What you need to know about getting a safe tattoo, with Elvis and Heidi at New York Hardcore Tattoos
Heidi: Good morning, this is Heidi Minx.
Elvis: And Elvis.
Heidi: We are Franky and Minx. Today we are now at New York Hardcore Tattoos the shop where Elvis Minx in the lowery side and it is run by Jimmy Gustavo from Murphy’s Law and being Venus Stigma from Agnostic Front. So, today we thought that we would bring you some tips.
Elvis: Hi, this Elvis from Franky Mink so and I am going to show you guys a couple of things that you need to look for whenever you are going to shop and you want to get tattooed and you are like “well, is it clean? Is the guy like filthier in the shop, I might going to catch some disease” or something crazy like that. Just to make yourself feel comfortable whenever, this are couple things you want to look for when you come in like safety wise. We are going to show you a couple of things here. Every time you want to come in like when the tattoo are going to set up, they always going put on like clean gloves before they go to set up or whatever so you can pull out your rubber gloves in and then they might put it on and ask you to bend over something. Do not worry about that.
Anyway, you are going to have like deadly take a look all this stuff here. You can have at least some kind of barrier between station and everything that you are going to put on there like it better be like a plastic wrap, a dental bare but something like that, all right. Now, you are going to have like also, like your tubes and stuff like that or always going to be sterilized. They start up pink and they turn brown after their have been processed through a steam or a autoclave that is like a pressurize autoclave and usually there are dated and labeled as to what they are because it should be like 30 days as to how long it is takes to be sterilize or whatever.
And then, everything always is usually covered in some kind of plastic or something like you borrows that you use for like green soap or any kind of spays like that is going to be covered in plastic, tape off something like that, definitely go and take a look at that. And all your razor and stuff like that when you shave is going to be like brand new and like disposable, most of the time this is disposable. We do not really use straight razors anymore because that stuff is scary. And then, also like this is what we call the clip cord. Clip cord cover some stuff like because you use this the chain between machines and stuff. This is your tattoo machine right here. It is always going to be in covered in plastic because you are going to grab in here because you are wiping the skin and you have blood. I do not want have cross contamination so you always going to have like some kind a plastic barrier between stuff. Plastic barrier this is very important. We like plastic barriers.
Also you are going to have your needle which is great. This is most important part. This is your needles right here. Whether be the shape is liner or whatever. Most of the time they going to be in some kind of package whether there one of this cross text packages right here with the barrier things for their chemical vapor process which has an indicator right here which shows you that is has already like sterilized and stuff. And they are always brand new, they come in the packages, we always open them up before we started tattoo and everything. Pop it open and when we are done and then we always put in sharp shape container after the tattoo and everything.
But also it is very important when you see guys when you open the needles and stuff like that usually you take like a loop something like this. This is a loops thing just to take a look at the needle and keep it up real close to see if it is like bent or something because sometimes a needle can be stored and torn around and you have a needle that is like it is bent and looks like a hook like that and which when it goes in the skin it like tear your skin off so it is not good.
When were doing by the needle, little ointment, little lube, we always usually use lube for extra sometimes. Always brand new, tongue presser instead a like to stick a finger down in there grab a little stuff like that. We use one of this jag and throw that away after you are done of course. This is disposable in caps of plastic little job is here. When we go to like tattoo and stuff this for the inks. This little jar over here it holds ink so that we use them and they are disposable, right. When we go to put a little ink in there before we start action tattoo in here, we pour a little jar as much ink as we need in a little ink there like that.
And then, we are done all this it is like rolled up together throw away. This is just like most there, I mean that is your basic stuff right there and things to look for you know disposable, plastic barriers on stuff, your sterilization aspect of everything. Definitely anytime that you are go by answer the phone you have to take your gloves off, for sure anytime you like want to take small break and take you gloves off throw away and time you are going to eat, whatever do anything that involves you like leaving the station and doing stuff or touching anything to keep the cross contamination down. You always the one, take your gloves off and throw them in the garbage. Get fresh pair gloves before you start up again and what not. Does anything to keep that cross contamination aspect you want to keep everything like in this little area right here that it has do is like blood warm passage and things like that.
Heidi: Okay. In some people even though they think “oh, we are really great friends will say “oh, can you not use the same needles on us would that not make it cheaper” things like that?
Elvis: Yes, nobody should ever use the same needle for more than one person because it is just filthy. The worst case scenario is you can get hepatitis C. There is never been as far as I know there is never been a case anybody getting AIDS for getting tattooed. As long as you, as a matter of fact you cannot get really anything unless you already have it for the most part or you tattooed somebody and then use the same set up on somebody else, I mean as long as you using same set up for just one person and one person only --
Heidi: As far as how tattoos are priced. I know a lot of times on our websites we get ask how much is a tattoo, why are they expensive? Sometimes people think I am just getting something small look the size of the quarter. Why is it shop minimum a $100.00? Can you explain a little bit on tattoo pricing?
