Having a tattoo done is considered as one of the trendiest thing to do in fashion, especially in Nigeria since the advent of the hip-hop culture. It is not quite hard to locate a tattoo artiste in almost every major parts of the country.
Tattooist are involved in the art of drawing tattoos on the body of their clients and some of the stakeholders in this industry have come out to open up on what they face with their clients, especially the female folks. According to an artiste, some female clients seduce them and even offer them free sex for their services to humanity.
Saturday Punch took the time out to interview some of the popular tattoo artistes in Lagos and they have this to say about the thriving business. Demehin Chibuzor is a young entrepreneur with a thriving business in the heart of Nigeria’s busiest city – Lagos. Though raised in a Christian home where discipline and the fear of God runs deep, he has found himself in a vocation that perhaps ‘clashes’ with the religion he professes in many regards.
Today, the university graduate runs one of the biggest tattoo studios in Lagos – a job that frequently brings him in contact with all classes of people in the society. Popularly known as Shodes Tattoos in the industry, the young man has seen the good and bad sides of the job since he started seven years ago.
But away from the success he has enjoyed in the business of inking images and inscriptions on the bodies of clients, it is in servicing females with an insatiable desire to have tattoos on their bosom , bums and even private parts that has presented one of the biggest dilemmas for Chibuzor. Despite the fact that such service, when rendered, comes with a lot of financial reward, the young man told Saturday PUNCH that the hazards that come along with some requests sometimes make the job a bit tough.
“I have been in this business for seven years and I can tell you that if you are not disciplined, you could lose your mind especially with the way some female clients offer you their bodies,” the tattooist said during an encounter with one of our correspondents earlier in the week. “Though tattoos can be done on any part of the body, most female clients specially demand for such to be done on their bosom , bums and even private parts. Once they tell me what they want, I cannot turn them down because that is their choice.
“I have done several tattoos for female clients in those very private areas of the body and I can say it is no longer a strange thing to me. But I won’t deny the fact that as a man, I have been aroused after being confronted with such temptation.
“As a person, I have had several experiences of female clients inviting me over to their places for fun after I did nice tattoos for them maybe on their bosom , bums and thighs. “But because of the passion I have for the job, I try not to be distracted. The desire to do a good job helps take my mind off such distractions. The truth is that if you are not professional about the whole thing, you could lose your respect and money in the process. The experience with female clients who want this type of service has been eye-opening indeed,” he added.
Asked if he charges a special amount to have the bosom , bums or private parts of a female client tattooed, Chibuzor said that there are a number of factors which determine the amount he charges for each work.
“It is the same price for any part of the body. Well, I don’t know for the others, but for me I don’t charge extra for doing tattoos in private areas of the body.
“The size and nature of each tattoo dictates its price. Most clients prefer you to come to their house. They feel they’ll have the comfort they need around them while doing it. These are the factors that basically determine how much we charge for each job,” he said.
