at a time, in a private room, while everyone else eats and talks in the next one. Her mobile minimum is five people, each tan takes about twenty minutes, and the party should happen one to two days before the event, not the morning of.

That is the short answer. The long answer is this guide: how to pick the room, how to air it out, who should go first, what your guests should wear, how to time it around a bachelorette, a bat mitzvah, a sweet 16 or a prom, and what to tell people the night before so nobody shows up in a white sundress and a fresh coat of body lotion.

It is written for hosts in south Brooklyn and down the Shore, because that is where Rosie works: the studio is in Midwood, and mobile spray tans go out across Brooklyn and, by appointment, to Deal and the Jersey Shore. The advice travels, though. A good party works the same on Avenue J as it does in a summer rental off Norwood Avenue.

What a spray tan party is (and what it is not)

Picture it less like a salon and more like a fitting. One guest at a time steps into a private room with Rosie. She looks at that person’s skin, asks what they want to look like on the day, blends a solution for them, and sprays. Twenty minutes later the guest walks out in loose dark clothes, the next one walks in, and the party carries on in the kitchen.

What it is not: a conveyor belt with one shade for everyone. Five friends will have five different undertones. The cousin who goes pink in July and the cousin who goes olive in May should not leave with the same color, and a custom blend per guest is the whole reason to book an artist instead of five booth sessions. If you want to know why one-size solutions go wrong, read the orange question.

Mobile party or studio group?

If you have five or more people and a home with a spare room, a mobile party is the easy option. If you have three or four, ask Rosie whether she can fit you into slots close together at the studio. You lose the living-room atmosphere, but you skip the setup, and Rosie’s studio prices are published: $100 for a Spray Tan, $150 for a Spray Tan+ with a take-home kit, $50 for Face Only.

The occasions that suit a party

Almost any event where a group of people will be photographed together. These are the ones that come up again and again in Brooklyn, and each has its own guide.

• Bachelorettes. Often tied to a trip, which changes the timing. See the bachelorette spray tan guide.
• Bat mitzvahs and sweet 16s. The guest of honor, her mother, her sisters, sometimes a grandmother. Parents should start with the bat mitzvah and sweet 16 parent’s guide.
• Prom groups. Five friends, one living room, one Thursday night. The timing and shade questions are in the prom spray tan guide.
• Bridal parties. Bridesmaids, mothers, mothers-in-law. This has its own page: bridal party spray tans.
• Henna nights, vorts and sheva brachot. A wedding can bring several family events in a few weeks, and sometimes a group tan before one of them makes sense. See henna and sheva brachot tans.

How many people, and what it costs

The mobile minimum is five people. Five is the number at which it makes sense for Rosie to travel to you, set up and pack up again. Below five, the studio is the better deal for everyone.

Mobile parties are quoted per booking. There is no published per-person mobile price, and you should be suspicious of anyone who quotes you one before knowing where you live and how many people are coming. The quote depends on things a flat number cannot see:

• How many guests, and whether any are Spray Tan+ or Face Only.
• Where you are. Kings Highway is not the same drive as Deal in July.
• When. A Sunday in June during wedding season books differently from a Tuesday in November, and Friday hours end an hour before sunset.
• How long Rosie will be on site, including setup.

For a sense of the wider market, from booth tans to bridal specialists, read how much a spray tan costs in NYC. For an actual number for your party, call or text (917) 326-0303 with your date, headcount and neighborhood.

When to have the party: the timing rule

This is the part hosts get wrong most often, so it comes before the snacks.

A spray tan is not finished when the guest leaves the room. The active ingredient, DHA, reacts with the top layer of skin over about eight hours. After that comes a first rinse: lukewarm water, no soap. And the color looks its most natural not on the day of the tan but on Day 2, once the cosmetic bronzer has washed off and the developed color has settled. Rosie explains the chemistry in the Day 2 phenomenon.

So the party goes one to two days before the event. Two days is ideal for anything with a photographer. With care, the tan lasts about seven to ten days, so there is no risk of it fading before a weekend event if you tan midweek.

Working around Shabbat

Rosie is shomer Shabbat. She works Sunday to Thursday, 9 AM to 8 PM, and Friday from 9 AM until one hour before sunset. She is closed on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. In practice that sets the calendar:

• Saturday-night event (a prom, a motzei Shabbat party): tan on Thursday.
• Sunday event (many weddings and bat mitzvah parties): tan on Friday morning, two days before.
• Shabbat-morning bat mitzvah with a Sunday party: Thursday covers both, or Friday morning if Sunday matters more.
• Weeknight event: two days before, any weekday.

Winter Fridays are short. If your party falls on a December Friday, expect a morning slot and plan the guest list to fit.

Setting up the room

You need one room for tanning and somewhere else for everyone to wait. Rosie will tell you exactly what she brings and what she needs from you when she confirms the booking, but these are the things worth thinking about before you call.

Pick the right room

• Private, with a door that closes. Guests undress to whatever they are comfortable in. A bedroom, a home office or a finished basement all work. A living room open to the kitchen does not.
• Space to stand with arms out, plus room around it. Clear a patch of floor roughly the size of a large closet, with space for the artist to move all the way around the guest.
• A hard floor, or one you do not mind protecting. A light carpet is the worst choice in the house. Overspray is mostly contained, but bare feet carry color.
• An outlet nearby. Ask Rosie what she needs to plug in.
• Good light. Daylight from a window is ideal for reading skin tone. A dim room with one warm bulb is not.
• A bathroom close by, so guests can change without walking through the party.

