Questions from a Body Piercer & Tattoo Artist...

MijnKatje

New member
Aug 26, 2010
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Hola Everyone :D

I am a 31 year old female body piercer and tattoo artist living in BC, Canada. I am looking to find out more information about the body modification industry in the Dominican Republic. I am planning a one week trip there sometime in April and, if all goes well, I hope to be moving there in October of next year for a minimum of 6 months.

From the limited amount of information I can find regarding tattoo artists in the DR, it seems that there is only one "safe" "good" "respectable" "clean" artist in the entire country. I find this hard to imagine, being that here in BC there is literally dozens of good, if not excellent, tattoo artists in every city!

What I am looking for is more information regarding demand, pricing, acceptance, etc of tattoos and piercings in the DR. How many artists/shops are out there? Would hiring a foreigner to work there be acceptable? What are the average rates of tattoos/piercings? Contact information (email/facebook especially as phone calls are much too expensive!), of any artists/shops for networking would be greatly appreciated!

My parents, who travel there 2-3 times per year on vacation, are "typical tourists", (5* Hotels, shorts, sandals, English only, etc), are not too fond of my plans. I am much more easygoing and enjoy the simpler things in life. I don't wear nice/expensive jewelery; I generally dress nice, not "touristy" or "trashy"; I feel much more at home in simple surroundings rather than luxurious hotels/apartments/etc; I am a very happy, warm, smiley person who easily gets along with people from all walks of life; being in this industry I have worked on everyone from Doctors & Lawyers to street thugs & patched gang members so I am far from naive; I am (slowly & painfully :eek:) learning Spanish as I know that will be the only way to make the best of my...

BUT...

I have 14 piercings (mostly in my ears), 9 tattoos (including a 3/4 sleeve) and I have purple streaks in my hair :ermm: While I know the hair can be easily remedied ;) I am wondering how will I, as a female with this amount of body mods, be treated? How common it is for people there to have tattoos and piercings? Is it generally accepted or will I be targeted and perceived as "bad" or "scary"?


Thank you! Any and all thoughts, comments, suggestions and information is very much appreciated :D

-Katje >^..^<

PS. Apologies for the super long post ;)
 

genistar

Active member
Jul 29, 2009
204
75
28
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
It depends...

Overall, you will likely be viewed as odd. However, as an "estranjera" you won't likely be shunned or treated badly. You're most likely to encounter a lot of staring, so prepare yourself.

There is a very strong counter-culture in Santo Domingo. Some of my close Dominican friends have tattoos and piercings. You can find good tattoo artists in some of the malls (like Plaza Central) and el Conde (Zona Colonial). You'll sometimes see tattood Dominicans hanging out in the Zona Colonial in the park out front the Hard Rock cafe just chillin' on a park bench hanging out.

I wouldn't recommend looking for work because the pay is horrible. I suggest you go and check it out for a few weeks first to test the waters before you make your big move. Good luck.
 
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bienamor

Kansas redneck an proud of it
Apr 23, 2004
5,050
458
83
for the most part

Tattoos and body piercings are for the most part not accepted. The upper class views them as a lower class thing, and the lower class views them as a hooker, or odd kind of thing. All in all not really accepted.

On the "ladys" you see some lower back, or shoulder tats. very few piercings, but some, seems to be bad for business.

Other than the artists themselves dont really see too many guys with tats and piercings.
 
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Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
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dr1.com
Forget trying to make money here, you will go broke.

Do what your parents do, you will be happier in the long run.
 

bachata

Aprendiz de todo profesional de nada
Aug 18, 2007
5,341
1,246
113
Hola Everyone :D


I have 14 piercings (mostly in my ears), 9 tattoos (including a 3/4 sleeve) and I have purple streaks in my hair :ermm: While I know the hair can be easily remedied ;) I am wondering how will I, as a female with this amount of body mods, be treated? How common it is for people there to have tattoos and piercings? Is it generally accepted or will I be targeted and perceived as "bad" or "scary"?


Thank you! Any and all thoughts, comments, suggestions and information is very much appreciated :D

-Katje >^..^<

PS. Apologies for the super long post ;)

The cops will be looking for you all time "preso por sospecha" you will be in charged in arrest.

JJ
 
May 29, 2006
10,265
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Tatoos have not gained social acceptance in the DR as they have in some areas on the mainland and body piercings, even less so. I have yet to see what would pass as a "good" tatoo on any Dominican(though I haven't been to SD), and a woman with visible tatoos, especially on their arms, would never be hired for any kind work with a paycheck. When you think of dress codes, jump back into a time machine to about 1960.
 
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DavidZ

Silver
Aug 29, 2005
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www.vipcigartours.com
You'll fit in just fine in Cabarete and the main Tattoo/Body Piercing shop (Salon Ana 809-868-6647) is well respected and charges pretty close to US prices (I think). I don't think they're looking to hire anyone, but I'd start there...if you're looking to come to the North Coast.

