It was with slight trepidation that I entered the tanning room at Harrods Urban Retreat spa, to have my first ever fake tan.  As a pale and freckly redhead, my skin tone never gained the sun-kissed glow that radiates health and vitality, and I have come to relish my paleness.

But fake tans have come a long way from the original one shade (orange) suits all, and can be tailored to complement skin tones across the colour spectrum from a subtle golden glow to a deep mahogany hue.

Despite the assurances of Victoria (my tanning technician), I was concerned that I would end up looking like an Oompa-Loompa who had managed to escape from the chocolate factory.

As Victoria expertly applied barrier cream to my feet, knees and hands, I couldn’t help but feel slightly awkward making small talk with a stranger while dressed only in paper pants. After assuming the set pose (legs apart, hands outstretched) I was ready for the Sienna X spray tan. It felt feather light and after only ten minutes my tan was finished.  As the colour developed I anxiously checked that my skin hadn’t taken on a mahogany hue, but to my relief the end result was a subtle honey shade.

A week later and my tan has slowly faded with only a hint of patchiness on my knees (that could be down to my negligent attitude towards exfoliation). I have had numerous compliments from colleagues and friends about how natural it looks, but perhaps the impact that it has had on my mental wellbeing has been the most beneficial.  Looking in the mirror I can’t help but think how healthy I look, and I don’t know if it’s because the spring sunshine has finally arrived or the tan, but this pale redhead has definitely felt the benefits of being a sun kissed goddess for a while.

Sienna X Spray tan at Urban Retreat, £45 (020 7893 8333)

Available nationwide (sienna-x.co.uk)