I recently spent the day with my coworker Jenn while she got tattooed in Germany for the first time. (Tamala Malerk)
What’s it like to get a tattoo in a foreign country? I recently spent the day with my coworker Jenn while she got tattooed in Germany for the first time. I interviewed both her and the tattoo artist, Anastasia Ly, and they answered my questions about the tattooing experience.
After researching a few artists in the KMC area, Jenn reached out to Anastasia and put down a deposit after settling on a design. Anastasia not only spoke English, but also German and Russian as well. There were no language barriers and both parties were comfortable going forward.
Jenn and I arrived at the tattoo studio on a rare sunny Saturday morning. While Jenn filled out her consent paperwork and waited on her stencil to dry, I took some time to interview Anastasia, aka Mama’s Touch Tattoo.
Anastasia moved to Germany eight years ago and she has been tattooing for about three years professionally. She began winning awards for her tattoos just six months into being a tattoo artist. She specializes in American Traditional, Fine Line, and Japanese styles.
With the stencil dry on her arm, it was time to start Jenn’s tattoo. Jenn chose to get an edelweiss tattoo, matching a tattoo her friend Cici got the same day (also by Anastasia). They chose the edelweiss flower to commemorate the fact that they were both at the same duty station again after just being based together in New Mexico.
While Jenn has over 30 tattoos, she was still a little nervous because she said she doesn’t have the highest pain tolerance. However, she held a brave face for the entire three-hour session and only winced once or twice (that I could see). She attributed this to Anastasia’s gentle touch. With minimal pain, it was easy to chat with Jenn while she was getting inked; I just had to make sure she didn’t laugh, lest she move her arm while Anastasia had a moving needle in it.
After about four hours, Jenn’s appointment was over. Anastasia cleaned the tattoo one final time before securing it safely under a layer of Second Skin to begin the healing process (after both her and Jenn took some shots for the ‘Gram). I left the experience filled with plenty of information for this article, and also jealous that Cici was next in line for her tattoo instead of me.
After about four hours, Jenn’s appointment was over. Anastasia cleaned the tattoo one final time before securing it safely under a layer of Second Skin to begin the healing process (Tamala Malerk)
So, what’s it like to get a tattoo in a foreign country? Well, at this tattoo shop it seemed a lot like getting a tattoo in the States. Tattoo culture has permeated the world and just like in the States, it’s all about doing research beforehand and finding an artist and shop that align to your wants and needs.