Visiting tattoo artist works out of friend's apartment....

[Vivian]

So I'm scheduled for a tattoo this week. The artist is visiting from another country. He does some very nice tattoos, in my opinion. My hesitation is this: he's staying at his friend's apartment and that's where he tattoos. Do you think this is safe? I'm going to bring someone with me and will try to make sure everything is hygienic and sterilized and use my discretion before anything happens. I just want to get some feedback you guys. He's a very talented artist but there's the question of safety.

[Naiemh]

If he is as talented as you say, don't worry: it's safe.

Also, if you're not sure about it, just question yourself: "will he have nice reviews if he was not safe?"

Search about this artist reviews and you will find out the answer :D

[Vivian]

That's part of problem, I can't find any reviews. But he gets daily requests from around the world for him to come visit their country, if that means anything at all. I agree that if he wasn't safe, someone would say something somewhere. Part of the issue is that he's from Europe, so when I search for his name I probably don't get the sites locals would review him on.

[Graeme]

I wouldn't get tattooed by him, and the red flag for me is the tattoos themselves.

Get the tattoos that excite you, but recognize and have realistic expectations of the longevity of certain kinds of tattoos.

[DJDeepFried]

I would never get tattooed in someone's apartment. This guy doesn't know any tattooers who will let him work in their shop?

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[oboogie]

Yeah, no. Don't do that. Sounds shady and unsanitary.

[Vivian]

So I should cancel? I hate doing that at the last second...

[Dan]

does anyone see any red flags?

honestly some of his art and tattoos are actually kind of cool,

but for me the red flag is getting tattooed in some guy's apartment.

[Naiemh]

I don't understand why are you telling him to cancel :o

I mean, what's the matter with tattooing in an apartment if he sterilizes everything and brings all the necessary equipment?

Maybe try to ask him, I don't know.

I went to see his facebook and he is kind of famous and talented, also he seems to be so experimented, I don't think he would be negligent.

Anyway, ask him if it's safe

[Vivian]

I just cancelled. I feel so bad about it since it's so last minute.

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I don't understand why are you telling him to cancel :o

I mean, what's the matter with tattooing in an apartment if he sterilizes everything and brings all the necessary equipment?

Maybe try to ask him, I don't know.

I went to see his facebook and he is kind of famous and talented, also he seems to be so experimented, I don't think he would be negligent.

Anyway, ask him if it's safe

Even if it wasn't safe, would actually he say so? People aren't always honest.

[oboogie]

@Vivian, I think that was the right thing to do. Any reputable artist would be able to find a local shop to work in. Tattooing in some rando dude's apartment is just unprofessional.

[bongsau]

If you need to ask an internet forum "is it safe" you already know the answer.

Tattoos are exciting. We all agree on that. But don't let that drown out the hesitation present in your voice (words). There are several red flags. First of which is getting tattooed in some random guy's apartment. Yeah, that seems like a legit world class tattooist :/

Your long-term health is far more valuable than "art" or tattoos.

Unless you are fairly experienced with getting tattoo I would be very cautious.

update - you did the right thing

[jdberetta]

There're a whole lot of tattoo artists that absolutely shun people that don't act as a professional, with a proper sanitary shop, a business licence, and an actual location that a customer can come back to if there are issues.

There are tons of tattoo artists that are featured as guests at other shops around the world, but any guy who is travelling to random places and setting up shop in apartments is suspect. If he was actually any good, and had a good reputation, he'd be a guest at shop or could rent a chair at any real shop without issue...

Ask any professional what they think about getting tattooed in an apartment (or anywhere other than a shop or at convention), and see what they say...

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[LizBee]

I second the above, and, like @jdberetta puts it, it is more the question of why he isn't setting up in a reputable shop than "is it sanitary." The has to be a reason, since as an artist it MUST be more comfortable to have proper chairs and equipment available in a professional shop. Perhaps he's a diva, pissed too many folks off, who knows! Or, he wants to be different and break the mold, and feels more comfortable in a home setting. Artists are artists and you can't explain why they do what they do sometimes! You do need to feel very comfortable with what they're doing, however.

