Body Art For The Masses
Airbrush Systems Offer Tattoo Alternative
TATTOOS OUTDATE NEARLY EVERY BEAUTY TREND ON THE PLANET. They are popular
with teen-agers, young adults, military personnel, proud parents, etc. Places
like California and New York literally have a tattoo studio on every corner.
Unfortunately, many potential tattoo lovers don’t focus on a few relevant tattoo
facts: They are painful, expensive and permanent. Airbrush tattoos are the perfect
answer to clients who want something to look cool for the weekend or can’t bear
the thought of getting a real tattoo. Modern technology has turned the art of
airbrush tattooing into a practical, profitable add-on that can generate a ton
of revenue because—after the purchase of the equipment— it only costs a couple
dollars to tattoo a client, but spas can charge $25-$30 for the service.
Traditional tattoos involve multiple intradermal injections of the skin by
a small machine having one or more needles connected to tubes containing the
dyes. The procedure involves a variable amount of pain and a small amount of
bleeding. It can take several hours depending on the size of the tattoo. The
site of application usually takes seven to 10 days to heal. The application
process obviously isn’t fun, but the worst part about traditional tattoos is
that they are permanent. “What you want at 17 isn’t necessarily what you want
at 27, 37 or 57,” says Kirk Knapp, manager at TAT International in Alto, Mich.
Another drawback to traditional tattoos is that a beauty accent an individual
wants to show off at the beach isn’t necessarily the one he or she wants to
advertise at work, at a sporting event, at the dance or at dinner.
That’s probably why airbrush tattoos are one the hottest emerging trends in
the beauty industry. The technology is there for a client to buy a real-looking
tattoo that is painless, cheap, temporary and a lot of fun, and walk out of
a spa or salon in less than three minutes.
“The benefits to spa owners is that it’s easy to set up this service, easy
to sell it and easy to perform it,” says Craig J. Ryan, owner of Ryco Equipment,
Inc. in Florissant, Mo. “And the profit margins are 1,000 percent plus. Each
airbrush tattoo will cost the spa $2-$3 and they sell for $30.”
Simple As Pie
The principal allure of airbrush tattoos to clients is that they look great
but are temporary.
“Beauty accents have to be temporary because tastes and preferences change,”
Knapp says. “What we feel looks good on us changes with age and circumstance.”
Even in winter in northern states such as Michigan and Minnesota, airbrush
tattoos sell well.
In terms of marketing, airbrush tattoos are the perfect service for events,
special occasions and holidays.
“Valentine’s Day is the perfect holiday for lovers to airbrush hearts or a
rose on their arm or back to impress their sweethearts,” Knapp says. “And who
wouldn’t want to avoid being pinched on St. Patrick’s Day with a traditional
four-leaf clover.”
Another great way to make a bundle of dough is to target the high-school market,
especially during football season, Ryan says. “During homecoming season, one
salon operator told me he was airbrushing more than 30 kids a day,” he says.
“They love to wear their school’s colors or mascot for that special night and
then go home and scrub it off with baby oil or rubbing alcohol before school
on Monday morning.”
Another plus for spa operators is that the application process isn’t difficult.
Any employee can be an expert in a half-hour, Ryan says.
“It’s that simple,” he adds. “It’s not any different than a technician airbrushing
nails at a hair salon.”
While having the artistic abilities of Michelangelo or Raphael isn’t a requirement,
prepping the client’s skin is.
“Airbrush tattoos can last up to 10 days if they are applied properly,” he
says. “The first step is to clean the skin with soap and water, then again with
alcohol. It’s like the adage in the indoor tanning industry that healthy skin
tans best. With airbrush tattoos, clean skin tattoos best.”
Airbrush tattoos offer spa clients the best way to express their personality
and to feel special. This fact, together with affordability and easy, fast application,
makes airbrush tattoos the hottest new product and service in the entire cosmetics
industry, Knapp says. “We believe that airbrush tattoos will be bigger than
nails and that’s why we’re in this business,” he adds. “Spas and salons really
can turn a profit because the service is just starting to catch fire.
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