Tattoo Playa Del Carmen

…when you really wanna look like a badass…

I swear to you, there are more people with tattoos in Playa Del Carmen than any other place I’ve been to in my life.

In Playa Del Carmen people have tattoos on their butts, boobs, legs, arms, and god knows where else.

The tattoos in Playa Del Carmen are exotic.

Do you want to know what’s even better?

The exotic women (and men) attached to them.

I think that’s why I’ve come to accept getting a tattoo in Playa Del Carmen as a pretty cool thing to do.

But before coming to Playa Del Carmen, I had some strange experiences with tattoos.

Let me tell you about one…

“The Girl With The Dragon Stupid Tattoo”

“Oh my God,” I said as she lifted up her long skirt. “That is the reddest, wettest, juiciest-looking—”

(Please, my dear readers, don’t get any wrong ideas. I was simply trying​ to be polite.)

“—tattoo I’ve ever seen.”

“Thanks,” she replied, while blushing slightly.

“Just looking at it makes me thirsty,” I stated enthusiastically.

I was trying my hardest to refrain from cracking up. No kidding. I was.

This was no Playa Del Carmen tattoo. I don’t think any tattoo shop in Playa Del Carmen would have inked something this lame.

I would walk over and punch them in the face if they did.

This girl…

No—this STUPID girl—had gotten a tattoo of (you’re not going to believe this)—

The Kool-Aid guy.

Remember that filthy, smiling Kool-Aid pitcher character that used to interrupt the Transformers and Inspector Gadget cartoons when you were watching TV as a kid?

Remember how he would crash through a paper background and all the kids sitting around some cheap plastic picnic table would get excited because he was bringing Kool-Aid for them to drink?

What a pedophile. The drinks he served were probably laced with pecker juice.

Well, this idiot girl had attached the Kool-Aid guy to her ankle—for life.

Like a medieval​ ball and chain, there was no escaping.

Imagine being this girl’s boyfriend—going to bed with her each night, and having to deal with this creepy Kool-Aid character watching the two of you go at it.

YUCK!

I thought to myself at that time, “I am NEVER getting a tattoo.”

I would probably get drunk, start talking like a hotshot, and then wake up with Wonder Woman tattooed on my leg staring at my balls—or something worse.

I met the girl mentioned above in 2009.

Fast forward a few years and—

Nothing has changed.

I still don’t have a tattoo.

The girl I worked with still has the dumbass Kool-Aid tattoo.

Life goes on.

What Kind of Playa Del Carmen Tattoo Should I Get?

Honestly, when I started writing this page, I thought it would be fun giving some suggestions about what kind of tattoo Playa Del Carmen you should get.

However, after giving it some thought, I realized it would be best to leave it completely up to you.

Tattoos are just too personal to give (or take) advice about.

Despite that, I can give you three mild suggestions:

• DON’T get a “Tramp Stamp.” They’re not cool anymore.
• DON’T get some crappy Chinese letter tattoo that means water, fire, earth, air, or some such nonsense. You’d be an idiot if you did. And by the way, piss on China. Dog-eating bastards.
• DO remember you’re in a foreign country. Double, triple, and quadruple check the spelling. DO NOT assume your Playa Del Carmen tattoo artist knows how to spell English words. Imagine your reaction when you find out your tattoo says—“Spring Brake 2017.” You would definitely make it into some FAIL compilation on YouTube.

Other than those few suggestions, I think you should be fine.

Playa Del Carmen Tattoo Shop Locations Map

Honestly, there are tattoo shops everywhere in Playa Del Carmen.

Take a look at the map below in order to get an idea of the seemingly endless options:

 

NOTE: THE LOCATION OF BOTH WIZARD TATTOO STUDIO AND PARADOX TATTOO STUDIO ARE ACCURATE ON THE MAP ABOVE (AS OF APRIL 2017). NEITHER ARE ACCURATE ON GOOGLE MAPS!!!

But if you think that all Playa Del Carmen tattoo parlors are created equal, you’re dead wrong.

WHY HAVING SO MANY TATTOO SHOPS IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN IS GOOD

When I heard that Amazon.com was thinking about delivering packages via drones, I thought it was a late April Fool’s joke.

As I thought about it (and after I found out that the company was serious), I realize that it wasn’t such a bad idea.

People are willing to pay for convenience—even if they have to suffer through loud mini-helicopters flying through the air in order to get it.

OPTIONS = CONVENIENCE

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that there are a sh*tload of options for someone wanting to get a tattoo in Playa Del Carmen. This makes the whole process seem convenient.

