Sick of salon tanning, Lauren Pyrah discovers a more sociable way to get that all-over glow – without streaks.

FAKE tanning is a choresome bore. It looks great and is well worth the results, but, let’s face it, standing like a statue in a pose worthy of a contortionist for hours is not what a girl wants to be doing on a Friday night.

Then you have to factor in the hassle of the rubber gloves, the barrier cream, the timing and the potential for – shock, horror – streaking and orange palms, and it becomes a feat of militarylike precision and skill.

But worst of all, there’s the smell. That chemically, biscuity smell, which the boyfriend of one of my friends once likened to “meat gone off”, much to her displeasure.

Equally problematic is the salon tan. Facing the world with no make-up and scraped-back hair does nothing for your ego. And drying off for five minutes before having to dress and get back into your clothes is not only far from pleasant and relaxing, it also spells potential disaster for an even glow.

So, when I was asked if I’d like to host a spray tan party, I got straight on the phone to my mates.

As luck would have it, we had a Big Night Out planned for my friend Gemma’s birthday, so I arranged it for the evening before.

The concept is simple but perfect – North-East beauty company Healthy Glow brings a portable tanning booth, solution and spray equipment; you buy lots of wine and nibbles and invite your friends round; you all get spray tanned individually before relaxing in the comfort of your own home for a girlie night in.

Award-wininng Essex-born businesswoman Louise Bell, who now lives in Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, with her husband and children, came up with the concept.

“I’ve always thought tanning is not something that should be done in the salon. It’s a much better treatment for the home,” she says.

“The parties are great – a much more fun and relaxing way of doing it.”

Louise, who is now franchising her spray tan parties across the region, also came up with her own product by doing some do-it-yourself mixing in her bathroom after she was unable to find a tanning productshe was really happy with.

“I found some of the other products on the market really stained your towels and clothes, and I thought, ‘If it does that to your towels, what does it do to your skin?’ “The tan goes on clear, so you don’t get orange marks on your clothes, which is great for brides, and it’s not sticky,” she says. “It’s a very light formula, which is good for older ladies with fine lines.

Best of all, there’s no smell.”

After perfecting the product, she asked Teesside University to analyse the result and now gets it manufactured at a secret location.

The spray tan procedure was pretty similar to most – barrier cream on the hands, knees and elbows; stick-on paper soles on the feet; assume a number of bizarre poses I like to call the spray tan dance; repeat from step three.

But the experience was so much better. When we were done, my friends and I relaxed onto my sofa in the lovely black velour robes provided by Louise, to watch TV and devour wine, crisps and chocolate. Louise even brought us a bottle of fizz to start the party. As my friend, Jayne, put it: “I feel so pampered.”

My friends were impressed, with Gemma suggesting it might become a pre-Big Night Out ritual.

When I awoke the next day, I had exactly what it said on the tin – a streak-free, beautiful, natural- looking, even tan, which was not too dark, nor orange. In fact, it is probably the most naturallooking fake tan I’ve ever had.

At £20 a tan, it’s maybe a little more than you would pay in some salons, but Louise runs an offer where if you invite five or more friends, the hostess gets hers free. Or the discount can be shared between the group.

But to be honest, it’s worth the extra £5 for the experience, which made fake tanning a pleasure, not a chore.

■ To find out more, visit spraytanparty.co.uk or call 07875-726326.