Desire for Jobs Leads Many To Remove Tattoos

Brian Gintz, 22, of Torrance, California was in his late teens when he first decided to get a tattoo. He currently has three, but would now like to have the two on his left arm removed. The unfinished abstract creation on his shoulder and the triple x’s on his wrists are not compatible with the place he would like to work in.

“The restaurant where I want to work says that tattoos have to be above the sleeve or not show,” said Gintz, who said that it would be uncomfortable for him to work with a long sleeve shirt. “I want to get this job.”

Gintz happened to be in South Gate while shopping for dog food, before stumbling upon Tattoo Removal Inc. on Imperial Highway.  He was hoping to get more information on the procedure before choosing to go through with it.

Gintz is actually part of an ongoing trend that has been taking place, explained Jose Flores, 30, manager of the Tattoo Removal Inc.

“Jobs related removals are among the top reasons that people are coming here for,” said Flores. The clinic estimates that 25 percent of the clients from the past two years had  a removal procedure because of reasons linked to their professional life. “Businesses want people who are clean cut.”

Business has been up at this removal clinic for the past couple years, with revenue and clients growing by 10 to 15 percent, according to Flores.

Despite the positive growth, employees say that the numbers of daily clients are not at the level that they were 10 years ago.

At that time they would receive around 35 clients a day, in comparison to the little over 20 a day that they currently receive , estimated Stephanie Lehman, 65, a nurse and removal professional at Tattoo Removal Inc.

“The demand before was greater,” said Lehman, who blamed a lesser demand on the weak economy.  

Flores warns that business in this industry is not recession proof.

Sessions at the Tattoo Removal Inc. can range from $58 to $150. This means that during a slow economy they are also capable of suffering because of people’s tendency to save.

“[The market] is not that steady,” said Flores. “People will take time off before going to another session, because they will have to fork out the money to pay for it.”

However, there does appear to be a lot of potential demand from those currently looking for jobs. The Tattoo Removal Inc. is getting a lot of calls  from prospective clients asking questions.

“The people who call to find out about general information are usually people who are looking for a job,” said Flores. “We have not seen a spike in demand but we are seeing a lot of basic questions from them.”

For Gintz the procedure will most likely take place as soon as he decides upon a place to carry out the removal.

“The owner of the restaurant  that I would like to work for said he would pay for half of [the removal],” said Gintz. “ Anyways, I don’t really like these tattoo’s anymore.”

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