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Jul 2020

Last Updated: 14/07/2020

Business

Harrogate district tattoo artists get back to work

by Ami Miller Lifestyle Reporter

| 15 Jul, 2020

The Stray Ferret has been to visit tattoo studios in Knaresborough and Harrogate as they re-open - following similar safety guidelines to nail bars and beauty salons.

https://youtu.be/vFGz92LWL3c

Have you been planning a tattoo design during lockdown?

Tattoo parlours across the district are now open, following similar safety guidelines to nail bars and beauty salons.

One Knaresborough artist has told The Stray Ferret that it's great to open but that it's been "frustrating" having to stay shut longer than hairdressers - especially since they have long been required to have measures in place to prevent cross-contamination.

However, they were not allowed to open on July 4 because of the amount of physical contact often for a long period of time.

James Mellors, who co-owns Wild Style Tattoo in Knaresborough, had his first customer through the door yesterday, after four months of being closed. He said:

"My first customer is in all day today, it's a lot of geometric patterns, so it's quite mind-boggling after four months off, but I'll manage.

"We were ready to open on July 4... so it has been very frustrating, tattoo artists felt like we were at the bottom of the pile really.

"We wear masks and gloves anyways so we understand how to operate in a Covid-secure way... but we're open now which I'm very pleased about."

Wild Style is only taking advance bookings and having one person in the studio at a time, so "you can't walk off the street unannounced".

Richard Suddaby, co-owner of Fired Up Tattoo Studio in Harrogate, has also welcomed his first customer back to the studio. He said:

"I have just done a design this morning for someone whose father passed away during lockdown so I have done a memorial tattoo for them."

He added:

"The diary is filling up, but some people are cancelling as they still worried about the virus. I have only been here since the end of last year, so I felt I was just getting going then had to close, but we will get there."