Tanning

It's about 1 million degrees below zero today here in Minnesota and it is supposed to be even colder over the next few days.  Brrrr!  The only good thing about that is that I have a tropical vacation planned so I can think ahead to sunshine, palm trees and warm weather.

Tonight I went tanning for the first time this year.  I always tan for a while before a tropical vacation for a few reasons.  For one thing it forces me to try on my swimsuit in advance rather than waiting to get to my location and finding out that the elastic is ripped, the bottoms are missing or the suit just plain doesn't fit.  It's also good to get a bit of a base tan so that you don't burn on your vacation and spend the rest of the time searching for shade.

One thing I've never understood about tanning salons is that they provide towels and the "used towel" basket  in the room is always full.  Even when I get up to the maximum tanning minutes (which takes me forever!) I never get sweaty enough to need a towel.  Today I finally figured out what the towels are for - covering the mirror!  Duh!  Why didn't I think of that before?  There's nothing worse than seeing your pale, overweight self in a swimsuit and I personally think that putting a full length mirror in the room is just plain mean.

As you drive out of the parking lot at the tanning salon in my little town you see the fitness center right across the street.  That's when you start to think you are being punked.