One would hope that mature adults would depend on more than just dumb luck when it comes to finding the right joint to permanently scar a part of their bodies. But, one can only hope. And with reality in mind, it’s a pretty safe assumption that in an inebriated haze, lots of folks have stumbled into tattoo shops that slacked on their safety regulations.
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There can never be enough regulations to stop tattoo mistakes like this one.
But the customers wouldn’t be the only ones to blame. The tattoo and body-piercing industry has never been subject to strict licensing regulations in Washington state. This leniency, however, won’t last much longer. And there have been tons of rumors going around the body modification industry about the expected changes.
Last year, the state legislature passed a bill to regulate tattoo and body piercing. The law goes into effect July 1 this year. Among the regulations within this bill: all tattoo artists, body piercers, body artists and their shops have to get specific tattoo licensing; each business will have to pay a fee and fill out an application to get a license, so each artist will now legally have to post a notice of their licensing with contact information for questions and complaints. Prior to this, shops just had to maintain regular business licenses.
Many businesses have already been implementing their own rules, not just for the sake of their customers but also to secure their own health. But for those recklessly unsafe shops, business doors will soon be closing. And Dave Brace, a tattoo artist at Diamond Tattoo and Piercing in Renton, says good riddance to those who might be forced to close down.
“The Department of Licensing isn’t out to fuck us over; they’re just out to regulate the sterilization level, and I’ve been pushing for this for years,” he said. “There are people screwing up all over the state–not artistically, ’cause really that’s subjective. But there are some shops that I’ve walked into that it’s just crazy. And the fees are just enough to keep the department open and to pay the inspectors…and probably won’t affect the pricing of our tattoos.”
Brace wouldn’t give up the names of the shops he hopes close down; he says karma’s a bitch for tattoo artists. But he did pass along a contact for a fellow artist, Sailor Cam Cook, who owns South Tacoma Tattoo and Body Piercing–and isn’t as excited about the changes soon to come.
“What this legislation will do is leave it to the insurance company to decide who can and cannot tattoo. At least it keeps people under one umbrella and sets up a basic standard, but [bill sponsor] Sen. [Jim] Kastama (D-Puyallup) ignored a voice that was much needed–ours,” Cook said. “He’s not really a fan of body modification as far as I understand, and it really became a Machiavellian type thing. He has his own agenda, and now the insurance is in front of the state and the body mod industry is in the dark. …This is just the beginning of something we can hopefully continue to fix.”
**UPDATE: In an explanation of his motives for this bill, Kastama says it’s all about his concern for health: “I approached this strictly from a health perspective. There was really no other motive at all other than to try and bring greater requirements as far as sterilization and hygiene to this issue. … If I can reflect a bit, what I saw happening in the industry were a lot of things that were very invasive… they were engaging in unauthorized practices of medicine. …Enough is enough; we have to have inspections and treat these like the procedures that they are.”
In response to Cook’s concerns regarding the senator ignoring tattoo artists’ voices, Kastama said: “Probably a minimum of eight public hearings have been had on this in the last five years. … What happens is [the tattoo artists] hear about these regulations, and when it comes closer and closer to the time of them being passed, the reality starts hitting them and they start saying they want more time. … They do it just as art, and they don’t want to regulate art. Just try to resolve your thought of that, OK. Look at what’s actually taking place. … I could have very easily passed a weak bill. But I know with my experience that the issue comes up and whether it’s a weak or strong bill, once it passes people don’t want to deal with it again.”
