Spray tan for Bay Ridge, worth the drive to Midwood

Bay Ridge has spray tans on 3rd Avenue and 86th Street, and if all you need is a quick base color, one of them may be enough. People drive from Bay Ridge to Midwood for something different: a single artist, a closed door and a blend made for one specific event.

Rosie is honest about the distance. The studio is in Midwood, about 20 minutes away by car when traffic cooperates. This page is for Bay Ridge, Fort Hamilton and Dyker Heights clients deciding whether that drive is worth it, and whether it would make more sense for Rosie to come to them.

Making the trip

By car

Two routes work. The Belt Parkway runs east from the Verrazzano along the water, past Bensonhurst and Gravesend, to the Ocean Parkway exit; from there it’s a short run north into Midwood. The other option is to go inland, east through Bensonhurst to Kings Highway, and follow it across Ocean Parkway. The Belt is faster until it isn’t; on summer Fridays and holiday weekends, the inland route is often smarter.

By train

The R runs along 4th Avenue through the neighborhood but doesn’t go near Midwood. Ride it to 59th Street, switch to the N, and get off at Kings Highway. It works, but it’s a long ride home with fresh color. If you can, get someone to drive you back.

The occasions that bring Bay Ridge in

• Arab-American weddings and henna nights. Fifth Avenue’s Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Yemeni and Egyptian families celebrate with henna nights and large weddings, and the bride and her sisters often want color for both. Plan around both dates. The henna party page walks through the timing. The site is also available in Arabic if a mother or aunt prefers to read the details that way.
• Greek, Italian and Irish family weddings. Bay Ridge has a long tradition of big church weddings followed by a hall reception. The bride wants to glow, and her mother wants to look rested, not tanned.
• Proms and formals. Neighborhood high schools hold proms in late spring, often on a Friday or Saturday. Tan on Wednesday or Thursday.
• Summer on Shore Road. Long evenings on the promenade and weekends at the beach bring in women who want a little color before shorts season.

When Rosie should come to Bay Ridge instead

For one or two people, the drive is easy enough. For a bridal party of six getting ready in a Bay Ridge apartment or a Dyker Heights house, it rarely makes sense for everyone to drive to Midwood at different times. With five or more people, Rosie travels to you and sprays everyone in one visit.

Mobile bookings are quoted individually, because the travel time and headcount change the job. Call with the date, the address and the number of people. Details are on the mobile spray tan page, and bridal parties can also read the bridal party page; party tans are $120 per person.

December in Dyker Heights

Dyker Heights is famous for its Christmas lights, and the whole area has a busy December of holiday parties, office parties and New Year’s Eve plans. Winter skin is at its palest, so a light tan makes a real difference in party photos. Remember that the studio closes early on Fridays in winter, an hour before a sunset that comes before 5 PM, so Sunday through Thursday are the easiest days to get in.

Holiday weeks also overlap with Chanukah, which doesn’t close the studio. Book a week ahead in December.

Weekend timing

Many Bay Ridge weddings are on Saturdays, and the studio is closed on Shabbat because Rosie is shomer Shabbat. That works out better than it sounds: a tan looks best on Day 2, so a Thursday tan is right for a Saturday wedding. For a Sunday event, come Friday, keeping in mind that Friday appointments end an hour before sunset, which in winter is mid-afternoon.

The trial for a bride ($120) should be four to six weeks out, and a $150 deposit holds the wedding date. Start with the bridal hub. If you’re nearer to 86th Street and Bay Parkway, the Bensonhurst page has a shorter route.