Columbia, Missouri Requires Tatoo shop employees to wear exam grade gloves; this regulation is well received by the tatoo community. This story from the Columbia Missourian highlights the safey taken by modern regulated tatoo artists in Columbia, Missouri.
Smart body art Tattoo artists champion Columbia’s health By GRAHAM JOHNSTON April 17, 2005
His arms covered in colorful tattoos clear down to the knuckles, Jason Fancher looks the part of a professional body artist. He wears black boots, denim jeans and a backward baseball hat, also in black. He even has black latex gloves, a mixture of safety and style. Fancher, owner of Hollywood Rebel Tattoo in downtown Columbia, pays close attention to his work. Tracing an ink outline of a family seal tattoo on the bicep of a MU undergrad, the image starts out as a single, thick dark line. From that single line, Fancher wipes away the excess ink, revealing a detailed sketch. His customers at the Tenth Street parlor include sorority sisters acting on a dare and repeat customers adding to their collection of body art. And at least once a year, Fancher and other tattoo shop owners can count on a visit from local health inspectors. Columbia is one of the few local governments in Missouri with its own health and safety ordinances regulating the tattoo industry. That’s in addition to state standards. The local regulations — and what Fancher and other tattoo shop owners call their tight enforcement — ensure that when clients walk into a Boone County tattoo parlor, there are a few items they’re certain to find.
 Jason Fancher, owner of Hollywood Rebel Tattoo, improves Kris Young’s Buddha tattoo. This is Young’s fourth work of body art.(Photos by KIT DOYLE/Missourian) Hollywood Rebel Tattoo follows state and city regulations regarding tattooing safety, including having employees wear gloves and sterile equipment.
To avoid repeatedly dipping into the same bottle, all the ink needed for individual tattoos is placed into disposable, thimble-sized cups filled from larger bottles. The tattoo instruments, primarily needles and razors, usually remain sealed in sterile packages. A brand new needle is used with each client. And to prevent contamination, disposable plastic wrapping covers other tools not being used. “With any client, I leave everything packaged,” Fancher said. “So there’s no question.” While state law only requires an inspection when a tattoo parlor opens, the local law requires such businesses to go through yearly inspections in order to renew their licenses. Marsha Perkins, senior environmental health specialist, handles tattoo parlor inspections for the Columbia/Boone County Health Department. Perkins said she has never had any problems with the seven parlors in Columbia and an eighth in Boone County. Perkins said the emphasis is on compliance, not punishment. If a problem is identified during an inspection, she doesn’t issue citations or tickets. Instead, she just won’t renew the parlor’s license until the problem is fixed. For example, if a parlor’s hot water heater were broken, its license won’t be renewed until the heater is fixed — hot water being essential for proper hand washing. Tattoo shops are also required to keep records of how frequently equipment is sterilized. Fancher and other tattoo artists use an autoclave — the same machine that hospitals and dentists use to sterilize their equipment — to clean the tattoo instruments with steam heat. A special indicator strip is placed inside to ensure that the autoclave is reaching the correct temperature. Perkins also makes sure that local tattoo parlors maintain records for each of their clients, including copies of driver’s licenses to establish proof of age. The minimum legal age for tattoos without parental consent is 18. Those younger must have signed permission from their parents. Tattoo artists also have their share of unwritten rules and professional ethics. Scottie Lammers, manager of Tattoo You in north Columbia, refuses to do tattoos that he considers gang-related or racist. And one of Fancher’s fellow artists at Hollywood Rebel refuses to tattoo anything about Harley-Davidson unless he knows the client owns one, he said. Despite the added level of scrutiny, both Columbia’s ordinances and Perkins have been well-received within the tattoo community. “She’s real easy to get along with,” Lammers said. “She wants it done right, and if it’s not done right, she’ll tell you about it.” Fancher agreed that Perkins does a great job. “One of the big things of why Marsha is so good is (because) she’s here and she’s been doing it so long,” he said. Local regulations help to improve both the safety and the quality of tattooing, Lammers said. “If someone’s wanting to get tattooed, Columbia’s a good town to come to because there’s a lot of good tattoo artists in this town,” he said. The state does not earn praise so easily. At the state level, tattoo licensing falls under the Office of Tattooing, Body Piercing and Branding, part of the Division of Regulated Professions. The office has received its share of complaints from tattoo artists who say it is out of touch with the people it regulates. “I don’t see how people who know nothing about it can legislate it,” said Lammers, who, among other complaints, cited the ease of becoming a licensed tattooist in this state. In Missouri, all it takes is $75 and the time to fill out a two-page form. That’s it. There is no background check of a person’s ability or their understanding of health standards. And even though the application includes a space to list professional experience, there is nothing in the law that requires applicants to have experience, said Vanessa Beauchamp, the office’s executive director. Fancher has his own ideas about how the state can improve its licensing procedures. He suggested a board of tattoo artists who would review an applicant’s portfolio of work. Then the applicant would be required to perform all the proper health and safety procedures before tattooing begins. He equated it to taking a driving test before getting a license. And while state law requires license holders to work in a regulated facility, some tattoo artists misrepresent that requirement, Lammers said. “There are people out here who are just getting a license. They’re telling people, ‘I’m a licensed (tattooist); come over to my house and I’ll tattoo you,’” he said. There are 593 state licensed tattoo artists in Missouri, including 115 who can perform both tattoos and body piercings, according to the state office of Tattooing, Body Piercing and Branding. There are 217 facilities licensed as tattoo parlors in the state. Unlicensed tattoo artists are more difficult to keep tabs on. Both Lammers and Fancher said they see the results of underground tattooists daily. “I know there are. It’s a fact,” Fancher said. “I see it every day.” Fancher said he’s helped cover up several bad tattoos done by unlicensed artists. This is only one problem clients of unlicensed tattooist face. They also run the risk of being infected from unclean equipment, he said. “If someone’s not working in a shop, there’s a reason,” he said. Perkins can only remember one case of someone reporting an unlicensed tattooist. She said she relayed the information in that case to her supervisor, who determined the report was unfounded. Beauchamp said that local prosecutors throughout the state don’t place a high priority on holding unlicensed tattoo artists accountable. “They haven’t done anything about it,” she said, referring to reports of unlicensed artists she’s forwarded to local prosecutors. As Fancher continues to tattoo, he gets a surprise visit. Not from a health inspector but from his 1-year-old daughter. He takes a break from his work to play with her in the parlor’s waiting room. When he returns, he slaps on a new pair of gloves and goes back to doing what he loves. |
