ORGANIC TANNING
Paramus native Tracy Gough takes her organic spray tans on the road
WRITTEN BY JORAM MUSHINSKE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MITSU YASUKAWA
P
aramus native Tracy Gough,
28, was tired of terrible-look-
ing tans.
She grew up as a “bed tan-
ner” and worked at tanning
salons, mostly for the perks
— free tans. At age 19
19, ho
trip
however, a tri
to the doctor changed her routine.
“A dermatologist
tologist had to remove and
test a small area
rea of my back, which
was a huge wake-up
ake-up call that
it’s never too early to
begin taking care
are of your
skin and body,”
y,” Gough
says. “I quit the tanning
beds and began
an getting
airbrushed (spray-tanned)
spray-tanned)
myself, but I’m
m a very pale
person and no
o colors ever looked
good on me no
o matter what shade
it was.”
Around the same time, Gough began
to feel lost in her everyday routine. “I was
attending college
ege while working two jobs,
and wanted to
o become a criminal psychol-
ogist,” she says.
ys. “All of my friends were
away at college,
ege, joining sororities and
making new friends.
riends. I became a little
depressed feeling
ing like I really didn’t have
a place.”
During a camping
amping trip, Gough had the
idea to start her own company, and the
next day she had it all down on paper.
“I wanted to take
ake the stigma out of spray
tans and appeal
eal to men and women of all
ages and tastes,”
s,” she says. “Forget the
techno music, the Jersey Shore jokes
and the ridiculous-looking
lous-looking dark colors.”
“I never imagined
magined in my wildest dreams
I would become
me a business owner,” she
says. “I’m very
y fortunate to have an
amazing support
ort system of family,
friends and clients.”
ients.”
34
2019 EDITION (201) HEALTH
PALE IN COMPARISON
Gough started her mobile
tanning company, After Dark,
when she was 20 years old.