Just a quick note to say Happy Independence day. I am taking time off this summer, doing work on a house that the wife and I purchased two years ago. Completely gutted, so it is a big project. I am so far behind on email that I am not accepting any more for a few weeks. I hate it, but this is a short term, personal thing. Until I get back, please roam the blog for answers, as there are over 100 articles here and your question may already be answered. Have a great summer, and see you this fall!

Dennis

Dear Friends,

I though today I would add an article that would help in a more general way. I get a lot of emails that are confused about the different parts of a tanning bed’s electronic system, and the relay (or contactor) in particular. This post will cover the most basics of this important, and sometimes faulty part. For our purposes, the terms “relay” and “contactor” are interchangeable and mean the same thing. Both terms are used in the electrical industry.

Dennis
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What is a relay (or contactor) and what does it do?

The contactor/relay is the ON/OFF switch for many tanning bed, particularly older units. Not every bed has a relay, but most with 28 lamps or more, and many with 16 or 24 lamp do have one. They all look different, but the basic operation is the same. They all serve a single function, to act like a “light switch” of sorts, turning the bed on and off. The unit shown is a “reed” style relay, whereas the larger type commonly found in many beds is a “plunger” style. I used the reed style in this example because it is easier to cut apart and show you the principals.

All tanning beds have a timer. In units with a timer but no relay, all the current flows through the timer, then on to the ballasts and lamps. In beds with timers and relays, the timer only carries enough current to turn the relay on and off, and the relay itself carries the full load of current (hense the name “relay”, as in, the control is relayed over to this device).

Relays have three or four basic connects, and an electromagnet:

1. Coil terminals. Two contacts on the relay that are powered by the timer. When these two contacts have electricity put to them, the relay is ON. When you disconnect power (the timer runs out) then the relay turns off. Typical markings are A1 and A2.

2. Line side. This is where the main power from the wall connects to, the “line power”. Relays can have 1 to 4 or more of these terminals, usually numbered something like T1, T2, T3, T4, etc.

3. Load side. This is the other half of the relay that is connected to the ballasts, then lamps. When the coil is ON, power flows across the relay from the LINE side to the LOAD side, thus the unit is on. When the coil is OFF, then the circuit is broken and the bed is off. Relays can have 1 to 4 or more of these terminals, usually numbered something like L1, L2, L3, L4, etc. When the power is on, power flows from T1 to L1, from T2 to L2, etc. but they don’t ever cross. Basically, this is like having multiple switches in a single device.

4. N.O. Normally Off terminal. Most relays don’t use or have this feature, but the ones that do (like the example shown, used in SunMaster beds) then you can have a device to be ON only when the relay is OFF. This sounds counter to what the relay does, but this allows you to have a fan, special lighting or other devices on only when the bed is off. Again, most beds don’t have or use this feature.

5. Electromagnet. This is a coil of wire around an iron core. When you put power to the coil, it flows through this coil of wire and creates an electromagnet. This attracts a metal plate inside, which moves toward the magnet, and acts as the switch. As long as the electomagnet is ON (power applied to the coil) then the unit will make contact and the device will be on. As soon as you stop delivering power the A1/A2 terminals on the coil, it springs back away from the contacts and the bed is off.

Click on this image to open a new window with a larger version of this image. Note, this relay is cut open. You would normally not see the coils and switching mechanisms.

The center post in the image is the line, where the incoming power is connected to. In a reed style relay, this is the part that moves. It normally rests (and connects to) the N.O. contact if so equipped. This provides power to those terminals when the unit is off. When the electromagnet engages, it attracts the metal plate on the right, which pushes the switching plate to the left, disconnects the Line from the N.O. terminal, and instead connects it to the Load. This turns the bed on. (My hand is pushing the plate manually to demonstrate this. Normally it would be to the right when off.)

Ok, not too terribly technical, but that is the basics on how a tanning bed relay/contactor works. Hope this helps you budding technicians!

Dennis

Dear TanningBeds.org,

Is it possible to tan your lips? I would like to permanatly change the color of my lips to shade darker to avoid wearing lipstick everyday or having any cosmetic surgery. Can tanning oil be used on your lips and be effective?

[name withheld]

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Dear Light-Lips,

Wow, good question. I’ve been here 15 years and have never been asked that!. I can’t say for certain, but an educated guess would be that you can’t really tan your lips, per se. Tanning is a function of your skin producing melanin, then oxidizing it (turning it brown). Parts of your don’t produce melanin, including the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. Also, many people get sunburned lips because they have no melanin to offer protection. I don’t think it will hurt to put lotion on your lips and try it, but I wouldn’t bet the farm that they will tan, or if they do, likely they wouldn’t tan very much. If you try, let me know how it works out!

Dennis

Hey Dennis!

