Tanning Bed Starters: Do I Need Them?
Most customers ask us the same thing: “Do I need starters for my tanning bed?”
The short answer is — only if your bed runs on 220–250 volt power with magnetic ballasts.
The short answer is — only if your bed runs on 220–250 volt power with magnetic ballasts.
Almost all 110–120 volt home beds don’t use starters at all. A tanning lamp starter is a small timed switch that first heats the filaments at both ends of the lamp, then creates a high-voltage surge that ignites the gas inside the tube. Once the lamp is glowing, the starter stays out of the way.
You’ll know your bed uses starters because you’ll see one small round cylinder plugged in right next to or underneath each lamp. Here’s exactly what they look like:
Tanning lamps starters next to each tanning lamp socket (Example Below):
Tanning lamp starter mounted underneath the lamp near the socket (Example Below):
Pro tip: Always replace all your starters every time you change your lamps. A bad one can cause flickering or shorten your expensive lamp life — and they’re cheap to swap.
Need the right starters for your tanning bed or booth?
Shop our selection below, sorted by lamp wattage. Just determine your lamp wattage and then select 1 starter for each lamp.
4w to 22w Tanning Lamps - Philips S2 Starter
4w to 65w Tanning Lamps - Philips S10 Starter
25w to 100w Tanning Lamps - Philips Body Tone S12 Starter
120w-180w Tanning lamps - Philips Body Tone S16 Starter
400w Facial Lamps - Facial Lamp Ignitor 400w 200-230v 50/60 Hz HZFT