Which of the following is worse?

Risking your technician’s long-term hearing by constantly exposing him or her to 80 to 85 decibels of ear-pounding motor whining… OR, annoying your spray tanning guests who have to listen to the same racket while unpleasantly getting their tans applied… OR, destroying the tranquility of your spa and ruining the experience for the rest of your guests?

The answer, obviously, is ALL OF THE ABOVE. But unfortunately, that’s exactly what you’re guaranteeing when you go with a vacuum-motor-based HVLP turbine spray tanning system.

That’s because vacuum-motor-based turbine machines are loud. Really loud. They have an average sound level of 80 to 85 decibels—the equivalent of a garbage disposal, freight train at 15 meters, a propeller plane at 1,000 ft, or a food blender (see chart below). Fantasy tan equipment, meanwhile, is made from medical-grade compressors that hum along at a pleasant 40 to 45 decibels— about TEN TIMES QUIETER (see chart); about the same as an exhaust fan.

What’s worse is the companies that manufacture these eardrum-splitters have painted themselves into a corner: by enclosing the loud motors in sound-muffling plastic cases (that also attempt to make them look prettier), they raise the level of heat generated to dangerous levels (dangerous to the equipment, that is). That plus overspray getting inside the machine spells double trouble.

Frequent breakdowns and dramatically reduced equipment lifespan is the inevitable result. In fact, the average potential lifespan of Fantasy Tan’s equipment is unlimited, compared with 1.8 years for the vacuum motors. Not to mention the fact that those hot machines will quickly make small salon rooms swelter after an entire day of tanning. Once turbines break down, they are usually unrepairable—or not worth repairing—and need to be replaced.