I love reading all your responses, they’re always so spunky! My question is if tanning beds lighten hair like the real sun does? Like blonde hair gets blonder when you are out in the sun all summer, or do the UVA/UVB rays not the one that do that? Thanks so much!

Liz
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Dear Liz,

Honestly, at least 50 different “blonde” jokes went through my head when you asked if “Like blonde hair gets blonder” when you use a tanning bed. I bit my tongue so hard, it’s bleeding ;) But I digress. Your question is a very good one, and I haven’t been asked this on the blog before, thus, it is answer-worthy.

The results are pretty similar to what you get in the sun, bleaching. A tanning bed is more intense than the sun, but you stay for shorter periods, so the results are not exactly the same, but similar enough for most people. I personally like the effect for hiding the massive amounts of grey hair I have recently begun to sprout, but I’m a guy, what do I know? They make caps to protect your hair, but any opaque shower cap will due just fine as well. It is very common to cover hair, particularly if you have spent the time and money to perm it or color it.

I have been called a lot of things in my life (including a few things you don’t say in mixed company) but you are the first to call me “spunky”. Your letter gave me a big smile, thank you! This is the time of year when I am putting in double overtime and it is hard to find the time to answer every letter I get (but I still do) and a smile and a compliment is always appreciated.

Dennis

Dear TanningBeds.org,

I feel as though Im a seasoned tanner but I remain confused about different ‘levels’ of beds. What is the difference between a 20 minute 3200 watt bed, a 15 minute 4600 watt bed, and a 12 minute 11000 watt bed as far as my tan goes? Which bed will help me achieve the best tan while maintaining cost efficiency? Is the 11000 watt bed really worth the money? How much better for my tan is the 15 minute bed compared to the 20 minute one? Ive browsed the wed but cant find anything conclusive. I realized theres alot of questions but theyre all necessary!

Thanks!

Sarah

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Dear Sarah,

Very good question and one that can’t have a simple YES/NO answer. First, understand that the concept of “Level 1″, “Level 2″ & “Level 3″ is subjective. There is no real definition of what these actually mean, and in reality, it is very possible to get a better tan in a Level 1 than a Level 2. It is also very possible to get a better tan in a Level 2 than a Level 1. The reason that the “Levels” of tanning beds were created were not solely to give you choices about quality of tan, they were marketing and sales based.

Now, I don’t mean to sound cynical about this, and in most situations, you will get a tan faster in the higher level beds, but I think it is helpful to understand what drove the industry into creating levels of tanning. For salon owners, this lets them offer a low monthly rate for tanning, and gives them the opportunity to “upsell” customers to actually make a profit. As their expenses have gone up, so has the pressure to offer a low monthly charge for base tanning. First lets look at bit at history, particularly with American manufacturers.

In the 1980s, salons would typically have all the same bed, or all similar beds. 24 lamps was the most common. This is why most lamps still come in boxes of 24. Of course, manufacturer’s wanted to sell more beds and sell more expensive beds, so the 26 lamp bed was born. (That’s two more than 24, right? Must be better!). Next, the 32 lamp bed. The 24, 26 and 32 lamp beds were all the same session time, usually 20 minutes. At that time, if you had all 32 lamp beds and the competition had 24 or 26 lamp tanning beds, then you had an advantage because your beds were “better”, bigger and more comfortable. In reality, they did tan better as you got better coverage and more lamps certainly does help you tan faster. All was well.

European makers began building tanning beds with even more lamps AND the new 160W VHOR lamps, with 60% more power a reflector built inside the lamp. The most famous is the Cosmolux VHR (the term VHR is actually trademarked by Cosmedico, which is why other similar lamps are called VHOR). These beds were much more expensive, and tanned you in 15 minutes or so. The solution was to offer them in limited numbers as an “upgrade” for an extra $1 or $2 per session. It was wildly successful. Unfortunately, American manufacturers missed the point. Some offered the same old bed but with higher UVB lamps, and called them “10 minute beds”. Where most lamps were about 4.2% UVB at the time, these new lamps were 6.5%, and they continued to use 100w non-reflector lamps. Unfortunately for them, these beds rather sucked at tanning you. 10 minutes just wasn’t enough time, and when you raise the UVB, you lower the UVA. They went for a quick fix, and the European makers again took the lead by simply producing better equipment. Making matters worse for American manufacturers is the fact that in the 1990s, the dollar was pretty strong so it was relatively cheap to import the better quality beds from Europe anyway. Many salons began using the basic 24 to 32 lamp American beds as “base line” and the higher output European beds as the “upgrade”.

Since then, the concept naturally evolved into 3 levels. In marketing, this makes perfect sense as the “Good”, “Better”, “Best” concept is well known and understood. Again, salon owners can offer you a good tan pretty cheap, and have the ability to give you more for a fee. You can choose. Since they don’t really make any money with the basic packages, all their profit actually comes from lotion sales and upsell fees.

