How will the Tattoo Industry change after COVID-19

Hit by the Coronavirus slump, heavily followed by nationwide lockdowns and social distancing – the tattoo industry is experiencing significant impacts regardless of the overall growth of the industry since 2014. While we don’t have all the solutions, I’d love to share what we are well aware of, with fellow business owners.

Sanitization and cleaning routines will top of your to-do lists.

To be honest, nothing much changes in terms of sanitization. It’s simply because the tattoo industry has always been high on sanitization operations. In order to maintain the safety standards for both themselves as well as their clients, artists are already well-trained in cross-contamination. However, the post-pandemic era will still expect you to double-up on those sanitization checks!

Add masks and temperature checks to your ink-and-needle-must-haves.

At this point, two things that are bound to change across the board should sound familiar – temperature checks before your clients enter your shop and face masks. This change might come across as frightening for many since wearing masks while tattooing will have its own set of drawbacks for both – tattooers and tattoo-getters. You would see yourself taking more breaks than your regular routine to keep up with the added uneasiness caused by wearing masks for longer durations.

Additionally, the post-pandemic era will demand you to keep masks handy for your clients, just if their masks seem dirty or worn down.

Bid your goodbyes to impulsive walk-ins — impulsive tattoos are a no-go.

Mark our words, you will catch yourself declining walk-in requests and developing a hearty inclination towards call-ins. This will help you counter two problems at once — regulate the number of artists and clients you have in your studio, and filter out the crowd that walks in wondering about getting inked, but ultimately leaves without getting one!

As much as you would love robust safety protocols, you will absolutely appreciate a tattoo studio software to help you manage and keep up with online tattoo appointments!

The ‘plus-ones’ trend will come to an end.

Although many tattoo studios already had ‘only one guest’ policy before COVID-19, all the artists will be expected to put an end to the trend of driving more guests to their studio.

Getting inked might be challenging for many. Even if your client needs emotional support, instead of allowing more guests to tag along with them, you can always help them garner some virtual support through FaceTime!

It’s time to increase your minimums or alter the types of tattoos designs you offer.

Chances are you were all hands down to whatever type of designs and tattoos came your way, but from this time onwards, artists wouldn’t want to risk their lives for a mere 10 dollars!  Hence, there will be a brand-new minimum; this might be the price of what you’d previously charged for a two-or five-inch tattoo.

Typically, you might be a walk-in lover who would bust out ten to twelve tattoos per day, but this will boil down to two to three appointments per day — end of the story.

On the other hand, many tattoo artists who had higher minimums might choose not to raise their minimums. They will have the flexibility and independence to decide to focus on their clients having good access to getting inked, rather than making more earnings off of them.

More tattoo artists will make way to their own private tattoo studios.

As we advance, more tattoo artists are likely to open their tattoo shops and run their own show simply because they want to exercise more control over the working conditions, environment, and safety protocols. In some cases, they might be forced to move to a private location because the studios where they previously worked out are now permanently shut.

I get it, there’s bad news stock-piled at pretty much every corner. Still, for the tattoo industry, luckily, the demand for body art stays consistent, even if some tattoo studios have failed to withstand the economic jolt 2021 provided us all with.

At the same time, amidst these many changes, I still hope our industry doesn’t shift too much. Till then, put your masks and protective gear on, try to maintain a limited crowd at your studio, and keep washing those damn hands!