The painted city
Barcelona is a feast for the eyes. Take a casual wander around the city and you’ll see iconic paving stones, majestic cathedrals and architecture of such creativity that it’s still taught around the world today. Still, some of its most contemporary and dazzling artwork is mobile, found on the skin of the city’s inhabitants. Barcelona’s tattoo scene is thriving and boasts a reputation to match some of the world’s most cosmopolitan and trendsetting cities. Anyone who’s stayed here longer than a weekend can’t help but notice the sheer volume of tattooed folks filling the cafes, bars and skate spots. And behind the trend are a host of people who pay their rent with passion—the artists, salon owners and event organisers responsible for the city’s growing status in the world of ink. Metropolitan spoke to three professionals immersed in the tattoo world.
Flavia Romano of Flav Ink originally hails from Italy. Her creative tendencies were encouraged by her artist parents, but legitimate worries about the likelihood of a successful career in art put her off pursuing such a path. That was until a friend suggested tattooing. After a short course and some practice on pig skin, she was away. “When I felt confident enough I put up a poster at my workplace advertising that I was looking for volunteers to practise on,” she said. “Surprisingly, quite a few people called me. I really thought that no one would since I had made it very clear that I had just started tattooing.”
After four months of practice and freebies, Flavia upgraded to a fine German rotary machine and now has a steady stream of paying customers through positive word of mouth, something she feels is essential for a tattooist. “I think Barcelona is one of the top cities to get tattooed in for many reasons,” she explained. “Firstly, there are many tourists here, as well as people who stay for a couple of months and want to create a permanent memory of their stay in Barcelona. Secondly, I think Barcelona is very liberal and laid-back, and street art is almost everywhere.”
It’s no secret that the number of under-40s opting to get tattoos has risen significantly in the past two decades. This is in part thanks to a diminished sense of taboo and to traditional career paths being replaced with a more flexible job market. Recent surveys go so far as to suggest that one in three young adults in both the UK and the US are sporting ink. Flavia said, “My customers come from all backgrounds, but most of them have studied and many have qualified jobs, so they don’t fit the ‘bad boy’ profile.” That’s not to say that the sense of the ‘prohibited’ associated with the culture has completely disappeared. “I still have many customers who ask me not to tag them on Instagram or Facebook because they are afraid their parents will see the fresh tattoo and get angry,” she continued. “Not that they won’t find out eventually, but there is a residual fear of not meeting your parents’ expectations because of having a tattoo.”
As for Flavia herself, despite a growing list of fans and a passion for the craft, she felt the need to explain some of the pitfalls of being a tattooist in Spain. “Working as a tattoo artist is a lot more difficult than many people think. Unless you have connections with someone who already works in a parlour, you will have to start at the beginning, as a tattoo apprentice. The problem is that most parlours are only looking for apprentices with more than two years of experience. But I ask you: Should an artist with two years of experience still be considered an apprentice?” She also mentioned the notorious costs of working in a more autonomous fashion. “In most cases you are required to have a certificate to be self-employed, which costs about €300 a month—an expense you can only afford if you get a fair amount of customers each day, which is certainly not guaranteed. On top of that, the parlour will get 30 to 50 percent of the actual price paid by the customer, so when you do the sums at the end of the month, it might not be so worth it.” It seems tattooing may not be such an easy world to break into, but Flavia noted that the rules of success are simple. “The secret formula is to keep practising and experimenting, stay up-to-date with the latest trends, follow the best artists, and be confident in what you do. And, of course, understand your customers and treat them well.”
Barcelona is home to a huge amount of foreign tattoo artists, something which has helped it become one of the biggest destinations for tattoo-related travel and tourism.
Oxytocina Tattoo on Carrer del Comte d'Urgell is run by Michelle S. Gorr and her husband, Matt. Moving from the US to Barcelona especially to open the studio, Michelle and Matt have spent years in the tattoo world. Living for a while in both Italy and the US, Matt previously worked for acclaimed Off The Map Studio, who’ve partnered with scene star Jeff Gogue. “A lot of what we’re trying to bring to Barcelona are things we’ve learned from our experiences and the different places we’ve been to,” said Michelle. “The thing with Barcelona is that it’s such a touristy city that you may see a lot of people with tattoos, but they aren’t necessarily from here. It’s a city where people are open-minded and you see a bit of everything, but I think people actually from Catalunya are a little forced into being exposed to those things.”
