Hey Hive! This weekend was a bit different for me. I went and got a tattoo for the first time in 10 years. While I was away Nat decided it was time for her to get another tattoo and while we were looking for ideas for her she planted a seed in my head. “Why don’t you get one too?” - she said. Soon after I started looking at male tattoos too… and then watched a few seasons of Ink Master..(conveniently put up on their youtube channel for a limited time while I was stuck in a hotel room for 15 days..) Not long after I was already set on an idea of getting one myself. So here’s the story of that. Even though this is a personal experience I’m sharing, many foreigners come to Thailand just to get tattoos. Some of the artists are amazing at what they do and since it’s Thailand, there’s no massive queues and wait lists and the prices are more than half the price of the big Western studios.

The style and Idea

So Nat wanted to get something on her thigh or hip, while I was thinking of getting something on my calf. Traditional Japanese style is something I really like and when done well it looks amazing. The art always has a deep meaning so I had to do my research thoroughly. I had a few things in mind but I wanted to have something on me that would not only mean something in a different culture but be something I’d be proud to wear. The tattoo itself would already mean a lot to me since it would be the last chance to get something in my skin before I turn 30 in a couple of months. It would remind me of my journey through continents and moving to my current home in Asia. An oriental style tattoo would already be all of that.

However, I know tattoos are a big taboo in Japan to the point where tattooing is illegal. I didn’t want to slap some art that a yakuza boss would be wearing. Even though Japanese tattoos have been very popular around the world and Japanese tattoo masters can be found all around the globe, I wanted to show appreciation for the art but be respectful to the culture.
I looked at designs for days, followed many great artists and read a lot about the meanings behind every piece of art. I set myself on a few specific things 1. Koi fish, Hannya mask and a snake. I also wanted to incorporate some japanese flowers - either cherry blossoms, maple leafs or peony.
The Koi Fish is one of the most common designs people go for. It has many meanings and they are all good and relatable. Koi fish are known for their long lives and for swimming against the water streams of rivers. There is an old Chinese legend about a Koi fish that was so persistent in swimming up a big waterfall that at the top of the waterfall, the Gods rewarded it by turning it into a golden dragon. That’s why often times you could see a Koi Dragon (a Fish with a head of a dragon). A weird concept to look at but interesting nonetheless.

1. Hannya masks can be found in many places around Japan and are a big part of their culture. They can be seen in theatres, art or even as small trinkets some people wear against evil. The origin of the Hannya face is that of a woman that turned into a demon from jealousy and anger. They are usually white or red, but in tattoos you can see a lot of non traditional colors.
   Another interesting fact about the Hannya masks is that they show a complex number of emotional states depending on how the light hits the mask. In theatre if the actor wearing it looks at the audience, they will see an angry demon, but if she looks at the ground it would almost seem as though she is crying.
   In Japanese culture the Hannya has been also a symbol of good luck and something to scare away all evil. (I mean what can be scarier than an angry jealous woman that turned into a demon?)

2. The snake in Asian culture isn’t considered a pest but something that brings luck. Having a snake in the garden is a good thing since it gets rid of the pest that destroys it. They are often displayed as powerful animals and guardians of riches. As a tattoo they are a symbol for good luck,wisdom and strength.

From all these elements I decided I wanted to have a Hannya mask with a snake wrapped around it. I also decided I’d go big and have a half leg sleeve up to the knee in full color. I had a lot of elements in mind and japanese style tattoos need space because they have to flow. A good artist will be able to create a dynamic picture that compliments the shape of the body.

I found two artists that are pretty good at this style here in Thailand. One of them was a tattoo artist in California Ink and the other in Max Tattoo, both in Bangkok. California ink is a fairly new studio (3.5 years) but they have gathered some of the best artists in the country under one roof and have some amazing work. Max tattoo has less artists but two of them specialize in Traditional Japanese style and one of them was a master with over 15 years of experience. California Ink also had a great Traditional Japanese artist so I contacted both to compare prices, designs etc. Clifornia ink responded within minutes while Max tattoo took a few days and I had to contact them on every possible given contact. By the time I had an answer from them I already had set a consultation with California Ink and Max tattoo wasn’t even opened at this time because of covid. (Their studio is in a hotel and the hotels were closed for undefined time period)

California Ink was a great choice for us because Nat could do her tattoo together with me. They had amazing artists tattooing in many different styles and we did our consultation at the same time.
The owner and person communicating with clients was an Australian so it was fairly easy. The language barrier could be a big pain in the ass here in Thailand and being able to explain the design and everything you want and then hear the artist thoughts is a big help. For my tattoo we decided to go with two Hannya masks - one blue and one red and a snake wrapping around them. That was the main concept and the artist had the freedom to do anything from here. Nat had already paid another person to create a design for her but we weren’t very happy with it. The concept was flowers with a swallow landing with its wings spread. The whole thing would be black and grey but the bird itself would have some color. We booked our appointment for the upcoming weekend - my tattoo would take 3 consecutive days and Nat’s two. All we had to do now is wait for the designs.

