It's only taken the state three years since a law was passed regulating tattoo parlors, but it's finally ready to go.
Or, as Tattoo Blog puts it, "Illinois Finally Gets Their Shit Together."
In August, the state Department of Public Health will start inspecting tattoo (and body piercing) establishments to make sure everything is hunky-dory.
What took it so long?
"Excuse me?," Tattoo Blog says. "The law has been in effect for three years and their only now getting around to enforcing it? In yet another month? You would think that the studios would have had enough time to “come up to code” by now. Wouldn’t you?
"In a perfect world all tattoo artists would be caring of their clients, and completely health conscious, considering that our 'canvas' is a living body. Unfortunately, as we have shown here at Tattoo Blog from time to time, that simply is not the case. There are bad apples in any profession and letting a law as important to public health as tattoo laws are go for three years is unconscionable."
It's not clear whether regulation would have prevented this 4-year-old from getting a Batman tattoo, or if it involves any kind of spell checking, like these tattoos desperately needed, but at least some operators welcome the regulation.
Local
"Alysha Gallop, co-owner of Graphic Flesh, a tattoo parlor in Normal, supports the new law because it requires establishments to have properly trained artists as well as clean and safe facilities," the Bloomington Pantagraph reports.
"I absolutely think it's a great idea," Gallop said. "It gives me an advantage to be licensed."
AP reports that 212 facilities have already registered with the state.
Steve Rhodes is the proprietor of The Beachwood Reporter, a Chicago-centric news and culture review.
