1Dupont Circle is an impressive area in Washington, D.C. The streets are full of classy shops and quaint restaurants and cafes. Men and women walk through Dupont with plenty of money to spend. The neighborhood is chic, to say the least. That Fatty’s Custom Tattooz and Body Piercing is located in the middle of this high-end district is interesting; here a tattoo parlor is unique.

2When I told my friend Emma that I was looking around for a place to get a tattoo, she recommended Fatty’s Custom Tattooz, saying, “It’s sooo good!” When I went to check the place out, I expected a big flashy sign and a huge, modern studio. I found only a small sandwich board on the sidewalk with an arrow pointing toward a barely larger building. The building itself looked run-down and deserted; there were no rooms on the first floor. Against my better judgment, I walked up stained, carpeted stairs, a little frightened by what I might find at the top. Was this really the place that was “sooo good”? I was a little annoyed that Emma hadn’t mentioned the atmosphere of this joint. With each step, the pungent smell of rubbing alcohol hit my nose harder. When I finally reached the top of the stairs, I saw that the studio’s door was shut. I wasn’t sure whether to knock or just walk in. I felt a bit queasy imagining what might lie inside. It took all my strength to pull the heavy red-and-black metal door open, but as soon as I did I was greeted by a friendly face. John, the shop’s body piercer, showed me inside, and to my surprise, he was not covered in metal and skull tattoos.

3I immediately noticed the heavy metal music playing in the background. Although at first the sound of fast-paced drumming and hardcore male roaring caused my heart to race, the comforting sound of pleasant conversation and laughter that could be heard from the tattooing room eased my nerves. If I was nervous just observing the place, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like when I actually went to get a tattoo. Although I couldn’t make out the words coming from the tattoo room, an airy giggle and a deep chuckle offered a bit of solace: maybe getting a tattoo can be fun?

4The first customer to walk in was a teenage girl who wanted a butterfly tattoo on her ankle. She was exactly the type of person I would expect to see in a tattoo parlor—a young person, a teen, a member of my generation. She pulled out O, The Oprah Magazine, to read during her wait. It wasn’t long before another customer entered, this time a middle-aged man wearing all leather and covered from head to toe in tattoos. He, too, was exactly the type of person that I would expect to see in a tattoo parlor—the standard biker. No one would be surprised to see either a teenage girl or a hard-core biker at a tattoo parlor, but the two made an interesting picture together—a girl wearing Abercrombie and Fitch clothing sitting next to a man who looked like a member of a motorcycle gang. Watching them made me wonder, Are tattoos representative only of my generation, or are they more universal?

5I put aside my thoughts to meet with the studio’s owner, Fatty himself. Fatty invited me in to speak to him as he tattooed a dragon on the back of forty-eight-year-old Rose. In my quest to find the perfect place to get my tattoo, I had visited five or six tattoo parlors, and Fatty looked no different from any tattoo artist I had seen before. He was about forty, with shoulder-length, thinning gray hair thrown back in a ratty bandana.

6Although at first glance Fatty seemed like an average tattoo artist, while talking to him I noticed a spark, a creative drive that I have never seen in any other tattoo artist. He was so focused and so driven that sweat beaded on his forehead as he concentrated on filling in a brilliant blue on Rose’s back. Rose offered me her personal insights on Fatty: “I see the animation in his work. He makes everything he does come alive. He’s so focused it’s amazing. I’ve never trusted anyone with my body like I’ve trusted him. Trust is so important when getting a tattoo. You’re getting something permanently engraved on your body. No matter how much I want my tattoo, I will never get it unless I have complete trust in the artist.”

7Rose makes getting a tattoo look easy. As the needle drags beneath her skin, blood bubbles up to the surface. Each time I sneak a look at her back, I feel vomit rising in my throat. “This one, she’s a f-ing rock star. She’s doing great,” Fatty says, gesturing toward Rose. Something makes me think that I won’t be quite the rock star when my turn comes to be in that chair. “I make big boys cry, and I make big girls cry too,” Fatty says with a grin.

8Despite his teasing, it’s obvious to me that Fatty is different. He cares about his clients and his work, the art of tattoos. “It’s about my passion,” Fatty tells me. “Life’s too f-ing short to live in a passionless way.” When I ask why tattoos are special, he responds, “They are a part of who you are, an extension of yourself.” Fatty’s demeanor and passion, as well as the detail of his art, show that he has had a lot of experience with tattooing, so I ask for his professional opinion on the question that’s been lingering in the back of my mind since I saw the two customers in the waiting room: “Are tattoos simply a trend of my generation?”

9Fatty barely bats an eye before responding. Although tattoos became popular culturally in the 1990s, he says, they are not just a trend for a single generation. “There is no one type of ‘tattoo person,’” he tells me. “I’ve tattooed liberals, conservatives, males, females, teenagers, middle-aged people, even some old people,” he says. “Tattoos themselves really span all generations.” He notes that even before the 1990s people were getting tattoos, but the practice wasn’t as widespread because tattoos were not well known or well thought of. “Think sailors, World War II soldiers, and some other badasses after that.”

10Tattoos are more than a trend: they are a form of art. Rose called Fatty “a true artist. He’s like the Picasso of tattoos.” When I look at Fatty’s work, I think that her description isn’t far off the mark. The detail and brilliant colors that go into each one of Fatty’s designs is incredible. Maybe that’s why he has won more than ten national and international awards. Rose says that even her law-firm colleagues respect Fatty’s work: “They were all really impressed. They even said ‘no one could do that but an artist’—and these are rich conservatives who probably own some gorgeous art.” Such a beautiful art form cannot be limited to a single generation.

11According to Fatty, the current popularity of tattoos is a result of society’s evolution: “Our culture is socially progressing. People are open-minded. It’s hard to f-ing believe, isn’t it?” But maybe it’s not so hard to believe. Although tattoos are a form of art, they’re also fun and very personal. Each tattoo represents something important to the person who is getting it—something important enough to have it inked permanently into his or her skin. Every person has individual interests and passions, and tattoos mark that passion. You don’t have to be a rebellious badass to get a tattoo; you just have to care about something enough to know that it is forever. When I get the Red Sox logo tattooed on my back, it is a symbol not only of a sports team but of my hometown—something I want to keep with me forever.