Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Get Stuffed

Tattoo you?

Squeamish tales of permanence part of tattoo appeal

Thinking of getting a tattoo?

These days, strict regulation of tattoo shops by health boards keep worries at bay, but consider some aspects before stepping into that long, leather chair.

"Tattoo" is a word that originated from the Tahitian word tatu, meaning "to mark something."

A cultural tradition which dates back thousands of years outside of North America, tattoo services have been available locally in Whistler for the past eight years.

Black Ohm Tattoo Shop, is open six days week in Function Junction. On a daily basis, tourists and locals walk two flights up to the simply decorated tattoo parlour to have their arms, shins, and torsos adorned.

And the emphasis really seems to be on decoration, versus the concept of willingly undergoing some pain that some of us non-tattooed people envision.

Tattoos are the new portable art of 2002. You get to take the canvas, everywhere you go.

The Pain

Most tattoos heal within seven to 10 days.

"Anyone who tells you it doesn’t hurt, though, is lying or was drunk," says local resident Dan Sabey who sports one on his arm.

"You have to keep perfectly still, and they might hit a nerve ending and you want to pull away but you can’t. You bleed a lot," he adds.

The after care process includes applying a lotion to the tattoo daily, until the scabs soften and fall off.

Sabey got his dragon done at Ace Tattoos on Hastings Street in 1983. He took about two hours to choose a design.

Brian "the Butcher" did the tattoo, whom he describes as a "400-pound biker who wasn’t having the best day."

"He said ‘hey kid, what’s your name’ and I knew I wasn’t going anywhere!"

Most people say that his tattoo looks tasteful.

"The bad boy thing. I’ve had a couple of girlfriends that were kind of attracted to it.

"It’s exciting," he adds.

According to the FAQ on a Web site maintained by Stan Schwarz (www.cs.uu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/bodyart/tattoo-faq/part2.html), "The pain comes from the cluster of needles on the tattooing machine piercing your skin very rapidly.

"You’d be amazed how quickly your body releases endorphins, which dulls the pain significantly."

Interested customers need to inspect an artist’s portfolio closely before obtaining a tattoo of their own.

"Look for any problems in the quality of their work," says one staffer at Dutchman Tattoos of New Westminster.

Tattoo artists say avoid the aspirin and alcohol, which thins the blood, and avoid "scratchers" at all costs.

Scratchers do not have proper training, might promise tattoo art for a low fee, and choose not to apprentice through legitimate parlours.

"Ensure that they have their certification," says the woman from Dutchman Tattoos, "and look closely at the pictures that are available."

Like any investment, a tattoo requires some contemplation.

"Getting tattoos on a whim is not a good idea. Definitely think about it for up to three months," says Robin Dutcher, tattoo artist at Black Ohm.

"Make sure the image really suits you, because it’s like a porthole to your soul."

Dutcher apprenticed under local tattoo artist Sonja Provost.

"I’ve been drawing all my life, and then I got interested in tattoos," says Dutcher, who sports tribal wings across her back in black work, a large wave around her calf to symbolize water, and a sleeve featuring a garden scene with beetle.

"It’s really important that people seek out an artist they like, and look at different artists," says Dutcher.

"Then the relationship between the artist and the client has a good vibe.

"That’s the magical part for me, and that’s when a bond is formed, while you spend a lot of time with someone and get to know them. It’s like a form of therapy," she adds.

A few clients have told her the body part they want done, then asked her to "go nuts" with the design. The result?

"I decided to do an entire torso with a tribal dragon tattoo design."

Aside from the pain, tattoos are traditional keepsakes.

"People want to wear that which means something to them, or to remember someone they’ve lost," says Provost, who has been with Black Ohm Tattoos for the past two years.

Provost says a good parlour is one in which the client and the artist connect.

"You want the artist to connect with the client’s vision. It’s not about an artist trying to push their own style on someone," says Provost.

Tattoo parlours usually have a flash, a series of designs available that line the upper half of their store walls.

Provost completed her apprenticeship at Sea Tramp in Portland, Oregon with tattoo artist Don Deeton, who is something of a legend in the business.

Of the Portland parlour, one visitor says "they will definitely add colour and flare to your body and a conversation to remember."

Initially Deeton admired the high school rebel who sported a tattoo around class.

"There was a kid in high school that actually had a black panther with blood dripping down, and I wanted that," he says.

Deeton, who has been in the business for 30 years, paints a picture of the old days: tattoo parlours covered in glasses of lemonade and cups of coffee, "depending on the time of day," and everyone smoking cigarettes.

"It was fun back in those days, different in a lot of ways when I worked in Long Beach, a port town that was a lot rougher than Portland.

"But there was a lot of camaraderie."

