★ POR VIDA FESTIVAL ★ ANJI MARTH ★ WASTED TALENT TATTOOS ★ BUYER’S GUIDE FOR BODY MODIFICATION PROFESSIONALS APRIL 2018 #191 USA $10.00 Canada $10.00 Publications Mail Agreement #40069018 staff APRIL Publisher Ralph Garza ISSUE 191 ISSUE Editor-In-Chief R Cantu Account Executive Jennifer Orellana [email protected] 505-332-3003 Managing Editor Sandy Caputo [email protected] Art Director SOM HECTOR!!! [email protected] 14 16 Wasted Talent Ask Angel Contributing Writers Tattoos Elayne Angel Jay Cousins 18 Austin Ray Darin Burt Celebrity Artist Tanya Madden David Pogge Hunk Chavonna (Bang) Rhodes 26 Show Expo 22-23 Executive Assistant Feature: Richard DePreist [email protected] 30 RUDY HETZER Tax 505-275-6049 Por Vida 28 International APP Tattoo Art Festival 32 9901PAIN MagazineAcoma Rd. SE Best Business Albuquerque, NM 87123 Card Contest [email protected] General Inquiries: 38 [email protected] Artist Gallery www.painmag.com www.facebook.com/painmagazine Artist Profile Chavonna (Bang) Rhodes Subscriptions: [email protected] 36-37 40 Printed in Canada Anji Marth PAINful Classic: Publications Mail Agreement #40069018 The B-52’s in 2012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 737 Moray St., Winnipeg MB, Canada, R3J 3S9 advertisersindex contacts 505-275-6510 Fax Body Shock 11 Neilmed 29 505-275-6049 Editorial CHAMPS Expo 42 Nuclear Tattoo Supply 6 cover sponsor Desert Palms Emu Ranch 17 Painful Pleasures 5, 13, 43 Eternal Ink Neutral Grey Ink Set 4 Papillons Tattoo Supply Front Cover 7 Face and Body 24 Rejuvi Labs 39 Papillon Tattoo Supplies Fusion Tattoo Inks 25 Shining Light Body Jewelry 3 Here at Papillon we provide equipment to people from H2Ocean Natural Aftercare 9 Studio Ink Tattoo Needles 44 the pros down to the beginner. Also our machines are a 100% American made along with our inks they have Helios Tattoo Inside Back Cover Tattoo Goo 15 been the standard for tattooing for over 20 years. We Stand For Quality!!!!!!!! Hulk Professional Super Bond 11 That’s The Point 12 888-223-8288 Invictus Body Jewelry / Salesone 34 The Nation’s Tattoo Expo 21 papillonsupply.com Metal Mafia IFC-1, Back Cover True Tubes 33 See page 7 Micky Sharpz USA 10 Tommy’s Supplies 2 Nat-A-Tat2 Villain Arts Tattoo Conventions Copyright 2018 PAIN Magazine. All rights reserved. Published monthly by Pain, Inc. 39 41 Subscriptions available for $39/year (U.S. funds). Send requests to address listed Needlejig 27 above. Please mail address changes, and include label from previous issue. For all other information call (505) 275-6049. For submission guidelines, log on to our website at www.painmag.com. Pain, Inc. assumes no responsibility for contents herein. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the writer. PAINMAGAZINE 8 Chris Ramos of Wasted Talent Tattoos page 14 pring is in the air and Pain has officially launched the "For Artists Only" section on their website! If you are an artist looking for exposure as the summer months approach then call office today for all of the details! Jenn can be reached at S505-332-3003. And for all of our wholesalers and distributors out there...we have a special media package for you as well! Think of us as your virtual sales representative with the upcoming launch of the Pain Mall! Coming this summer, the Pain Mall will allow you to post live listings for all of your shops to order from...email us at [email protected] for submis- sion specs...and remember, it's FREE! Lastly, Pain Magazine is offering both wholesalers and artists alike an opportunity to share social media information across all Pain media platforms. Do you want your talent or product showcased to over 15,000 people across the U.S.? Email or call us today...this is an opportunity you do not want to miss! See you all next month! Cheers! PAINMAGAZINE 10 PAINMAGAZINE 12 From left to right: Mark Garza, Chris Ramos, Jamie Wise and Daniel Martinez. ou might have more Facebook beyond that, it’s difficult for the uninitiated It’s an impressive story, especially friends than Rogers, Texas has to pinpoint the cause for its recent uptick in considering that Chris started his career as inhabitants. Seriously. The square visitors. The city’s website dubs it the “Best a 12-year-old in a garage inking his friends acre of local businesses and country Kept Secret in Central Texas,” but they’re with a homemade machine he’d fashioned homes that straddles the road from not clear on what that secret is. They mention from discarded VCR parts. For those reeling Temple to Houston boasts a population of a a handful of businesses, a capable fire at the idea of being tattooed by a self-taught whoppingY 1,209. For perspective, that’s less department, and a Dollar General, but none wildling, worry not; he eventually put in four than