Couture Tattoo's? Not for me!

Hi Jennifer! Thanks for the email and the new assignment. I was surprised to read the list of topics for discussion but eagerly accepted the task. Wow! You gave me a wide range of interesting things to write about. So, I'm first going to write about the new trend in body art. Couture tattoo's! It's the newest trend in high end 'tats' and all the celebs (and just about everyone else) seem to be jumping on the band wagon to get. So you're probably asking yourself, 'what's a couture tattoo?'

Well, it's a tattoo done by a classically trained artist who are brought into a salon where you could get a massage, your hair done, a manni and a pedi. These salons teamed up with the tattoo artist to bring the customer the very best in your tattoo getting experience. These salons decided to eliminate the stereotype of dirty, grungy parlors and make it a high rise experience. Some of these salons will offer a doctor subscribed Vicodin or even anesthesia.

These tattoo artist's are popping up in high end salons in London, Paris, NY, Los Angeles and Tokyo. This list is too long to mention here. A co-worker I know has been to a salon like this but did not get a tattoo. She did say, however, that she was interested in getting one after seeing how luxurious it was. A glass of Chardonnay didn't hurt either.

Now, the big question is, how much is a tattoo in a salon like this? Well, a small tattoo can cost around $125 to $250 for women. Men usually get bigger tattoo's and they can spend anywhere between $400 - $700!

I then discovered that the new trend in tattoo's for women are white tattoo's. I learned that white tattoo's are high maintenance and return visits are required because the pigment is thicker. White tattoo's are subtle and can be more like a birth mark and are very popular now. There is still a definite interest in making a statement with a tattoo and some women still want to get 'sleeved' with tattoo's that cover a large portion of both arms. Yuck!

Anyway Jennifer, I have no interest in getting any kind of tattoo but getting my toe nails done and having a glass of wine could loosen me up to the idea.

Clare, London, England