37. The Hand-Cranked Facial Tanning Machine
Before the luxury of tanning salons and high-tech beds, tanning was an elusive goal for many. Enter the Hand-Cranked Facial Tanning Machine from the 1930s—a contraption designed to bronze your face slowly and manually. The user would place their head inside a cage surrounded by heat lamps and turn a crank to rotate the face in front of the lights.
While the concept promised an even, golden glow, the reality was far less glamorous. The machine was uncomfortable to wear and required tedious manual cranking, which meant tanning sessions lasted forever. Many users ended up with uneven skin tones—imagine one side of your face glowing while the other remained pale, or worse, a painfully sunburned nose! This bizarre device was a painful reminder that sometimes, progress means learning what not to do—and appreciating modern tanning booths all the more.
