FAQ

Dear Athlete!

This information is mainly for athletes who are preparing for their first competition. We collected all the information that is useful before the first tanning experience.

I. TANNING
Our company, Performance Brands Europe has 10 years of experience in spray tanning for fitness and bodybuilding competitions and related beauty services. We tan at nearly 100 competitions every year - in ~15 countries. Our company also handles the European distribution of Pro Tan, the world #1 tanning cosmetic brand. You can trust our experience and routine because we have been working on the most prestigious professional competitions every year since 2013.
In the following, we go through the tanning procedure point by point!
1.) BOOK YOUR TAN AND SIGN UP!
a.) Where and how?
The first thing you need to do is book your tan at Book Your Tan
Here you will see the competitions in chronological order, which we usually upload 2-2.5 months before the season.
On desktop you will see the following:
b.) Application form
By clicking on ‘BOOK MY TAN’ button, you will be taken to the event page, where you can submit your booking after entering your data.
You can register for an event only once with the same email address. If you left something out of your application or changed your mind (e.g. you missed out makeup or hair), then do not apply with a different email address; write to our customer service: contact@protan-europe.com Write what you would like to add to your application and we will modify it.
Choose your gender
Your choice determines which categories will appear for you.
If you’ll compete at not only 1 category but more, please select the earliest one. If you don't know the category order at the time of booking, that's not a problem either because it can be clarified later.
So choose your category and let's move on!
c.) Briefly about extra on-site services that can be requested. (Where available)
After selecting your category, you can also choose extra services, like make up or hair dresser.
Here we would like to say that only our team is entitled to provide services on-site. Due to the high number of competitors, we are unable to adjust our time table to external make-up artists’ and hairdressers’ appointments. In the following, we will go through the extra services that can be requested in addition to tanning.
d.) Pre-tanning
At most of the competitions we provide pre-tanning on the day before the show. It means that you get one layer as pre-tanning and the second - finisher - layer on the show day or as many as you need to achieve the perfect tone and color.
e.) Tattoo and scar coverage
If you want to cover your tattoo, we'll take care of that too. We advise you to get only those tattoos covered that make your physique asymmetrical or which do not cover an entire part of your body.
We can also cover scars from surgery or accidents, because unfortunately these remain noticeable after tanning. We can also deal with minor wounds, as long as they are in a suitable condition from a hygiene and health point of view! (We do not cover inflamed, open wounds.) Covering time is 10-30 minutes, depending on size.
f.) Service types We usually offer 2 kind of service: - 2 layers (base + top) + stage finish & touch up
It includes 1 layer from Overnight Competition Color Base Coat / Competition Color Super Dark Base Coat, 1 day prior the show and 1 layer Competition Color Top Coat on the morning of the show. If we can’t enter the venue or there is no room provided for the pretanning, we spray both the base- and the top layer on the show day together in a 1:1 mixture of base- and top coat solution. - V.I.P. Tanning Service It includes unlimited layers and touch up. We highly recommend this service to take if 2 layers are not enough for your skin tone.
h.) Payment method and pricing policy
During the booking procedure, you have to pay the half of the price by Online Bank Transfer (SimplePay, Stripe) or PayPal. The other half of the payment should be paid on site by cash or by credit card. Get familiar with our REFUND- AND SERVICE CANCELLATION policy.
2.) GET READY FOR TAN!
a.) Exfoliate and scrub your skin!
Start on the peak week once a day. Exfoliating your skin is an essential step for a beautiful, even tan. During the treatment, the upper, dead layers of the skin are removed, so that the tanning solution can be absorbed evenly into your skin. Use our product called Get Buffed (237ml), which was created to prepare your skin and balance its pH. Use it with particular attention to the neckline, where your skin is thinner and don't forget your back!
Webshop link: Get Buffed Pre Tan Body Scrub
b.) Get rid of your body hair using our cream!
Do not use wax and epilator on the show week. The use of razors is allowed, but don’t cut yourself and don’t get your skin irritated. The best solution is our hair removal cream, Hair Away (237ml), which is gentle to the skin and takes effect in just 4 minutes. Blonde fluff does not necessarily need to be removed - the main thing is that the hair should not prevent the absorption of the tanning solution into the skin.
Webshop link: Hair Away Total Body Hair Remover
c.) Use of lotions and antiperspirants
Please do not use any lotion on the day before your competition! The drier the skin, the better the tanning liquid will absorb into the skin.
However, extremely dry, slough skin is not good either.
