LEWISTON – So much for the pale winter drudgery of Maine: Local salons have joined those across the country catering to health-conscious crowds in pursuit of a perfect sun-kissed faux glow.

They’re selling spray-on tans.

Ron Kyllonen has 25 to 30 customers coming in each week for a first-time tan or retouch. Owner of Sarah Jeanne’s Family Hair Care, he purchased his air brush unit last summer. Much like a human car wash, his clients stand in a shower stall as Kyllonen sprays top to bottom, side to side, every minute or so having them rotate one-quarter of a turn.

He gets under the arms, around thighs and under chins with the caramel-colored spray.

“If there’s a downfall, it’s perfect, whereas tanning (in the sun) is imperfect,” Kyllonen said.

A full-body session takes about 10 minutes. People can wear bathing suits, underwear or nothing at all. The tans last for about a week, less on aggressive scrubbers.

Ken Sumner saw his first spray-on tan on an episode of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” He went to a salon convention and they were all the rage, so he bought a system for Taboo.

They’ve gotten very popular the last two or three weeks, he said. Both the Taboo salon and Sarah Jeanne’s entered cross-promotional agreements with other businesses – Taboo with Liberty Mutual and Sarah Jeanne’s with The Gallery – to promote their tanning systems.

People see it on someone else and it creates a real domino effect, Sumner said.

The spray isn’t a dye. It’s got the same properties as the self-tanner bought off the shelf, without the tell-tale streaks or embarrassing blotches between the fingers when a user forgets to wash his or her hands right afterward.

There’s several products on the market with varying degrees of the tanning agent, dihydroxyacetone. Sumner said the main ingredients in his tanner are aloe vera and copper, “It’s so much better for a person’s skin.”

Spray-on tans have proven popular among people who have concerns about premature aging or skin cancer from tanning beds, Kyllonen said, though he doesn’t believe tanning causes either.

At his salon, clients dry off for five minutes after a spray-on treatment in a tanning bed, emerging slightly tacky and a bit brighter than the end result.

Stacy Campbell’s initial reaction: “You’re like, ‘Whoa, I’m orange.'” But the tan evened out after a shower. It’s recommended people wait at least 4, and up to 22, hours before stepping into water.

According to an Associated Press story, the Spa Association found demand for spray-on tans up 67 percent this year and will take in about $1 million in sales in the U.S.

The average price for one trip is $15. Locally, it ranges from $10 for just the upper torso to $30 for a whole body.

“We’re planning on getting a booth within the next year if it keeps going as well as it is now,” said Sumner. With a booth, customers would get extra privacy and he wouldn’t have to spend time running the air brush.

“Giving the customer the option of choice is important,” said Kyllonen, who’s salon also offers hair cuts, flavored facials and body piercing. “If you don’t continue to grow and give that option, someone is going to do it for you.”

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