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Oct. 02, 2009
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Strip now tattoo conscious

Social acceptance of body ink means big business, and casinos notice

By ARNOLD M. KNIGHTLY
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Slideshow

Artist Tyler Morris works Monday on a drawing of Frankenstein's monster for a customer at Huntington Ink Tattoo Lounge at the Palms.
Photos by John Gurzinski.



Cheryl Tucci gets a helping hand from husband Todd as she gets a double daisy with wedding bands tattoo Tuesday from artist Jerome Swanson at Vince Neil Ink at the Rio.



Kelly Mustillo gets an Eye of Horus tattoo Sept. 24 from artist Tony Arias at Starlight Tattoo, next to the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay. The resort is hosting a tattoo convention this weekend.

The marriage of tattoos and Strip casinos is something tattoo artist Mario Barth would never have imagined a few years ago.

"When I saw my logo for the first time on the marquee, I was like, are you kidding me?" said the Austrian-born Barth, who opened his shop, Starlight Tattoo at Mandalay Bay, in February 2008 after two years of talks with the gaming property.

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    • "It is not looked upon as thug-related to be tattooed any more," John Huntington, owner of Huntington Ink at the Palms, said. "The tattoo styles have changed, the sterility has changed. People modifying their body has gone from plastic surgery and transferred over to the tattoo."

    The tattoo industry has gone mainstream and is becoming big business, with nearly 24 percent of all adults in the United States having at least one tattoo, according to a 2006 article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

    This social shift has not gone unnoticed by the casino industry either. Eight tattoo shops now operate inside Strip casinos with a ninth shop scheduled to open later this year.

    The two industries' growing ties will be further displayed this weekend when 25,000 people are expected to attend The Biggest Tattoo Show On Earth, Barth's own convention, which will run the Mandalay Bay Convention Center today through Sunday.

    In addition to having more than 1,000 tattoo artists in attendance, the convention will hold seminars on topics as varied as what tattoo shop owners need to know about individual and business taxes, legal aspects of the business and "How to succeed and accelerate your tattoo business," which will be presented by Barth himself.

    The growing ties between tattoo shops and hotel-casinos is especially welcome now with the local tourism industry suffering because of the recession.

    The tattoo convention has pushed Mandalay Bay's room rates this weekend to approximately $270 per night for a standard room to $780 per night for a two-bedroom suite.

    When Barth first began pitching his business plan for a high-end tattoo lounge to Strip properties in 2005, the industry still carried a stigma.

    But former Mandalay Bay President and Chief Operating Officer Bill Hornbuckle said the decision to let Barth open his Starlight Tattoo parlor in the hotel was relatively easy to make once he heard the plan.

    "(Barth) presented a very viable business proposition," Hornbuckle said. "He wanted only to go first class to avoid so much of the stereotyping associated with tattoo parlors. His reputation was well-established as top in class."

    That "top in class" commitment was what hooked Palms owner George Maloof, too.

    He said that when he was approached about opening a tattoo shop at the Palms six years ago, he insisted on one provision.

    "I just thought it would be great as long as it had a high-end look and was clean and it wasn't a typical tattoo salon that you find on the corner in a strip mall," Maloof said. "I wanted upper-class, sleek and that it have a good look."

    Starlight Tattoo certainly doesn't look like your stereotypical dark and dingy tattoo parlor. The shop is brightly lit with large windows so people can watch the artists work, something that Barth believes helps put prospective customers at ease.

    Starlight Tattoo was an instant success, Barth said, and the shop reached its first-year revenue projections after just four months.

    Nearly 60 percent of Starlight Tattoo's revenues come from tattooing. The rest of the revenue comes from the sale of shirts, other clothing, jewelry and other items and from body piercings.

    Huntington said the average tattoo in his shop is approximately $250, although several variables can drive a tattoo's price higher: "from the ink to colors, to how detailed and big the artwork is, to how long it takes do the tattoo."

    Huntington credits casino executives' growing acceptance of tattoo parlors to the success of "Inked," a reality show that ran on the A&E network from 2004 to 2007.

    The show, which covered activities at Hart & Huntington's shops including the one that opened at the Palms in 2004, helped destigmatize the industry for middle America, Huntington said.

    "I think they saw how well they were doing and the amount of money they were generating and ... that they were driving a whole different demographic they wanted to their property," Huntington said.

    Huntington believes the success of the Palms' Huntington Ink Tattoo Lounge was key to the growing kinship between slots and tats.

    The successful efforts led other large casino companies to jump into the tattoo business, too.

    Casino giant Harrah's Entertainment partnered with Motley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil to open two tattoo shops, at O'Shea's and the Rio, in the past four years.

    Tattoo parlors also operate at the Miracle Mile Shop at Planet Hollywood Resort, the Hard Rock Hotel, the Riviera and the Sahara.

    "I'm shocked it has turned out like that," Huntington said about the opening of tattoo shops inside hotel-casinos. "The places I really never expected (to see having tattoo parlors) were places like Mandalay Bay and those places. Now they're in the game, and I think it's great."

    The relationship between hotel-casinos and tattoo shops shows few signs of abating anytime soon.