This was the first design Nat had from an tattoo artist she found on instagram. The first time he sent it to us, the bird had the tail in a completely wrong perspective so we went on back and forth a few times until he sent us this last bit. Overall I wasn't super happy with it because the bird was still sitting ther a bit out of place.

This was the artist from California ink and I'd say the dinamic of it was a lot nicer. The bird's shape flows with the hip that way.

This was my design. BOY was the name of the artist that I got it from and I really liked the concept of it. I like how it stayed and everything. He said he'll freehand a lot of elements (little did I know how much taht would be).

Let the pain begin

When I did my first tattoo 11 years ago I felt almost nothing. It took 2 days and around 12 hours in total to finish but It was the most painless thing. I thought It will be a walk in the park this time around too with small exceptions. I had my Nintendo prepared and my phone charged with an external battery charger prepared to kill the 6-7 hours of sitting under the needles. Let me tell you.. This was not how I remembered what being tattooed is. Every single needle hurt this time around. The calves are meant to be quite alright for pain but to my surprise.. Apparently not mine. The first day we had to do the whole outline of the tattoo and some solid black and greys for the wind around the masks and snake.My leg was on fire.. :D

Yeah my leg looked like pure chaos before we started but the Artist knew what he drew.

My artist was pretty fast for what it’s worth. He did the whole thing in about 6 hours and freehanded a lot. The design he sent me was very simplistic with no shading or anything on it, no scales for the snake and overall just a guidance. I was pretty amazed at all the detail he added throughout the days just by freehand with no reference what so ever.

This was the end of day 1. He finished a lot of work and ended up with a pretty good base to start adding color to.

On the second day Nat was with me to get her own tattoo. She had plenty of tattoos before but never a big one like that. She always bragged at how she never felt nothing when she got tattooed before so I wanted to see how she fairs on this one, since I was in for another day of hell. :D
Day two for me was for color of one side of the leg. This hurt even more because he used a machine with many needles to cover bigger areas faster and easier. We did the red mask, a big part of the snake and all of the flowers on the outside of my leg. At this point my leg was starting to swell a bit and throbbing like hell. Nat on the other hand was still hanging and since her artist didn’t know if he could come in the next day, they decided to finish the whole piece in one go. They went on for a total of 8 hours and let me tell you, Nat did feel the pain even though the guy used a single dot needle for the most part. (wish I was that lucky.. :D) But at least no more making fun of me for holding for deal life to the seat when the machine hits a bone or a nerve.

Second day made me realize how good this thing would look. The extra detail he added, shading and colors really made this art piece special. All the pain was worth it because at the end of it I’d get something spectacular on my leg that I’d be proud to wear for the rest of my life.

Here's how it looked at the end of day 2.

Nat's tattoo looked really nice. The lines are so crisp and her skin wasn't bruised at all. The tattoo guy was pretty careful tattoing her.

Day three started with my leg throbbing in pain. The problem with getting tattooed so much in one place in few consecutive days is that the area swells up and as the leg is far away from the heart, it hurts like hell when you wake up and step one it in the morning. I wouldn’t give up though. Got my paracetamol and was ready for the last day of pain.
I arrived and had another surprise by my artist. Remember how one of the Hannya masks had it’s horns covered by a cloth? Well he decided to cover that cloth with a complicated pattern that was pretty detailed. That meant more lines and.. well more pain. To my surprise that area didn’t hurt as much. He was using a machine with very few needles and working more precise to create the pattern. Some areas I felt nothing at all and that’s exactly how I remembered it being when I first got tattooed. That fun part got done in an hour though.. And next to come was some of the biggest pain I’ve felt in a long time - it was time to tattoo my shin. Getting tattooed on your bone, where the skin is very thin, is not a fun thing. A millimetre to the left - you feel nothing, a millimeter to the right and you feel like you stepped barefoot on a Lego. (only difference is when you do step on a piece of Lego, you immediately jump off of it.. It doesn’t hold your leg down to continue with the torture.. :D)

Here's that pattern ready to be made.

Here's the progress from day 3.

Overall though I think I was mentally prepared and the first hour or so was even relaxing. Even though the pain was the strongest out of the three days, I felt the most relaxed on the last day. After a total of 3 days and around 20 hours of inking I couldn’t be happier with the end result. My skin is pretty white and takes ink and colors really well.

And finally the whole piece together. Can't wait for it to stop swelling and hurting so much now. :D

This post turned out pretty long but It was a long, exciting and very tiring experience. If you are looking for a Traditional Japanese tattoo artist in Bangkok - BOY is your guy! The prices here are so much cheaper than most countries and the quality is really good. This tattoo would have costed me 3-4 times more from a decent tattooer in the USA for the same quality or worse. Another thing to consider is that here I didn’t have to wait for months for my appointment. You can just contact them and go. Anyways hope you enjoyed today’s rant and photos. We’re still waiting for our doggie so I’ll be seeing you again soon!