We know, tattoos are about having fun, not about following the rules.  But at Anchors End, we follow a number of strict rules, to ensure your safety and guarantee we provide you the highest quality care.  It is supremely important to us that we adhere to all these rules all the time, and we want to share them with you so you know the drill.  If any of these don’t make sense or you want to know more, just give us a call or stop by, we are always happy to educate our clients. 

There are some basic rules that all good tattoo studios follow.  Here is the least-you-need-to know and below are the details.

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Least you need to know:​

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    - Our studio adheres to the highest standard of cleanliness and hygiene.
    - We cannot tattoo anyone under 18, even with parental consent.
    - You must present a valid ID before we can tattoo you. 
    - We do not tattoo anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

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Sterilization and Infection Control

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We are the hall monitors of hygiene.  Cleanliness and proper sterilization are paramount in this business and we adhere to proper protocol 110% of the time.  Seriously, we’ll show you our math.

 

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All joking aside, we adhere to strict standards that we want you to know about:

   

    - Most supplies used during your tattoo are single-use and disposable, meaning they are sterilized and brand new, we use them on you, then we dispose of them immediately (often in a sharps container).  This includes the needles and needle bars used to do the tattoo.  We never reuse needles. 
   

     - All inks used during your tattoo are used in a way that makes them single use.  When setting up your tattoo, the artist will place a small amount of tattoo ink into clean, new and disposable plastic ink caps.  These ink caps are never reused, which prevents the possibility of contamination in larger ink tubes. 
   

    - There are some pieces of equipment that must be reused, but these are also kept clean and sterile to the highest possible standards.  These include the tattoo tube (what the artist holds onto) and the tattoo machine itself.  Before every tattoo, tattoo tubes are put into disinfectant, run through an ultrasonic cleaner to remove all foreign materials (e.g. ink), scrubbed by hand, put into sterilization pouches, and then run through the Ritter M7 speedclave autoclave, the same machine used by surgeons and dentists to make sure their instruments are super clean.  Autoclave sterilization is the only method that ensures reusable equipment is 100% clean, sterile and safe to use in tattooing. 

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- Once a month, we test our autoclave machine using a spore test, which involves an independent science lab testing and verifying that our machine is destroying all microorganisms, including bacterial spores (ew). 

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- Although tattoo machines never come in direct contact with the skin, blood or ink, they are wiped down with a powerful surface disinfectant after each use and are clean prior to each tattoo. 
 

- In addition to these precautions, our artists always wear surgical gloves that are new, clean and sterile before your tattoo, used once, then tossed.  We ensure that all surfaces are clean and disinfected with a high-power disinfectant (aka madacide) between each tattoo.  We keep our shop in tip-top, super-clean condition, as you will see and as you should expect from a tattoo studio.

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Age Requirements

 

As of July 2010, it is illegal to tattoo anyone under the age of 18.  This is true even if both parents consent to the tattoo.  Even if you get your third grade teacher to sign the dotted line, you’ve still gotta wait until you are 18.  We know its a bum wrap, but we’ve gotta follow the law, no exceptions. 

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​Identification Requirements

In order to get a tattoo at Anchors End, we need to see some ID.  It’s the law.  Your identification must be current (not expired) and you must present it at the beginning of your appointment.  Acceptable forms of valid ID include:

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- State-issued driver’s license or state-issued identification card
- Resident alien card
- Passport
- Military identification card

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If your ID is expired or clipped, you must bring in the renewal papers, in accordance with state law.  So don’t leave home without your ID!

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​Drugs and Alcohol

While it might seem like a great idea to get drunk or high and come in for a tattoo, it’s actually not very cool.  This can pose serious risks to you, to our staff and to innocent bystanders (god knows what you’ll do!).  It’s also illegal to tattoo anyone who is believed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who is thought to be under the influence.  We will, however, welcome you back when you are sober.