How We Keep the Studio Safe

Safety isn’t a selling point. It’s the bare minimum. Still, clients deserve to know how we work. When you sit in my chair, you are trusting me with your skin, your health and your comfort, and I take that seriously every single day. I want you to know exactly what happens behind the scenes, so you can feel confident in our studio and know what to look for in any shop you visit. Here’s our routine for every single session.

None of this is glamorous. Most of it happens before you arrive or after you leave. But it is the foundation of everything we do, and it never gets skipped, no matter how busy the day gets.

Single-use everything

Needles, ink caps and gloves are opened in front of you and thrown away after. This is the core of our safety routine. Anything that touches your skin or the ink going into it is used once, for you, and then disposed of properly.

• Needles and cartridges come in sealed, sterile packaging. I open them in front of you, and they go into a sharps container as soon as your session ends.
• Ink caps are small disposable cups. I pour fresh ink into new caps for every client, and leftover ink is thrown away, never reused.
• Gloves are changed often during a session, including any time I touch something outside the clean work area, like my phone or a drawer.
• Razors, stencil applicators and tongue depressors used to scoop lotion are all single-use.
• Paper towels and wipes are fresh for every session.

Why it matters

Tattooing breaks the skin, which means it can carry the same kinds of risks as any procedure involving needles if it is done carelessly. Single-use supplies and careful handling are among the most basic ways to prevent the spread of infection. Watching your artist open new supplies is a simple way to know you are getting a clean start.

You should feel as safe in a tattoo shop as in a dentist’s chair.

Mara, tattoo artist

That is the standard I hold myself to, and it is the standard you should expect from any studio. If something ever makes you uneasy, ask about it. A good artist will be glad you did.

Clean surfaces

Every station is wiped down and wrapped before you sit. Between clients, I clean my entire work area with a hospital-grade disinfectant, including the chair, the armrest, the tray, the lamp and anything else I might touch during a session.

After cleaning, I cover high-touch surfaces with disposable barriers. My machine and its cord are wrapped in plastic sleeves. The spray bottles are bagged. Even the lamp handle gets a cover. These barriers are thrown away after your session, and the whole process starts again for the next person.

Keeping clean and dirty separate

A big part of safe tattooing is keeping clean areas and used items apart. I set up my station so that clean supplies are on one side and used items go straight into the trash or sharps container on the other. Once my gloves have touched your skin, they do not touch anything outside the work area. If I need to grab something, the gloves come off, I wash or sanitize my hands, and I put on a fresh pair.

Behind the scenes

Some of our safety work happens where you will never see it. Here’s a quick look at a few of those habits:

1. Training. Every artist in our studio completes bloodborne pathogen training and keeps it up to date, as required in many states.
2. Licensing and inspections. We follow our local health department’s rules and welcome their inspections. Our licenses are posted where you can see them.
3. Sterile storage. Sealed supplies are stored in clean, closed cabinets away from the work areas.
4. Safe disposal. Used needles go into approved sharps containers, which are collected by a licensed medical waste service.
5. Hand washing. We wash our hands before and after every session, and often in between.

Skin prep

Before I apply your stencil, I clean your skin with an antiseptic solution and, if needed, shave the area with a single-use razor. After the session, I clean the tattoo again and cover it with a fresh, sterile wrap or film. These small steps help protect your new tattoo during its most vulnerable hours.

Key takeaway: Look for single-use needles and ink caps opened in front of you, freshly wrapped surfaces and an artist who changes gloves often and is happy to answer questions.

Closing up at night

At the end of every day, we do a deeper clean of the whole studio. Floors are mopped with disinfectant, every chair and counter is wiped down again, trash and barrier waste are bagged and removed, and sharps containers are checked so they never get too full. We restock each station with sealed supplies so the morning starts clean, and we check expiration dates on everything from ink to ointment.

It is repetitive work, and nobody posts photos of it. But it is the reason I can look every client in the eye and say their station is as clean as it can possibly be. The routine never changes, whether it is a tiny flash piece on a quiet Tuesday or the last session of a big Saturday.

Your part in staying safe

Safety is a partnership. There are a few things you can do to help your session go smoothly and your tattoo heal well.

Let us know about any health conditions, allergies, medications or skin sensitivities before your appointment. Some conditions may mean it is best to check with your doctor before getting tattooed, and that is always a smart step if you are unsure. Come in well rested, well fed and sober, and avoid getting tattooed over skin that is sunburned, broken out or irritated.

After your session, follow your aftercare instructions closely. Wash your hands before touching the tattoo, keep it clean, use a thin layer of unscented lotion and keep it out of pools and direct sun for two weeks. If anything looks wrong, such as spreading redness, heat, pus or a fever, see a doctor and let us know too. This is general information, not medical advice.

Questions to ask any studio

Whether you book with us or somewhere else, it is completely fair to ask how a studio handles safety. Here are a few good questions:

• Are your needles and cartridges single-use and opened in front of me?
• How do you clean and cover your station between clients?
• Do your artists have current bloodborne pathogen training?
• Are you licensed and inspected by the local health department?

A professional studio will answer every one of these without hesitation. If a shop seems annoyed by the questions or cannot give clear answers, keep looking.

Our promise

Great art and safe practice go hand in hand. The careful setup, the endless glove changes and the wiped-down surfaces are part of the craft, just as much as clean lines and smooth shading. You should never have to wonder whether your artist cut a corner.

If you ever have questions about how we work, ask me before, during or after your session. I am always happy to walk you through it. Thank you for trusting our studio with your skin. We will keep earning that trust, one clean station at a time.