As fun and indulgent as tanning may be, you may find yourself wondering exactly how you'll squeeze in your next visit to the tanning salon. The reality is that if you have children or a packed work week, just scheduling an appointment is an overwhelming prospect. This is a truism no matter how pale, sun-starved, and vitamin-D craving you are come March.

Home tanning beds are meant for busy people who require a whole lot more bronze than nature chose to give them. Tanning beds for home, like the tanning beds found in salons, allow you to maintain your tropical-island tan all year round – no matter what your state of North Pole pale. Yet with home tanning beds you can tan conveniently in your own home on your own time. If you are on a work schedule that allows you to be your most creative during the twilight hours, a tanning bed waiting in the basement means that if you feel like tanning pre-dawn, you don’t have to be at the mercy of salon schedules.

The at-home tanning beds on MasterTanning.com are surprisingly affordable – there are Sunquest models that run for as little as $25 a month. That’s less than it costs to commute every few days to the tanning salon. Models vary in cost depending design, features, and strength, which all depend on your personal needs and requirements.

The most important thing to remember with home sunless tanning booths is safety. When you are purchasing home tanning equipment for residential use, you won’t have a spa employee walking you through the directions and timing your sessions. Going beyond the recommended time in the tanning bed or going beyond recommended use can damage your skin. Follow all manufacturer's instructions. As tempting as you may think it is, home tanning beds cannot double as all-night sleep centers. Otherwise your concept of sunburn can take on a whole new meaning. Excessive time in the bed or too frequent visits can lead to permanent skin damage that is a great deal more unsightly than pale skin.

Another important element to remember is comfort. If you are going to spend blocks of time spread out on a surface, find one that is easy to get into and out of. Do the appropriate research and seek out tanning beds that keep you comfortable and cool and are also designed for power and speed. Check out MasterTanning.com’s SunQuest 24RS, which in 15 minutes of exposure gets you warmed with 24 tanning lamps. The SunQuest Wolff Pro 26RS, which has staggered lamps that allow for facial tanning, is great too.

Also look for units that contain features that are ergonomic. All the bells and whistles in the world won’t help if you don’t know how to use it. If you have roommates or live in a tiny apartment, you may want to consider a model that folds up so you don’t have choose between your tanning bed and your real bed.