TATTOO parlours in the Klang Valley are eager to resume business after a year of zero income, as the region moved into phase 3 of the national recovery plan on Friday.

Tattoo artists are among the jobs that have been largely forgotten during the pandemic, with closures in other economic sectors such as tourism grabbing the limelight.

Business owners and artists told The Malaysian Insight they will be allowed back to work in phase 3.

“We have lost thousands of ringgit as a result of the pandemic. Many of us have had to look for temporary jobs to survive,” said Prince, a parlour owner in Petaling Jaya who only wanted to be known only by his first name.

He said he has had no income for nearly a year and is lucky to have had supportive clients and friends.

“All bookings were either postponed or cancelled. Thankfully, I had many supporters from clients and ex-clients. I’ve managed to hang on to the business instead of closing down permanently.

“We are opening again and I hope this time there will be no more back peddling,” Prince said.

Lala works in a tattoo parlour in Cheras, which has already informed its clients to spread the word that it is open for business.

“Every one of us in this business had no work at all during the pandemic. Some of us have closed down permanently.

“All my bookings had to be postponed and I’m now trying to restart,” Lala said.

Both she and Prince said that they will ensure they serve only fully vaccinated customers.

Other conditions they plan to impose is making clients take a Covid-19 self-test before coming for their appointments.

“The SOP is pretty much the same but a little tighter. Vaccination is a must. If you have not received your jabs, you have to cancel your booking.

“A customer must also take Covid-19 test with a self-test kit that is available at pharmacies. Other than that, it is the same,” Prince said.

A 28-year-old freelance tattoo artist, who goes by the moniker AbdKmy, said he worked temporarily as a graphic designer.

“If lockdowns are prolonged, I may need to look for a permanent job. At the moment, I am freelancing. Before the pandemic, I had five to 10 customers a week, which was quite good.

“Getting a tattoo isn’t cheap and it gets expensive if the design is complicated or requires certain techniques. So, I was earning well before,” said the Shah Alam-based artist.

“I’m happy that business can resume. I think tattoo artists could have continued working discreetly during the pandemic, but it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. Plus, we do not know who carries the virus.

“It is not worth breaking the law. Now we can resume.”

Another freelance tattoo artist called Abang Zan, based in Damansara, said he switched to printing T-shirts with his tattoo designs to survive the pandemic.

“I sold the T-shirts printed with my own artwork. It was just enough to pay rent and for my family to eat.”

Abang Zan, who is also a musician, owns a music studio besides his tattoo parlour but had to close both temporarily.

“For more than six months, if not close to a year, we hung by a thread. The sale of my T-shirts kept us alive.” – October 4, 2021.