a third of the size of Houston’s average of that is particularly unique. years at a shop in the neighboring city of public high school. Belton and smoothed out any remaining For those in the know, the secret isn’t a rough edges. Even so, it would be easy to It’s a classic holdover of the Americana secret at all. It’s Wasted Talent Tattoos, a write him off as a “scratcher,” but to do so of yesteryear, a pass-through gem of a town custom studio founded by native son, Chris would also be lazy. full of aging buildings and friendly folk who Ramos, that has already inspired the pilgrim- continued on page 20 love their football almost as much as they ages of ink enthusiasts from around the region detest the confinement of city living. But and beyond after only a year in business. PAINMAGAZINE 14 Ask Elayne Angel Sterile Gloves I am writing for your perspective on something I’m struggling with. Some back- ground: I am a proud member of the Association of Professional Piercers, and have been piercing for 16 years. I own a reputable piercing-only business and employ several other piercers. I consider myself an ethical professional and work to keep up my skills and knowledge. So, the question I have is whether you think it is necessary to use sterile gloves? It feels like there is a kind of peer pressure going on now with an attitude that if we pierce with medical exam gloves (and not sterile gloves), we’re inferior. Or even hacks. I have some colleagues who autoclave gloves in their studios before use, but I am unsure of best practices. Is that recommended? I am 100% confident that my staff and I are not causing any infections. I believe that our current methods are safe and I know that our clients have excellent results with our work. A little help here, please? Thank you! J. Dear J., here are plenty of strong opinions The APP’s stance on sterile gloves is Recent research was conducted when it comes to the topic of sterile posted on the website : The APP mission is comparing the two types of gloves in outpa- vs. non-sterile gloves for piercing. to promote and uphold minimal standards tient minor surgeries. These studies, including But no substantive research studies of safety and hygiene. As such, it is our offi- a randomized controlled trial and a meta- or definitive resource materials cial position that aseptic technique performed analysis of over 11,000 patients, revealed Texist as this relates specifically to body with clean disposable gloves is appropriate that postoperative surgical site infection rates piercing, so we have to extrapolate as best and acceptable. The above applies, except are not higher when non-sterile gloves are we can. where sterile gloves are mandated by local worn for these procedures. And those actu- laws. If a piercer wishes to use sterile gloves, ally were surgeries. For the purposes of this discussion we naturally they may do so. Non-sterile gloves must first discern whether we consider body are the minimum required for membership. In looking at clinical practice, since the piercing to be in the category of “surgery” 1980s I’ve performed over 50,000 piercings or not. If I believed that body piercing was In reviewing related medical literature, using non-sterile medical exam gloves, and surgery, I would say that sterile gloves are I found the World Health Organization I’m equally confident about not causing infec- indeed necessary. But it is my contention that (WHO) glove pyramid . According to their tions. I didn’t even see them during the early piercing is not surgery. Fortunately, our legis- guidelines, sterile gloves are indicated for days when our hygiene protocols were lators agree; otherwise we’d need to head the following (bold emphasis added): comparatively primitive. to medical school—or seek new work. Body art laws now exist in all fifty US states , “Any surgical procedure; vaginal The relevance of clinical practice or though less than a handful (couldn’t help delivery; invasive radiological procedures; “historical and practical application” has myself) require sterile gloves: only Florida performing vascular access and procedures long been recognized by the APP. It is the and South Carolina . (central lines)….” method by which niobium was deemed an Examination gloves (non-sterile) are appropriate jewelry material for wear in Naturally, as an APP member with suggested for the tasks that are more similar initial piercings. It was not through applicable employees, it is non-negotiable that you to what piercers do: scientific studies, which are unavailable, but adhere to all organization and OSHA guide- by having a “history of documented compat- lines, and any other state and local ordi- “Contact with blood; contact with ibility with the human body.” nances that apply.