I have no clues how it all began, but all I remember is one day suddenly
keen on getting INKed. And now it has been 4yrs since my 1st tattoo.
6th Sep 2008, 2 days after my birthday, I went to the Tattoo parlor,
showed the design I had picked off Google and got inked.

And then, I came upon this other artist- Tarun Kumar, who ran a small studio at the back of his mom’s store in Fountain Plaza.. When 2 of my blogger friends wanted to get INKed, took them here, and in the process, I got one more. Yep! This was 24th Jan  2009. A friend got his fiance’s name tattooed while another got one of the Sun. Pretty soon I was guiding many others to Tarun… And they were all mighty pleased with what they got. A friend got the Aries sign tattooed, it also resembled V, the alphabet his name began with.

Tarun has now gone beyond his mom’s store, he now has his own studio- INK- The Tattoo Studio in Fountain Plaza, few doors down from the main gates. A small studio, it is quite welcoming, very like Tarun himself. The very 1st time I met him, I remember striking a conversation with ease, like we have known each other long. We yapped about all sorts of things and that connection continues. I went back to him recently to get the 2nd one altered, but by the end of the visit, I had gotted INKed once again, my 3rd… No, I am not mad. Nor am I into inflicting pain on my body. Tattoos are a way of expressing what I feel… This time the tattoo is in Mandarin and it means “Never give up”. Took him about 20mins to complete the whole thing and it was such a breeze for me as well. Barely any pain, plus we kept chatting through the process, which is what sets him apart from others. He makes you feel at ease, gets you comfortable, talks to you about the process, and then gets started.

Infact, while I was getting tattooed, a mother and daughter walked in. The girl was just entering college or in 2nd year and wanted a tattoo, and her mom was cool with it. I envied her. She said “Butterfly”, but unlike others who would be happy to kick it off by showing designs and getting started, Tarun spoke to her to dig deep to find out why she wanted to get that design tattooed, asked her to take her time and decide. Why does he do it? Because a tattoo is a lifelong mark on your body. So, you cannot afford to rush in and get something just for the heck of it. You have to live with it.

So, if you are ever curious about tattoos or if you have been tossing the idea around, I suggest you visit Tarun at INK- The Tattoo Studio. He not only tattoos, he is also into piercings, and has now begun offering design services. If you have a tattoo idea, he will draw up the design for you. You can either get it tattooed by him or go to an artist of your choice.

And for all of you wondering “Does it hurt? does it bleed?” Well, haven’t you heard of “no pain no gain?” Yes, it does hurt, for the initial 10-20seconds, after that you just need to sit still and be patient. Some people bleed.

How do you take care off your tattoo? You let it heal, apply an ointment [soframycin], it takes about 1-2 weeks. Stay off gym, heavy duty workouts during this period and then you are good to go. If you go out in the sun, apply sunscreen, else it is bound to fade over time.

Yes, I know I haven’t shared the 2nd tattoo’s pic. Shall share once it is complete 🙂

All set to get INKed?

INK- The Tattoo Studio
104 Fountain Plaza, Pantheon Road, Egmore  Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600008
098 40 837097

Facebook: INK- The Tattoo Studio
His work: