Visitors who enjoy their stay on the Cape often make their memories permanent at local tattoo studios, although few opt for the 4-inch tattoo of summer scenery.
"People are hanging out, having a lot of fun and doing things they wouldn't normally do back home," said Scott Bruns, the artist at Mooncusser Tattoo Studio in Provincetown who did the Race Point sunset. "Tattooing is part of that."
Once reserved only for service members, bikers and bad boys, tattoos have become much more accepted in today's society, due in part to the increase in ink on celebrity bodies, said Mark Corliss, owner and artist at Spilt Milk Gallery in Hyannis.
"Everybody's a lot more open-minded these days," Corliss said. "TV shows have definitely helped. If it's cool on TV, then it's cool."
Now Corliss sees such a steady stream of local clientele that Spilt Milk requires customers to make appointments about a month ahead of time, which he says helps people think about the permanency of their tattoos.
Not many people drop in and get a tattoo on a whim, noted Lorna Berger, owner and artist at Great Island Tattoo Studio in West Yarmouth. But she has noticed that once people come into her store, they'll very often come again for another tattoo or with a friend who wants one.
"We get repeat business even with the tourists," Berger said, citing regular Cape summer visitors who return year after year.
Under state law, tattoo shops as well as each tattoo artist has to have earned a permit to practice. In Barnstable, artists must also show proof of a grade of a C or above in a college-level anatomy and physiology class, a unique town policy that Thomas McKean said has stopped some from opening local tattoo studios.
For the artists allowed to ink, the influx of tattoo-seekers during prime-time bikini season brings in requests for tattoos that will be prominently displayed when wearing brightly colored two-pieces, said Corliss.
Flip-flop-clad beachgoers often ask for tattoos on the top of the foot - easy to show off in the summer but hard to maintain during the colder socks-and-shoes months, Berger said.
Small tattoos are popular with the first-time tourist crowds at Mooncusser, which invites guest tattoo artists to the store during the busy season, Bruns said.
Bruns listed stars and dragonflies as last year's hot designs. This summer, Berger's Mid-Cape studio sees many summer visitors leaning toward shell or dolphin tattoos.
Local fishermen tend to favor fish hooks, stripers or bass on their arms, and Celtic designs are always in high demand, Berger said. Corliss, who does a lot of Japanese-inspired tattoos, named the koi fish as his store's best seller.
"Definitely get something that means something to you so that you don't regret it," Berger said.
Tim Barker of South Dennis has 13 symbols of his life etched on various parts of his body, 11 of which are the fruits of Mark's artistry. Barker, 27, walked out of Spilt Milk last week with a steer head across his neck and another appointment for his next tattoo.
"They're therapeutic," he said, adding that the stinging, burning sensation of the tattoo needles didn't bother him.
Even if you're not afraid of the pain, both Berger and Corliss still advise customers to think carefully before getting tattooed. Neither artist will ink somebody who they think is making a bad choice, whether it's an 18-year-old wanting art on his neck or a lover who wants her boyfriend's name on her arm.
Although they can tattoo over a previous design, neither Berger nor Corliss perform tattoo removal, which involves lasers.
"If it's not something I'll be proud of, I won't do it," said Corliss, who added that he would want an artist to stop him if he were the one making an unwise decision. "I'm not out to ruin lives."
(Published: July 15, 2007)
Copyright © Cape Cod Times. All rights reserved.
