ir goldfish have tattoos, eventhough the majority are young people, Kevin says "I have tattooed doctors, lawyers, students on full scholarships, hell, two or three months ago I did a tattoo of a moon and stars for a grandma in her late sixties." Tattoo is not the taboo it once was, it is becoming more mainstream everyday. Some enthusiasts have even lost their enthusiasm for it because it is no longer "underground." Another preconception is that tattoo artists are typically degenerates trying to make a buck. This too is not the case, I was introduced to the owner of the shop, a young guy named Jason, he has a degree in political science and no criminal history to boot. "We are proud of what we do here," Kevin says. No corners are cut, they adhere to the strictest of sanitation practices, and are serious about their work. When a customer walks in the door to get a tattoo, they may or may not know what they want. Like a salesman they try to get a sense of direction from the customer as to what piece they might be interested in. Once they have this information they make some suggestions and show the customer what flash they have to offer along these lines. Any changes or additions the customer wants are gladly accepted. A price is settled on, which is usually not cheap. Next the customer is given the artist's portfolio to view while they wait for the artist to trace the piece onto another piece of paper with special ink that they can transfer to the skin. Once the copying process is done they go to the room where the act will take place. The customer is asked to sit whatever way, and remove whatever clothing is most convenient for the process. The area the tattoo will be placed is then swabbed several times over with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, green soap, and then water. Next either deodorant or green soap is used to facilitate the transfer of the stencil to the skin. If the recipient agrees upon the position then the tatt...