The use of antiperspirant deodorant or stick was not allowed until we launched our new products, called: Underarm Odor Defender. You can use it even before pre-tanning and on the morning of the competition day. It smells fresh and pleasant, but don’t use it for everyday purpose, because it will turn your armpits brown due to the DHA content.
Webshop link Underarm Odor Defender
3.) SCHEDULING
We send out appointments for tanning- and beauty services too on Monday, the week of the competition. (latest on Tuesday) You’ll find a Google Drive link to the time table that we continuously adjust based on the request we get after we share.
4.) DAY OF THE COMPETITION
a.) The process of the tanning
Don’t be late! Please arrive 5 minutes before your appointment. Come in loose-fitting clothes and bring your competition suits with you - girls preferably in robes with underwear underneath, boys in loose-fitting t-shirts and trousers. We tan you without clothes, but not naked, as you can ask tanning thongs, nipple cover, hair cap and some other disposable covers. You can also request sticky feet and DHA blocking cream for nails (hands/feet).
Men's Physique athletes can keep their underwear on. You will receive a small plastic basket for your clothes, which you can take with you to the tanning area. Of course, you can also leave your clothes backstage, but we ask for one thing: Do not leave them at the entrance to the tanning area or in the area of the correction tent. Take care of your valuable items, phone and watches. Trainers and coaches cannot enter the tanning area – only the athletes and our tanning staff.
Tanning takes a maximum of 15 minutes - including dressing - then approx. it will take another 15 minutes to get the tan dried. From the tanning tent, we redirect you to the drying tent, which is the same kind of pop-up tent, only a fan/ventillator is placed in front of it. All in all, you can calculate with 30 minutes for the whole procedure.
You should get a thin layer of oil before stepping on stage. Tanning itself is mate and the little glitter brings out the muscle definition and also gives a deeper tone and the browness will richer.
Oil application can take place next to our tanning area or backstage, nearby the stage entrance if the our work station and the stage are
far from each other, 15-30 minutes before your stage time. You can come back at any time during the day for correction or another oil application and we can glue your suits with our products called Bikini Bite.
b.) Beauty services
After tanning, makeup usually follows, then hair dresser. However, tanning and make-up can be switched because our make-up artists know the tone of the tan. On the other hand, we try to do the hairstyle after tanning, because the hair cap can ruin the hair after it’s done. Back to makeup, it will take 45 minutes.
Once the tanning and make-up are done, the on-site hairdresser can come! No preparation is necessary, simply wash your hair in the morning or the night before the competition and don’t apply any product like gel, wax or hair spray. A competition hairstyle can be completed in about 30 minutes.
Follow the official Instagram page of our beauty service: Pro Tan Beauty Services
5.) AFTER THE DAY OF THE COMPETITION
a.) Skin care routine
Tanning can be washed off with water and shower gel at the end of the day (60-70% of it will come off) however, if you want to maintain your tan or if you don't want it to become patchy, follow these routines:
- When you’re taking a shower, don’t use warm or hot water. - You can use soap and shower gel, but do not use scrubs and shower sponges which can scratch the tanning.
- Do not rub your skin with a towel, just sponge up the water from your skin.
- The tanning solution contains alcohol, so it dries the skin. That’s why it is very important to rehydrate your skin after the competition and in the following days, so you can avoid your skin dries out.
Our recommendation is our Sunny Day product, which not only hydrates and cares for the skin, but thanks to the self-tanner in it, maintains most of your tone after the first tan.
Webshop link: Sunny Day Golden Glow Self Tanning Lotion
If your clothes got tanned during the competition, don't worry, Pro Tan is perfectly washable from suits and bikinis.
b.) Maintaining the texture of your skin and your tan between competitions
If you have 1 week until your next competition, you shouldn't exfoliate your skin because your skin will not regenerate in 5-7 days. It is almost impossible to remove the tan from everywhere. If you follow the skin care routine we recommend, the color can be maintained until your next tan.
If you have 2 weeks until your next competition, you can repeat the exfoliation routine you did before your first show. 14 days are usually enough for the skin to renew completely. During the first days of exfoliation, it is advisable to apply a heavier cream to your skin twice a day, which loosens the upper epidermis layers of the skin, so that the remaining tan can be removed much more efficiently. If this is not enough, try out our product called Sunless Tan Remover, which should be applied to dry skin before showering. Leave the foam on your skin for 3-5 minutes, which will give you enough time to loosen stubborn tanning spots.
Webshop link: Sunless Tan Remover

We wish everyone a successful preparation and a season full of results!