Horizontal tanning beds are mainly used in residential as well as commercial settings. Horizontal tanning beds come with a lid lined with tubular ultraviolet lamps and a plastic or glass “bench" contoured for optimal relaxation. One can simply lie down, close the lid and permit the ultraviolet light to penetrate into the skin. For even tanning, one simply needs to turn the body over one time halfway through each session.

Vertical tanning beds are another popular type of tanning beds available in the market. Also called stand-ups or tanning booths, these types of tanning beds are easy to use and are very efficient. The interior of the vertical tanning beds is lined with ultraviolet light bulbs in a 360 degree pattern. What you need is to just step inside and close the door. As your body is exposed to ultraviolet light from all sides, there is no need for you to turn your body over halfway through each session.

Majority of the high pressure tanning beds emit more tanning rays (UVA) and less burning rays (UVB). Most of the high pressure tanning beds use lamps made of quartz. This helps the internal air pressure to be higher when compared to conventional ultraviolet lamps. High-pressure tanning beds are found more useful for intermediate and dark skin tones.

All UV lamps come with a marking showing a UVB percentage. That is, if a UV lamp is marked 6% UVB, which means that the lamp emits 6% UVB rays and the remaining 94% UVA rays. This is comparatively a low UVB percentage; that is tans produced with the help of this radiation will be brown and not burned.

The latest tanning beds available in the stores comes with a cooling system, which provides more comfortable during tanning.

Before purchasing any tanning beds, it is advisable to compare the pros and cons of each model. This helps you to purchase a prefect tanning bed which gives you better results without spoiling your skin and health.