How do I set up a spray tan tent?

The Co-founder of our company, Mitch Bloom, challenged me to set up and take down a spray tent, “Just so I could have the experience.” I’ve heard they were difficult to deal with, but was sure that I could handle it: I nearly lost an eye (and my temper). I’ve decided to put together a short article about my adventure.

Moving it to my “set up” spot

I had two spray tents that I tried out. One was the kind that you can easily find on Youtube, the other was similar, but with a sturdier built frame and with poles made from the stuff high-tension deep sea fishing rods are made from (it was also a much more expensive tent).

I decided to try to move the tent in two ways:

1. In its round carrying case

2. Folded up into thirds so it lies flat, but not “rolled up”. I decided to do this because recently a spray tan consultant confided that this is how she transports hers, rather than stuffing it back into its bag.

The round carrying case is nice, a little awkward to put into the trunk of a small car like mine. Other than that it wasn’t a problem—I began to think that maybe this wouldn’t be that hard after all.

I nearly knocked over a lamp when moving the folded tent and had to set the thing on the ground to open up the door. I can easily see how this could be annoying and unprofessional for anyone with their own mobile spray tan business—instead of looking like I was boxing with a bear, I would want to look like I know what I’m doing, like I have everything under control. 

Set-Up

Set up was pretty easy—both the tents popped right open, and after a little bit of a struggle I figured out that you have to pull the tent out of itself so that it stands upright. This was pretty confusing at first because it doesn’t really look like it should bend that way.

When it was set up, I wrote up a quick article about how I felt the spray tan tent compared to backdrops, which was to say that there is really no comparison.

Fold up instructions:

Take down

If you enjoy something that feels like fighting an angry bear every time you want to spray tan, then a spray tent is the product for you! I felt like an idiot when I was trying to fold the tents back down—even after our president, Mitch Bloom, showed me how it was still a challenge.

For one thing I was terrified that I was going to break the darn thing—its thin, slippery plastic and some tent rods. I mean come on: my dog has torn through a tent like that and not even realized it had walked through something.

The over-complicated nature of this process just makes this a poor choice, especially for mobile businesses. And why bother go through all the hassle if you have easier alternatives anyways?

Walk Away

The last, easiest, and by far most satisfying part of this entire project!

--Good luck to anyone out there with one of these! Feel free to write to me and describe your experiences.