Ventilation

Spray tanning puts a fine mist into the air, and some of it does not land on skin. The US Food and Drug Administration lists DHA as a color additive for external use only, not for the eyes, lips or mucous membranes, and notes that the safety of breathing it in as a spray has not been established. At home, you help by choosing a room that can be aired out.

• Choose a room with a window you can open, ideally two.
• Keep the door closed during each tan, then open the window and the door for a few minutes between guests.
• Do not point a fan straight at the person being tanned. It pushes mist around and can dry the solution unevenly.
• Keep children and pets out of the room for the whole party, not just during the spray.

Ask Rosie how she protects eyes, nose and lips during each tan, and anyone who is pregnant or has a respiratory or skin condition should check with their doctor first. Rosie has written separately about spray tanning while pregnant.

Temperature

Warm, not hot. A cold room means goosebumps, and goosebumps mean texture. A hot room means sweat, and sweat in the first hours makes streaks. In summer, run the air conditioning before the party and switch it to a gentle setting during. In winter, warm the room up an hour ahead.

Who goes first: the order of guests

There is no single correct order, but there is a logic. Rosie will have her own view once she sees the group; these are good starting rules.

1. The guest of honor goes first or second. The bride, the bat mitzvah girl, the sweet 16. She gets the freshest attention and the longest time to settle before bed, and she is not stuck waiting while her friends go.
2. Anyone who has to leave early goes next. A grandmother who needs a ride home, a sister with a babysitter clock.
3. First-timers go in the middle. They get to watch two friends come out looking normal, which settles nerves.
4. The host goes last. You will be answering the door and refilling drinks until then anyway.

Build in a few minutes between guests for changing and airing out the room. If the guest list has a hard end time, tell Rosie when you book so the schedule fits.

What guests should wear and bring

Send this the night before. It saves more tans than anything else in this guide. The full version is in what to wear to a spray tan.

To wear

• Loose, dark clothing. A dark robe, oversized joggers, a baggy dark T-shirt. Nothing tight at the waist or the bra line.
• Slip-on shoes or flip-flops. No socks, no sneakers.
• Underwear they will not miss. Old and dark, or a dark swimsuit. Guests choose what they wear during the tan; modest coverage is completely fine.
• Hair tie or claw clip. Long hair goes up.

To skip on the day

• Body lotion, oil, deodorant and perfume.
• Makeup, or as little as possible.
• Light or white clothing on the way home.

The day before

Exfoliate and shave or wax at least a day ahead, so pores have closed and dead skin is gone. The full prep timeline is in the spray tan prep and aftercare guide.

Food, drinks and the party part

This is still a party. A few things keep it from undoing the tans.

• Finger food that is not greasy. Fruit, crackers, sushi, cut vegetables. Oily fingers leave marks on fresh color.
• Straws. Fresh tan plus a sweating glass equals palm prints. Straws and napkins help.
• No dancing, no hot tub, no pool. Sweat and water in the first eight hours cause streaks. Save the dancing for the event.
• Dark towels and throws on the sofa. Your couch will thank you.
• A mirror and good light in the waiting room. People want to look. Let them, under daylight, not a yellow lamp.

After the party: what to tell guests

Every guest gets aftercare instructions from Rosie, but it helps if the host repeats the essentials on the group chat before bed:

1. Wait about eight hours before the first rinse.
2. First rinse: lukewarm water, no soap, pat dry.
3. Sleep in loose dark clothes on old sheets.
4. Do not panic at the bathroom mirror on Day 1. It is meant to look a little deeper and a little uneven until the rinse.
5. Moisturize from Day 2 onward to keep it going for seven to ten days.

Guests who book a Spray Tan+ go home with a kit of tan-safe soap, tan extender and natural lotions, which makes this part easier. Details are on the services page.

The host’s checklist

Two to six weeks before

1. Fix the event date and count back: the party is one to two days earlier.
2. Confirm at least five guests for a mobile booking.
3. Call or text Rosie at (917) 326-0303 with the date, headcount, address area and event. Summer and wedding season fill early, especially in Deal.
4. Ask what she brings and what the room needs.

The week of

1. Choose the room. Test the window. Clear the floor.
2. Send guests the what-to-wear list and the prep reminder.
3. Make sure parents of any guest under 18 know about the party and are on board, and ask Rosie what she needs from them.
4. Remember the cancellation policy: changes need at least 24 hours’ notice. Full wording is on the policies page.

On the day

1. Warm or cool the room an hour ahead.
2. Lay dark towels on seats. Put straws out.
3. Keep pets and small children out of the tanning room.
4. Run the order: guest of honor, early leavers, first-timers, host.
5. Air out the room between guests.

A word on teenagers

Bat mitzvah parties, sweet 16s and prom groups usually include girls under 18. Some teens have breakout-prone or reactive skin, which can affect the blend and the shade, and some parents want to know more before saying yes. Ask Rosie about her approach for younger guests when you book. Rosie has a whole article on what age you can get a spray tan; read it before you invite the whole grade. For guests with acne, eczema or a medication that affects their skin, a quick check with their dermatologist is the right first step.

Why a host makes the difference

The tan itself is Rosie’s job. Everything around it is yours, and it matters more than people expect. The guest who arrives in tight jeans after a morning of moisturizing will not get the same result as the one who arrives in a dark robe, freshly exfoliated, with her hair up. A room that can be aired out is more comfortable for everyone. A party held on Thursday for a Saturday event looks better in photos than one held on Saturday morning.

Get the timing right, send the list, pick the room, and the rest is a good afternoon with people you like. When you are ready, the details for booking are on the mobile spray tan page, or call or text Rosie at (917) 326-0303. There is no online booking, and the person you reach is the person who will tan you.