Tattoo prices rise as Welsh government safety rules come in
British Broadcasting CorporationThere are fears tattoo artists will have to increase their prices as Wales becomes the first region in the UK to introduce new rules for artists.
Welsh Government regulations mean practitioners must meet stricter health and safety standards to obtain a license, which must be renewed every three years.
Medical staff have previously expressed concerns about the risk of serious infection.
“I think the price of tattoos is going to go up to accommodate this,” said Kim Thomas, a tattoo artist in Newport.
Kim, who has been a tattoo artist for eight years and runs her own Mourning Star Tattoo shop, said the industry has “become more mainstream now” and agreed more safety regulations are needed.
“There are more and more people getting tattoos illegally because it’s so much easier to get the machines, the ink and everything else involved in the tattooing process,” she said.
“I do think (the legislation) is a good thing overall because it means everyone has to meet the same standards to work in the industry.
“But the downside is the financial cost.”
The new scheme comes into effect on Friday, meaning more than 4,000 self-employed practitioners across Wales will now have to pay £203 to get a license.
More than 2,000 venues also require their own certification, which costs £385, and Kim said some costs were inevitably passed on to customers.
“As a tattoo studio owner, not only do I have to insure myself and take additional classes, but I also have to license myself and the studio,” she said.
“That means when we have to do this every three years, the cost is going to be quite high.”
Tattoos becoming increasingly popular in UK, with one in four saying 2022 YouGov Poll They have one.
The survey of more than 2,000 people also found that women (29%) are more likely to have a tattoo than men (22%), with more than a third of people aged 25 to 54 having a tattoo.
Alice Harding, 33, from Bridgend, who got her first tattoo as a teenager, said attitudes had changed over the years.
“When I first started, you didn’t find that many women with tattoos, so you’d make comments to people like, ‘Why are you ruining your body,'” she said.
“I was told I couldn’t get a job because I had a tattoo.
“I would say people are more accepting now… especially as a woman, there are a lot of women with tattoos now.”
The new rules are the final stage of reforms to the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 aimed at improving infection prevention and control standards, but have been delayed by Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.
Although the changes come into effect immediately, the government expects many will take “several months” to be fully registered.
Keith Reid, deputy chief medical officer for Wales, said the rules, which also cover acupuncture, electrolysis, piercings and semi-permanent make-up procedures, would provide people with an “extra reassurance of safety”.
“We’re concerned about skin infections, which can be a problem with tattoos,” he said.
“We are also concerned about the risk of blood-borne infection, which can be a risk with anything that pierces the skin.
“The aim of the regime is therefore to reduce risk to the public and make it safer for members of the public who wish to undergo these procedures.”
He added that fees had been set at a “very modest level” and renewal every three years was a “reasonable compromise”.
