Determining Which Tattoo Studio and Artist Best Match Your Needs
In the last several years as tattoos have become more popular, more and more people have gone into the business of creating tattoos and opening shops for other artists to work from. Many self proclaimed artists are merely “technicians” who may know best methods and standards when it comes to sanitation and can trace and fill in color for certain basic designs, but are not artists in the true sense of the word.
Depending on where you live you may have to drive many miles to acquire the services of the best local artist and the cleanest, best run shop. When you arrive make sure they are serious about cleanliness and maintain the highest of health standards and take their art seriously.
An example of such a shop is TattooNow (TattooNow.com) in East Hampton, Massachusetts. Not only do they maintain high standards of cleanliness, but they also have some of the best tattoo artists in the country working out of their shop. They also invite well known artists from all over the world to their studio to give their clientele the rare opportunity to have famous European artists create true pieces of art on their personal canvas.
TattooNow also maintains listings of top of the line shops and artists in other states just in case Massachusetts is a bit to far to drive. You should be able to find an artist for every style and genre among their listings, hopefully you can find someone of your liking not far from where you live.
The main thing to look for in a shop is, as mentioned above, cleanliness. It should be regularly inspected by local health officials, usually a local Department of Health or Medical Examiners Office. They should also be members of the Alliance of Professional Tattooists, Inc.(APT). The APT concerns itself with safety and health issues affecting the tattoo industry and encourages programs to educate tattoo artists about standard infection control techniques.
Since there is a chance of spreading communicable diseases through tattoos the APT has developed guidelines for sterilization procedures by working with local, state and national health organizations and advise the following precautions always be followed.
- Check to see that the shop is as clean and orderly as possible.
- Don't hesitate to ask questions about sterilization procedures, your artists experience and qualifications.
- Be sure the tattooists puts on a pair of sterile, disposable surgical gloves before starting.
- Require the artist to install a new, sterile needle, fresh from the sealed packaging in your view before beginning your tattoo.
- Insist on watching the artist of your choice pour ink to be used for your tattoo into new cups.
- A qualified, self confident artist will have no problem allowing you to observe his setup procedures or answering any questions you may have. If you have any doubts about what you observe or the answers you get, walk away and find another shop and artist.