    MGM Mirage, which owns Mandalay Bay, is partnering with Barth to open a second tattoo parlor on New Year's Eve at an undisclosed location.

    And, although younger people have been the key demographic for tattoos -- the Academy of Dermatology's survey found 36 percent of Americans between 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo -- that might be changing.

    Huntington said his first client at the Palms tattoo parlor was a 67-year-old woman who has used her casino players card points to get five more tattoos since 2004.

    Further, he said, "I had a 69-year-old woman the other day who was getting her first tattoo.

    "She was getting a little rose on her ankle," Huntington said. "I talked to her, and she said it was just something she wanted to do."

    Contact reporter Arnold M. Knightly at aknightly@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893.

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    Cheryl wrote on November 05, 2009 08:29 AM: I would like to say that I had never thought about getting a tattoo before this and I am all for public opinion. And getting my tattoo was a matter of personal opinion and it in no way makes me trashy or ugly- thats me in picture # 2 getting my first tat at the very consenting and responsible age of 37.
    Please think prior to grouping every one into your narrow minded perspective, I am not fond of democrats but I know they are not all that bad-


    Never Wanted A Tat wrote on October 08, 2009 10:50 AM: Had my ear pierced when I was a kid...never ventured into Tat territory! Now Tats to me seem like trailer park art on humans...and just wait until they get old.
    Know some people that have had them removed...the scarring looks worse than the Tat.
    "How could I have been so %&@!ing stupid" is what they have said to me regarding their Tats.


    ForThoseWhoTattoo wrote on October 06, 2009 10:20 AM: Had I not been a metal head in my teen years, I would have gone a lot further in life. That's a fact. But like every other teenager out there, I embraced the lifestyle that went along with my music of choice. I did drugs. I dropped out of school. I'm covered in tattoos. I have chronic headaches from (laughable as it may sound) a neck injury caused by headbanging. I have been in more fights than I care to count, and I've hurt quite a few people. Because of my appearance (tattoos) and my education (high school drop out), I have little opportunity in life.
    My brothers both just finished college. One is an accountant. The other is taking additional years to be a professor of history.
    They were given proper and positive influence.


    iLikeMyself wrote on October 06, 2009 08:44 AM: It's obvious why people are rushing out to get tattoos; they don't like themselves the way they are and are convinced that a tattoo will make them look better. Let's face it, it's a visual thing, not a memo note. If you want to remember something, write it down or get a palm pilot. If you want to change your look, get a haircut, get into shape and start leading a healthier lifestyle. Beautiful women don't need tattoos to look good or be attractive. Men need to put down the remote and start doing something more physical. Tattoos simply don't look good and are a lasting reminder of a bad decision.


    Perez Hilton Is A Loser wrote on October 06, 2009 08:13 AM: Mrs M, if you are a teacher I sure hope it isn't in grammar.

    If you need a tattoo to remind you of someone, some important date or something then it wasn't all that memorable to you because it would always be a thought you carry around with you.


    Oh yeah the sites of the future. wrote on October 04, 2009 10:47 AM: Tattoos are trashy. Good lord can you imagine the nursing homes 50 years from now. Going to look like an artshow gone bad with all that droopy and saggy skin. And speaking of saggy skin, what about all those breast implants. Thats going to be one nasty site once that nice tight skin gets saggy and can't support that added weight.


    LOCATION wrote on October 03, 2009 09:44 AM: The undisclosed location is THE MIRAGE. This is a disgrace to the Mirage and exhibits a clear decline in the caliber of clientel they expect. Ink yourselves up so you will have a PERMANENT BADGE OF COURAGE for ALL TO SEE. Not hateful just truthful.


    Mrs. M wrote on October 03, 2009 07:56 AM: For everyone who seems to think that a tattoo is only for fitting into a crowd, you can't possibly know that's the reason everyone gets inked. Yes, some people get tattoo's because they think it's "cool". I have a tattoo on my foot because it's a reminder that no matter what struggles I may encounter, I will walk away from them a better, stronger person. I didn't get the tattoo because I was trying to be rebellious. Tattoo's are a form of art and self expression. I am a elementary teacher and I had no problem getting a job. I keep my tattoo covered at work, none of my students have ever seen it and I don't plan on showing it to them. My tattoo is for me and despite what you naysayers think, I don't believe it makes me look trashy. I am still a good person with strong morals. I'm not a trashy skank. For all of you who judge a person by there looks...shame on you. You should learn to judge a person by there character and appreciate the art of self expression. You don't have to like tattoos but there is no need to be so condescending of those that do.


    Herb wrote on October 03, 2009 01:02 AM: I hate tattoos. They make women look ugly as sin and make men look like bikers and criminals. If tattoos have become mainstream it just goes to show how trashy people have become. The biker gangs have won. They have taken over the culture.


    andrew wrote on October 02, 2009 11:44 PM: What a bunch of chodes to give negative comments about people with tattoos! I've seen tattoos on beautiful woman, war vets, talented musicians & athletes, and countless other successful individuals. Before you criticize someone with tattoos take a good look yourself and try to figure out what's wrong with you !!!! Grow some balls and go get one, i dare you.


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