Merry Christmas from Sunset Tattoo!

Merry Christmas from everyone here at Sunset Tattoo Studio! Tis the season to be jolly and what better way than to treat yourself with some new ink! or even better, treat someone else! 

To keep with the festive spirit, here's three mind-blowing facts about tattoos you can whip out around the Christmas dinner table to impress Grandma.

TATTOOS AND THE LAW

You’d think that because it’s your body, you can do what you want with it, right? Guess again. Tattoos have a long and complicated history with the Law, all over the globe. Tattoos in Japan were illegal during parts of the 19th and 20th Centuries, and even today are banned from many public sectors, such as bath houses or Government jobs. And it’s not just a history lesson. New York City banned tattoos between 1961 and 1997, due to health concerns. Even today in turkey, tattoos are banned by law.

PRISON TATTOOS

While tattoos can be a form of expression, rebelliousness, or even just a drunken mistake, some tattoos are a lot more serious. Prison tattoos are fraught with symbolism and meaning. From the Yakuza in Japan, to White Supremacist groups in the States, tattoos are a way to tell a story, or to tell others who or what you represent. Tattooing in American prisons is strictly forbidden, but of course that doesn’t stop it from happening. The tattooing equipment can be anything from modified ballpoint pens, to guitar strings.

BATTLE OF THE SEXES

Did you know more women have tattoos than men? A recent survey (admittedly in America), showed that 59% of people tattooed were women, compared to 41% of men. Women may be more adventurous when it comes to getting a tattoo, but they also tend to regret it more than men, with a higher percentage opting for tattoo removal. This is due to the fact that women tend to add more significance to their ink, usually having a deeper meaning for them.

So there you go, three simple, yet incredible facts about tattoos. If you’re interested in getting your first, or fiftieth tattoo, come see us here at Sunset Studios. Call us today to book an appointment, or if you've any questions.

The statistics on tattoos in New Zealand

New Zealand has a large tattoo culture, more so the the rest of the developed world, with nearly one in five adult Kiwis sporting some form of ink. This isn't really surprising, but what is, is the fact that women here are more likely to get a tattoo than the men!

A UMR Research survey of people aged 18 years and over indicated 19 percent of adults have been tattooed, with the rate rising to 36 percent among the adults younger than 30.

Overall, 22 percent of women have been tattooed, compared with 17 percent of men.

And there was an even bigger split on ethnic lines: almost half (47 percent) of Maori and Pacific Islanders had been tattooed but only 15 percent of other ethnicities.

"Polynesians gave the English language the word tattoo which is derived from the Samoan word tatau, so it should be no surprise that Pacific Islanders and Maori were also far more likely to have had tattoos than others," said a director of the research company, Tim Grafton.

Almost one third (32 percent) of parents with dependent children had a tattoo compared to 13 percent of the rest of the adult population.

Few had any regrets, with 85 percent of people with a tattoo saying they did not regret it. 

If you're interested in getting a tattoo, then come see the professionals. Here at Sunset Tattoo, we have a clean, relaxed studio that adheres to the very highest in Health & Safety. Our artists are all highly experienced and each specialise in different tattoo designs.

Give us a call today, or book in for an appointment.