Bottomless tattoo events cheapen industry, say artists

Tattooists say "bottomless tattoo" events are devaluing their craft, as removal specialists report growing demand from people wanting tiny tattoos erased.

Chantale Coady-McCombs, owner of Picture House Tattoo Studio in Chippenham, Wiltshire, said the rise of "micro tattoo bottomless brunch studios" had led to more clients needing help to fix or cover unwanted artwork.

The concept allows customers to book a set amount of time with an artist and get as many small tattoos as they want during the session.

BBC News has approached a number of studios offering bottomless tattoos for comment.

Tanya Buxton, owner of Paradise Tattoo Studio in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire said: "It's encouraging irresponsibility."

"Tattooing is not meant to be gimmicky," she added.

Buxton said the trend, which is often advertised on Instagram and TikTok for as little as £150 for a three-hour session, had been fuelled in-part by permanent make-up practitioners branching into fine-line tattooing.

"They're trying to find new clients all the time," she said. "That's why they're starting to do these tiny tattoos.

"It's something that makes a lot of tattoo studios feel like they have to match, so people are now expecting cheap tattoos," she added.

Buxton said that, while she understood businesses were looking for new ways to attract customers, the trend risked undermining a craft built on skill and artistry.

"These events are cheapening the industry," she added. "It's not like an all-you-can-eat buffet."

Coady-McCombs said she had heard of customers regretting taking part in the bottomless sessions after feeling pressured by friends.

"The general complaint is they felt pressured to do it as they didn't want to seem like a buzz kill and now have what looks like a bad biro drawing on them," she said.

"In some cases it can affect their mental health," the tattoo artist added.

Wayne Joyce, director of The Reset Room tattoo removal service in Bristol, said he had noticed an increasing number of people coming in with micro tattoos wanting to remove them.

He said many people seemed to believe smaller, lighter tattoos were easy to reverse.

"There seems to be this theory going around now that if you get lighter tattoos, getting them removed will be a lot easier," he said.

Joyce said the tattoo breakdown occurs when a laser targets the ink particles and shatters them into more manageable particles for your immune system to metabolise.

He said micro tattoos are easier to remove as they tend to be less densely saturated with ink and not as deep in the skin.

"So we do have a lot of people that come in and ask how much for a tattoo and how much to remove it in the same sentence," he added.

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