It seems that these days, anyone can get a tattoo almost anywhere. But it’s actually not as easy as it might seem, as tattoo artists have some rules about who they are willing to tattoo. The Global Tattoo Artist Association cites three rules all customers should go by: be at least 18, have a parent’s written consent if they are not, and not show up intoxicated.
But some tattoo artists have additional conditions. In a recent thread, tattoo artists and their acquaintances shared instances in which they had to refuse to tattoo someone because it just didn’t align with their morals. Curious to find out what might get you booted out of a tattoo shop? Scroll down and see the most interesting answers!
Mum brought her 15 year old son in because he had a bunch of hand-poked scribbles on his forearm. She was asking about getting a cover-up and he had selected a traditional “3 legged panther”. After having a smoke and thinking about this, I asked her, “if he didn’t have all this garbage on his arm, would you be bringing hom in for a tattoo?” After she said no, I asked, “then why reward his bad behavior with what he wants? Here’s the name of a laser clinic you could take him to. The cost is about the same and you can make him work off the debt.” I’ll never forget the death stare this kid gave me after I ruined his whole scheme. I’ve also refused to tattoo symbols of hate for obvious reasons, but that one with this kid stands out the most.
A friend who is a tattooer once had a kid, maybe 18 or 19, who wanted the numbers his H*******t survivor grandparent had been given. My friend asked him some questions and realized quickly that the kid had no sense of respect for the meaning of the tattoos and just wanted to be edgy.
He says he didn’t give a s**t about the kid but would not disrespect a h*******t survivor that way.
Had a repeat client ask me to schedule her for like 6 different large tattoos. And I mean like full coverage of areas like shins, arms, etc. she was like 19 and had only gotten smaller pieces. She told me she also scheduled similarly with another artist. I asked if she was doing alright and she admitted her bf cheated on her and she got diagnosed with BP. Apparently was in a current manic episode. I returned her deposit and told her in a years time if she still wanted the tattoos I would discount them for her. She does not still want them lol.
No tattoos, but I did witness a rather wholesome version of this while waiting for my best friend to get his latest ink. A teenager came into the local tattoo shop to ask for a tattoo of a girl’s name with all sorts of romantic junk around it. The tattoo artist probably wasn’t sure about the kid’s age, but asked him a few questions – and it turned out the girl wasn’t the boy’s girlfriend. She was his crush, and he planned to permanently ink himself as a way to show how much he cared about her when he admitted his crush. The tattoo artist turned him down flat and gave him a little man-to-man advice.
Husband is a tattooer. He refused a 16 year old who wanted 666 tattooed on his neck. The kids mom was ready to sign for him and everything. He now will not tattoo minors under any circumstances.
Hands, neck and face tattoos on younger people that have zero or very few tattoos. If you’re 19 years old and want the Louis Viton symbol on your face and you’re a line cook, imma say no. That was an actual request.
They’re called job stoppers for a reason, and I was told I was “gatekeeping bodies”.
I was once at a shop while a friend got a new tattoo. There was a guy sitting at the counter looking bored as hell and reading a newspaper. A couple of teenagers walked in holding hands, and nobody looked up or acknowledged them until they stood at the counter for a minute and said, “ummm…” Without moving a muscle, the counter guy said, “… help you?”
“Yes,” the girl replied, “I want ‘PROPERTY OF BUCKLEY’ in big capital letters across my lower back.” Cue 20 seconds of silence. The employee loudly folded his newspaper and stared at her for a bit. Then he slowly looked across at the guy. “And this winner here, this is Buckley?” She flinched and replied, “uh, yes?”
Counter guy picked his newspaper back up and opened it and went back to reading it. “Nah,” he said, in a voice that made it clear the conversation was over, “we’re not doing that.” The kids looked at each other, looked back at him, then sheepishly walked out the door.
I sometimes wonder how things ended up for them, if she went on to get the tattoo somewhere else, or if that employee saved her from some regret down the line.
I had an artist that would flat out refuse *any* name tattoos unless they were your kids, a member of your family, or dead. Didn’t want people stuck with an ex’s name.
Last month, I had a couple come in. The wife was doing most of the talking. He trailed and mumbled behind. After I finished answering her questions about a piercing, he finally said something about how much it would be to add to his tattoo. I ask to see it, and he pulls up a shirt with two confederate flags and a noose on the middle. I, baffled, said, “You want to cover this up?” He goes, “no, I want to add some dates to it. “
Kicked him out. He complained about his tattoo not being racist. Yeah, no.