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The Price of Getting Inked
Whether it’s the expense of getting tattooed or the cost to have one removed, Americans are paying for their ink.
By Julia Rothman and Shaina Feinberg
Julia is an illustrator. Shaina is a writer and filmmaker.
Aug. 16, 2024
Mike Weiss has at least 70 tattoos, stretching from his shoulders to his ankles. Since getting his first in 2011, he has spent roughly $13,000 on them.
Mr. Weiss, 31, a group fitness instructor based in Larchmont, N.Y., is one of millions of Americans who have gotten inked. Once considered countercultural — something for sailors and misfits — tattoos are now culturally ubiquitous: Nearly one-third of American adults have at least one, according to a survey by Pew Research.
And business is booming like never before. The global tattoo market, which currently brings in about $2.2 billion, is expected to grow to more than $4 billion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights, a market research firm. There are over 20,000 tattoo parlors in the United States. Kari Barba, 64, is a tattoo artist and the owner of Outer Limits, which has two locations in California. She opened her first shop in 1983.