The shops were also extremely competitive.

"This car rolled down the bluff one day, made a left turn and then went through our window!" Deeton recalled.

Turns out a rival shop had hired a stuntman to do some damage.

"I had no idea that was happening, but I knew there was something wrong," recounts Deeton.

These days things are a little more subdued, and considerably cleaner. Standards are maintained by health inspectors and all needles are disposed of once used.

"Nowadays shops are more sanitary," says Deeton.

And there is no stereotype of people getting tattoos.

"We had a lot of women coming in for a while, but I’d say the customers today are 50/50 men and women," says Dutcher.

Popular designs

Twenty-five years ago, cartoon character Bugs Bunny was a popular tattoo, while just 10 years ago it was the Tasmanian Devil cartoon character.

Certain emblems are now popular with Whistler tourists, including snowflakes – a top choice among Americans – and Maple Leafs, popular with local patriots.

"They think about getting one for a long time, and an event like Canada Day might get them pumped (to come in and get one)," says Provost.

Local clients get more serious work done, which might include an entire sleeve that requires several visits throughout the year.

"Just like art, tattooing relates a lot to painting, or anything with the use of colour," Provost says.

Shades of colour and textures are created by the number of needles used, which can range from 1 to 21 needles at once.

"For a block of solid colour, you might use several needles at once, or to shade," she adds.

Native motifs, mandalas and clan emblems are also common requests, in addition to Chinese symbols – dragons are a favourite.

"Finding something that they want to have on their body is part of tattooing," says Whistler artist Dave "Pepe" Petko, currently apprenticing with the Primal Instinct Tattoo shop in Kelowna. He also did some training with Black Ohm.

A tattoo apprenticeship commonly runs between one and three years, depending on the teacher and the artist. It’s a chance for the new tattoo artist to compile a photo portfolio of their work.

"With me, it’s the artwork that appeals. It hurts, and I’m a wimp, but if I can do it everyone can," says Scotty Enberg, who runs Primal Instinct.

"I like the look. I tattoo myself and other people," he says.

Unlike body scarification or branding, which he finds "freaky," Enberg sees tattooing as an art form unto itself.

Enberg, who will not tattoo anyone under the age 18, advises prospective clients check out the cleanliness of the shop and the artist’s portfolio.

"Look at the photos closely," he emphasizes.

A Mexican visitor to his shop was so impressed with the work Enberg did for her daughter, a tattoo on her toe, she ended up getting a tattoo of her own.

"She came in here disgusted, and walked out of here with a hummingbird on her ass!" he says.

The woman was 69-years-old.

"She came back two years later for an orchid!"

"Tattooing is not like it was 30 or 40 years ago. I could do a Robert Bateman print on your body," says Enberg, who has seen one Vancouver lawyer covered head to toe in tattoos, hidden by shirt cuffs.

At Anarchy Ink in Vancouver, the price for a tattoo starts at $70. Prices at several other studios in the suburbs of Vancouver start at around $100 per hour, which is also where Black Ohm’s prices start.

Consider the cost because after all, it’s permanent.

Or is it?

Tattoos can be removed, but the process is expensive and painful. They are removed through the use of lasers. An initial consultation fee at the Lions Laser Skin Centre in Vancouver costs $30, followed by a number of visits at $145 per pop. Time required depends on colour pigment, and size.

 

 

Sidebar

Tracing The Mark: a short history of the tattoo

Apprenticeship has always been a part of the tattoo tradition.

"Tatooing is a traditional passed on from artist to artist, so there isn’t a school course for it," says Sonja Provost.

Some cultural historians attribute tattoos in their earliest form to around 12,000 BC. Ancient Egyptian civilization is considered one of the earliest to pick up tattooing, around the time of the pyramids.

Around 2000 BC, tattooing rose in China. In addition, the Danes, the Norse and the Saxons were known to tattoo family crests.

By contrast, Borneo women tattooed themselves to indicate their particular skill in a tribe.

According to Stephen C. Gilbert in his book, Tattoo History: A Sourcebook, the Spaniards were horrified by idols and images that natives sported as tattoos, a tradition so different from the Euro-Christian upbringing.

But the rebel sailor image arose early too.

Gonzalo Guerrero is mentioned in several early histories of Mexico as one of the only Spaniards ever to be tattooed. He was one of 20 sailors to survive a shipwreck off Jamaica in 1599.

A sailor named William Dampher is credited with re-introducing the practice to the west, when he brought a Polynesian prince, known as the Painted Prince, to exhibitions in London in 1691.

In the 20th century, tattooing was at one time only allowed at carnivals and circus fairs, while tattoo parlours were underground operations.

Today, a tattoo parlour can be shut down by health inspectors if it does not meet regulations.