Beach Bum Tanning, Los Angeles

With all the different skin shades and undertones beneath those shades, skin color is very nuanced. Makeup companies know this and produce dozens of foundation colors. Most tanning salons, however, don't take the little nuances into account when airbrushing bodies. Beach Bum Tanning isn't like those salons. Instead of using airbrush-tanning solutions in only a few shades, its certified airbrush artists can craft more than 150 custom color combinations, giving clients "a natural, healthy-looking glow—making it as realistic as possible," explains Dante Fitzpatrick, the Director of Airbrush Design at Beach Bum Tanning in a recent interview for GQ magazine.

The Allure magazine Best of Beauty–winning salon also relies on Mystic HD booths and open-air VersaSpa booths to gild bodies with vibrant pigment. And since 1986, it has been making East Coast denizens look tan with traditional tanning beds, rather than wrapping them in ALF's fur.