Eightfold increase in tattoo parlours in 11 years

The global recession has not prevented an eight-fold increase in the number of tattoo parlours in Malta over the past decade, although established tattoo parlour owners who spoke to this newspaper have not seen any sharp increase in business and attribute this increase to a copycat phenomenon fuelled by TV programmes like Miami Ink.

The sharpest increase in the number of tattoo parlours was registered in the past three years with the number of tattoo parlours doubling from 15 in 2009 to 33 in 2011.

While in 2000 tattoo parlours were only found in four towns, namely Valletta, Paola, St Paul’s Bay and Senglea, tattoo parlours are now found in 20 different localities located in all Maltese regions including Gozo, which has one.

Four tattoo parlours are found in the entertainment Mecca of St Julian’s. Poala has three. 

St Paul’s Bay, Marsaskala, Birkirkara, Mosta, Zejtun and Marsa now have two each. The latest addition was Kirkop where the first tattoo shop opened in 2011.

Isaac Wood, son of renowned tattoo artist Bobby who died in 2010 after a 50-year career in making tattoos, attributes the increase in the number of tattoo parlours in Malta to the popularity of TV programmes like Miami Ink and LA Ink. 

Wood himself has not noticed any increase in the number of people having tattoos done. But according to Wood it could be well the case that the business is being split among a larger number of outlets.

Nor has Wood seen a difference in the profile of people who make tattoos.

“Tattoos have always attracted both high class and low class people. The only difference nowadays is that high class people are more likely to make tattoos in visible parts of their body while previously they used to hide them.”

Lawrence Calleja of Inka Tattoo Studios in Birkirkara believes the number of tattoo parlours is increasing because of the glamour created by Miami Ink and celebrities who showing off their tattoos. 

Calleja, who has studied tattooing in Birmingham before starting his business in Malta eight years ago, is concerned that the business is attracting people who are not so professional.

“Over the past years I have seen an increase in clients who come to correct mistakes and botched tattoos clearly made by non-professionals. I do not like this as I do not like being the mender of other people’s mistakes…These people also give a bad reputation to the whole category”.

Calleja is most concerned about the increase in amateurs who buy equipment from eBay and run an unlicensed business from their own homes. “This is very dangerous as these people do not follow basic rules on sterilisation and hygiene…apart from competing unfairly with people who pay their taxes.”

Calleja calls on the authorities to clamp down on these abuses.

Like Wood, Calleja has not seen big changes in the profile of his clientele although the number of women is on the increase. “I would say that the ratio between the sexes is now 60% males and 40% females.”