Air-brush tattoo business grows in popularity among Dubai residents

Dubai: Afzal was wearing a tight T-shirt and proudly displaying a "tribal" tattoo on his bulging upper biceps in front of the Body Art stall in Ibn Battuta Mall.

"I want to see how it looks before I go in for a permanent one," said the British expatriate, who lives in Dubai. He said he had his girlfriend's name in Arabic tattooed permanently on his chest.

"I got a friend to write it in Arabic and got the tattoo done in London," he said. "Do you want to see it?" he asked.

When Nita, a Lebanese woman, got an air-brush tattoo of a Buddha on her right shoulder, a curious crowd of Arab women gathered around her and Mary Ann Jordan, the Filipina tattooist.

Asked why she does not get a permanent tattoo done, Nita said she was afraid she may change her mind in the future. She said she chose a Buddha as she was into Eastern spirituality.

Tribal design

Jordan said she gets lots of customers over the weekend.

"The best selling designs are the dragon, butterflies and panda, among the children and the 'tribal' which has spears at both ends and strange markings in the middle, among the adults. The other popular one is a band of barded wire around the wrist.

"A tattoo is really wild," said Sami Hajjaj, the Jordanian owner of the stall. He runs the stalls at four locations: Wild Wadi, Lamcy Plaza, DIFC and Ibn Battuta. He has been in business for one year and its already growing.

This tattoo is basically a stencil and paint is air-sprayed on it. There are no allergies as the paint is FDA approved. The tattoo lasts for between 3 to 5 days. The trick is to cover it up when showering, says Jordan. To make it last longer, don't swim for long.

Do not apply sun lotions or cream. Gently pat dry after a shower. It can be easily removed by rubbing baby oil on it.

Hajjaj said that 80 percent of people who have a permanent tattoo usually regret having one and then resort to surgery to take it off. One famous one is Angelina Jolie's tattoo of Billy Bob Thornton's name on her body when they got married. They have since been divorced. People come and get a tattoo for the weekend, says Hajjaj.

"If your mood changes, you change the tattoo. You can take it off when going for prayers," he said.

Have celebrity endorsements led to a surge in people opting for tattoos? Do you think people are aware of the health hazards surrounding tattoos? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form below to send your comments.