With shelter at home mandates, work from home plans, and social distancing, you have probably found yourself with extra time on your hands. Maybe you are spending more time scrolling through social media (remember to keep this within reason to help keep your Coronavirus anxiety at a minimum) and seeing your favorite artists’ feeds filled with gorgeous flash and enticing deals. There’s probably even a piece of art you know would look amazing on your skin. It’s the perfect time to start planning a tattoo project and to support local artists during these unpredictable times, but maybe you find yourself wondering whether it will be safe to get a tattoo once non-essential businesses reopen.
Be reassured, tattooists already have working practices in place to protect clients and themselves from pathogens. What the public are now being told to do to stop the spread of germs, tattooists already do as part of their normal routine before, during, and after tattooing clients. Tattoo artists disinfect and sterilize their equipment and workspaces and wear PPE every time they work on a client. They are well-trained to understand when an area is clean and when it is not and how to handle and clean objects in both areas without cross-contamination. They also know how to correctly clean equipment and dispose of waste, including gloves, paper towels, needles, and ink.
Tattooists are well practiced at infection control already, and artists are careful to avoid cross-contamination and exposure to bloodborne pathogens. All the states that Ink Different Tattoo School operates in, including New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and California, only issue tattoo licenses to artists who have completed a Bloodborne Pathogen Course by an approved assessor, which must be renewed annually. This training covers infectious diseases far scarier than Coronavirus like Hepatitis A, B, and C, staph, and HIV. Each of our studios and all of our staff and apprentices take safety and cleanliness seriously as part of the daily routine, ensuring the health and safety of everyone who visits our studios.
Even before COVID-19, Ink Different Tattoo School has had your health and safety in mind! We published guides for our clients on what to do to ensure you have a great tattoo experience that include how to take care of your health before, during, and after your tattoo appointment. We have always advised that you don’t come in if you are feeling ill or have cold. And of course, that advice is even more important in the age of the Coronavirus.
Ultimately only you can decide how healthy you are feeling and when it is a good time to get your tattoo. If it’s almost summertime and you know you want to spend the season at the beach, you may want to put off that new tattoo. All that sunshine and sand isn’t going to help your tattoo heal. If it’s fall and you are feeling sniffly, it could be a sign that your immune system is fighting something off and you’d be better off drinking tea at home than getting a tattoo. But rest assured, when you’re ready for your tattoo, Ink Different Tattoo School carries out CDC recommended preventative actions to stop the spread of germs all year round, not just during flu season.
Now that you know that our tattoo studios put your health and safety first, why not follow up with your favorite tattoo artist to start planning your next tattoo project? While non-essential businesses remain closed, putting down a deposit on a tattoo is a great way to support your local artists. As soon as these businesses reopen, you’ll be ready to get new ink knowing you’ve supported your community and are being taken care of by highly trained, skilled and caring tattoo professionals.
Be sure to check out our studios’ Instagram accounts and get in touch with your favorite artist to start planning your next tattoo. In NYC? Check out @bodyartsoul in Brooklyn on Morgan Ave. You can see the work from our LA artists at @bodyartsoul_la at our Sunset Boulevard location. Near Philly? Take a look at @bodyartsoulpa in Upper Darby. And for everyone in New England, check out our New Haven studio at @bodyartsoulct.