In essence, there are Playa Del Carmen tattoo shops all over this damn city!—no matter where you walk in downtown Playa Del Carmen, you are going to bump into a tattoo studio.

However great that may sound, there’s a dark side to this—

WHY HAVING SO MANY TATTOO SHOPS IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN IS BAD

Ever since I was a young kid, I always had sensitive feet.

I remember even when I was in grade school that I would get severe blisters on my feet if my shoes were uncomfortable.

It took me forever – and I mean forever – to find a company that made shoes that my feet were happy with.

The brand I finally settled for was Reebok due to the ultra-soft leather their shoes were made from.

Finding a good pair of shoes is important.

But for tattoos, finding a good tattoo studio is 10x more important!

Once you get a tattoo, you can’t simply replace it with another. You’re stuck with it—for life!

Consequently, there is no way you should EVER get a tattoo in Playa Del Carmen unless it’s with someone whom you thoroughly trust.

With the vast number of options that exist in this city, how do you know which is best?

Which Playa Del Carmen Tattoo Shop Is The Best?

I asked myself the same question as I walked around this city.

Then I investigated.

This is what I found out:

(Insert the blue box that includes a description and a contact form for the best tattoo artist in town)

Other Services Offered At Playa Del Carmen Tattoo Shops

There seems to be a growing trend in the United States and other places around the world: wherever you find a tattoo shop, you also find piercing services.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN PIERCING SERVICES

It is the same in Playa Del Carmen.

Most of the tattoo shops around town also offer piercings as well.

You can have them pierce your eyebrow, nose, lip, ears, nipple, dick, or whatever you want.

Believe me when I say that the tattoo shops around Playa Del Carmen have seen it all.

If you decide you want to do a tattoo and piercing it’s probably beneficial to make your decision before you walk into the shop.

Get them done together and you may be able to find some kind of package deal—or at least a small discount on each of them.

TEMPORARY TATTOOS IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN

When I was a kid, temporary tattoos were all the rage.

They used to sell packages of them at Kmart.

My brother and I would buy them and put them all over our bodies.

We thought we were cool.

However, the disappointing part of those temporary tattoos was the fact that they wash off after only a few days.

Things change.

Technology improves.

The temporary tattoos of today are much better than they were at that time.

There are several Playa Del Carmen tattoo shops that offer temporary tattoos to visitors.

In all honesty, I don’t even know where they are, but I do know they exist—and you don’t have to get poked by a needle in order to get one.

Speaking of needles…

Safety Practices At Playa Del Carmen Tattoo Shops

When I think of tattoos, I think of blood, skin, bodily fluids, and needles.

I already know what you’re thinking: the safety practices at Playa Del Carmen tattoo shops are different from the safety practices in the United States.

Actually, this is false—for the most part.

Honestly, there are some tattoo shops in Playa Del Carmen that I would not touch with a dirty broom.

In fact there was a good number of shops in town that I visited while writing this article.

I turned around and left several of them before a staff member even appeared at the counter—yes, they were that bad.

In one of the shops I visited, two fat girls were so busy eating that they didn’t even notice I had entered the studio.

Even worse, the food they were eating was strewn all over the tattoo artist’s booth (the place where the tattoo artist sets his gun and ink while tattooing clients).

Imagine ink under your skin.

That’s what a tattoo is, right?

Now imagine ink under your skin mixed with tacos, tostadas, and beans.

They could call it a “tattaco.” Or maybe a “tacttoo.”

And, no, I’m not going to recommend that shop to you.

1. First off, let me just be completely straight with you—I would never recommend a Playa Del Carmen tattoo studio unless they practiced high levels of safety and hygiene. Period.
2. Second, a good tattoo artist doesn’t just care about you as a customer. He also cares about himself and being infected by some sort of contagion (that you may be carrying).

In essence, tattoo artists are careful about hygiene not only for their customer’s sake, but for their own sake as well.

In fact, the hygiene necessary to maintain a high level of safety is quite non-intrusive and easy to maintain.

Tattoo safety is NOT expensive and doesn’t take a lot of extra work.

Consequently, even in a developing country like Mexico, the Playa Del Carmen tattoo shops are very concerned about safely—at least the reputable ones.

This is another reason that I only recommend the best tattoo shop in town.

Working with anybody else is just a waste of time, in my opinion.

What You Need To Bring When Getting a Playa Del Carmen Tattoo

Really there’s not much that you need to bring when going to get a tattoo.

