I was very touched that my friend from school wanted me to accompany her to get her tattoo in LA. I knew she wanted this for a very long time (years) and that this experience is very personal and significant to her. I don’t really have a strong opinion about tattoos either way. I was just simply glad to be there!
For her permanent ink, she choose Zulu Tattoo, one of the most respected parlors in LA.
Zulu, the main tattoo artist, is famous for his tribal designs and spiritual tattoos. There are many other talented artists in the parlor and my friend chose Christina. I never saw anyone getting a tattoo before and I was thoroughly impressed at how professional and clean the entire process was. My other friend and I stood behind a barrier during the entire session for cleanliness reasons and respect for the artist. Including a 15 minute break in the middle, her tattoo took over four hours to complete.
The Finished Art
Things I learned about tattoos:
– It’s really painful. Tattooing where there is less fat, more muscle, and with bone directly underneath is going hurt way more (Ex: ribs, hands, feet, scalp, etc.). Plus, the artist usually use multiple types of needles that ranges in discomfort. For this tattoo, Christina used a tracing needle and a shading needle. The way my friend described each was that the tracing needle felt like rapid, tiny concentrated stabs and the shading needle felt like aggressive scratching over a larger surface on her skin. Neither seem very pleasant to me.
– Bring a friend. What helped my friend was talking and focusing on carrying out a conversation during the session. If talking is not your thing, then having someone just observe then take care of you afterwards can be very comforting. I would not recommend traveling/driving yourself home since tattoos are very physically and emotionally draining.
– Take a break once in a while to EAT and DRINK. I noticed about halfway through, my friend looked faint and really needed some food in her system. I went across the street and bought some Fönuts (baked donuts) and iced green tea for her. I saw a BIG difference in her energy level afterwards. Plus, it is a good break for the tattoo artist, who is working just as hard.
– If you want a good artist, it’s really expensive. This session was about $150/hr. Tattoos parlors typically require a 50% deposit ahead of time to make sure you are committed to their services. So, you BETTER be prepared to pay that much for a good artist, since the art is PERMANENT.
– Do your research. My friend wanted this particular tattoo for years. Her search for a good artist took nearly that long. Some artists specialize in one type of art, so check out their portfolio in advance to get an idea of their strengths. My friend designed the work herself and went through consultations months in advance, going over every detail of the design with the artist. Plus, some tattoos require multiple sessions and touchup work. A better relationship with your artist will make the experience much smoother for everyone involved.
– Pick a responsible parlor. What I mean by that is that I hope you choose a parlor that has good ethical standards and make sure you are not under the influence or by any means temporarily impaired when you go into your session. There’s a lot of paperwork to fill out prior to the session, so make sure you ask questions if any comes up!
– Make sure the entire process is CLEAN. There are plenty of sketch and gross parlors out there. Don’t even think about getting any needlework done if you think there’s a single chance of blood contamination! The way Zulu treats all clients and guests are that they are diseased and germ-ridden. As a result, they are ridiculously clean and careful.
Again, tattoos are very personal to every individual. I just hope my observations are useful to anyone interested in getting a tattoo in a responsible manner.
On an end note, my friend had an overall positive experience with her session and her artist, despite the pain. To this day, she still gushes on how much she loves her tattoo. As long as you are happy with the end result, that is what’s most important.
Selene 