Most tattoo shops have stencil images on the walls for clients to look at and get ideas if they鈥檙e unsure what permanent art to choose for their bodies.
One South Florida tattoo business, operating about a year now, doesn鈥檛 have a storefront to visit on a whim. It's more like a doctor's office or hospital. To book a procedure here, it requires pre-planning.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e not walking into a tattoo studio to get a tattoo,鈥� said Eileen Margolis, co-owner of Sedation Ink. She said, for example, it can do a person's back in eight hours 鈥� a process that could take 80-90 hours at a standard parlor.
"We have multiple artists working on the client," said Margolis.
The professionals include not only the artists but also physicians and a registered nurse, for instance, because the staff uses anesthesia.
The procedure has gained popularity since celebrities started paying for it in cities like Los Angeles, including rappers Tyga and Post Malone.
鈥淲hen I found out more about the doctor鈥檚 involvement and the medical end of it, I was more intrigued by it,鈥� said client Frank Charles.
Charles had an idea for tattoo work over a large portion of his body, but he wanted to avoid the challenge of sitting for hours at a time. He reached out to Sedation Ink when he learned about the anesthesia options offered 鈥� local, which numbs the area and the patient remains awake, and general, which causes the patient to be unconscious during a procedure.
鈥淚 will admit I was shocked at the price,鈥� Charles said. He had half of his chest and his arm covered for about $29,000 earlier this year. The tattooing he received in July includes part of the American flag, the Statue of Liberty, the preamble to the U.S. Constitution and the American bald eagle. It took about eight hours.
Said Charles: 鈥淏y going and allowing them to design the whole thing, it becomes much more cohesive. A lot of times you look at someone with a very large tattoo, all over their arms and you don鈥檛 even know what you鈥檙e looking at. Looks like a dirty arm.鈥�
Now that he did pick up a tattoo vice, he鈥檚 glad it happened in his late 50s.
READ MORE: 'A real shift in the vibe': The tattoo industry is changing
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any kids to worry about paying for things so it鈥檚 just me and my dog,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I figured I鈥檒l just splurge. I don鈥檛 have any other vices, no fancy jewelry, that sort of stuff.鈥�
Charles is a former mayor of Saint Augustine Beach.
鈥淚 chose it late in life but the only good thing is it鈥檒l last longer. The color will still look good when I鈥檓 in my coffin,鈥� joked Charles.
Prices at Sedation Ink could range from about $30,000 to $100,000, but they vary depending on what each person chooses. Some could opt to pay for an overnight nurse to be on hand in case they fly into South Florida solo.
Co-owner Michael Zuratti pointed to the convenience they're paying for.
鈥淭hese are folks that are entrepreneurs, in the Army, they鈥檝e had their vision of their dream tattoo forever but really haven鈥檛 been able to do it whether it鈥檚 the anxiety, or the pain associated,鈥� Zuratti said. 鈥淎 lot of our clients don鈥檛 have the time. And then little things such as needle phobias.鈥�
Some tattoo artists have concerns that this type of tattoo method comes with potentially serious complications from anesthesia, although they鈥檙e rare.
鈥淔rom something as simple as having a rash or an irritation from the injection site to potential anaphylactic shock and dying,鈥� said Ben Shaw, a professional artist and tattoo studio owner in Albuquerque, N.M., and spokesperson for the , a national membership group of professional tattooists.
Shaw prefers to shade the client鈥檚 tattoos over many visits 鈥� getting to know and befriend his clients over time.
Said Shaw: 鈥淚f they鈥檙e allowing you to penetrate, stab them thousands of times and modify the appearance of their body, there鈥檚 a lot of trust for you.鈥�
Dr. Carol Taub, a board certified anesthesiologist and the medical director for Sedation Ink, said the staff first gets the client's medical history, as is done with any procedure. They ask about any heart or lung issues, blood pressure, asthma, bleeding disorders, medications they're on or what allergies they have.
"If they're not medically optimized, we can either say no or delay the procedure, send them to get medical care," Taub said.
If a client were to have an allergic reaction, the medical team has fluids, Benadryl or epinephrine on hand.
"If the patient wasn't intubated and there was a real emergency, we would intubate them," Taub said. "Just like in any other facility, we would call 911, and the emergency ambulance would come and take you to the hospital."
Charles, the former mayor of Saint Augustine Beach who now lives in Port St. Lucie, said he felt confident in the safety of the procedure with Sedation Ink. He jokes about returning for a leg sleeve someday if he can find the $40,000 needed to pay for the procedure.
鈥淢aybe if I win the lottery,鈥� Charles said.
