Finally, after about twenty or thirty minutes, my new tattoo was finished, disinfected, and bandaged, and I was glowing with pride and joy. I was given the mandatory sheet of paper with the artist’s contact information and aftercare instructions, which he went over himself, and was then sent on my way – not without a final picture of the artist and myself and a warm welcome into the world of tattoos.

Did I have a good time? Yes, I had a blast! Would I do it again? Absolutely! This has proven to be a most gratifying experience, one of the few things that I can surely say I’ve done right. Looking at the last picture I took of my bare back, it looks strange and unfamiliar, like something is definitely missing, and every time I catch a glimpse of my tattoo, I can’t help but smile a little. The design that is permanently etched upon my lower back is faithful to who I am, and I know I will never grow tired of it. I can definitely understand why people love getting tattoos, and I can certainly say that I will be doing it again in the future.

Probably the most common critique I get is, “Tattoos may look good now, but they’ll look awful when you’re sixty and your skin is all wrinkly.” What do I say to that? I say that anyone who gets a tattoo expecting it to remain unchanged throughout the years needs a serious reality check. Obviously the tattoo is going to look different as my skin ages – but does that necessarily mean it’s going to look ugly? I don’t think so. Firstly, you only live once, and, if you really want a tattoo, wrinkly skin is a pretty dumb reason not to get it. And, secondly, I think there’s nothing more badass than an older person with several amazing, beautiful tattoos with great stories behind them. It shows their life experience and serves as a sort of timeline for how they’ve changed and grown throughout the years. I think lead singer of HIM, Ville Valo, sums it up perfectly: “It just makes you look sexier and you’ve got more stories to tell.”