Tattoo Art-Inka: Body Art's Place of Destruction

Tattoo Art-Inka is a small tattoo and piercing shop located in Granby, Quebec with a South American theme. While I have never had any of my work done there, I have been fortunate enough to accompany good friend Chris there. Even more fortunate, one of them is on video for the world to see. Though the people at Art-Inka have a nice environment for their store, their actual business transactions are less than satisfactory. Unfortunately, not enough is being done to get this place whipped into shape. I'm not suggesting that they get shut down, but under public pressure they need a chance to re-think their piercing and tattooing methods in order to prevent that from happening.

1. How many times have you been to Tattoo Art-Inka?
­I have been to it 3 times, plus one more time for a follow-up session.

2. What have you gotten done there?
I got my left arm tribal, my right eyebrow, and my lip.

3. How did you hear about them?
My mom told me about them after she saw them in the phonebook.

4. Had you heard anything bad about them prior to your experiences?
Nope. I hadn't really heard much about them at all.

5. Why did you choose Tattoo Art-Inka for your tattoo?
They were cheap and seemed to know what they were doing.

6. When did you get your tattoo done there?
June 5, 2005. I know for sure because it was a birthday gift.

7. What was your first impression of the place?
It was nice, clean...It had a roomy feeling to it.

8. Do they maintain a clean environment?
Surprisingly yes. Very clean.

9. Do they have a large selection of body jewellery to choose from?
It's an okay selection. I mean I've seen better.

10. How would you describe your tattoo artist?
Quiet, conserved, tattooed, old, cold.

11. What was the tattooing process like?
Smooth and fast...too fast.

12. Were you given the right advice on how to care for your tattoo?
Yeah it was okay. I mean he was able to answer my questions, but it was a brief explanation.

13. How did your tattoo look and feel when you first got it?
It looked and felt great. He said it was the best he had done because it didn't bleed.

14. What was your tattoo's healing process like?
It was an iffy situation because I had never gone through it before, but apparently it was good.

15. When did you notice your tattoo start to fade and bleed?
Like 4 months after it healed for sure...but it started bleeding out during the healing.

16. How does your tattoo look and feel like now?
It looks and feels like how I feel about that place...upsetting.

17. Did you go back to get it fixed? If so, what happened? If not, why not?
I did indeed. It was a free touch up. It was like a few months prior, as in the exact same process.

18. Why did you choose Tattoo Art-Inka for your eyebrow piercing?
I figured their piercings should be better than their tattoos.

19. When did you get your eyebrow piercing done there?
If memory serves me well, then I believe it was in July of 2006.

20. How would you describe your piercing artist?
Nervous looking, skittish, young.

21. What was the piercing process like?
IT WAS SO PAINFUL! I can still remember the pain. She finally got the needle through, but kept dropping the stud ends and tugging on the needle and oh did it ever hurt.

22. Were you given the right advice on how to care for your eyebrow piercing?
Again, it was brief, but well explained.

23. How did your eyebrow piercing look and feel when you first got it?
It was alright I suppose.

24. What was your eyebrow piercing's healing process like?
It went well.

25. How does your eyebrow piercing look and feel now?
The hole is a little bigger than I expected, but it's alright.

26. Why did you choose Tattoo Art-Inka for your lip piercing?
I hoped that maybe the piercer had gotten practice, and also it was the only place open on a Monday.

27. When did you get your lip piercing done there?
Monday, June 30th, 2008

28. How would you describe your piercing artist?
Same one. As in question #20.

29. What was the piercing process like?
Again, it was painful. She pierced my lip twice in the same session, it hurt so much. Then, the stud wouldn't go through so she had to force it through and my lip tore a little.

30. Were you given the right advice on how to care for your lip piercing?
I don't think so.

31. How did your lip piercing look and feel when you first got it?
It looked great. It was very satisfactory.

32. What was your lip piercing's healing process like?
Not well because I didn't even make it through the first week.

33. When did you realize there was a problem with your lip piercing?
When the piercing was crooked, when the swelling didn't go down during the estimated time, and when the head of the stud would disappear into my lip.

34. Why did you have to take out your lip stud out and let it heal over?
Because it was infected on a massive level. It wasn't looking right at all.

35. Would you go back there again?
Never on my life.

36. Have you heard about any bad experiences from other people since you started going there?
Oh yes! More than I needed to frankly.

37. Where would you recommend that someone go instead in Granby, Quebec for a good piercing or tattoo?
Definitely Tattoo Voodoo or The Tattoo Shop. But more Tattoo Voodoo.

38. Are you doing anything to protest this place?
Anything I can do. So far I have a Facebook group created and I'm working on more stuff.

39. What is your overall opinion on the staff there?
It isn't a good idea to ask me that. All I can say is they're nice.

40. Do you have anything good to say about them?
Not at all. Oh wait, their beds are comfortable haha!

When people go into a store like this for their body art, they trust the professional to know what they're doing and to give them something they love. I'm sure there are people who have been very satisfied with their tattoos or piercings from Tattoo Art-Inka, but their track record is full of mistakes. You can't possibly be in this business unless you're able to do this job flawlessly because other people have to live with your errors. There is no room for an "oops!" in the tattoo and piercing world. People won't stand for it.

Before getting a new tattoo or piercing, people should always do their homework! Make sure the store is clean, the equipment is clean, and the staff are knowledgeable (and clean!). Trust your instincts. Regrettably, this place is misleading because they do everything right, except the actual job so you're fooled into thinking they're trustworthy until it's too late.

If you're a Facebook user that lives in the Granby area, has good or bad experience with this store, or are just a supporter of the cause then I invite you to check out the link to Chris' Facebook group. If nothing else you'll get to see a video of Chris getting his lip pierced. Join the group immediately and start spreading the word that places like these exist. You have been warned!