Tattoo parlors going legit in the burbs

A little boy once saw a group of bikers who lived up the street giving each other tattoos. Almost immediately he decided he had found his life path.

At 9, he gave himself his first tattoo and by 15 he found his way to New York City to apprentice in a tattoo parlor during summer break.

That little boy — who has since changed his name to Skeet — is in the process of opening his sixth tattoo parlor, the first one in his hometown of Carpentersville since they were banned by the village in 1991.

“I had retired a couple years ago; I thought I was going to get out of the business,” Skeet said. “But this is my life. I can’t quit tattooing.”

Carpentersville first banned tattoo establishments because of a lack of regulation at the state level and, Skeet would argue, personal bias against the shops.

But public opinion has shifted and the Illinois General Assembly passed a law in 2007 requiring the state to regulate tattooing. The health department had its code in order by the end of 2008 and state inspections began in November 2009.

Now Carpentersville officials can’t see why the ban should remain.

“It’s gone from something that was at one time taboo to something that’s mainstream,” said Village President Ed Ritter. “We need to change with the times. There is no reason for us to keep out a well-regulated business that is accepted by the public.”

The village board changed its codebook in November to allow tattoo parlors and passed the necessary zoning change Jan. 4. The only thing standing between Skeet and his latest business is a lease, which he hopes to sign soon.

But opening the latest Bodies by Skeet isn’t something the tattoo artist could do just anywhere. Similar establishments are forbidden in many towns, such as Wheaton, Glen Ellyn and Arlington Heights.

The municipal code in East Dundee says “tattooing parlors threaten the public health and welfare and are hereby considered a nuisance.”

In many communities, the laws may be relics of a time when public opinion relegated tattooing to a counterculture. But without any potential business owners trying to challenge them, local laws remain in place.

Arlington Heights doesn’t list tattoo establishments among its permitted uses, so they are not allowed. But Matt Dabrowski from the village’s planning and community development department said he can only remember one such proposal in the last 10 years.

“There hasn’t been a high demand that would require us to take a look at it,” Dabrowski said.

But then there are the communities that have looked at it — and rejected it. On Feb. 22 Palatine unanimously voted down a proposal for a tattoo parlor in town, citing the very same stigma Carpentersville officials say has diminished in recent years.

It’s true, though, that plenty of municipalities allowed tattooing long before the state got involved in regulation. Aurora, Elgin, Crystal Lake and Libertyville have several tattoo parlors each.

Danise Wolfe opened a tattoo parlor in Libertyville 15 years ago. At that time, as when Skeet started, there was no regulation at all. Wolfe called the health department to see if someone would do an inspection but learned it had no criteria by which to inspect.

In Carpentersville, Trustee Judy Sigwalt led the way in rethinking the prohibition of tattooing. She said the change in regulation provided a compelling reason to alter the village ordinances for Skeet’s new shop.

“It’s a twofold protection,” Sigwalt said. “Not only for the public who is partaking in the service but also for the owner of the store.”

When Skeet opens his shop in Carpentersville he will need to be ready for random inspections, probably two per year. The state code also lays out a list of sanitation requirements health departments must check.

As he prepares himself to own a business under heightened regulation, Skeet said he is glad for the change because it protects the integrity of the industry. And really, he said the business wasn’t always the safest one to be in.

“I had to bring a gun to work,” Skeet said. “Now I bring a pack of gum and I’m good.”