The mallet (tool of a master tattooist) is a hand-sized object, with needle sharp teeth like a comb and a long handle made of bone or shell. The method employed in traditional tattooing is not something most Westerners experience when visiting a tattoo studio in the West.
The experience of the traditional tattoo mallet is long and painful. In Samoa, the traditional malu (leg tattoo) can last for up to a week.

The ancient art of tattooing is the beautification of the body; it's also a test of endurance, courage and a supreme statement of individual maturity heritage and worth. Unlike the Western equivalent, you don't walk into a tattoo shop and ask for your design; that is chosen by the tattoo Master and tribal elders, who decide what design is a true refection of a warrior’s character and strengths.

Lucky and Hollie have, over the past two years been running a tattoo studio in Brighton, on the south coast of England. Their studio is called Skin Candy. In their interviews they talk about what it takes to become a tattooist, their take on life and how tattooing has changed in the last ten years. They were very kind and understanding while we moved in all our cameras and recording equipment. We have created a link to photographs taken of their work and customers, which we hope will give you more of an impression of what a tattooing studio is all about?
 

A little history about tattooing

Tattooing has a long history, early sailors, like Captain Cook wrote about watching the Polynesian warriors being tattooed, and how some of his English sailors brought back the art of tattooing to Europe; this is how the tradition of sailors having tattoos came about.

In the Polynesian islands of Samoa and Fiji in the Pacific and places like New Zealand, tattooing is an integral part of the peoples’ culture. Its history is rooted in the ancient past and part of the ceremonial rite of passage from boyhood to becoming a warrior. The designs represent the warrior's ancestral lineage, and told of old stories that are unique to the tribe and the individual; proclaiming a warrior status, his courage and victories in battle. Now days, the designs have evolved and in the process have been softened while retaining the pride of the culture and heritage of the Polynesian people.