A sanitary shop environment

 

The current popularity of tattooing and body piercing has also brought on an increase in potentially hazardous conditions.

For this reason, I am posting the following guideline of what to look out for (in this situation, “artist” refers to both tattooists and piercers):

  • Lighting

    The area must be well-lit so the artist can see what s/he is doing.

  • Counter and floor space should be lightly colored, preferably white so dirt shows up easier.

  • The spray bottle the artist uses on your skin should be disinfected between customers, or some kind of protective film such as Saran Wrap should be used.

  • Disposing needles

    All needles must be either discarded after EACH use (or at least with each new customer), or autoclaved. Many body piercers operate out of small booths and may not have spent money for an autoclaver, in which they MUST dispose of each needle. NO EXCEPTIONS. Reusing piercing needles is equivalent to sharing IV drugs with strangers.

  • Needles touching other things

    The needles, once open from their sanitary packages, must not be placed on unsanitized surfaces. The piercer should NOT set the needle down on the table, or, heaven forbid, DROP THE NEEDLE ON THE FLOOR!!! If this happens, insist they open a new needle.

1 2