Popularity, safety of tattoos increase
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By Sunny Tunget
Apache Staff
The old stereotype of a person who had a tattoo was of a hard-drinking man in the service, but today, tattoos are increasingly appealing to young women.
Ron Bertalot of Blue Skys Tattoos in LaSalle said 70 percent of his customers are young women, and a number are mothers and daughters who request matching designs
The average range of ages of his customers is 18 to 30. Illinois law requires people to be at least 21 or to have parental consent.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, people are being very patriotic and designs with eagles and flags are very popular. Bertalot said one customer asked for a tattoo of the twin towers with the words "We Will Never Forget" underneath the design.
The average charge is $100 per hour with the size and complexity of the design determining the amount of time the tattoo will take. Small designs can be completed in one visit; large ones are completed in stages and take several visits.
Even with very small designs, Bertalot said there is a minimum charge of $40 to cover the cost of the single use needles.
Blue Skys complies with all of the Illinois Board of Health rules and regulations, Bertalot said.
Equipment is sterilized in an Autoclave Sterilizer, as used in doctor's and dentist's offices, and the "artists" wear gloves, as health care professionals do.