Reflecting the city’s international makeup, all of Oxytocina’s artists, and much of its clientele, are from outside of Spain. Michelle explained some of the biggest hurdles she faces as a studio owner: “Something we struggle with every day is that people from here don’t necessarily consider the quality of a service. They just want to get tattooed because it’s becoming more and more popular.” She noted that “here so many people are operating out of their homes. They don’t respect rules and offer cheaper prices, so we’ve had loads of competition, not really from other shops, but from people doing stuff from their apartments.” When she encounters interested clients, she finds herself having to force them to look at their portfolio. “I have to go, ‘look at the quality!’” she said. “We know how good our product is. Take a look, be amazed!” At the end of the day, Michelle’s main aim is to push tattooing as an art form and encourage people to really plan their piece.
Michelle also described how social media has changed the game. People’s understanding of an artist’s work and their ability to source a good studio is aided by these visual mediums. It’s something she feels is only beginning to be utilised locally. “People are now online looking for great art and artists, finding the right artists who specialise in certain areas and have awesome tattoos themselves. They are understanding that this isn’t just ‘something you get done’,” she said. “We’re excited because we’re here for the beginning of that, and if we’re patient enough, we’ll be here when things get ‘real’.” She mentioned how this progression has really helped Oxytocina. “We’ve realised that what makes our shop different is that we get all these customers from other countries who are in Barcelona specifically to get tattooed. They research the hottest spots around town and find us. It wasn’t our marketing plan initially, but I’m glad it’s happening. People are getting good pieces and they’re not complaining about prices. They’ve done their homework, looked at the reviews, and in turn, they leave with good results.”
Mik Garreta, one of the local tattoo industry’s most prominent figures, organises the Barcelona Tattoo Expo, the jewel in the culture’s annual calendar. The expo was launched in 1996 with the goal of promoting a positive outlook on tattooing within the city. “The initial idea came from a sense of admiration towards artists we met on our travels and a desire to bring them together in one of the most modern and cosmopolitan places in Spain,” said Mik.
Mik and the expo have witnessed huge changes over the past two decades. “Historically in Spain, tattoos were viewed as adornments for criminals and low lives, but now they are much more accepted.” He explained that “now there are an infinite number of designs, not only of popular and fashionable imagery, but designs using a fantastic variety of artistic expressions and styles from disciplines including traditional, neo-traditional, Japanese and more.” Despite the city’s fierce independent streak, after a long history of oppression, Mik said that designs with political connotations aren’t all that popular.
"My main piece of advice for anyone thinking of getting their first tattoo would be to do your research and think carefully about what you want, as it is a piece of artwork that will be with you for the rest of your life."
“Barcelona and Madrid are the most important tattoo cities in Spain,” he continued. Mik thinks it’s their multicultural quality that brings them such success. “Compared to most other cities in Europe, Barcelona is home to a huge amount of foreign tattoo artists, something which has helped it become one of the biggest destinations for tattoo-related travel and tourism.” As for the expo itself, artists and attendees come from places such as Borneo, Japan, Korea, Thailand and the US.
Mik believes that tattoo tourism has brought cultural and financial benefits to the city. “The effect that tattoo tourism has had on the industry and its acceptance in Barcelona is huge,” he said. “Now that more tattoo enthusiasts are travelling here to get work done, local people understand tattoos as part of the city’s culture, whether they want them to be or not. They’ve come to accept them as a normal part of everyday life.” One negative effect that Mik mentioned, however, is the swell in the number of people getting tattoos paying homage to Barcelona—images such as Gaudí dragons, the flower of Barcelona and even the Sagrada Família.
Beyond the artistry itself, Mik pointed out that the way in which tattoos are given has been key to people’s changing perceptions. “In the past, materials were sterilised after each use in order to be reused, with the exception of needles, which were disposed of immediately. Whereas today, the majority of people are working with single-use, disposable materials.” Another factor has been the inks themselves. “Thirty years ago there was only a small range of colours available, no more than 13. Now there are different ranges of inks, with up to 100 different colours available in each range.”
If you’re thinking of heading to a future expo or local parlour for your first piece, Mik had some sage advice. “My main piece of advice for anyone thinking about getting their first tattoo would be to do your research and think carefully about what you want, as it is a piece of artwork that will be with you for the rest of your life.” With so many great tattoo artists in Barcelona the choices are almost endless. So, follow our experts’ advice, know yourself and find the artist who will best bring your personal piece of art to life.”