When the Government of Canada implemented a national-wide lockdown in March, all tattoo shops, salons, gyms, etc.., were left with no choice but to shut down. And unlike other businesses, tattoo artists didn’t get the option to provide online service.
After months of lockdown, tattoo shops were finally allowed to open their doors to customers last month. But of course, things won’t exactly be the same when the nation is still on a fight against the virus. The Toronto Public Health released a set of guidelines for tattoo and body piercing shops to help prevent the spread of the virus.
So if you are planning to get inked, what kind of experience can you expect?
Mandatory facemasks:
Both the staff and customers are required to wear facemasks/face covering at all times when indoors. Gloves are replaced after attending each client and disposed properly. The shop should have Personal Protective Equipments (PPE) for an emergency.
No more waiting room:
One of the biggest changes you will notice is, there won’t be any waiting room. The customers should wait in the car outside and should go through a temperature check before entering the shop.
Cannot bring a friend:
People usually feel comfortable having their friends or loved ones by their side for support when getting inked. But according to the guidelines, an artist can only work with one client at a time.
What do tattoo artists say?
When going through the guidelines, many shop owners were worried that all these rules and restrictions would affect the comfort level of the clients.
“Our line of work is very personal, very up-close with our clients,” said Jaclyn Verhoef during one of her interviews. She is one of the owners of Tattoo People in Toronto. “The environment we have here is very relaxed and friendly, and reading through the guidelines, it felt like anything but that,” she said.
But on the contrary, people felt safer and more comfortable because of all the preventive measures. In fact, people are now more eager to get a tattoo. Getting the coronavirus tattooed on their body has become a new trend among people.
“For some people, the best way to remember a special moment is to tattoo it into their bodies. And living through a pandemic is something that happens once in a lifetime. So, people want to remember they survived this,” said a tattoo artist.
