Forget Florida. As far as Angelenos are concerned, California is the Sunshine State. With all the time we spend on the beach, at the park, hiking in the hills and swimming in pools, it is no surprise that a big part of Los Angeles culture is the ability to get a sun-kissed tan — on a body that looks great showing it off, of course.

This past weekend was Labor Day weekend, a time when we bid farewell to barbecues and pool parties and our commitment-free existences, all the while allowing us to show off as much skin as we can before fall forces jeans and hoodies on us. Besides, who doesn’t want to show off the tan they’ve been working on during the summer?

Before and after · Tired of her pale skin tone, Daily Trojan reporter Shannon McHugh agreed to test out Spray Tan L.A.’s at-home services. The innovative mobile tan business was created by two recent alumnis. - Photos courtesy of Shannon McHugh

Yet, simply being from Los Angeles does not give you the inalienable right to the deep, rich tan worn by many of the city’s residents. It is a privilege, and I am one of those unprivileged — not to mention unlucky — individuals who can’t easily soak up the rays. With next-to-white, natural blonde hair and bright blue eyes, it’s not hard to imagine that my complexion starts as white as linen and, by the end of summer, the best attempt at a tan my skin can muster up is some sort of off-white color with crimson accents. That is why my best bet to get ready for Labor Day weekend fast was a spray tan.

So when I heard about Spray Tan L.A., a new mobile spray tanning company run by two USC alumni, I had to know all about it.

When I called them up and scheduled my appointment, a friendly male voice gave me all of my pre-tanning details: shave all unwanted body hair, exfoliate and don’t apply lotions, deodorants or anything else on the skin. Got it.

A Spray Tan L.A. stylist named Carli arrived at 10 a.m. the next morning with two bags packed to the brim. Once she entered my apartment, she immediately unzipped a circular bag and pulled out a folded up tent-like contraption; with one shake, it popped open into a tent that nearly hit the top of my ceiling.

Shortly after a detailed get-to-know-you conversation about my skin type, tone and what I was looking for in a tan, I stripped down to the nude (what girls will do to avoid tan lines!) in an open-faced tent in the middle of my living room with a stylist spraying a pH-prep spray on my body to prepare my skin for my tan. The conversation was very fluid and natural, like we were girlfriends talking about what we were doing this weekend, though I’m pretty sure most friends have those conversations clothed.

After a good bit of drying off, the tanning portion of the process began. Carli sprayed each side of me in an efficient and perfected way, making sure to avoid over-spraying and streaking. The smell of the spray wasn’t your typical spray tan smell; it had a hint of caramel to it, which I later learned was part of the company’s trademarked, all-organic spray. The whole process, which lasted about 45 minutes, ended with a quick and painless drying process and next-to-nothing clean up.

Simple, fast and easy — just what I was looking for.

Spray tanning has become a popular trend in the past couple years, and tanning salons have begun making a fortune on their various forms of the fad. The Mystic Tan — a UV-free spray tan that allows you to strip down and get into a small room where misters spray both sides of your body evenly — is the most cost-effective option for tanners. Some salons even hire professional airbrush stylists to do the work for you, spraying each side of your body with a close and careful eye — at a higher price.

With all the developments in the tanning world, it was only a matter of time before someone upped the game of the instant tan; and who better to do it than two USC alumni?

Rob Lonardo, a class of 2000 USC alumnus who majored in finance and marketing through the Marshall School of Business, had been a client of the tanning business for two years before he realized that he could improve it.

“I became a spray tan client about two years ago,” Lonardo explained. “An ex-girlfriend of mine got me into it, and I fell in love with it. Spray tanning gave me a confidence and self-esteem that was overwhelming.”

As he got into it, he realized just how much he preferred the airbrush spray tan and stuck to that; when it came time for him to get resprayed, though, he had noticed that normal tanning salons which offered the airbrushing had timing complications.

“The hardest thing to do is to fit a tanning salon stylist into your schedule,” he said. “With their limited hours and limited staff, you need to plan almost two weeks in advance, and sometimes a tan is an impulse buy. You want it now.”

That’s when he and a fellow USC alumnus, Jesse Caetano started their business, Spray Tan L.A., a mobile spray tan service that comes to you, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

“We’ll come to you, anytime, anywhere you need us,” Lonardo said. “College campuses, sororities, fraternities, movie sets, homes, strip clubs, you name it.”

Lonardo’s company also has another incentive to use his company; all of his spray products are completely organic and custom made. None of its products are used anywhere else in the country. It even has trademarked scents — such as Caramel and Coconut Paradise — that come in the sprays to alleviate the chemical-like smell that you would get with a normal spray tan.

The pampered, celebrity airbrush tanning stigma is a thing of the past; at least, that’s what Lonardo and Caetano are trying to accomplish. Their overly trained staff works to the satisfaction of its clients before anyone else, and always gives you what you ask for: elegant and efficient service fast.

More information can be found about Lonardo and Spray Tan L.A. at www.spraytanla.com.