When choosing a body art professional you should take into account a number of factors that might affect your final satisfaction with the product. The most important, of course, is safety. When a needle is used, trace amounts of blood are left on its surface, and any disease you can contract through a blood transfusion or sexual contact can be as easily exchanged through a shared needle. Even with a fresh needle, unsanitary conditions in the room where the piercing or tattoo is performed can increase dramatically the chances of contracting a potentially serious infection.

Safety aside, if you choose to receive a body piercing or tattoo, you should be confident that the money you spend is worth it, and that the potentially permanent product you receive is one that you want to keep. Tattoo removal can be performed, but it can cost ten to forty times as much as the original art, already expensive. If you're looking for a tattoo artist, you should be sure to examine the artist's portfolio, usually available in the waiting room. If possible, speak to previous clients. You will pay at least $100 per hour for a good artist, perhaps more, and you should do everything you can to get your money's worth. Don't be lazy, don't be frugal; this tattoo will last forever.

Your main concern in finding a body artist to perform a piercing (and one equally applicable to a tattoo artist) should be in the professionalism and evident experience of the practitioner. If your body artist smokes in the office, or allows others to do so, for instance, you are probably dealing with someone less than reputable, whatever your personal feelings about cigarettes. Similarly, one who does not ask for you to verify your age with I.D. is not likely to be trustworthy. If you're underage, and you can't get permission from your parents, wait a few years! The results can be permanent, and you shouldn't put your body at risk.

Another indicator of professionalism and (more importantly) sanitation in a body art studio is the maintenance of a surgical atmosphere. This means hand washing -and- sterile, prepackaged gloves, maybe several sets of gloves if the artist has to touch an unsanitized surface during the procedure. The needle your artist uses should be prepackaged as well! Be sure you remember to look for this in a studio, no matter how distracted you are. Disposable protection should cover every surface used in the procedure, and the area of your body to be tattooed or pierced should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with alcohol or another sterilizing agent before you begin.

Most importantly, use your common sense. Ask if you can watch the artist perform on someone else and judge his or her reliability and professionalism, taking careful note of his or her sanitary procedures. If your artist doesn't seem neat or clean, they might not be, and that's not a chance you want to take. Your body and even your life may depend upon it.