The Fairy Bronze Mother We All Need
It’s that time of year again when we make our seasonal wardrobe shift and bare more skin. This includes our legs that haven’t seen the sun since last September! Ugh, pasty, pasty, pasty. Unless you were lucky enough to go on holiday or spring break…but for the rest of us, what can you do?
One of Stylebook’s most popular articles written a few years ago that still receives a ton of page views is: Help! My Self-Tanner Turned My Legs Green! When I first saw the post, I thought, “What? Is this a thing that actually happens?” Turns out it does. As the post shares, “Self-tanners contain DHA (dihydroxyacetone), which reacts with the amino acids in the dead layer of your skin to turn you a temporary bronzed color. The base of many of these tanners is green to prevent your tan from looking too orange. Once the self-tanner is exposed to oxygen or to too much heat, the guide color turns green. As a general rule, once a self-tanner is opened it has a shelf life of six months.”
So when Katie Kissal reached out and said I had to meet the Fairy Bronze Mother who just opened her first storefront in Alexandria, I was in. Besides, with that moniker, I figured she had to be one pretty cool female entrepreneur, and that our readers would want to know how to get bronze – not green.
A few minutes after I meet Rachel Tyson she asks me if I’m a hugger. “Yes, most definitely,” I say, leaning in. She shares that most people need 10-12 hugs a day to boost their energy and well-being. I’m not sure if I can meet that frequency unless I’m at a party, but I like her outlook.
Some of you may recognize Rachel. She’s pretty well known, not only locally, but on both coasts. Twelve years ago, she began her foray into the spray tan business as a mobile operator. She eventually added an addition to her house with a separate entrance. She also held an extremely taxing job as a hospital administrator. Once she got married she just couldn’t keep working those hours and dove full-time into entrepreneurship.
“People thought I was crazy…and I figured it would take me about two months to write my business plan, but OBS (Organic Bronzing Studio), launched much faster.” Being mobile, she was readily available and even traveled out of the country for weddings.
“I’ve served over 25,000 brides in my life, it’s for them. From bridal parties to Galentine’s Day to Christmas to prom to spring break to date night, there’s so many fun ways to enjoy with friends or feel your most confident for an event.” When her client was invited to a party with a theme of ‘a few of our fave things,’ Rachel shares, “she brought me—we did a spray tan party right there.”
Fairy Bronze Mother, her first walk-in storefront opened last week at 7011-H Manchester Lake Blvd., Alexandria 22310. Anyone can walk in for any service. In addition to custom Spray Tans, other services include VersaSpa PRO Spray Tans, WellFit Skincare Solutions, Poly Red Light Therapy, and coming soon, Fairy Bronze Mother Facial Fridays, with the Glo2Facial machine, that gets you in and out in 30 minutes.
She says when a customer is there, it’s either to tan or for skincare, not both in the same visit. “WellFit is for skincare after a workout, it’s recovery and then many will do red light therapy. WellFit needs to go on top of a tan.”
Rachel calls herself an “event tanner. It’s something you have to upkeep, so we often see more event tanners – someone who stops in when there’s a special occasion or when shorts season begins again.” For future brides, she recommends a trial be done 14 days before the wedding. “This could be for the bachelorette party or bridal shower, but you should have a few weeks to see what works best on your skin.”
When I ask about the surge in popularity for red light therapy, she says, “it's been used clinically for many years, including post-surgery to help with pain reduction, symptom management and inflammation. It became more mainstream in the beauty industry about five or six years ago. And red light does help with sun damage.”
Spring break kicks off her busy season. “We’re all adulting, we don’t see the light of day…everyone is doing anti-aging, so we know to avoid UV. Wear sunscreen, 15 broad spectrum sunscreen at the minimum, but really 30 and higher. I also encourage people to wear UV clothing, and to check that there’s SPF in their chapstick. Nobody ever thinks about protecting their lips, but you need to protect the vermilion border. Spray tanning is not a protectant.”
Some fun facts about Rachel, she’s also a trained culinary chef who studied in Italy. She makes fresh pasta. Her love language is food, “I love you by feeding you.” She’s originally from Texas, and has lived in Alexandria since 2000. Her husband, a veteran of the Marine Corps, grew up here and most of their family lives nearby. Case in point: her husband’s cousin is opening up a breakfast/brunch spot, First Watch in the same shopping plaza. Kumo Sushi is also right there. If you don’t know, you should know.
Fairy Bronze Mother also offers discounts for military, first responders, teachers and healthcare workers. And it’s not just for the ladies, although 70% of her customer base is female, Rachel is seeing more and more men requesting spray tans.
Tomorrow, Thursday, March 21 marks National Spray Tan Day. To celebrate this, Fairy Bronze Mother will be offering free services all day: 1) Free VersaPro Tans (booth) or 2) Free WellFit (full body skincare, booth) with your choice of one the following: Lift: Collagen boosting properties, smooths skin's texture and reduces appearance of cellulite and surface wrinkles; Hydrate: Hydroboost complex allows the skin to soak up moisture, repairing the moisture barrier; or Recovery: Cooling blend to replenish crucial electrolytes due to physical activity, refueling fatigued skin post-workout. Those who sign up for a membership will get a free pink National Spray Tan box worth over $100 of retail, while supplies last!
Rachel is also offering these same great free services for you to check out all day on Friday, April 5 for their Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting. See you there!
Fairy Bronze Mother, 7011-H Manchester Lake Blvd., Alexandria 22310; Hours: Monday and Tuesday: 12-7pm; Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 10am-8pm and Saturday 10am-5pm. Closed on Sundays.
