Tattoo
Posted by landoman - 30/03/09 at 10:03:13 amA soft breeze blows through the room as a hard tropical rain pounds the island outside. As relaxed as I am — just on the verge of falling asleep — the dull pain resonating through my arm just won’t let me slip into a tranquil sleep. My thoughts shift back and forth between daydreaming, the hum of a small machine, and the needle it pumps into my skin twenty times per second. What surprises me the most is how little it hurts. Occasionally I’ll feel quick jets of pain as the needle hits a nerve but even then I’m still able to hover on the verge of sleep. And at the same time I’m enthralled at the idea that someone is literally drawing on my flesh. That puts a realistic spin on it, eh?
After an hour or so I’ve got a nice, shiny drawing permanently set under my skin. Finally! Throughout the whole ordeal, and the time afterward, nothing more than an uncomfortable ache can be felt. It still surprises me how little it hurt. Either some people can’t tolerate pain or they all exaggerate the pain. Probably both.
Then comes round two. After having my left upper arm stamped we move on to a unique Thai tattoo called Sak Yant. It’s different than a tattoo gun in that, traditionally, sak yant are performed using a long wooden stick to “tap” ink into the skin. Fortunately times have changed and instead of having wood tapped into me a hypodermic needle (that’s used in a gun) is stuck to the end of the stick. Another difference between sak yant and tattoo guns are the rituals behind sak yant. Before the tattooing begins a brief ceremony is held to bless the tattoo. The artist purifies the skin and breathes life into the soon-to-be tattoo.
Then the fun begins. While guns pump the needle into skin so fast that only waves of pain can be felt, the stick gets tapped into skin only once or twice a second — every entry is felt. Since this one is getting drawn on my left shoulder blade the pain is manageable; still quite distinct, but manageable. The skin towards my side is the most sensitive but as the needle moves closer to the middle of my back the pain rapidly dulls. Regardless, time slows with each tap. But soon the major outline is finished and only a few touch-ups remain. The pain is nearly gone at this point and my skin is already starting to heal. Now I not only have an awesome tattoo but I’ve got quite a story to tell as well.
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Oh my gosh I am soooo surprised!!! Isn’t it about time to get back home? Hope you have had a great time and have a safe trip home.,,,,DG
Comment by DeeGie — March 30, 2009 #
Greate Article I like this Thank for share it!
Comment by Normaderm — March 11, 2010 #