As for major body modification...I don't think that's really taken off here, maybe in the Santo Domingo underground scene...and there is a pretty big punk/goth/metal scene there...
 
Re:

Hola Everyone :D

I am a 31 year old female body piercer and tattoo artist living in BC, Canada. I am looking to find out more information about the body modification industry in the Dominican Republic. I am planning a one week trip there sometime in April and, if all goes well, I hope to be moving there in October of next year for a minimum of 6 months.

From the limited amount of information I can find regarding tattoo artists in the DR, it seems that there is only one "safe" "good" "respectable" "clean" artist in the entire country. I find this hard to imagine, being that here in BC there is literally dozens of good, if not excellent, tattoo artists in every city!

What I am looking for is more information regarding demand, pricing, acceptance, etc of tattoos and piercings in the DR. How many artists/shops are out there? Would hiring a foreigner to work there be acceptable? What are the average rates of tattoos/piercings? Contact information (email/facebook especially as phone calls are much too expensive!), of any artists/shops for networking would be greatly appreciated!

My parents, who travel there 2-3 times per year on vacation, are "typical tourists", (5* Hotels, shorts, sandals, English only, etc), are not too fond of my plans. I am much more easygoing and enjoy the simpler things in life. I don't wear nice/expensive jewelery; I generally dress nice, not "touristy" or "trashy"; I feel much more at home in simple surroundings rather than luxurious hotels/apartments/etc; I am a very happy, warm, smiley person who easily gets along with people from all walks of life; being in this industry I have worked on everyone from Doctors & Lawyers to street thugs & patched gang members so I am far from naive; I am (slowly & painfully :eek:) learning Spanish as I know that will be the only way to make the best of my...

BUT...

I have 14 piercings (mostly in my ears), 9 tattoos (including a 3/4 sleeve) and I have purple streaks in my hair :ermm: While I know the hair can be easily remedied ;) I am wondering how will I, as a female with this amount of body mods, be treated? How common it is for people there to have tattoos and piercings? Is it generally accepted or will I be targeted and perceived as "bad" or "scary"?


Thank you! Any and all thoughts, comments, suggestions and information is very much appreciated :D

-Katje >^..^<

PS. Apologies for the super long post ;)

Hmm...body modification is definitely not a popular thing in DR (and I don't think it will become trendy anytime soon) It's hard enough for most people to find a job in DR, then having tattoos lowers their chances.

Definitely try to network as much as popular, google around for tattoo shops or salons that might be interested and even if they don't have any availabilities, drop in and try to talk to some people who have the same interests are you---maybe they can steer you in the right direction!

Good luck :)
 

bryan1258

Bronze
Dec 24, 2007
547
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0
I remember Thomas back in the day in Vancouver. Where is he setup in the DR?

haha...........Thomas what a character. I used to have my boat next to his down in False Creek. He has a house in Cangrejo. He's not set up in DR. He's moved to Hastings and Nanaimo. Small world.
 

MijnKatje

New member
Aug 26, 2010
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0
Wow! Thank you all for the responses :D

I will definitely get in touch with Thomas Lockhart, I don't know him personally, but I have a couple of friends who do. I will also be contacting Djordjevic Branko from Salon Ana/Bane Tattoo :)

As for making money/getting rich... that is not my plan and I know it would be a terribly unrealistic expectation. I am all about the "experience and adventure" at this point in my life and I am used to living on a minimal budget (my family was poor growing up). As long as I could eak out a meager "living" to suppliment my savings I would be happy. A couple meals a day and a roof over my head and I'd be all set, I'm very low maintenance ;)

My parents usually stay in Punta Cana when they go, but they have also visited Puerto Plata, which looks to be very close to Cabarete. I will definitely put the bug in their ear to stay in that area when we go in April :D

I have spent a lot of my life in very conservative (religious) neighbourhoods and small towns so I am used to being stared at a lot and having people question me and my motives, but as I am a very warm and friendly person I have not had any problems to date. If you met me when I'm wearing a long sleve shirt and skirt you would think I was a "normal" person, aside from the ring in my nose ;)

The cops will be looking for you all time "preso por sospecha" you will be in charged in arrest.

"Prisoner by Suspicion"? Does that happen often to foreigners? I'm assuming as long as I haven't done anything wrong, there would be no reason for them to keep me locked up, is this a fair assessment?


Thank you all again for your tips and comments, I sincerely appreciate the thoughts and information!

