body branding [shedir]

Like most guys I've thought for years about getting a tattoo done and always found reasons not to. Bad design, horror stories, whatever. This year just thought "why the hell not", so started hunting around for a suitabily patriotic tattoo.

Stage one of course is who.

Survey round friends and family in glasgow and one name always comes out on top. www.terrystattoostudio.com

A father and son business stretching back donkeys years, everyone had great things to say about them and got to say more than justified. Take great care of you and Stuart's manner was fantstic, dicussing the design and what'll happen during and after the tattooing.



Stage two whit!

This is something you've got to live with all your life, which is why I'm 39 and just getting this sorted! Always had an idea of the lion rampant on one arm, but that's going to run when you're old. Chances of me making 60 in this current world meltdown are slim, so time to give it a go!

While rummaging around the net I found the desgn which ticked my boxes, a plain map for Scotland but with a gap where the cross of our national flag runs through it.

Stage three bottle

So now it's about holding your nerve and not pussying out. Went in on Monday only to find they're closed Mondays! So now you've had your try, who can blame you for not going through with it eh? ME!

Spoke nicely to boss and 2 hours time in lieu from a server move last week saw me enough time to pop over.

Stage four waiting game

I was pretty surprised at how busy Terry's place was, I arrived at the back of 10 in the morning to find 4 people waiting and one already underway. Looked at designs there but nothing matched what I was after, so took a palce on the seats and waited.

What was really good is the other bloke in the parlour, he asked about design then took it away.

Stage five car-gh-tography

Came back with a cleaner better setup pic, which they then print onto. Your arm gets something squished on and shaved then the printout goes on your arm giving Stuart an outline to work with. The actual pain from the outlining being done was a surprise, sharp but in short bursts. Well within anyones tolerance I reckon. But the pics of folks with their entire back done, he says FIFTY hours to do that. Which does require real dedication and mental pain management.

Great postcare too, sold some goo to put on it 2 or 3 times a day to prevent it drying out. Only need to do that for a few days, with a pamphlet explaining what you need to do.

Stage six surprise

Pure adrenaline rush when done, I really wasn't expecting that at all. Guess it's the fight or flight choice finally being released from the chair and you are free to go!

Here it is, my finished article at £100 all in.