Recently 61 year old Roy Peter Clark visited Atomic Tattoos to get his first tattoo ever. After his experience he wrote an interesting article about the process and his family's reaction to such a bold move at this time in his life. Tattooing is definitely becoming more mainstream with the younger generation here in the US, but this article will shed some light on what a lot of people have a dark misconception of.

It has been more than a month now, and the reactions I've received from far and wide boil down to a handful of questions:

Did it hurt?

It was annoying at first, like getting sensitive teeth cleaned, but I quickly got used to it.

How long did it take?

I was in the shop about 90 minutes, but the inking took about half that time.

How much did it cost?

Eighty bucks plus a tip, a lot cheaper than jewelry.

Why now in your 60s?

Why not? Any drunken sailor on shore leave can get a girl's name tattooed on his chest, but it takes a different kind of commitment to display her name in plain sight later in life — almost like renewing your wedding vows.

Read the entire article.

For those of you interested in getting your first tattoo, but are not familiar with the process we wrote up an article on our web site that walks you through the process and provides tips on how to make your tattoo experience great. Read our "What should I expect on my first tattoo" article