Your tattoo will be ready in a minute, dearie

Here's a picture of my current ink artist. In the West, the typical tattooist is a burly dude (or dudette) and is usually covered in tattoos themselves. Here in China, nearly all my ink has been done by matronly middle-aged women that look like they would be friends with my mother. And they usually have little to no ink themselves, but they get the job done. Honestly now, I feel more comfortable going under the needle with one of these ladies than a younger guy or girl.


The Matriarch