It’s time to face facts. Summer is over, and it’s not coming back for a long, long time. So, much like the sun at 4 p.m., your tan is fading fast. But says Bonnie Stone, a healthy glow is possible year round, and her new business of the same name offers an organic way to keep that bronze complexion.

Stone, a Mattapoisett resident, opened Healthy Glow in August. The organic airbrush tanning salon, located at 60 Marion Rd., offers an alternative to the dangerous UV rays in tanning beds as well as spray tans that use questionable ingredients and leave skin with an orange hue.

The formula, produced by Lavish Tan, uses the FDA-approved chemical DHA, but extracts it from apples instead of carrots or beets as many other spray tans do. The browning effect that happens to a sliced apple is used to give skin a natural brown tone.

Stone, who grew up in New Bedford and Mattapoisett, said she began to notice the effects of sun exposure several years ago.

“I’ve been a beach girl my whole life,” said the former lifeguard and surfer.

As a college student in California, Stone began to think more about what went in and on her body. After returning to New England, she sought out spray tanning, but the nearest places were in Providence or Boston. Those tanners often left her skin smelling strongly of chemicals.

Stone began to look for a more natural option and discovered Lavish Tan. Then she thought, maybe she was just the person to open a local spray tan salon.

As the wife to a busy artist, teacher and graphic designer as well as a mother of two young boys, Stone left her job teaching middle school and opened Healthy Glow because it gave her flexibility with her kids while allowing her to promote a product she believes in.

According to Stone, her clients range in skin tone, and they come for a variety of reasons.

With her training, Stone can give clients an even spray tan, and also reduce the appearance of skin conditions such as vitiligo and psoriasis.

“[It can] boost self-esteem. What a wonderful thing to be able to do,” she said.

Some get a tan for an event, some to even out tan lines. Others want contouring for pageants or weightlifting competitions to accentuate certain features and to reduce the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks.

“We sprayed a five-year-old girl and an eighty-two-year-old grandmother,” Stone said.

She said tans last seven to 10 days on average and take 15 to 30 minutes for a regular tan.

Stone is available by appointment and has walk-in hours on Saturdays from 10-1 p.m.

As winter approaches, she’s looking forward to developing her client base, inspiring other to embrace a more natural lifestyle and keeping pasty skin at bay.

“I consider it the ultimate makeup,” said Stone. “It can do so many things for so many people.”

Learn more at healthy-glow-tan.com or contact Bonnie Stone at 774-929-5291 or bonne@healthy-glow-tan.com.