A four hour drive isn't enough of a reason to make Dia Bishop get a tattoo in her hometown of Toronto, rather than at East Lansing's Splash of Color Tattoo & Piercing Studio.
Bishop, who visits East Lansing frequently, has two tattoos. Her first tattoo, now fading and crooked, was done more than a year ago at a tattoo parlor in Toronto. Her second, a bloody human heart on her left shin, is as vibrant as the day she got it.
Pulling a journal out of her bag, Bishop looks over her original idea for the heart tattoo.
The bland, light pink heart looks far different from the eye catching, beautifully bordered specimen on her leg.
"I took this in and showed it to the tattoo artist and he did it completely in the style I wanted," she said.
Besides her tattoo, Bishop has also gotten jewelry changed at Splash of Color, 515 E. Grand River Ave. After getting her nipples pierced with hoops at another location, Bishop was advised by a piercer at Splash of Color to change to barbells after they weren't healing. In just two weeks, her nipples were completely healed.
"The jewelry is expensive, but such high quality," she said. "They are very meticulous. The other places I have been have been so dingy compared to this. I used to have my lip pierced and the guy who did it didn't even check the placement; it wasn't where I wanted it at all.
"I don't think I'll ever get work done anywhere else, even if I have to drive four hours each time."
Kris Lachance-Peters, owner of Splash of Color, says the parlor's painstaking devotion to health and safety sets them apart from other locations.
"Saving $30 on a tattoo isn't worth getting hepatitis," she said.
Lachance-Peters makes sure her artists are up-to-date on their annual bloodborne pathogen training. She also stressed the artists at Splash of Color not only know how to trace drawings, but can actually draw themselves.
Lachance-Peters also ensures that Splash of Color completes an anatomy assessment before all piercings.
"Just because you have a needle doesn't mean you can poke anywhere," she said. "Some people's anatomy just can't be pierced. About 40 percent of navels and about 50 percent of tongues, it's just not healthy or safe to pierce them."
Splash of Color's average cost for a tattoo ranges from about $100-125 per hour, although that depends on the work and the artist. Piercing fees are usually about $30, though ear lobes are $15 each and larger piercings are $40 each. There is an additional cost for jewelry.
"College-aged kids are definitely a large part of our clientele, but we have a very diverse age range, from 18 to people in their 60s," she said, referring to both tattoos and piercings."
But Splash of Color isn't the only local tattoo place that takes pride in its health, safety and quality.
Inkporium Tattoos Inc., 2401 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, has been around since 1992.
Tattoo artist Kevin Plapte has worked at Inkporium for six years, and said the parlor offers clean service, with lower prices than Splash of Color. In general, tattoos cost at least $40, but average $60-100 per hour. Plapte said the average age for patrons seeking tattoos is 18 to 30.
"We do a lot of college kids here," he said. "We've got a great location, close to campus. Of course, Splash is right there, but we like to say we get the college kids who aren't afraid to ride the bus or drive a car."
