Ali Lamb, an Ohio University freshman, cringed as she waited to get her first tattoo — a cheetah print pattern on her left foot.
She had been considering getting inked for months, but when she started school she said, “The timing seemed right.”
Lamb got her tattoo at Skin Hooked Tattoo & Body Piercing, the newest of three tattoo parlors in Athens, located at 8 N. Court St. under the Pita Pit.
Shawn Hawks, owner of the parlor and a veteran tattoo artist, opened the shop three weeks ago when his wife got a job at a school for disabled students in Buckeye Hills.
Hawks got his start in the tattoo industry 20 years ago while serving in the Marine Corps. He would spend his weekends hanging out in tattoo shops and learning the trade.
“Twenty years ago sailors and ex-convicts were the only ones to get tattoos,” Hawks said. Since then, he said, tattoos have become much more popular among the general population, and 70 to 80 percent of his customers are now women.
“It’s a good time to be a tattoo artist,” he said.
About one block down the street is Decorative Injections Tattooing and Body Piercing, an older tattoo parlor located at 44 N. Court St.
Owner James Kasor began working at Decorative Injections when it opened in 1999 and said he has seen changes in the industry, including the recent boom in tattoo shops in Athens.
He credits media such as television and the Internet for helping to rid tattoo parlors of some of their negative stigma.
“People are more concerned over what a good tattoo looks like and making sure that facilities are clean and sterile,” Kasor said.
Although Kasor appreciates the recent popularity in tattoos, he said he doesn’t like having to compete with other tattoo parlors.
“I think people see the town as a potential money source and they’re wanting to cash in on some extra money,” he said.
Kasor said the artistry of tattooing is more important than simply making money.
Two of Lamb’s friends stood holding her hands on each side of her chair. “You can do this,” they said. “You’re on the home stretch.”
Hawks finished off the last portion of the cheetah print pattern and told her to come back in 30 days to finish off the highlights.
“It didn’t even hurt as much as I thought it would,” Lamb said.
wp198712@ohiou.edu
@wtperkins
