For my observation I decided to go back home to Athens, Ga., and observe a tattoo parlor. Demorest and the surrounding areas have tattoo parlors, but they are smaller towns and cities with less people. I went to Athens so I could make sure I would have a decent number of people to observe.

Now, I have been to a tattoo parlor at least three times before, but I’ve never been alone, and I'm not getting a tattoo myself. Because of this, I had never actually gotten the chance to take in the environment or the people that come into that environment. Now that I had that chance, I made sure I paid close attention and kept my questions in mind.

Before I started observing, I decided that I mostly wanted to know if the majority of people that came into the parlor fit the stereotype of body-modified people. When you think of the kind of people you might see in a tattoo parlor, you automatically come up with a more frightening image of someone covered head to toe in ink and a mean glint in their eyes. I wondered how many of these kinds of people, if any, I would see.

When I entered the tattoo parlor, I was immediately accosted with the soothing sound of reggae music and walls completely covered in art. To the right of the entrance was an old park bench with a low side table beside it where binders of the different artists’ work were resting. The studio was wide open with two personalized tattooing stations completely visible from the front desk.

Farther back were two small rooms blocked off with curtains that I could only assume were for the tattoos or piercings that required a bit more privacy. From the ceiling, right above the front desk, hung an old, classic motorcycle framed by two potted ferns and vines weaving through and over the entire display. This particular parlor gave off a completely unexpected vibe.

After a short discussion with one of the artists, I went over to the bench, sat down and began my observations. Even though I knew that the stereotype of tattoo parlors and tattooed people was not true, I still found myself surprised at the types of people I saw enter the shop. Other than the artists themselves, I didn’t see a single person come in that had a truly extreme number of tattoos. Most of those who entered the shop were young adults. Some came in for tattoos, and some came in for piercings. It was easy to tell by looking at them who had experience and who did not by the amount of visible work they had on their bodies. For a while, that was how I observed people, but then I started to notice something else.

I began to notice actual patterns of behavior and body language. I could recognize who had more experience just by their body language. The people who had had work done before were at ease in their environment and were generally more comfortable carrying on a conversation with the artist or other patrons. They had the distinct appearance of belonging. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum were those with less experience. The feeling of nervousness surrounding them was almost palpable. They would look around the studio with wide eyes and would constantly be shifting their weight. Most of them had noticeably quicker and shallower breath if they were getting work done at that time.

Another thing I noticed specifically and that really stood out to me was the girls who came in to get their belly button pierced. They had, as far as I could tell, no other work done, but they were more confident in talking to the artists while also being obviously nervous. Each of them came in with another person as well. This appeared to be for support. One of them announced it was her 18th birthday, and that was why she was getting a piercing. The way the artist reacted to this was extremely humorous to me. He had this look on his face that blatantly said he didn’t care and also slight judgment.

At first, the judgment confused me, but then I remembered something I had heard before. When I turned 18, I got my first tattoo. Before I did, however, I was told not to tell the artist that I had just turned 18. This was because the artist assumes that you are getting a tattoo just because you can and that it will have no true meaning. Once the belly button girl announced her age, it was automatically assumed that she was impulsive about her piercing.

All of this was exceedingly interesting to be witness to. It was a very strange experience, though. Seeing as how I had been in a tattoo parlor before, I was comfortable being inside of one. However, I was uncomfortable and felt awkward because of how I was just sitting there, observing people.

I experienced an overall feeling of inclusion while being completely excluded at the same time. I was not acquainted with any of these people and yet I found myself reacting to their presence and listening in on their conversations. It was definitely an odd occasion, but I’m sure I would do it again.