Here are some things I learned:<\/p>\n
— The ribs are the most painful place to get a tattoo<\/p>\n
— It’s important for a tattoo artist\/body modification specialist to have at least some knowledge of what to do when someone passes out – it is irresponsible to not recognize the signs, because it does happen. There are no laws saying they MUST have this knowledge or pass a CPR course, but the body modification guy thought that was a travesty.<\/p>\n
— Solomon, the tattoo artist, will not tattoo things on people’s hands and feet – because, at least in a cold city like New York, where people have to wear shoes and gloves in the winter, the tattoo doesn’t heal properly and doesn’t last. “Maybe if I was in Florida I would do it, but up here? No way.”<\/p>\n
— If you are tattooing someone who is facing away from you, one of the things to look out for is if the Vaseline placed on the skin being tattooed starts to drip down … that is a sign that the skin is getting clammy, which is a harbinger of someone fainting. The person may not be able to tell you, “I’m feeling woozy” but their body knows, and a good tattoo artist keeps an eye out for that sign.<\/p>\n
— One of the tattoo artists did not get a valid ID until he was 41 years old.<\/p>\n
— The body modification guy doesn’t do “webbing”, where you pierce the web of skin underneath the tongue. He himself has webbing, but he won’t do it on others, due to the risk factor. A girl came in asking for it and he turned her down. “Believe me, I want to take your money, but if you do some research about some of the possible side effects, you will not want this done. It can affect your taste buds forever. You could lose part of your tongue. It’s not worth it for me to do it, and it’s not worth it for you either.” Then she revealed that she was 17 years old (she was very cute, she just couldn’t lie, you could see), and he said, “In that case, I definitely won’t consider it. You’re a minor.”<\/p>\n
— John, the tattoo artist who only recently got an ID, was kind of a scary-looking guy at first, covered in tattooes. Then he put on these little bifocals to look at the computer screen, and we were just in love with him. We talked with him a lot. He rhapsodized to us about his dog, a teacup chihuahua, and told us hilarious stories about the kind of dog people EXPECT him to have, a Doberman, a rottweiler, just because of what he looks like, and then when they see this teeny thing trotting along beside him, they burst out laughing. John is married. He loves his wife. He also rehabilitates dogs who have been abused. Totally traumatized dogs who have been shot, beaten, kicked – he takes them in, and rehabilitates them to the point that they are loving and trustful pets. I love John. Hands as rough as sandpaper.<\/p>\n
— I asked Solomon if they get a lot of wasted drunk people coming in, wanting a tattoo on impulse. He said on the weekends that is a big problem, and they turn a lot of people away.<\/p>\n
— The body modification guy is also a DJ, a very successful one, and he has a baby son.<\/p>\n
— The body modification guy was mopping the floor repeatedly. The sidewalks were wet that day, snow melting, so people tramped across the tile leaving marks. It was a losing battle for him, but he couldn’t help himself. He said to us, “I am definitely OCD. Snowy days drive me batshit because the floor gets so messy.” He then regaled us with a story about his messy roommate and how it drives him insane.<\/p>\n
— I told the body modification guy (I wish I could remember his name) that when I was a teenager, I saw someone walk by me on the streets of Dublin, and the dude had a zipper implanted in his cheek. It blew my MIND. He nodded, understandingly. “I can do that,” he said.<\/p>\n
— Unlike a lot of places, this place is rigorous in checking IDs. John said, and he kind of lowered his voice at one particular word, a gentlemanly way of respecting us as strangers, and as to the topic itself, “You really have to be careful. You can pierce someone’s ears, nose, or lip – anything above the neck – and if they’re underage, it’s okay. But anything below the waist, like nipples or genitalia – if they’re underage, that would be considered statutory rape. We take that very seriously.”<\/p>\n
— I asked the body modification guy about his tattooes, if he designed any himself. He said No, he has a special artist he works with, who creates whatever he wants. They really were beautiful. He showed us the first tattoo he ever got, which embarrasses him now. Three stars on his calf – one yellow, one blue, one red – very rudimentary, almost like a mobile over a baby’s crib. This guy is tough-looking, his body modified as you would expect, and when we saw that crayola-colored burst of stars on his calf that would appeal to any tween, we all started to laugh, him included. I don’t even know the guy but in the time I conversed with him (over about a 3 hour period) I definitely got to know him enough that a primarily-colored STARBURST is not really fitting with his personality. He showed it to us, laughing, rolling his eyes at how lame the tattoo was. Ah, youth!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Here are some things I learned: — The ribs are the most painful place to get a tattoo — It’s important for a tattoo artist\/body modification specialist to have at least some knowledge of what to do when someone passes … Continue reading