The New Tourist Line Starts Here

Go on vacation, and you are likely to see lines at the tattoo shops, not just the restaurants or tourist attractions.

It seems nearly everyone has at least one tattoo or more these days, from adolescents to grandmas and from every walk of life. Some are still homemade, but most are done in tattoo shops – a trendy way to remember an event, a milestone, and a travel journey.

In Las Vegas for example, there’s a little tattoo shop in the Downtown section of the strip that always seems to have a line of people waiting outside. At Koolsville Tattoo, you can get a simple lined tat called flash art for a mere US$10. But of course there’s also the more elaborate realism tattoos in full-blown color that can be created as well as Polynesian and henna works of art.

The first known tattoo may have made its appearance as far back as nearly 5,300 years ago.

In 1991, two people hiking in the Italian Alps came upon a frozen body in a rocky gully located about 3,200 meters above sea level. This body turned out to be the discovery of a European Tyrolean Iceman who was named Otzi by researchers. His remains were found in an Alpine glacier along the Italian-Austrian border, and after scientific testing, it was determined he lived back in 3250 BC. He had 61 tattoos all over his body from his torso to his back, legs, and wrist.

Everything about Otzi has been studied for over 20 years. Radiocarbon dating has been used on his clothing and the tools in the environment he was buried with to determine how long ago he lived. Upon researching his skeleton it was determined that he suffered from degeneration of the spine and joint, and the tattoos he had on his back and wrist indicate they were done for therapeutic reasons.

In today’s world, tattoos are thought of more as art. They display for the world to see – in most cases – someone’s beliefs, affections, life events, or simple love of art. And going back to Vegas, it would seem logical that the city where one goes to get married on the spur of the moment would be a logical place to satisfy an urge to get a tattoo. But then that would contradict the slogan, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, wouldn’t it?

In any case, whether for potential health reasons or simply for adornment, tattoos are here to stay – no pun intended.