Tattoo Safety Information

Always check the license

I'm going to use this space as an ongoing information site to inform prospective and existing tattoo and body piercing clients of several safety and health issues regarding the body modification business in the nrv area. first of all, i'll address the existing situation of tattooists and body piercers who are working without a license in both the blacksburg and radford areas. let me clarify, first of all, that the individual shops may have an operating license, but many of the artists and piercers do not. reported by several licensed artists that have worked in both blacksburg and radford, there are three shops in the nrv area in which no artist or piercer is legally licensed to practice in the state of virginia.

remember, in virginia, an individual tattoo artist or piercers license must be displayed in the shop in which the individual is working. however, it is easy to counterfeit an expired license and change both the name and expiration date. in addition, an artist can tell the prospective client that his name is the name on the license when it is not. any tattoo artist or piercer licensed in the state of virginia can be verified by logging on to the department of professional and occupational regulation's website. go to: www.dpor.virginia.gov - go to "licensing and regulation" - then click "license lookup" and type in the individuals name and check the box for their particular profession (tattooist or piercer). remember to check the box that says "tattooing individuals" or "piercing individuals".

Adult Piercings

Rendezvous Tattoo And Body Piercing is a full line piercing studio. We perform all adult piercings, and have a complete adult portfolio on premises that can be viewed by clients over the age of 18 years. Most adult piercings are virtually pain free, because they can be pre-numbed with our topical gel. Because of the use of our topical numbing gel, any reputation for being painful is completely undeserved at Rendezvous. Adult piercings are quicker to heal and usually easier to care for than a normal face or body piercing. Of course, the jewelry types used are implant grade titanium and implant grade stainless steel, which are hand-polished and internally threaded. Adult piercings are always performed by a registered nurse licensed in the state of virginia. License #0000250115

safety issues of the unlicensed and unprofessional

as promised, i'll try and share a little more information as i become aware of safety issues in the nrv area regarding tattooing and piercing. brought to my attention today by one of our local artists, there is an area tattoo and piercing shop that not only has a staff of unlicensed and untrained tattooists and piercers, the shop itself does not have a tattoo or body piercing business license or permit to operate. this information is confirmed by the department of occupational and professional regulation. now is a good time to begin broaching some of the specific issues that can threaten one's safety by unlicensed and unprofessional shops.

Be sure they are qualified

O.K., another method I recommend to assure your safety, is to be aware of the qualifications that a tattooist or piercer has before you allow them to perform a procedure on you. It's as simple as doing a search on the Department of Occupational and Professional Regulation's license lookup site as to whether a tattooist or piercer is licensed or not. Next installment I write, we'll speak about even more specifics that can help everyone get a safe tattoo or piercing.

Later,

Saint John Rowan

How to protect yourself

It's been several weeks since quite a few people (both artists and clients) have made formal complaints to Virginia's DPOR regarding unlicensed and untrained tattooists and piercers plying their trade in the New River Valley area. It's still business as usual and nothing has changed. Whatever the good intentions of state authorities entrusted with the public health, they are so far unable to do anything to protect the public from tattooists and piercers who aren't licensed by the state of Virginia. So lets move on and explore a few things that can decrease a person's chance of contracting hepatitis and staph, remembering that in the NRV, there are entire tattoo studios staffed by piercers and tattooists who are unlicensed by the state of Virginia.