The herpes virus can only live a very short time off the human body.  It's quite certain that tanning beds are cleaned between visits, but even if they weren't, it is difficult to imagine how your genitalia would end up rubbing on the surface of the tanning bed surface.  The buttocks is too thick for virus to enter, in the event that the tanning beds were not cleaned.  There must be direct contact between an infected tissue and uninfected tissue/surface for transmission to occur.  The only inanimate exception to this is a sex toy being used actively between two people.  The surface of the tanning bed is an entirely different matter.  Which type of herpes have you been diagnosed with and was they by swab test or antibody test?

Terri

I just don't see how you would get HSV from a tanning bed.  Did you speak with the location of the tanning bed?

Terri

So just to be clear - you had a swab test and it was positive and typed, HSV 2.  Have you had the recurrences swab tested as well?  Genital herpes can be either HSV 1 or HSV 2 - is your partner negative for both?

Terri

Terri

Terri

There just isn't any logical biological reason that you would acquire genital HSV 2 from a tanning bed.  I am assuming you just laid on the tanning bed? I would like you to do two things: have a recurrence swab tested and typed and also, get an IgG antibody test and see if you have gone from negative to positive. Did you originally have a negative IGG test for HSV 2? Where exactly was the initial outbreak?

Terri

Terri