Elvis: Sure, I mean like essentially we are performance surgery on you. This stuff is for ever, you are going to have for the rest of your life unless you go and get it laser off which is twice a painful and three times it is expensive and takes twice as long. Sometimes three times is long depending on how the tattoo is. But I will not take it off but just put them on before it prices go, yes, I mean brands go out and spent $700.00 on the first to have for two months and torn away. And then, they come in and like “ah, I do not want to spend $60.00 on tattoo” and I am like you can have this for the rest of you life or it is like going on and have surgery if you want to get a like nose job which is like 50 times more expensive so as far as I am concerned you get a very great deal. You know what I mean like we did a nose job for like $10,000.00 and we are only doing it for a $100.00 and you are lucky.
Heidi: What should you come to a tattoo shop with? Credit --
Elvis: Money.
Heidi: Good! Cash, cash was actually important and also --
Elvis: In green paper we trust. Yes, I mean most of the time is great and most is really big and if you just have cash. It is easy to deal with whatever they do not have to run the card to the machine but I mean more that if you can do you can do it. Once you come in with your ideas any kind of reference and materials you have bring that in with you and then sit down and let the artist say you are going to have get tattooed by and they will do a consultation with you. See everything that you want to get done. All of your reference materials and stuff and sit down and draw something else. Sometimes somebody you say hey just draw whatever what you want to do, I mean at everybody dealing it. Whatever is might be feeling want to do and he think the digging on just let us know we will draw something else for you nine times out of ten it is the best to do it.
Heidi: All right Elvis, when you come in to a shop a lot of times you could ask for ID when you fill out the consent form? Can you explain why?
Elvis: Yes, you should. Most stage I would say 49 and 50 stage is 18 enough. You can get a tattooed unless you are 18 years old no matter what. Not even if your parents or your guardian I could ask that all the time. “Look at my parents on for me, they came my brother cousin, it came brother cousin, sisters, mother in law sign for me.” Unlike, I had it is 18 and most of the time with like photo ID, drivers license, passport or whatever. You have to have that in order to get tattooed in New York and in most states that I have been through. Occasionally you might be able to get it like 17 with the parent but that is very rare. Some age is even 21 and we also have you like fill out like a consent form it is like basic release form. Most tattoo shops in record were ask you for 90 and then they will make you fill out like a consent form it says like if you are in false off you are not going to see what stuff like that because this is basic.
Heidi: If somebody comes in and say it is a state where they can have a parent do a release form for them does that guarantee that the artist is going to tattoo you?
Elvis: I had it always, it is depends. Some guys will just like no. Some cuts, small tattoo you even if you parents will say yes. I mean it varies.
Heidi: Everything is the artist discretion at the end of that?
Elvis: Yes, at most part, I mean and it is not a privilege as you know what I mean or it is not a right because it is a privilege man, I mean we do refuse you for whatever. If you look at as funny we could be like that, I do not tattoo you. I do not have too, like it, it is not like I have too.
Heidi: Now, what about people coming in either effect in drinking, pain killers what are your recommendations on how you should come into a shop?
Elvis: Come and so there you can drink after we tattoo you that is the best way to get tattooed, I mean because nobody wants to deal with like of anxious drunk and like if you are all like high and weird or whatever, I mean like you are throwing up or passing out and just like falling all over the place. Are you going to hold still for me to tattoo you. I cannot do that, you know what I mean. So the best way to come in and be so over and then afterwards you can do whatever you want. That is great because any can celebrate your new tattoo.
Heidi: Talk about your favorite part. Let us talk about some tipping adequate. What is a proper adequate on tipping your tattoo artist?
Elvis: Well, first of all tipping is not a city in China. I would say definitely it is really nice that to artist love to be tip to whatever whether you give him a cookie or whether you give him $10.00 or $20.00 or ten percent or whatever or something throw them a bone, you know what I mean like throw on something. It is really nice because they like to have that.
Heidi: What is standard, I mean typically if you go to a restaurant you know that you are going to tip your waitress 15% or if they were really good waitress 20%?
Elvis: Yes, I guess it just depends on if you really like the artist you really they really give you good time or whatever it maintains you, did the great job or whatever. It is generally I have 15% is just standard but whatever. I would say you have to throw something, I mean if you do not got it, yes, that is cool but if you do let us say it is nice to feel like appreciated anyway. Any artist loves to feel appreciated whatever. Plus little extra cash did not hurt.
Heidi: If you want to be a really well prepared tattoo customer what are they bringing with them?
Elvis: I would say the best way to come in or before you are going to get tattooed get a good nice rest. Come in so over, make sure you eat before you come in because that is always good idea or you can bring a little snack with you which is always good because it is like when you go to get blood that will give you a little cookies and juice and whatever afterwards because it helps with you like blood sugar and if you are getting internal rush.
Heidi: Let us say cash, artwork, show up on time, well rested, so over, no pills, well fed, bring a snack, bring a money for tip and --
Elvis: And turn off your damn cellphones because it is annoying.
Heidi: Thank you very much my dear.
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