His style aside (not my jam), he appears to be a good tattoo artist, and tattoo convention halls are not exactly the most sanitary locations in the world but people get tattoos there all the time. I'm sure clean and sterile conditions could be arranged in someone's home just like they are at Ballroom C in the downtown Marriott where yesterday they had the annual Modern Fertilizer Association Convention.

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I second the above, and, like @jdberetta puts it, it is more the question of why he isn't setting up in a reputable shop than "is it sanitary." The has to be a reason, since as an artist it MUST be more comfortable to have proper chairs and equipment available in a professional shop. Perhaps he's a diva, pissed too many folks off, who knows! Or, he wants to be different and break the mold, and feels more comfortable in a home setting. Artists are artists and you can't explain why they do what they do sometimes! You do need to feel very comfortable with what they're doing, however.

His style aside (not my jam), he appears to be a good tattoo artist, and tattoo convention halls are not exactly the most sanitary locations in the world but people get tattoos there all the time. I'm sure clean and sterile conditions could be arranged in someone's home just like they are at Ballroom C in the downtown Marriott where yesterday they had the annual Modern Fertilizer Association Convention.

[DJDeepFried]

I second the above, and, like puts it, it is more the question of why he isn't setting up in a reputable shop than "is it sanitary." The has to be a reason, since as an artist it MUST be more comfortable to have proper chairs and equipment available in a professional shop. Perhaps he's a diva, pissed too many folks off, who knows! Or, he wants to be different and break the mold, and feels more comfortable in a home setting. Artists are artists and you can't explain why they do what they do sometimes! You do need to feel very comfortable with what they're doing, however.

His style aside (not my jam), he appears to be a good tattoo artist, and tattoo convention halls are not exactly the most sanitary locations in the world but people get tattoos there all the time. I'm sure clean and sterile conditions could be arranged in someone's home just like they are at Ballroom C in the downtown Marriott where yesterday they had the annual Modern Fertilizer Association Convention.

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I second the above, and, like [url=]@jdberetta

puts it, it is more the question of why he isn't setting up in a reputable shop than "is it sanitary." The has to be a reason, since as an artist it MUST be more comfortable to have proper chairs and equipment available in a professional shop. Perhaps he's a diva, pissed too many folks off, who knows! Or, he wants to be different and break the mold, and feels more comfortable in a home setting. Artists are artists and you can't explain why they do what they do sometimes! You do need to feel very comfortable with what they're doing, however.

His style aside (not my jam), he appears to be a good tattoo artist, and tattoo convention halls are not exactly the most sanitary locations in the world but people get tattoos there all the time. I'm sure clean and sterile conditions could be arranged in someone's home just like they are at Ballroom C in the downtown Marriott where yesterday they had the annual Modern Fertilizer Association Convention.

They could make it just as clean but that doesn't mean they will. I'd trust any major convention way more than some random guy's apartment.

[Patrick Bateman]

In my opinion, if the tattoos are good and YOU are happy with them.  Then do it.

People are leaving out the fact that there are some artists that have their "private studio" in their homes.  

Which can correlate as the same concept as "tattooing out of someone's house".  In the end @Vivian you need to decide for yourself if you like this artist.

[DJDeepFried]

It's a moot point, because she already canceled. Which was the right thing to do. Why take a chance?

Again, a reputable tattoo artist with a private studio is not the same thing as a rando dude's apartment. Why is this so hard to grasp?

[oboogie]

What @DJDeepFried said. She absolutely made the right decision. If he's so amazing and so internationally recognized, he'd have friends in the area and a studio to tattoo in. He doesn't. It's shady. End of as far as I'm concerned.

[AverageJer]

Personally, I would be very weary of this but I guess I can see why some artists might like this kind of set up. I think cancelling was the right thing. Getting tattoos is a fun experience so setting yourself up in advance to be uncomfortable with the process is cheating yourself out of a potentially great experience. There are plenty of talented tattoo artists around so there is no reason to risk a bad experience in my opinion.