Now, with the background established, we get to your actual question: Are they worth the extra money?. The answer is simple: Maybe. All beds do the same thing, get you tan. Some do it faster than others. Some give you a more sunlike tan than others. Some are more comfortable. When you are paying extra for a Level 2 or Level 3 bed, you are not buying “a better tan”. You are buying a better tanning experience.

The reason most people use tanning beds isn’t just to get dark, and everyone has different priorities when it comes to tanning. Some of us tan because we enjoy the experience, the deep warmth, the relaxation, maybe a short nap. Others are more concerned with just getting a base tan fast. Maybe someone else has the goal of having the darkest tan in the office. For each one of these types, different levels of beds are the right solution.

Personally, I tan in a tanning bed for two reasons: First, I spend a lot of time outdoors with my wife (we both love camping, fishing, etc.), so I like to keep a base tan to reduce the chance of getting sunburned. Second, I enjoy the relaxation and deep penetrating heat. For me, a Level 1 bed is perfect, because I don’t want short session times. I would rather relax for a while when I tan. I might consider spending a little more for a Level 2 bed if it was still 20 minutes and it was bigger and more comfortable. That would be worth an extra buck or two each time I tan. I don’t really worry about how dark I get or how fast I tan, because those aren’t primary concerns for me.

You, on the other hand, likely have very different reasons for tanning, and the best level for you should be decided based on your circumstances. They will all do the same thing in the long run: get you tan. If you are wanting to get exceptionally dark, or get dark as fast as possible, or want to stay in the bed for shorter times, then the higher levels make more sense. If you enjoy “the experience” more, tan very frequently or on a budget, then the Level 1 beds make more sense.

Dennis

Before we get to the question and answer, I want to say that the blog is designed to answer questions about tanning beds and lamps, but sometimes I get a question that is outside our goals, yet so dang interesting, I just have to investigate. This is the winner of the “Most Unexpected Question Ever” award, which I just made up. – Dennis

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Hi Dennis. I have a question you may be able to answer.

I read once about a device used in the early 1900s (It was actually used on the Titanic!) called the “Electric bath”. It consisted of a horizontal chamber, much like an iron lung, with a green case, wooden stand to support it, and UV-lamps inside the green case. I don’t know anything about it and was wondering if you could tell me anything about it.

I believe if you do a google search in images for “Electric bath” or “early sunbed”, there are a few photos floating around, mainly black and white, there is one of an open electric bath on the viewimages website, you may get a glance at the frightening old looking machine.

Thanks for your time mate,

Cheers
-James

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Dear James,

Hello from the other side of the pond, and congratulations for completely stumping me! Additional points for asking the most off-the-wall question about tanning in the history of the blog. This is a new one for me, and I felt it worthwhile to do some research. What I found wasn’t very conclusive, but here are some links and my impressions. Although you don’t mention “water” specifically, most of the links I found DO talk about water being part of the bath.

www.massagemag.com – Annoying pop up ad when you go there, and nothing about UV in the Electric Bath. May or may not be the same thing.

www.victorianturkishbath.org – Talks about the Electric Bath (which they also call a Turkish Bath) and how one from the titanic sold for £900 at Onslow’s Auction sale on 11 April 1990. Very good article. here is a ticket for the Turkish/Electric Bath offered on the Titanic. Again, no mention of UV.

I found US patent #853,033 (Inventor: H. H. Roberts Issued: May 7, 1907)
which is “A portable electric bath cabinet, consisting of a casing open upon one side and closed upon the other sides, groups of different colored electric lamps projecting into the box in a mixed relation…” (phototherapy). It was being referenced in another patent at www.patentstorm.us.

Another patent on that same page, #670,184 (Inventor: W. B. Morrison Issued: Mar. 19, 1901) speaks of a “In a radiant-heat bath, a cabinet provided with an opening, an arc lamp with its arc-forming part extending through said opening into the interior of said cabinet…” which COULD be used for ultraviolet. Arc lamps can produce UV if made of quartz and there is mercury inside, although they produce a great deal of UVC, which is harmful. The time line adds up as well. Again, no specific mention of ultraviolet + electricity + bath combined, per se, in any of these patents.

When all is said and done, I can find lots of info about Electric Baths without UV, including some with other light therapy, and there are enough patents at the time (including #558,394 from J.H Kellogg of breakfast cereal fame, for using light to “cure disease”) I found a great deal more links as well, but all seem to be similar to what else I found.

The conclusion is: The Electric Bath on the Titanic *might* have had UV, but I can’t find any evidence to substantiate it. I find pictures of old sunbeds from 1900, which use high pressure lamps (and no UVC filter, holy cow!) but none combined with a bath. I can find Electric Baths, including some that use light therapy, but none said they used ultraviolet specifically. I am not convinced that the combo of electricty/water/UV was used, or was at least common in the early 1900s. But it might have been ;)

Thanks for submitting a truly interesting question!

Dennis