Getting a Tattoo in Puerto Rico
In case you didn’t know this, I’m addicted to tattoos. Most tattoo-lovers are pretty loyal to a single tattoo artist, but since I am so often on the move, I don’t always have the luxury. So, when I got a chance to get a tattoo in Puerto Rico, I was all about it.
When it comes to tattoos, I’ve had awesome experiences and so-so ones, but I can honestly say I am happy with all my tattoos, even the one I got in a scene from Saw. However, I was especially excited to meet Blen. Blen has done work on a couple of my friends in the past, including Pedro, so I was fairly familiar with work.
Spontaneous tattoo – what to get?
I had wanted a cherry blossom tree on my right foot for some time. I love cherry blossom trees and I think they are a wonderful tribute to my Japanese heritage. I also really loved the idea of having a tree to match the hummingbird I have tattooed on my left foot. (That’s a whole other travel tattoo story) Blen assured me that would be no problem, and said he was psyched to try out a water-color style technique. So, instead of drawing up a draft and putting a stencil on my body, as every other artist I have worked with did, Blen simply smiled and said, “Do you trust me?”
It’s cool if I just freehand this permanent piece of art onto your body, right?
This was my 11th tattoo, so I was far from new to this whole process. While I have let artists freehand little accents and shading to my tattoos, I had never even considered letting an artist take a needle straight to my skin and trust that the tattoo would come out nicely. I hesistated for a second, so Blen showed me some photos of past work he had done. The friend who connected me with Blen also has several huge pieces on his body that I knew Blen had freehanded, so I took a deep breathe and said, “Yeah, I trust you.”
Late night tattoo session.
This is going to hurt.
Anyone that tells you tattoos don’t hurt is a liar. The foot is also one of the most painful parts of your body to get tattooed. Right before we started Blen laughed and said “yeah, this is going to hurt.” He was almost a little too excited about it. However, I appreciate the honestly. He promised to work quickly, so I propped my foot up and steeled myself for the inevitable pain.
Some of that is ink, some of that is blood.
Getting a Tattoo in Puerto Rico = success
As soon as Blen finished my tattoo, I was in love with it. Sure, my foot was swollen and I wasn’t going to be able to wear shoes for at least at week, but who cares? My tattoo turned out beautifully. I will most definitely make sure to meet up with Blen again to get some more work done. And next time, I won’t even hesitate when it asks if I trust him.
