TRACY GOUGH
Gough’s initial vision included
owning multiple locations of After Dark
Organic Airbrush Tanning salons, but
funding was an issue. “Banks don’t
typically like to hand over loans to a
20-year-old with no business expe-
rience,” she says. Then she came up
with the idea of making her business
mobile. It took two years before she
fully embraced the concept; four years
into running After Dark, she committed
herself to making her business strictly
mobile and expanding its service areas.
Along the way, Gough made another
important decision. “I finally figured
out that any airbrush solution pur-
chased wholesale wasn’t going to do the
trick,” she says. “I had to be innovative
if I wanted the perfect color and to
achieve the best techniques.”
Gough was originally trained while
working for a major tanning company
at the start of her career. “When I
created After Dark, I wanted to take
the extra measures in getting certified
completely,” she says. “I’ve done train-
ing classes through high-end tanning
companies like Norvell and Aviva,
while still doing personal research on
all the latest trends in the airbrush
tanning world.”
It is no secret that spending hours in
the sun or a tanning bed is not the best
thing for your skin. “I think people real-
ly started to detour from tanning beds
and the sun after the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services issued a
surgeon general’s warning call of action
on skin cancer,” Gough says. “It stated
that skin cancer was on the rise and
that it could be attributed to the
estimated rise in indoor tanning.”
Gough says that with After Dark,
she is able to provide a safe, organic
alternative. “Our mixtures are made
up of water, sugar/sugar cane, green
tea extract, Vitamin E, wheat, oat, soy,
some herbs and aloe, along with per-
fumes to help coat the smell,” she says.
After Dark can also customize its
services to each client’s needs. “Since
we’re mixing the color on location, our
artists are well aware of how the cli-
ent’s skin will react and look once the
airbrush tan is applied,” Gough says. “I
myself have very sensitive skin and a lot
of allergies, so I was very picky when
searching and creating my solution.’’
Before any solution is applied, the
client must also sign a waiver listing
any medical conditions, allergies or
illnesses. “Most people will notify us in
advance if they have severe allergies or
skin conditions,” she says. “If someone
has a lot of allergies, we may recom-
mend a skin test, where one of our art-
ists will come and dab a small section
of an ankle or wrist with the solution
to see if there is any reaction before
proceeding with a full body tan.
“I’m proud to say that After Dark
has never had any complaints of
adverse skin reactions to our airbrush
solution,” says Gough.
“We have our basic colors — light,
medium or dark — but we won’t mix
the solution until we are on location
and can analyze the client’s skin tone,”
says Gough. “Our artists not only mix
the color, but explain how and why
we’re mixing the tones to help the
client understand the process.”
After Dark keeps clients’ informa-
tion on file, so any artist coming to an
appointment can use the same color, or
easily tone it up or down. The airbrush
is available in full- or half-body.
Preparing for an airbrush tan is a
lot simpler than most people assume.
“Exfoliating is the most important thing
to do before your tan,” Gough says.
“When you exfoliate, you’re remov-
ing dead skin and preparing a fresh
new layer that helps the airbrush be
absorbed evenly. This also makes it last
longer and fade much more naturally.”
Gough also notes that waxing, facials
and other skin or body treatments
Gough in a client’s home
should be done 48 hours before the
tan, and that no lotions or moisturiz-
ers should be applied beforehand, as
this can block the solution from being
absorbed fully.
She says After Dark tans last up to
10 days if taken care of properly, with
the color most vivid the first four days.
She recommends making an appoint-
ment a day or two before a big event
or vacation.
“Clients initially schedule through
our website or email, since there is a
lot of information we need to obtain,”
she says. “During the booking, we ask
all clients to review our process page
to know how to prepare for their tan,
what to expect during the appointment
and how to keep it lasting afterwards.
We are usually in and out in about
30 minutes or less.”
“After eight hours, you can hop in
the shower, rinse off the residue and go
back to doing what you normally do,”
Gough says. “You can work out,
relax in a hot tub, go to the beach —
whatever you desire.”
“Right now, we’re in the beginning
stages of starting our product line,”
Gough says. “We are starting off with
a body scrub, a body wash, and a
body lotion — which of course will
be all-natural.”
“We are also planning our self-tan-
ners and tan extenders, which will
come a little while later, but will be
well worth the wait,” she adds. “I don’t
think we will be seeing any store loca-
tions anytime soon, but who knows?
The sky is certainly the limit!” ■
WAYNE MAGAZINE FALL 2019
17