TORONTO, Nov 9 (Reuters) - When winter comes, residents of Canada's Arctic are more likely to be catching rays in tanning beds than freezing in igloos.
In Iqaluit, Baffin Island, deep inside the Arctic circle, operators of the area's two tanning beds reported that business is always brisk from December to March -- the worst months of the polar winter when the sun sets around 3 P.M.
``I think we need it. We live in houses here, not igloos,'' said Isabelle Benoit, owner of Fantasy Palace tanning salon, who believes she provides an important service for the people of the north.
Suzanne Laliberte, who runs a Baffin Island hair studio also fitted with a tanning bed, said her clients want exposure to the bright indoor lights of the bed, not the Aurora Borealis.
``You can't really suntan outside, we have only six days a year where you can actually do that,'' she said. Besides, she said, its therapeutic.
``The winter is so cold, you need a heat that goes in your body and warms your bones,'' she said.
During the Arctic spring, when it is daylight for almost the entire day, the bright sun and snow give a deep tan to the hands and face, the only body parts exposed tothe blustery outdoors. So before heading south, many people seek out a whole-body tan to even out their appearance.
Laliberte says she even gets the native Inuit coming in for tans.
Benoit says her customers are all in their twenties, but she also attracts a few members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stationed in the north.
As the bad joke goes, Benoit also sells ice cream in the Arctic.
``Tanning, coffee and ice cream. The kids love ice cream, even if its cold outside. It's warm in here,'' she said.
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