6 vegan tattoo studios you need to know about
While tattoos hurt, they don’t have to hurt the environment–or animals and insects, for that matter. Vegan alternatives for stencil paper, inks, tattoo guns and beyond have become more readily-accessible than ever before, meaning that you don’t have to compromise your moral views for a beautiful piece of living art. If you’re in the market for a new piece, check out these six London-based tattoo studios that are showing the industry that quality vegan tattooing is more than possible in 2019.
A completely vegan tattoo studio ironically located on Bacon Street, Fifth Dimension opened in 2012 and has been providing quality vegan tattoos ever since their launch. Each artist specialises in a different area, from full-colour illustrative to sacred geometry. Their entire studio is vegan-friendly, from the initial stencilling all the way to their soaps and aftercare, so you don’t have to think twice about your appointment–a total win in our book.
SANTO CUERVO TATTOO, STOKE NEWINGTON
This studio operates a 100 per cent vegan studio, from their tattoo furniture to the stencil paper and inks–as they say, “If there’s a vegan alternative, we have it!” Their artists mostly focus on watercolour, realism, blackwork and geometry, and speak a variety of languages. If you’re not sure what style tattoo would suit you best, check out their stylistically-diverse portfolio for inspiration.
THE HOUSE OF LIVING ART, EARLSFIELD
Using top-quality vegan inks in their work, the artists at The House of Living Art create beautiful modern and traditional tattoos. However, for the hardcore vegan, beware: they don’t list what type of materials are used in their tattooing equipment, meaning that animal by-products may have been used at some point in the process.
This studio is also vegan-owned, implementing eco-friendly options at every available option. Offering both machine and hand-poked tattoos, their work covers a wide range of styles, including watercolour and modern styles. If you’re in the market for a hand tattoo, pay Artefacto’s artists a visit in London, or on tattoo tours in Poland and New York City.
If you’re looking for a specialist in Oriental tattoos, then you need to check out Ya’s work at this studio. From full-body works to individual pieces, Ya’s work is impeccable–and even better, it can be done with vegan ink. However, Electric Thaiger offers vegan options alongside their non-vegan equipment, so be sure to talk with your tattoo artist about needing vegan options during your consultation. Ask them to make a note of it on your reservation to avoid any day-of confusion.
From their inks to the sweets on the front desk, this studio offers a vegan experience from start to finish. The six artists at Flamin’ Eight create beautiful works of art using traditional, realistic, tribal, and new school styles, among others, and are a great option if you’re not quite sure what style would best suit your idea.
Once you’re inked, check out either After Inked (£14.99 for 90 ml) or Hustle Butter Deluxe (£5.95 for 1oz) to keep your healing tattoo moist–both are highly recommended by tattooists and are both vegan and cruelty-free.
