The short answer

Don’t cancel. Our studio is fully indoors and we spray rain or shine — a wet forecast is no reason to skip your appointment. Rain only matters after your session, while the color develops. We move your car into the spot right by the door (or leave it open for you to park there), walk you out under an umbrella, open your car door, and take the umbrella back — so nothing but the umbrella touches the rain. Wear long pants and closed-toe shoes, go straight home, and stay dry through your develop window. The weather never touches your color.

A client texted this morning, mid-downpour: appointment in an hour, rain coming down in sheets, and she was sure there was no way to get from our door to her car without ruining it. Completely fair worry — and completely solvable. Here’s exactly what we told her.

Florida doesn’t do gentle rain. It does blue sky at noon and a wall of water by two. After fourteen summers of it, we’ve turned “but it’s pouring” into a non-event — because the tan happens entirely indoors, and the only water that matters is the water that hits you after you leave, before your first rinse. Protect that window and the storm outside is just weather.

Should I cancel if it’s pouring?

No. The spray itself happens in a private indoor suite — rain has zero effect on the application. Even if you’re past the cancellation window and nervous about the sky, come in — or reach out first. Text or call us and we’ll pull up the forecast together and, if there’s an opening, shift your appointment earlier or later the same day to catch a dry window. We’d much rather move your time than have you miss your color for an event. The forecast is not a reason to cancel — it’s a reason to text us and read the next two sections.

How we get you from the chair to your car — dry

This is the part people don’t expect. We keep a parking spot right at our door, and we’ll reserve it for you or move your car into it while you’re finishing. When it’s time to leave, a team member walks you out under an umbrella, opens your car door, gets you settled, and takes the umbrella back so nothing but the umbrella ever touches the rain. Forgot yours, or a storm popped up out of nowhere? We keep umbrellas at the salon. The ten wet feet between the door and your seat are the only risk on a rainy day, and we own those ten feet.

What to wear when it’s coming down

Dress to cover skin and to stay loose — the goal is fabric between the fresh tan and the world, without anything tight rubbing the color:

  • Long pants — pajama or scrub pants are perfect. Loose and dark, never white or tight.
  • A rain jacket over a loose long-sleeve top.
  • Closed-toe shoes like tennis shoes — skip open sandals in a downpour so your feet stay dry and streak-free.
  • An umbrella if you have one (we have some if you don’t).
  • Nothing on your skin: skip lotion, oil, perfume, and deodorant on tan day — rain or not.

The rain outside is a non-event. The only water that matters is the water that hits you before your first rinse — and that’s the part you control.

Rain only matters during the develop window

Once you’re home, the tan needs a dry develop window before its first rinse: 1 to 4 hours for the Rapid formulas, 8 to 12 hours for Signature (spray in the evening, rinse in the morning). Plan to go straight home and stay dry — no dashes through parking lots, no walking the dog, no dishes — until that window closes. After your first rinse, rain is completely fine. A developed tan doesn’t wash off in the weather. For the full hot-and-humid playbook, the Florida humidity survival guide is the deep version.

If the forecast looks ugly, book the Rapid

When rain is likely, the Sweat-Resistant Rapid ($63) is the pick: it’s the most water-tolerant formula we offer and it has the shortest develop window — 1 to 4 hours — so there’s simply less time to protect. It was built for Florida summers, which are really just a rainstorm with better lighting. (It still wants a dry develop window; nothing survives a soaking mid-develop.) Not sure which to book? We’ll help you match the formula to your day when you book your spray tan.

So: come in. Wear the pajama pants, bring the umbrella if it’s handy, and let us handle the walk to your car. If you found this because it’s pouring right now and your appointment’s today — that’s exactly who we wrote it for. And if a rained-out beach day left you with a free afternoon, here’s what else to do indoors in St. Pete.