Now that the art of tattoos is “in” in a big way and tattoo parlors are popping up left and right, we felt that it was our duty to turn the spot light on body art; where to get it done and who to go to, not only to get it done, but to also get it treated or undone. We asked around, went online and swept the streets of our capital — it was that much of an arduous task — to review four of the most popular tattoo parlors in Cairo.  These parlors all use disposable needles, have taken good measures to ensure hygiene and have been tried and tested in their artistic talents.

Nestled in one of Zamalek’s quiet side streets is Ten, a cute little beauty parlor that stands out with its uber modern design that sports bright hues of blue, pink and green against otherwise white walls and furnishings. Referred to as a “beauty playground,” Ten opened in May 2012, and is divided into four main sections: a pedicure spot by the window, several manicure stations, a makeup chair and lastly, a room designated for facials and tattoos.Graphic designer turned beautician and owner of Ten, Laurice Matta, explains most of her clients are in their early to late 20s and normally come with a specific design in mind to replicate. She adds that calligraphy and quotes are very popular with her clients.

Check out Ten’s Facebook page for pictures of their work.

Ten charges a minimum fee of LE 450 for a small to medium tattoo, yet the price will vary depending on the size, color and complexity of design.

 Ten • 10 Michelle Lutfallah Street, Zamalek • +2 (0114) 603-2682

Deviant Subkulture

Dedicating two spacious rooms of his Zamalek apartment to turn into his tattoo parlor, Deviant Subkulture owner Tamer El Abd, aka Tim, took great measures to provide a chilled and comfortable place for his clients. Unlike most tattoo parlors, this space is brightly lit, which is a real treat to all its clientele. “Despite stressing about the pain I was going to inflict on myself, I loved the energy of the place. It is not your typical dark and dodgy tattoo parlor,” explains Hadeel El Deeb, 19TwentyThree’s co-founder and recent client of the place (check out Deeb’s blog and video about her experience with tattoos here).

Deviant Subkulture first opened its doors to the public in October 2012.

The cream colored walls of the rooms are decorated with a collection of posters and pictures of old Egyptian movies, classic cars and creative tattoo designs. One other point in their favor is the abundant number of Dettol bottles scattered all over the place: Thumbs up Deviant Subkulture.

According to the people at Deviant Subkulture, the majority of their clientele are mostly liberal and have only just begun to explore the world of tattoos. “Our most popular tattoos have been somewhat smaller tattoos that can be hidden under clothes,” Tim says. “Yet recently, people have become bolder and are asking for bigger and more obvious designs.”

Deviant Subkulture’s most popular designs include revolutionary art and Arabic calligraphy.

Deviant Subkulture aims to promote the art even further by inviting tattoo artists from all around the world at different times throughout the year. The talented Jordanian tattoo artist Fareed Hattar was among the first to have showed off his talent at the parlor.

Deviant Subkulture  • 26 of July Street • Zamalek • +2(0100) 096-3777

During my online research on tattoos, I stumbled upon the Facebook page of a tattoo artist located in Shubra. Tattoo parlor in Shubra, sounds suspicious, doesn’t it? Nonetheless, we were intrigued and opt to set a meeting for the following day.

Hairdresser turned tattoo artist, Osama Ayoub, aka Osos, learned the art in the US from a friend of his brother in law — his brother in law and his friend are both guards at the federal prison. Falling in love with the art, Osos decided to take it further and enrolled in several courses to master the art.

We have one warning to offer you though; Osos boasts about administering local anesthesia shots used at dentists, something he himself admits is illegal in Egypt and abroad. While he can be a great tattoo artist, he is by no means a doctor or has any medical background and so is not equipped to administer shots or anesthesia. Anesthesia could have rather serious consequences if the dose is slightly more than the body can tolerate, which differs from one person to the other and even from one day to the other depending on the patient’s state on the day. People also have allergic reactions and those with certain medical conditions need to be extremely cautious with anesthetics. So word of advice, if you think it will hurt, you either do not do it or tolerate the pain, but do not, under any circumstances, get anesthesia from someone without the proper medical knowledge to do it.

His parlor disguised as a hairdresser’s attracts many clients of different ages, nationalities and social and economic backgrounds. “Most of my clients are men and women in their twenties and early thirties. I also get a lot of non-Egyptian teenagers who want to get a tattoo done, because they know that rules here are not so rigid and they can get away with it [it is forbidden to draw a tattoo for anyone under the age of 18, unless accompanied by a consenting adult].” “The entire process usually takes about an hour and a half. The longest session I did lasted for 12 consecutive hours,” says Osos.

Despite being a small space in a run-down area, it is spotless clean, and Osos ensures that each client gets a new set of tools that is thrown away after his or her tattoo is done and wears gloves for procedures.

Price of a tattoo at Osos’s, is approximately $100, yet the price of each tattoo varies depending on its size, color and design complexity.

Egypt Tattoos (Osos) • 26 Hassan Pacha Helmy Stret • Shubra • +2(0100) 114-9539

Graffinks Tattoos

One of the oldest and most popular parlors in the city, this parlor has a lot of loyal clientele. Unfortunately, at press time, the owner of the parlor refused to meet us for an interview.

Graffinks Tattoos • Road 200, Maadi • +2(0100) 231-7645 • tattoos4all@hotmail.com

Words of wisdom

The tattoo artists we interviewed all agree on one thing: Make sure this is something you want on the long run because you are bound to have it for a while. Here is what our experts advise:

– Choose a design that means something to you: Matta advises her clients to choose something personal and meaningful. “It cannot be just anything so that you can say you have a tattoo, because eventually you will get bored of it.”

– Out of sight, out of mind: Matta advises first timers to choose a spot that they cannot see so they don’t grow bored with it.

– Make sure the parlor uses dispensable needles.

– The tattooists must wash their hands thoroughly and wear disposable rubber gloves throughout the procedure.

Editor’s note:

– We hope you have thought long and plenty before getting inked, and we really, really hope you fall in love with your tattoo once you do get it, but if ever you decided you want it removed, make sure you check out our review of recommended centers for tattoo removals.

– Before you go out and get that tattoo done or removed, check out our poll to find out which inked body parts guys find sexy.

– Think tattoos are a hip young thing? Read about the long history of tattoo traditions in Egypt.

– Between haram, halal and a society that frowns upon a cool design but gladly accepts permanent eyebrows reshaping: Perception of tattoos in Egypt. 

– Check out our own Hadeel El Deeb’s blog and video documenting the experience of getting her first tattoo