Spray Tan Equipment: Build the Whole Setup, Not Just the Gun

A spray tan machine is only part of the setup. Before buying spray tan equipment, budget for a compatible applicator, tanning solution, a suitable spray space, overspray extraction, exposure protection and cleaning supplies. This checklist covers handheld and technician-operated systems, not automated tanning booths.

For occasional personal use, first compare a kit with a mobile appointment or a non-spray self-tanner. Our guide to spray tanning from home explains those options. If you want to apply spray tans yourself, use the checklist below to evaluate the whole station—not just the machine.

What belongs in the setup?

Component	What to check before buying
Machine and applicator	Buy a matched system intended for tanning solution. Confirm whether the gun, cup, hose and power cord are included; some handheld designs have no separate hose.
Tanning solution	Choose a formula supported by the equipment supplier, with clear application, storage and rinse directions. Start with manageable bottle sizes rather than a large shade collection.
Spray space	Allow room for the person being sprayed, the operator, equipment and safe movement. Look for washable surfaces, adequate lighting and privacy.
Tent or fixed enclosure	Check the footprint, height, floor material and extraction opening. A tent helps contain overspray and provides privacy; it does not move air by itself.
Extraction and protection	Check how overspray is captured, how fresh air enters the space, and how inhalation and eye, lip and mucous-membrane exposure will be prevented.
Cleaning and spare parts	Obtain the model’s manual, any approved cleaner needed, soft cleaning tools and replacement filters or seals. Check that parts remain available separately.

The distinction between a machine bundle and a complete station matters. For example, Norvell’s M1000 bundle lists a turbine, gun, 10-foot hose, power cord, repair kit, manual, three tanning solutions and training—but no spray enclosure or extraction system. Source: Norvell’s M1000 listing. Its Oasis combines the turbine and gun in a hose-free unit. These are different layouts, not interchangeable shopping lists. Source: Norvell’s equipment guide.

Choose the machine around your workload

HVLP means high volume, low pressure. It uses airflow to turn solution into mist. The label alone does not establish suitability: compare the exact gun controls, maintenance requirements, portability and support for each model. Source: Norvell.

For a shortlist, ask:

• Occasional home use: Can you store the entire station, clean it after use and arrange for someone to spray areas you cannot comfortably reach?
• Mobile appointments: What is the packed weight and size of the machine, tent, extraction equipment and supplies together? Will the hose reach without pulling the turbine into the spray area?
• Repeated salon appointments: What continuous-use limits, cooling intervals and servicing arrangements does the manufacturer specify? Ask about back-to-back use rather than relying only on an advertised “tans per day” figure.
• Any setup: Can you adjust both fluid output and spray pattern? Are replacement cups, needles, nozzles and filters available?

Do not buy around a universal nozzle size or copy another machine’s pressure setting. Fuji’s manual, for example, specifies a 0.8 mm aircap set for its T-PRO bottom-feed and TAN7350 applicators, but 1.0 mm for its T-PRO gravity-feed applicator. Those are model-specific specifications, not rules for every tanning gun. Source: Fuji user manual.

For a brand-specific shortlist, see our Norvell machine comparison.

A tent is not an inhalation-protection system

Size the enclosure before ordering. MaxiMist’s Pop Up Tan Tent, for example, is listed as 4 × 4 × 7 feet, with a separate rear opening for an extraction fan. That footprint still needs additional room outside it for the operator and equipment. Source: MaxiMist tent specifications.

In the United States, FDA permits DHA—the color-producing ingredient in many tanning solutions—for external application, but not in the eye area, on lips or mucous membranes, or through inhalation. FDA advises consumers to request measures that protect those areas and prevent inhalation. An extractor’s presence does not, by itself, establish that those protections are achieved. Source: FDA.

Ask the equipment supplier how its extraction system should be positioned, which filters it needs and when they must be cleaned or replaced. For professional work, obtain appropriate exposure-control and respiratory-protection advice for the solution and workplace; do not assume a generic mask or nose filter is sufficient. Fuji’s manual calls for ventilation and appropriate protective equipment, and directs operators to check the protection provided by their mask or respirator and local requirements. Source: Fuji user manual.

If you cannot arrange suitable protection, choose a non-spray product instead.

Budget beyond the starter-kit price

As of October 14, 2026, Sjolie lists its Apollo Mini Mist Essentials Starter Kit at US$449–$479. The listed contents include the turbine system, applicator, tanning and practice solutions, prep products and training. Check the selected option’s contents rather than treating “starter kit” as a promise that every workspace component is supplied. Source: Sjolie kit listing.

A particularly easy price to misread is an extraction filter kit. On the same date, Sjolie lists one at US$40, but explicitly says the buyer supplies the box fan. It is not a complete powered extractor. Source: Sjolie extraction-kit details.

Your purchasing total should also account for any missing enclosure, extraction equipment, protective supplies, cleaning materials, spare parts, shipping and tax.

Before the first tan—and after the last

Read the exact model’s manual before filling the cup. Fuji recommends practising with plain water to learn its controls; follow your own manufacturer’s procedure rather than treating that as universal permission. Check the voltage, cord, hose and filters, keep the floor dry, and position the turbine away from the spray. Source: Fuji user manual.

Make cleaning access a buying criterion. For the Fuji applicators covered by that manual, daily cleaning uses warm-water flushing, with a small drop of dishwashing liquid allowed for extra cleaning followed by a clean-water flush. The manual prohibits solvents and soaking the entire applicator. Source: Fuji cleaning instructions.

Other guns may have different instructions. Our spray tan gun cleaning guide explains why household cleaners are not universal substitutes. Before checkout, make sure you can obtain—and realistically follow—the maintenance instructions for the equipment you choose.