{Note: I’ve been meaning to write about my show now for over a week. But, I haven’t been able to sit down and write for the amount of time I’d like in order to capture the entire weekend.

Plus, I’ve still never published a peak week post.

I’ve decided to break my show weekend and my peak week into a series of posts. This way, it’ll be less daunting, and I can get back into the habit of writing daily! I’m going to start with the weekend and then backtrack to peak week.}

We left for Salt Lake City on Friday afternoon (June 9th, 2017). I had check ins/registration, that evening, between 5 and 7 pm. My first two coats of spray tan were scheduled for 7:30 pm.
We arrived at our hotel at about 5 pm so I could take my last shower before getting tan.

I was given instructions to thoroughly exfoliate all of the skin on my body before arriving for my first coats of tan. I was also instructed not to use anything (no lotion, no body spray, no deodorant, nothing!) on my skin after exfoliating and before my tan.

Registration was at the host hotel and we got there at about 6 pm.

I didn’t get a room at the host hotel because I wanted a kitchenette and the host hotel was further away from the venue than the one we decided to stay at.

At registration I got in a line to get my number and my height measured. I was assigned # 69, hahahaha!!!

Promoter swag consisted of two small drawstring gym bags and an event t-shirt.

Next, I got in line for my tan. Ben went back to our hotel so Will could swim because the line was long and they said that once I got back to the tanning tents it would be another 45 minutes (at least) to apply two coats of spray tan and let them each dry.

The spray tan was a crazy experience!

The tans were performed in a large hotel conference room (floors/walls, covered in plastic). The room was lined with rows of one-man, brown, pop-up, doorless tents.

A woman led me down a row of tents each occupied with a naked, lean, muscled body. I tried to look straight ahead so they wouldn’t think I was a weirdo! At the end of the row stood an unoccupied tent with a small fan in the corner pointed upward.

The woman said, “This is where you’ll dry. Take off all your clothes, you can leave them in here. Put a plastic cap over your hair and Cindi will come to get you in a minute for your first coat.”

I did as the woman said. I took everything off, put my hair up, grabbed one of the plastic shower caps pinned to the side of the tent, slapped it on, and then stood there naked listening to the hum of the spray paint guns as other naked bodies were in the process of being spray painted with DHA (Dihydroxyacetone).

{the extravagant view from my drying tent}

It was finally my turn. I was led to another similar tent and instructed to move my body into various positions to make it accessible for even application of the solution. “Now bend over” was one of the most lovely commands. It reminded me of an appointment I had earlier last week, when I’d treated myself to a Brazilian wax.

After I was bronzed from head to toe I was instructed to squat/walk carefully back to my drying tent, with my arms lifted over my head, and hover over my tiny fan in hopes of preventing those dreaded under butt/boob fake tan creases!

After about 15 minutes of drying the entire process was repeated!

By the time my first two coats were complete it was after 9pm. Ben picked me up, we stopped at Sprouts (a grocery store) for precooked chicken breast, rice cakes, and Enlightened (red velvet).

When we got back to the hotel I took a look in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself! Have you ever seen the movie, “The Jazz Singer” with Neil Diamond? It was kind of like that!

I was starving, so we ate our meager meals. I put on loose sweats and an oversized sweatshirt. I wrapped up in an old sheet I brought from home, and laid on top of the hotel bed covers so I wouldn’t ruin the hotel’s bedding with my painted on, easily rubbed off, tan. I managed to fall asleep even though I was beyond anxious!

Glamorous! Right?