It's no surprise that tattoos are becoming more and more popular these days. Body art is beautiful. SPOT.ph lists 10 tattoo parlors that have stringent sanitation practices, boast of state-of-the-art equipment, as well as given the thumbs up by the Department of Health and tattoo aficionados.
1. TATTOO BY GENE TESTA
Address: 3/F Bodysenses, Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas, Pasig City
Contact number: 0917-4135626
Operating hours: Mondays to Sundays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Price range: Starts at P1,500
Inks used: Kuro Sumi, Vivid Colors, Screen Ink
Star artist: Gene Testa
Sanitation practices: Disposable needles
Accreditation: DOH certified
While the mall may not be an ideal place for a tattoo parlor–what with the cluttered shops and frantic crowd–tattoo artist Gene Testa has been comfortable in one. He should be, since he's been in the same location for more than a decade. His modest space does not scream "tattoo" at all. If not for the countless photos of customers that adorn the façade of the shop, one could easily mistake the place for a dentist's or dermatologist's clinic. Testa, who has been a tattoo artist for 20 years, takes his art seriously. Aside from tattoos, they also offer tattoo reconstruction, tattoo removal, as well as henna tattoos for those who aren't fan of the pain.
2. P & P TATTOO
Address: 45 Polaris Street, Makati City
Contact number: 890-8037
Operating hours: Mondays (12 p.m. to 8 p.m.), Tuesdays to Saturdays (12 p.m. to 10 p.m.), Sundays (2 p.m. to 9 p.m.)
Price range: Starts at P2,000
Inks used: Starbrite Colors
Star artists: Myke Sambajon, Max Tandoy, Ronian Poe, Jake Cuerpo, and Pablo Tobias
Sanitation practices: All products are brand new, sterilized and imported from the U.S. including soap which are shipped gallons at a time.
Accreditation: DOH certified
P&P Tattoo ups the notch in tattooing as it introduces fresh takes on an art that's often associated with seedy districts and shady individuals. In fact, the shop is anything but seedy or shady. Structured like a lounge, it has a flatscreen TV, a wide selection of DVDs, and a video game console that keep customers busy while they're waiting or getting inked up. Their artists are all big names in the Philippine tattoo scene and are members of the Philippine Tattoo Artists Guild (PHILTAG). The shop displays the countless first place awards in various tattoo categories that the group has garnered through the years, in both the local and international scene. Because of the artists' broad expertise and experience, they have also been chosen to judge in competitions. P&P does tattoo cover-ups or reconstruction, body piercing and dreadlocks. They also sell P& P merchandise like T-shirts and body jewelry.
