Briana Greco, staff writer

During the cold months here in Upstate New York, many people miss the warm feeling of summer and their golden tan from the sun. A popular beauty trick during the cold months, and in our society is the use of the tanning bed.

Lying in the tanning bed for 10 minutes can give someone a tan as if they were in Florida. Although many people like the feeling of being tan all year round, like most things there are some advantages and disadvantages to this activity. A few dangers of the tanning bed can be skin cancer, premature aging, and sunburn.

Since you are lying in a bed with intense bulbs and UV rays, you do face the risk of the consequences. However, there are some pros people accredit to the tanning bed such as acquiring Vitamin D from it. Many people lack Vitamin D during the winter months, which can take a toll on a person’s overall health, but it is said that the tanning bed can help make up for some of the deficiency.

“I usually only go tanning when I have a special occasion like prom or a wedding,” Freshman Jillian Holmer said. “Just when I want to look a little extra tan, definitely not an everyday thing.”

Some people have the same thought as Jillian, but there are many people who go tanning every single day. Most tanning salons have memberships, just like a gym, where you pay monthly to tan as much as you want. It sounds a bit excessive to tan every day, but tanning today has become part of the norm in our society.

Celebrities make it sound “cool”, and being tan is necessary for many people nowadays.

“I personally tan once in awhile, but tanning salons offer other services besides the tanning bed.,” Junior Olivia Osipovitch said. “Most places have ‘sunless tanning’ options such a spray tans. They don’t last as long, but are definitely the safest form of tanning a person can get, and I’m all for that.”

Many tanning salons do offer spray tans, and you can even buy sunless tanning products from the store and do it yourself. Hawaiian Holiday and Zoom Tan are two popular tanning salons in the Utica area and near Utica College, in which many people use to tan. Ultimately, the argument whether the tanning bed is safe or not is left to all the health risks humans face when entering a tanning bed even one time.

Even pop star Taylor Swift said, “I don’t mind being pale.” Many religiously use tanning salons, but many others are saying “no” to the tanning bed to avoid any health hazards down the line. It is all a matter of personal preference, and tanning salons will continue to gain popularity, yet there are those who boycott tanning beds and feel as if the negatives greatly outweigh the positives.