TATOOS IN SC FinALLY LEGAL...but where to go?

Grew up in the Northeast US so moving down here I couldn't believe tatoo shops were illegal! Finally they are legalized again (much to the dismay of the ultra conservative fundamentalists down here). I have a design picked out for the new tatoo but I need to find a tatoo artist I can trust either here in SC (iffy since it JUST got legalized) or Georgia, North Carolina (somewhere near the SC border so I don't have to drive forever) Does anyone here know of any good trustworthy artists in these areas! My sister made the mistake of going to a bad tatoo artist and really regretted it (it is already faded and crappy after a couple years). Suggestions PLEASE!

 

i dont know of any artists in your area, but i never knew that tattoo's were illegal anywhere!

 

hey, yeah i know they just made it legal there - bet there's not much there yet. anyways, taking your time is probably the best thing. it should be ok with the artists to go to into a shop & hang out, just browsing as it were - if they act like you shouldn't be there scoping the place out, i wouldn't get a tat there. they should have portfolios of their individual work, and plenty of flash for you to check out. a lot of shops rent booths to the artists, so they are not so much 'employees' but independants and have to pay to be there, so that one guy does just what you like and the very next guy has a completely different style. go with the one that you KNOW does the type of work you like. some artists can do custom flash work (expect an extra fee) and most will let you bring your own in. if you want your own design, ask first if the artist will be making any 'improvements' to it or if they will be doing exactly what you gave them. don't expect them to make your so-so drawing into a masterpiece (i'm not implying that YOUR drawing is so-so, just a general comment) portrait art is a specialty - not all artists can do it. animals that look realistic are tricky too - check out the portfolios first. they also sometimes specialize in color work or some do only black/greywash. ask. make sure that everything looks clean & tidy and check out their sterilization. some shops make & sterilize their own needles, so ask to see the autoclave - the sterilization machine. some shops use strictly one use only supplies, so the needles & tubes should be in a bubble pack and only opened right when you sit down for your tat. bleach &/or boiling needles & tubes is not adequate sterilization. look for the sharps disposals - red with biohazard signs just like at the dr. office. they should ALWAYS be wearing gloves, and change them often during a tattoo. they should have printed aftercare instructions to hand out - and some shops will have stuff for you to buy right there - ask! mostly, just hang out, see them in action. if they've been tattooing for any length of time they'll be used to it, it's kinda a spectator sport anyways - lol!!! go on the weekends, see if people already tatted there are bringing in their friends - artists get a following, almost 'ink groupies' - lol!!! don't just plunk your money down in the first place you go - travel if you have to and check out a few places. check the internet - google for shops by locations - lots of shops have websites with tons of previous work posted, and it can save you gas $$$ - but don't just rely on the web site, go there! and don't be thrifty - this is something for life, spend the money to get it right the first time!!! save up if you need to.

 

tatoos were illegal.... LMFAO, another example of how stupid american government/councils or whatever can be.

 

Tattoo Regulations by state: http://www.aaatattoodirectory.com/tattoo_regulations.htm - they still have s.c. listed as illegal if ya wanna take the time to contact them

 

erm...i'd suggest somewhere in asheville (NC) i don't think i would trust small hicktown tattoo places....

 

hey, that's odd..it says it's illegal for minors to get tattoos in NC but i have a 15 year old friend who recently got some....

 

I know this is way old, but go see Jay Chastain at Empire Tattoo in Asheville. I also like Ink Link in Gastonia. Now they are trying to figure out the zoning in my county. Can't be within 1000 feet of a public building, school, church, residential area, etc...

 

if you live near NC, then i live in Wilmington which is about an hour from the NC/SC border, and i know some real good shops here. i highly recomend Jade Monkey

 

aint myrtle beach bike week goin? or startin next weekend err somewhere in there??

man bike week would be the place to get yer tat..

just make sure ya see the dods work first..

luv n lite

 

ah imagine my shock when i went to oklahoma n found out tattoos were illegal however... BRANDING was my legal option...

 

in ellijay georgia theres a brother who does great work..
names zero, north georgia tattoos..

i looked for the pic of dilligafs tat,, but cant find it..

its damn well good work with good ink an guns..

hope either of those helps..

luv n lite

 

Yeah, whats sucky about the whole legalization thing, is that there are still areas in SC that are making it near impossible for tatoo parlors to open up! I lived in Beaufort County, and for awhile after the state lifted the law, a parlor was supposed to open up, like a mile away from me in Port Royal/Highway 170. I was like ah coool and wanted to go check it out......... well, next thing I know, some church on the same road threated to sue the city or something, something about opening a tattoo parlor within (i forget the distance, but it wasnt that closeby) blah blah blah distance ,,,, i forget the details but the whole story can be found on alot of tattoo forums. But anyways, I dont think the place opened, the sign on the property came down.. and I never did see anything else about it opening, after that. There were similar problems in town ..... because tattoo parlors would only be allowed to open under certain zoning conditions, well, Id seen the map of it, and there were only a couple of less-desirable areas available. When I moved from SC in January of this year I still had not heard of anything in the process of opening in that town. It made me furious ...... that pious and pigheaded people ruled over Beaufort .... and ... what did they think they were going to accomplish? All they were doing was driving determined people to head into Savannah or elsewhere to get tats. It was all about forcing their religious views on others and making the town have an "appearance" ....

 

I think one opening in Myrtle Beach already. It'll take a while up here-Spartanburg. We are run by the Baptist Church...