Here’s a basic list:

• Yourself – Of course, you’ll need to be there in order for the tattoo to be performed
• Your wallet – Bring enough money to cover the cost of your tattoo. You will also need to reserve some money for some of the accessories that are necessary to treat your tattoo after – for example, a salve or special lotion for keeping the tattoo from scabbing.
• Optional – You may also want to bring some painkillers to take before / during / after your tattoo session

That’s really about all that you should need.

What You Should / Should Not Do BEFORE Getting a Playa Del Carmen Tattoo

Here’s a list of some of the things to do before you arrive at the tattoo studio:

• Be clean – You don’t want to go get a tattoo when you smell like a musty towel that has spent a number of consecutive days wet on the beach. Take a shower just before you arrive at the tattoo studio. Besides, tattoo studios in Playa Del Carmen can get a little hot. More specifically, they can feel warmer because people normally tense up a bit once the needle begins going in and out. Don’t smell up the studio with your filthy body. Be clean.
• Be reasonably sober – Alcohol thins your blood. Thinner blood makes it harder for the artist because he constantly has to keep wiping blood away with a napkin. Now, don’t get my wrong, I love Mexican tequila and Mexican beer, so I know what you’re thinking. However, just take it easy while you’re​ in the studio.
• Be prepared for some pain – If you’ve got the pain tolerance of a 3-year-old kid, a tattoo is probably not a good idea. Know that there’s going to be some pain. Mentally prepare yourself for it.
• Don’t take aspirin-based pain killers – The same as with alcohol, aspirin-based painkillers thin your blood. The thinner your blood is during the tattoo procedure, the more difficult it is for the tattoo artist. Runny blood means the tattoo artist is going to need to wipe it away much more often. This gets in the way of the tattooing itself.
• Don’t take Tylenol-based pain killers (if you’re drinking) – Don’t mix alcohol and Tylenol-based pain killers. This includes anything with acetaminophen or paracetamol (generic names for Tylenol).The combination is absolutely devastating for your liver. And if you’re like me, your liver needs all the help it can get.

There are also a few things to keep in mind AFTER leaving your chosen Playa Del Carmen tattoo parlor.

What You Should / Should Not Do AFTER Getting a Playa Del Carmen Tattoo

Post-studio treatment of your tattoo is extremely important.

Seriously.

Books have been written on the subject.

So pay attention here.

Think of your tattoo as a surgical procedure.

After surgery, there are numerous things you need to do in order to minimize scarring and reduce the chance of infection.

Moreover, there is another component of the surgery to think about: the lucidity, clarity, and brightness of your tattoo.

If you don’t take exceptional care of your tattoo at this period, you will risk destroying the sharpness and detail of your permanent piece of body art.

Here are a few tips:

• Keep salve on your tattoo – Make sure you use some sort of salve or ointment that is specifically made for tattoos. Tattoos need to be kept moist. The moisture speeds up the healing process. Make sure you ask your tattoo artist about the best ointment for your tattoo.
• Keep your tattoo wrapped with​ cellophane for the first ____ hours – Because you want to keep your new tattoo moist, your tattoo artist will likely cover your tattoo with cellophane. You need to keep this over your tattoo for the time your tattoo artist suggests.
• Keep it out of sunlight – If you’ve ever had surgery before, you know that a doctor will tell you to keep a new scar out of sunlight. This is because the deeper layers of skin don’t have protection against UV light. It is the same with a tattoo. In order to minimize scarring, you need to keep your tattoo out of UV light.
• Keep it dry – remember crashing your bike as a kid and having one of those scabs that keeps getting wet and eventually falls off? Well, you know how they look—ugly. Your tattoo is essentially a bunch of cuts into your skin that allowed the injection of ink. A scab is going to grow over it. Make sure you don’t rub the scab off or get it wet too many times so that it falls off. If your scab falls off, your tattoo falls off.

If you follow these steps, you are more likely to have a great tattoo that will look good for the rest of your life.

When You Should NOT Get a Tattoo

Okay, I admit it—I probably don’t need to include this last section.

If you have some sort of special problems that you know about, you should not get a tattoo.

These could include any of the following: you are a hemophiliac, you have some sort of disease that suppresses your immune system, you pass out at the sight of blood, you’re a complete idiot, etc…

If you have one of these problems – or anything else that makes getting a tattoo particularly dangerous – don’t get one.

You know your problems better than anyone else, so make sure you make your tattoo artist aware of them.

Conclusion

That’s really about it. Now you know all about Playa Del Carmen tattoos, tattoo studios, and everything else.

Happy tattooing!!!!

Lots of love….

Rufus

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