Cop-A-Tan

This place is a rip off artist. When they sign you up, they tell you you put your membership on hold. Turns out you can only do that 7 days prior to the end of the month. All other times you cannot put it on hold. And when you cancel your membership, they can charge you up to two more months depending upont the timing of your cancellation.

I have a confession to make…
After years of poking fun at my more-​generously pigmented friends who spend an inordinate amount of time perfecting their glows by lying in tanning beds, I’m no longer in a position to talk. You see, I’m ghostly pale, and I’ve never been able to tan AT ALL, in the traditional way, or in the «accelerated» way. Back in junior high, I actually lost sleep over this. My classmates called me things like «Casper», and not even being a redhead, I didn’t have an excuse.
During high school, I grew more accepting of this «flaw», and began to embrace my uniqueness (thank goodness for the Dita von Teeses of the world). Years later, and now in SoCal, where being tan is even more the norm, I’d completely stopped noticing the idiot bros who’d make rude comments not-​so-​quietly about my white legs. (Of course, these are the same assholes who hit on me when I’m wearing jeans.)
Then, last year, my perfectionist friend got married in high style. Bridesmaids wore black Richard Tyler gowns, and she requested that we all be tan. I considered causing a stink, but remembered that it was her day, and that I really didn’t want to get kicked out of the wedding party and miss my chance to wear that gorgeous gown. I’d heard about Mystic Tan, and decided to give it a try, assuming it wouldn’t work, like all self-​tanners I’d tried in the past.
Well, low and behold, it did work, and I looked and felt amazing. Not only did I look and feel thinner, but I was suddenly able to wear colors that I couldn’t wear before, in both clothing and makeup. It opened up a variety of options, and I was hooked. I bought a package, and now spend about half my time tan and half my time my traditional white.
Anyway, long story, but Cop-​a-​Tan has become my go-​to place. With the specials they run on packages, I’ve never paid more than $ 10 for a tan here. (The going rate seems to be $ 25 — $ 30 per, with most packages at other places requiring a purchase of 30 tans to get a price that reasonable.) Even though they have only one Mystic booth, I’ve only had to wait once. Unlike the other places I’ve tried, the gals/​guys at the desk are always friendly and helpful, and not at all snotty. They don’t turn their noses up at me when I show up all pale or wearing gym clothes. It’s rad.
(Note: For Mystic, it seems like the level intensity is skewed downward here. For instance, at every other place I’ve been, a Level 1 was perfect for me. At Cop-​a-​Tan, Level 1 barely gives me any color, and Level 2 seems to be the equivalent of Level 1 elsewhere. Just something to keep in mind…)
Parking can be a pain here at the University Center, especially on evenings and weekends due to the movie theater. However, there are plenty of 45-​minute spaces outside Trader Joe’s that are close and work out perfectly.