THERESA: I'm getting a little sick of winter. Would a session or two at a tanning salon make me feel better? Do you girlfriends ever go in for a little indoor tanning time? What are the risks involved?

YVONNE W: I'm for anything that promotes pampering yourself. Why not!! It's an escape, even if it's for a short period of time. Go for it!!

THERESA: iVillage offers a few words of caution, though... Do any of you ever frequent tanning salons?

JILL: This is one thing I wouldn't do and wouldn't recommend. I know most of us look better with tanned skin, but there's something so phony about a fake tan. I have no problem with long-term cosmetic improvement, such as plastic surgery, and no problem spending money on short-term cosmetic improvement, such as makeup. But tanning seems very repugnant to me, as if it's designed for affluent people who have nothing better to do with their time. At this point, I don't even have patience for a manicure, which is far more vital to good grooming, so I can't imagine spending time in a tanning salon. I think a better solution to the winter blues is to indulge in it: hot baths with wonderful bubbles, logs in the fire, herbal tea, great reading.

ELLEN: I am with Jill. I have to be so very careful because I am so fair that it would never occur to me to go to one of those tanning places.

Then again, I love winter and even though I have two layers of clothes on today, I am enjoying the crisp air and the hustling on the street. It’s even fun to hear everyone complaining about how cold it is. Also I had a great workout at the gym this morning and the place was packed with grumpy people. The cold weather must be bringing people together in places that have physical activity.

I do know my daughter, who is 18, loves to do the tanning bit and goes with a group of girlfriends. This may be one of those age-related practices that I have outgrown. What do the younger women think?

APRIL: I have to tell you I tried that Hollywood Tans 10 second UV-free tan spray and it was totally disgusting., really orange and so uneven I just wiped it off and walked out. So I am at the point now where I would LOVE to get a real tan on a tanning bed, but I am so cautious about the skin. I actually wear 45 in the sun, so I don't know whether I should. It would be nice to get a base before spring though.

WENDY: OK, another perspective. I despise winter, and frankly, I regret that tanning causes cancer -- because I just looooooved it. What is better than baking in the sunshine with a good book and a cold drink -- then plunging into the pool? Can you really say that you don't love the coconut smell of tanning lotion? No, of course I don't tan now, but boy, I miss those days....

THERESA: Ellen, do you worry about the health risks to your daughter when she goes to the tanning salon? I do like going to the gym this time of year partly because it's toasty warm there! Especially after a few miles on the treadmill! I just miss running outside, and unlike other brave souls I see all over the city, I cannot stand running in bitter cold.

ELLEN: No, I don’t worry too much about Kaitlin going to the tanning salon. If she were bronzed, I would. She and her buddies seem to use it as a group activity, an entertaining break. They also do this with manicures and pedicures on occasion. I find that this is an interesting East Coast phenom. In the Midwest during my girlhood, I would never even think of asking my mom for money to go have a pedicure. But it is de rigueur here. Perhaps things have changed in Milwaukee and teens are off having their feet buffed now. I doubt it.

This brings up a great point. I would much rather go have a pedicure than go tanning. Maybe that’s the pick-me-up that girlfriends can use. I have only had two pedicures in my life, both in Philadelphia after age 45. The first one was great. I went with a colleague and we giggled the whole time. The second one was a little weird. I felt like some sort of pampered royal witch. I sat on this throne like chair with my feet in a teeny whirlpool. Really, it was too-too for me. I hear that there are places in town where you can just get a food rub. This sounds heavenly. I’d love to know where this is.

THERESA: I could never get a pedicure. I have hideous calloused runner's feet and a pedicurist would refuse the gig before I could get both socks off!

JILL: Wendy, I love natural tanning, too. A day at the beach with a book is heaven on earth. But going to a tanning salon is a different story. Sporting a natural tan is somehow wholesome; a fake tan seems so hedonistic to me.

ELLEN: I do admit to reading those email about Caribbean vacations that parents who pay college tuition should stay away from. Tanning in the real sun sounds lovely. Going to some closet with a body shaped cavity is just creepy.

THERESA: Yeah. I think you're right. A trip to Florida right now would be a better idea than a session on a tanning bed... I don't care about being tan so much as enjoying a fabulous sunbaked leisurely experience --- which I enjoy even when I'm slathered with sunscreen. By the way, the American Academy of Dermatology opposes indoor tanning and supports a ban on the production and sale of indoor tanning equipment for non-medical purposes. The organization also supports stringent regulation of indoor tanning facilities, including a recommendation that no minor be permitted to use a tanning bed without written consent of a parent or guardian.

LAURIE: I'm a redhead. So that's that. I love the beach, though, so I wear hats and pants and go home from noon to 3 p.m. when the sun's rays are really strong. The idea of a tanning booth is comical to me. You mean I could go out of my way to get sunburned?

APRIL: And one other thing I wanted to add. In the past couple of years, I have probably one made the mistake of getting burned a couple of times, on days when I'm out for a couple hours and don't put my sunblock on fast enough. But each and every time I've gotten burned, I've gotten new noticeable freckles on my shoulders, and I never had freckles before. It just shows me how dangerous, and fast, it is.

LAURIE: Don't get me started on freckles. I hope they're not dangerous - if so, I'm in big, big trouble! But I do get mine checked by a dermatologist periodically.

JENICE: I have but one suggestion, girlfriends - and it's bronzers. These are great products that mimic what sunlamps and lying in the sun do. Just grab one and brush it every where the sun kisses you. Bobbi Brown has one that's supposedly pretty good. Hey, if bronzers work for J.Lo, they can work for you, too. And don't go, "well, that's easy for her to say." Even women with naturally brown skin like mine get the winter blahs. Our skin can lose that bronzey thing that we get in warmer months and the yellow undertones can come out. When that happens to me, I grab the Fashion Fair foundation. I know it can be heavy but if you mix it with lotion, you get that sheer look that's popular right now.

LAURIE: Great idea, though I have yet to find one that isn't too orange-y. But I have only tried 1 or 2 brands. Is there a really good one out there, Girlfriends?

APRIL: I have a cool brand called Visage I got at Sephora, it's at my desk if anyone wants to try.

JENICE: I'm not talking about that fake tanning stuff you see in the stores. It's actually makeup - sort of a cross between a powder and a blush. I pulled this straight out of an old InStyle's magazine: Makeup artist Scott Barnes, known for Creating lit-from-within skin for high-wattage clients such as Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson, Julianne Moore and Lucy Liu recommends: