Former spray tan artist to the stars back in Bangor

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - A former spray tan artist to the stars is now offering her services in Bangor.

Jess Stuart, owner of Glowgetters Custom Spray Tans, is all about promoting positivity.

“Glowgetters is really about empowering women and boosting your confidence and feeling good,” Stuart said. “I try to push positivity on everybody. I have this sign in there that says, ‘You can’t apologize for your body,’ and I really, I stick to that. I don’t want to hear anyone apologize for their body. You don’t have to.”

Originally from Glenburn, Stuart moved to Los Angeles in her early 20s to try something new.

“I guess I just wanted to be in a big city and kind of liked the anonymity of it,” Stuart said.

In LA, she discovered a passion for spray tanning.

“I found this job on Craigslist and I thought it was going to be really sketchy so I almost didn’t go. Six weeks later I was spray tanning celebrities. It was crazy,” Stuart said.

Her clients included reality stars, guests on late-night talk shows, athletes, and more.

“They usually come in with a fake name, and then you realize when you walk in the room. You don’t know where they’re going or what they’re doing,” Stuart explained.

In 2018, Stuart moved back to Maine to raise her son closer to family. She brought her talents, and Hollywood training, back home with her.

“I enjoy spray tanning here more than I enjoyed it in LA, and I loved LA, don’t get me wrong,” Stuart said. “Models and stuff, they already know that they’re hot. But people here, they’re very nervous when they come in. They don’t want to stand naked in front of somebody. You kind of have to ease them into it a little bit. And then when you show them their spray, you can just see their confidence.”

She eventually decided to open her own business. Glowgetters opened in January, but quickly outgrew its original space. In August, Stuart opened her own studio in Downtown Bangor, complete with a mural by Hampden-born artist Elise Frankie.

“I haven’t done very many murals, but that’s something that I really want to start doing a lot more of,” Frankie said. “And so when I saw this opportunity I was like, ‘You know, this is a great way for me to paint a mural in a business in Bangor, an area I grew up in.’ I just thought it was kind of a cool project.”

Glowgetters is more than skin-deep. In addition to providing a fun experience, Stuart wants it to be a safe one. She estimates a quarter of her clients have had skin cancer.

“If you show me that you cancel your tanning bed membership, I will do a spray tan for $8.60 and then I’ll donate that to the Skin Cancer Foundation for the 86% of melanoma cases that are preventable,” Stuart said.

To learn more about Glowgetters, visit Stuart’s website or Instagram. Elise Frankie can also be found online and on Instagram.

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