Some people buy keychains or fridge magnets as vacation souvenirs; others choose to get inked. Tattoo artists, especially those with massive social media followings, are attracting clients from around the world eager to find the perfect artist for their dream tattoo.
The “tattoo tourism” industry sprouted alongside the rise of Instagram, says Eva Karabudak, the founder of Brooklyn tattoo studio Atelier Eva. “When Instagram was created in 2010, it became a powerful platform for me to showcase my work to a global audience,” she tells Surface. “That would’ve been nearly impossible for an emerging artist before.” Her intricate needlework became popular on Instagram and allowed the Turkish artist to build a reputation beyond her home country, which persists today—SZA and Joe Jonas are fans—thanks to slickly produced videos emphasizing the creative process rather than the end result. (A soothing studio packed with ethereal portals and Togo sofas helps, too.) Now, Karabudak estimates 30 to 40 percent of Atelier Eva’s clients travel from another city to get tattooed by one of the studio’s 31 artists.
The trend jumpstarted an idea for Atelier Eva to partner with The Standard on a deal that ardent tattoo tourists would be hard-pressed to pass up. From now until December 31, guests of The Standard East Village or High Line will receive a $100 voucher toward a tattoo session at Atelier Eva plus an aftercare package from Mad Rabbit. On the flipside, clients traveling to New York for a tattoo at Atelier Eva will earn discounted rooms at The Standard.
Hotels and tattoos may seem like strange bedfellows, but the partnership isn’t totally unprecedented. Moxy Hotels recruited “tiny tattoo” pioneer JonBoy for a residency at its Times Square location in 2019, and Virgin Voyages feature onboard tattoo shops curated by World Famous Tattoo Ink. And it might be hard to believe, but tattoo tourists have existed in some capacity since the 1300s.
For Karabudak, tapping into The Standard’s downtown-cool clientele is another strategic way to further cement her studio as a creative destination following her series of “Art at Atelier” group exhibitions that see tattoos by resident artists into paintings. But it was her early insights about social media that helped cement the idea to join forces with a hotel brand. “[It] directly influenced how I approached building the brand strategy for Atelier Eva, focusing on reaching clients worldwide through the same powerful tool,” she says. “We’ve been able to cultivate a distinct aesthetic and remain committed to it, resisting fleeting trends that might dilute our brand.”
