Tattoos and Body Art -- Paris is Definitely Not Texas

Walking around Paris with 13 tattoos it is hard for me not to notice the lack of tattoos on people around me. Where are all the tattooed people?

I am from Texas where tattoos are not necessarily the norm but they are not uncommon by any means. It is normal for people to have at least one they are proud to show off. But that doesn't seem to be the case in Paris. The few tattoos I have seen here were small and in black ink only. Which made me decide to investigate this matter further, wondering about the tattoo cuture difference between Americans and French.

First of all, there are few tattoo parlors in Paris that have enough credentials to be well known, and many of them have been restricted recently to health concerns according to an article by Hipsters in Paris that says, "Tatouage has taken centre stage in France recently, as the government made moves to ban various coloured inks for safety reasons." So it is no coincidence that the tattoos I have seen have been nothing like the colorful variety I display, but instead are relegated into simple black ink. What's more, the few Paris tattoo shops that are well-known and viable places to get new ink are surprisingly expensive and hard to book an appointment. Some places recommend booking at least two months ahead of time to ensure that the artist has time to get your piece right and gets the chance to get to know you better. I appreciate the sentiment in getting to know me, and what my body art is about, but two months ahead of time is ridiculous. Some places that the Hipster article recommended are the famous Tin Tin Tatouages, which has been around for decades and has trained other Parisian tattoo artists. Also recommended are Mystery Tattoo Club and Glove in Hand, whose artists worked at Tin Tin, apprenticing with the ink master. But there too, you have to book your appointment months in advance and pay high prices. Coming from Dallas where my tattoo artist, Q, is one of my best friends, it's hard for me to imagine waiting months to get new ink. When I want a new tattoo I should be able to get a new tattoo. In Paris, people simply wait too long to get their tattoo done and by that point probably change their mind. 

With the color restrictions, expensive prices. and hard-to-get appointments, no wonder Parisians are lacking the body art that I love so much. It makes me want to open a tattoo shop of my own in Paris. I would run it along the lines of an artist I would find in the United States, where you can get an appointment within the week, the prices are reasonable, and you can get whatever color you want, including glow-in-the-dark ink.

Paris needs to wake up and realize that tattoos are the wave of the future and their city, as an artistic cultural hub, should be at the forefront of this massive movement towards decorating the body with ink as much as people decorate their bodies with clothes.