Tattoos can turn into a helluva passion for some people. It did for me; more like an all-out obsession really. I wiped out my entire savings account to get tattoos when I was 18 years old. And this was before Augie and I even started dating. The desire for more tattoos didn’t last though. Those feelings began to fade as our relationship progressed. Why? Who knows; I was 18 and love sick.

I stopped at nine tattoos; three of which I’ve gotten within the last ten years. I can safely say that I’m not obsessed anymore….mainly because the older I get, the more it hurts. Augie teases me and says I’ve become “needle shy” and reminds me that his oldest client is in her 90’s (cool gal, by the way). No, it’s not that….I’ve just turned into a wuss! That’s why #9 hasn’t been touched in about five years.

Like I said, I get the whole obsession/passion part of it. The entire experience is alluring; the sounds of the vibrating coils on the machine, the minty scent of the green soap, feeling the piercings of the needles as you watch your new tattoo come to life. I get it. It's an assault on your senses. Well, except for the sense of taste. Only the ones that have been tattooed in their mouth can claim all five. But, what happens when you no longer have any skin to tattoo?

This can actually be devastating for some people. Think about it…it can take several years for someone to become fully tattooed in what’s called a body suit. It’s a process that requires a lot of planning, sittings, money and because of all the time the client and artist spend together; they get to know each other quite well. And then….bam….it’s over.

Just to give you an idea: sessions can last anywhere from an hour up to six or eight hours at a time. Typically, someone getting steady work done comes in about every two to three weeks. A sleeve for example, can take upwards of 36 hours to complete. Add legs, torso, back and unmentionable parts to that and they have years of work and time ahead of them.

I have only seen a couple of clients in the past 20 some-odd-years become so depressed when they ran out of space that they turned to alcohol. It was almost like they didn’t know what to do now that their body suite was complete; replacing one obsession with another, I guess. It was heartbreaking. I don’t want anyone to ever feel like that after they’re done. Look on the bright side….there’s always piercings!!!!