Tattoo tourism: where ink and travel meet

May 1, 2012 6:13:35 AM

Jess Lowry
Lonely Planet Author

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Art and travel go hand-in-hand. Local galleries can capture the history and creative culture of a destination, but if you’re looking for a gallery with a difference next time you hit the road, why not check out the local tattoo culture instead? Lonely Planet staffer and tattoo aficionado Jess gets under the skin of tattoo tourism:

Visiting tattoo shops and learning about the people who have expanded the art form can be as inspiring as visiting any art museum. It has been said that tattoos are 5000 years old and are as diverse as the people who have them.

Travelling for a tattoo follows a rich legacy of trend-setters. There are many places that still use ancient tattooing traditions and these might inspire you to travel for a piece of their traditional art. Destinations known for their ritual tattooing include Tahiti, Hawaii, Japan, New Zealand, Borneo, Thailand and Samoa. Whether you get a tattoo for fashion, tradition or commemoration, there are many reasons to seek out an artist who you admire. Many people choose to travel to a specific tattoo conference where they can get inked by a world-renowned artist while immersed in all things tattoo. (There is some debate about whether you get a good bargain at a convention as most artists raise their rates due to demand, but the costs can be rationalized considering you’ll presumably have the tattoo for life.)

Image by bradleyeldridge

Tattoo culture has a rich history of outlaws, misfits and travellers. Bert Grimm, the ‘grandfather of old school’, tattooed Bonnie and Clyde, the famous outlaws who travelled the Central US with their gang during the Great Depression. It’s unknown exactly where and when Grimm tattooed the famous pair, but Bert Grimm’s World Famous Tattoo was the oldest continually operated tattoo parlour in the continental US. If you’re taking a road-trip up the Pacific Northwest it’s fascinating to check in at locations that shaped the industry as we know it today. You can pay your tributes at Seaside, Oregon where Grimm is buried, or you can stop by the shop he was best known for running, which was located in an amusement park called Nu Pike in Long Beach, CA. (The tattoo shop was under threat of condominium developers but it was purchased in 2004 by tattoo artist Kari Barba and two silent partners and still operates as a tattoo studio today.)

The highly popular exhibition Skin & Bones: Tattoos in the Life of the American Sailor that was staged at the Seaport Museum in Philadelphia beautifully illustrated the journey of tattoos from the east to the west; the melding of travel tales and art. Sailors didn’t just carry cargo from port to port; they also brought new forms of artistic expression on their skin.

So, want to blend tatts with travel? Here are some places of interest:

Top-rated international conventions

A short list of internationally renowned tattooists:

Jean-Luc Navette, Lyon, France
James Robinson, Nine, Brighton, UK
Jonix, Holy Trauma, Barcelona, Spain
Tu, Siamese 5 Tattoo, Phuket, Thailand
William Yoneyama, Tattoo Magic, Melbourne, Australia
Lars, Loxodrom, Berlin, Germany
Steve Moore, Get Moore Tattoos, Vancouver, Canada
Edward Frazier, Tattoo Ritual, Dearborn, MI (US)
David Glantz, Archive Tattoo, Toronto, Canada

Other great resources to check out:

tattooroadtrip.com A website produced by Bob Baxter, tattoo artist, writer and tattoo historian
vanishingtattoo.com The world’s largest online tattoo museum
50 tattoo artists you need to know

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Comments

22 March 2011 11:46AM josambro Report this comment
I've gotten a tattoo on at least a couple of my LP gigs. Have had two done at Sumithra Debi's place in Singapore. She's the grand-daughter of legendary artist Johnny 2-thumbs.
24 March 2011 3:46PM sns3r Report this comment
If you are ever in Tulum Mexico and get the same urge I did for Tattoos, you may want to seek out Olmo Hinojosa at Tattooluum.He and his wife,Crystal,combine forces to complete Tattooluum and are very kind, friendly people who want to see you walk away happy with your art.He designed for me from my ideas a bass clef that looks like a dolphin for my right wrist, and then on my inner left wrist he put a very Tim Burton-esque Treble clef. Both were on wrist straps of musical staff with Mom and my Nieces name made to look like musical notes. At the end of everything I had to convince him to take more money. Where does that happen except for in Mexico?So, recap. If ever in Tulum, Mexico and you want some art done for VERY reasonable prices by VERY awesome people, find Olmo and Crystal at Tattooluum. And if you are very lucky, you might be able to meet their adorable children!!
26 March 2011 9:27PM vvianne Report this comment
The link for Singapore Tattoo Show is http://www.tattoo.com.sg/ too bad they're delaying this year's show. Check in periodically for more updates.
12 April 2011 5:53PM imadingo Report this comment
Got a few tattoos while travelling (I'm covered), always check shops out, in countries where tattoo shops actutally exist. Would only travel to convention outside Australia, if I had lined up a spot with one of a few artists I'd kill to get tattoed by. The other thing to consider, is that you won't be able to swim for a few weeks, so do it during a period you won't be swimming or at end of trip.
14 April 2011 3:29AM david8088 Report this comment
It is Great to get a tattoo when you travel, It's like taking a piece of the place with you, My last one was in Belize, Placencia, I was there for three months then take your time and pick the one you want, Then wait to you are ready to leave to get one then the next day your on a plane no sun and don't have to worry about the ocean or pool !! David Mears
15 May 2011 10:03PM trekkingnut Report this comment
http://donewithsticks.blogspot.com/2011/02/thailand-spiritual-journey.html
Tattooing for me has become a reason to travel just as much as anything else. documenting the art work of the world has inspired me to do so much more and also enabled me to keep a record of where ive been!