Spray tan in Mill Basin and Bergen Beach, at home or in Midwood

Mill Basin and Bergen Beach are where south Brooklyn throws its biggest parties. The houses are large, the backyards run down to the water, and a bat mitzvah or sweet 16 here can involve twenty relatives getting dressed in the same house. That’s exactly the kind of booking Rosie’s mobile service is built for.

These two neighborhoods sit at the eastern edge of 11234, past Flatbush Avenue and Kings Plaza, with Jamaica Bay on one side and the Belt Parkway on the other. They get their own page because clients here use Rosie differently from the rest of Brooklyn: more house calls, more groups, more events with a photographer and a videographer.

House calls, explained

The rule is simple: five people minimum. Once you have five, Rosie can bring everything to you and tan the whole group in one visit, usually one after another in a room you set aside. The price is quoted per booking, based on how many people, which day and what time. See mobile spray tans for how group bookings work.

Why do Mill Basin families lean on house calls? Mostly logistics. When the girl of honor, her mother, two grandmothers and three cousins all need color, it’s simpler for one person to come to the house than for seven people to find their way to a studio over two days. Everyone tans in turn, has a coffee and goes back to their day.

The events

Bat mitzvahs

A bat mitzvah is often a girl’s first time in front of a professional photographer for a whole evening, and her mother and aunts are in every shot too. For younger girls, many parents choose a light, face-only tan ($50) so the face matches the arms. Whether a 12-year-old gets a tan is a family decision. If she has sensitive skin, check with her doctor first.

Sweet 16s

Sweet 16s here tend to be big, with a hall, a DJ and outfit changes. The birthday girl and her friends often want color together, and making it part of the afternoon before the party is half the fun. Schedule it two days before the event, not the same day; a tan that’s still developing at the party isn’t what anyone wants.

Weddings

Plenty of brides from Mill Basin and Bergen Beach get ready at home, which suits a house call: the bride, her mother and the bridesmaids all in one visit, two days before the wedding. Bridal party tans are $120 per person, a bridal trial is $120, and a $150 deposit holds the date. See the bridal party page.

On the day of a house call

A house call goes smoothly when everyone shows up ready. Ask each person in the group to:

• Exfoliate and shave the day before, not that morning.
• Shower before Rosie arrives and skip lotion, deodorant and perfume.
• Wear something loose and dark to change back into afterward.
• Keep the next 8 hours free of sweating, swimming and showers.

Put the person who has to leave first at the front of the line, and the girl or bride being celebrated wherever she’s least rushed. If anyone is pregnant or has a skin condition, they should check with their doctor before the day.

When to book around the calendar

• Sunday events. Many simchas here fall on Sunday, so the tan goes on Friday morning. Rosie is shomer Shabbat and finishes an hour before sunset, which in winter means mid-afternoon, so Friday mornings book first.
• Spring. The weeks between Purim and Pesach, and again after Pesach, are crowded with bat mitzvahs. Call as soon as the date is set.
• Summer. Some Mill Basin families spend summers at the Jersey Shore. If your event is down there, the Deal, NJ page covers shore bookings.

Coming to the studio instead

For one or two people, a studio visit is often faster than arranging a house call. Drive west on Avenue U past Kings Plaza and keep going through Marine Park; Kings Highway works too. Without a car, the B3 runs along Avenue U and meets the Q. The Midwood address comes by text once you’re booked.

Studio prices: Spray Tan $100, Spray Tan + $150 with the take-home kit, Face Only $50. Full details are on the services page, and brides should start at the bridal hub. Neighbors on the other side of Flatbush Avenue can see the Marine Park page.