Observations from a Tattoo Studio
Listening to: Shakedown On 9th Street - Ryan Adams
I have just spent the past few hours playing the role of ’support crew’ (with Jeff)
for a couple of friends who got tattoos today. I have been into both tattoo and piercing
studios and I find the experience eye opening.
I was bought up with a number of inarguable rules (many of which I have broken), thou
shall not jump out of a perfectly good airplane at altitude and tattoos are for the
less desirable elements of society. Because I have this bias fairly heavily ingrained
I am always surprised when I watch people work in these studios. It has been my experience
that tattooists and piercers are unerringly professional. It makes sense because of
their exposure to blood… but seeing them in action, both in prep and while performing
their tasks, is really well worth it. They are the very definition of meticulous and
their ‘bed side’ manner is often far better than many doctors or dentists I have dealt
with. For me that jars against my biases… which is something that is worth experiencing
every now and again.
The other thing, in particular, that stuck me today was the number of tourists who
wandered in while I was there. It was like it was something they do when in NZ…
it seems to sit on the to do list next to bungie jumping and jet boating. Just another
‘extreme’ thing to do.
I sat on the couch and hear voices burbling up the stairwell, each some sort of variant
of the Swedish Chef. A gaggle of young people would then emerge and start shifting
around the foyer, nervously checking out the generic designs on the wall. Then there
would be this weird little dance as they tried to both catch and avoid the gaze of
the nearest tattooist. Eventually the recipient of the new tattoo would step forward
and negotiate design and timing around their inevitable departure from Wellington.
