I see these words posted all over twitter and face book and i am genuinely horrified by what i see in response to them! I see people telling their friends to go to a guy who does tattoos from his bedroom! He says he is licensed but he had to move out of his shop! I also see scratchers as we call them touting for trade on the Internet saying to people they are still learning so they will do the tattoo cheaply! There have been arrests made in the very area i live in because a couple were tattooing out of their dirty house with pets and kids running in and out and that they gave a person hepatitis C which can, in the end kill someone but will be with them for sure for the rest of their lives at the very least!

Lets get a few things out in the open and clear then. There should never be such a term as “cheap tattoo”. A shop will charge you a fair price for a licensed tattooer to do the best job they can for you giving you an excellent picture you can keep on your body forever, if you have picked a good shop that is! A cheap tattoo done by someone who has no training and no understanding of the process and done in a non sterile environment may be cheap in monetary terms but may cost you much more in the long run!

A cheap tattoo done by a scratcher at the least harmful end of the scale will be a bad tattoo done badly that will not look like the picture it should and if you are very lucky it will fade out, thus meaning you have to pay to have the tattoo done again as you now have a nasty blur on your skin. At the high end of the scale the person who did the tattoo always puts ink from past tattoos back in their ink bottles and with the ink goes the diseases that the last customer had! Your cheap tattoo could end up costing you your life at worst or a hospital stay at best but could well endanger your life or mare it permanently.

The reason we have licensed professionals in shops it that they have served an apprenticeship and know about cross contamination and the dangers of bodily fluids and dispose of both needles and old ink after every tattoo. The license is in place to show clients that these health issues have been looked into in this shop and they have been found to know what they need to know to keep their customers safe.

A scratcher has no idea of the harm they can do and are quite happy to do a tattoo for a bag of weed in one case i heard of and in another the tattoo was done for a blow job and this tattoo ended with the woman being tattooed ending up in hospital with an STD. Does this show you what can happen and that unlicensed bedroom tattooists really can effect the rest of your life!

On an artistic level the people not working in licensed places may be the best artists in the world but that doesn’t mean they can tattoo as one does not necessarily follow the other! IT TAKES YEARS OF EXPERIENCE to learn how to draw with a tattoo machine on skin its not the same as drawing on paper.

Sadly most of the scratchers i see on face book and etc don’t even have the artistic flair you need to start in the business let alone progress to a high standard.

I find in this business that a lot of shops don’t help themselves out as they ostracize people who come into them wanting what the tattooist feels is a tattoo beneath their talents. This is another reason so many people tattoo behind closed doors as they don’t want to put up with high and mighty attitudes from people about the tattoo they want! If you work in a tattoo shop you are free to pick and chose your work of course but maybe have a think about the way you react to people’s wants! People come to you looking for something they are excited about and really don’t need to be told they are stupid or they have no idea! If you don’t want to do the work why not just say that you don’t do that genre of tattooing and hope they find someone! Better still work with them to get a tattoo design you are both happy with. That way everyone is happy and feel at ease and that client will then spread good words about your shop and that can only be good.

If you want a cheap tattoo go to a proper shop and find the price out, i know they are costly but think on, they are for life and will look amazing done by the right hands. If you go to a scratcher you will pay at least twice for the same tattoo once for the cheap easy nature of the tattoo then for a professional to tattoo it properly or cover up the mess made. Why not just find out the price and save up for it. This also gives you the chance to live with the design for a but longer and to make sure you really do want this to be tattooed on you forever!

Tattoos are not to be taken lightly! If you are not sure, wait!

Don’t look at the price of a tattoo as the reason for getting one or not make sure you find the right place for you to have it and understand the tattoo you are getting will be done safely and well and you will end up happy.

If someone cant show you a license or makes an excuse, walk away they aren’t licensed!

If you don’t like the way you are spoken to, leave and find a place you feel will treat you properly!

Never and i mean never go to a friend because they say they can do it especially if they do it from home for cheap as you may end up at best ripped off at worst dead!

People don’t tell you the truth often about things so i will! Tattoos cost money because they are done by skilled professionals in licensed shops with overheads to pay just like any other skilled trade. If you get a cheap tattoo, it is too good to be true and you are a fool to yourself!

If you don’t believe me then below is an article from the paper in my area with the story about the people who have been caught doing what I’ve been talking about! It isn’t a horror story its just the truth!

Im writing this for you guys so you dont ever have to get caught up in a situation like this one below!

Unlicensed tattoo parlour in Hertford closed down by police

By Priya Gulraj Hertfordshire Mercury!

AN unlicensed tattoo parlour operating out of a Hertford home’s kitchen was raided and closed down by police yesterday (Monday July 11).

Officers from Hertford’s safer neighbourhood team and East Herts Council’s environmental health department executed a warrant at the Longwood Road address and seized a large amount of tattooing equipment.

PC Mark Bullen said: “We find it hard to believe that members of the public would place their trust and health in the hands of an unlicensed operator.

“We would urge anyone who is considering getting a tattoo to do their research and ensure they check that the person carrying out this procedure is licensed to practise.”

The council’s executive member for community safety and environment, Cllr Malcolm Alexander (Con, Ware Trinity) added: “Anyone getting a tattoo from an unlicensed parlour runs the real danger of picking up a serious infection such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV.

“It’s not worth the risk.

“We would encourage anyone who has visited an unregistered tattooist to seek medical advice from their GP.

“We will work with the police to keep the residents of East Herts safe and clamp down on this sort of illegal activity.”

Tell me know its ok to let a mate in a bedroom tattoo you!!

Jim Distortion

Hi Guys

I wanted a place where i could do blogs in written for to go along with my new tv channel which has all my video blogs/diaries on them and i seem to have found it! If its good enough for Tommy Lee then its good enough for me!

I will be posting here all about what i do what i think any any other crazy stuff that strikes me! If you dont know me my life used to be that of a crazy rock n roll front man true to form drug addled and usually drunk! Being tired of being a cliche and almost dying due to the drugs i decided it was time to clean up. So four years ago i did just that and now im a successful business owner (Two Tattoo shops) as well as a radio host and still a musician.

If life in general interests you then maybe follow me and see where i go! ill follow you back as its a two way street!

Keep watching and reading guys and check out the new website! http://www.jimdistortion.co.uk

Love Respect and Dirty Rock n Roll

Jim Distortion