-Katje
 

Anastacio

Banned
Feb 22, 2010
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A couple meals a day and a roof over my head and I'd be all set, I'm very low maintenance ;)

Thats not the reality of the lifestyle here though is it, and you can't bring your own with you unfortunatley. Things are so very very different here that you have to adapt and accept rather than expect things to addapt to you. If you try to take the 'I don't give a damn what people think' attitude then it will be difficult to go very far.
I've not seen many 'heavily' tattoed people on the Northcoast other than the tourists, everyone has the odd little tatt here or there but full sleeves, hand, neck and facial tatts are very very rare among natives, only seen on those deported back from the states. Tattoo artists generally will adjust pricing to clients and depending on what day it is. You will not beable to charge more than $25us per hour at most, expect to charge around $15us an hour and more for set piece which will be the main target here, no one goes for full sleeves as I said, no one sets on a project, they want everything done in one sitting and will not want to pay for it, so small tacky tatts is the name of the game. Cabarete is different, everyone there is foreign and has some money, elsewhere is very different.
Piercing is popular in both men and women. Lip piercing is big at the moment, most women do it themselves from home, even navel piecings that are popular are done in the kitchen. Men prefer to use professionals and will pay 4-500pesos tops for a lip piercing with jewelery, prince alberts are not heard of here. Stretching has not made it here yet and it is quite unattractive and so I can't see it making its way here in any major way. Dominicans like true beauty, clean cut, smart appearance, so stretching ears, noses or putting rods through his prince albert is not at all appealing to them, this is something I don't mind generalising on as I can.
In Santo Domingo you will not get much attention, they have seen it all before, all people will think is 'oh, they are foreign'. Nose studs/rings, ears fully cuffed etc are nothing new here so nothing 'that' different, women enjoy that stuff.
So I don't consider cuffed ears and a nose studs that much of an issue, 3/4 sleave, no big deal, like I say people will just know you are foreign.
Being a foreigner and trying to get business tattooing? you won't, they always know someone who will do it cheaper, even if less hygenic than you will.
You might want to consider your costs. To import an autclav might be expensive. Most of the artists here use baby bottle sterilizers which is quite worrying.
At the end of the day you will end up paying out alot of money to set up and then find yourself in a position where you could have made a better living in a call centre, no real upside, sorry.
If you bring your portfolio and can get the guy in Cabarete to rent you a chair then you might do ok. My guess is he is ticking over and will not have sufficient demand to rent out a chair for you, but worth a try if you are good enough, he has a very good reputation to protect.
So all in all from my side of things I can't see you managing to do it. If you want to learn to live on the bones of your ass then you have to be living with a Dominican, we live on very very little, less than half of other people on a small budget I know here, but I'm with a Dominican and still learning every day how to cut corners on just about everything you could possibly think of, I couldn't do it myself, I just don't/didn't know how to.
I don't know the figures but I'd guess 1 in 4/5 (something like that)make a go of a business here, I'm unsure but I know ALOT of people who came, spent everything they had in trying to make a success of something, failing and going home only having had a very stressful none vacation, but valuable and expensive experience. Including myself, except I didn't go back, but I do now have a very minimal life in comparisson to others around me and the life I had beforehand. It is worth thinking about very long and hard before handing in your chair wherever you work now.
Good luck whatever you decide.
 

belgiank

Silver
Jun 13, 2009
3,251
103
0
I'm not in the tattoo or piercing stuff myself, but have some friends who are...

But I think, if you want to be successful... you will need to be in the Sosua/cabarete area, or in the Boca Chica area..., as you will need to get your business from tourists...

Anyways... lots of luck... and if you want more advice...
 

jrhartley

Gold
Sep 10, 2008
8,190
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who knows it may just be catching on here ......worth a try if you are a low maintenance person as you say and dont invest too much in the venture to start with.

Some people only know a succesful business when they see someone else doing it - then suddenly everyone is doing it lol
 

rice&beans

Silver
May 16, 2010
4,293
374
83
"Could you pierce my?.......oh never mind"......

who knows it may just be catching on here ......worth a try if you are a low maintenance person as you say and dont invest too much in the venture to start with.

Some people only know a succesful business when they see someone else doing it - then suddenly everyone is doing it lol

How true....how true.......:cheeky:
 

genistar

Active member
Jul 29, 2009
204
75
28
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
"Prisoner by Suspicion"? Does that happen often to foreigners? I'm assuming as long as I haven't done anything wrong, there would be no reason for them to keep me locked up, is this a fair assessment?

Generally this doesn't happen to foreigners... so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
 

ExtremeR

Silver
Mar 22, 2006
3,078
328
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The body modification business in the DR is really little and underground. The majority of tatoo's and piercing fans in the DR are near bums wandering around Colon Park at the Colonial Zone that only eat and sleep because their families won't let them die. The little money the get is to buy weed and to save for the next big tattoo or piercing in their list.

Granted: some good and great artists has come from that bunch but what I'm trying to say is you won't be able to set up a successful shop with that public in mind. With that being said there is a small but growing trend in the DR professional youth which are getting (small) tattoos in places easily covered as the back, legs or upper arms. I believe that market is already covered by dozens of Tatto shops but you may want to check the scene and test it out (hey everything is an adventure).

Regarding you walking around full of tattoos and piercing is another story. If you don't cover yourself well or only show the most conservative tattoos and lose the nose ring you will be discriminated against period. Forget about getting a job in the DR and while you may be the sweetest person on earth people would label you as a junkie expat. If you clean up a little bit with the piercings and cover your tattoos then you will be fine.

Sorry if I sound harsh but the DR is a very conservative country full of taboos.