Would You Get Tattooed On An Airplane? One Passenger Did!
By Sidra Lackey
If you were on a flight and your seatmate turned out to be a tattoo artist, and the tattooist offered to tattoo you, right then and there on the plane, would your answer be up in the air? Or would it be a definite, yes! For one fortunate woman on a recent flight, this hypothetical scenario happened and she said yes, to the in the air tattoo!
Asher, a tattoo artist for almost six years, was seated next to a passenger who told him she wanted to get a tattoo on her trip but was worried about finding a good shop to get it done at. "She seemed a little bit stressed about being able to find a shop and getting in, so at first, I jokingly brought up that I had all of my tattoo equipment with me," Asher told BuzzFeed. "At first, it was just a casual suggestion, but as we continued talking, it seemed like she was very eager and comfortable with that experience, and she seemed to be looking for adventure on the trip."
Asher explained he asked the flight attendants for permission before the tattoo was started. And all safety protocols were followed. Asher told BuzzFeed the spontaneous nature of the tattoo was part of the appeal and, "I did tell her that [the tattoo outline] was not gonna be stenciled, but she was very open to the idea of the tattoo having character. We even talked about bumps and turbulence." Asher tattooed his airplane seatmate over the plane tray table with a wireless tattoo machine. He said his client was “thrilled” with the finished tattoo that says: Hello.
Asher’s airplane tattoo video has been viewed over 4 million times on TikTok. He told BuzzFeed he was surprised by all the attention his video received online and how the response is divided. Asher said, "There’s definitely mixed reactions [of] a lot of people expressing how interesting and cool it was — but also a lot of people shutting down the idea and saying that it is unsanitary." Asher continued on saying that he understood how commenters felt but the decision to get tattooed in an airplane was up to his client. "At the end of the day, I understand it’s not the most sanitary place to be doing tattoos — but we chatted about consent, risks, understanding and trusting each other first,” Asher assured BuzzFeed. Asher added on about his airplane tattooing experience, "To me, getting a tattoo is such an amazing way of memorializing a mindset. In this case, adventure, openness, and saying hello to new experiences. It’s so powerful to take a piece of this version of yourself with you, to carry and remember."
That’s certainly a first, getting tattooed on a plane. It’s unorthodox and obviously not the most practical place to get a tattoo… but come on, how cool is it to get a tattoo thousands of feet in the air?! Tattoo collectors, if the opportunity presented itself to you to get inked in the air, would you do it? Tattoo artists, would you ever consider tattooing a client on an airplane? Could the next tattoo trend be airborne? If so, where do we make an appointment and book a flight?!