The tattooing business around the world seems to be blossoming as more and more people are getting inked.
Following in the trend set by their favourite celebrities here in Gaborone, 21-year-old Samara Lubbe’s residential tattoo parlour, called Skin Deep, is thriving as more and more Batswana are also having tattoos inked on their bodies, following a world-wide trend.
Lubbe says she uses word of mouth and social networks to help advertise her tattoo parlour, which has been in operation since 2010 but has been grown into a haven for many tattoo fanatics.
Lubbe says she deals with various customers, from executives, pilots, doctors and students amongst others. She says her minimum price is P350 but she has done a tattoo that she charged up to P4500.
She guarantees that her customers get what they want.
Lubbe alluded to the fact that some tattoo parlours do not seem to take pride in their work, as she often has to patch up work on tattoos gone wrong.
“It’s the atmosphere of my tattoo studio that makes customers comfortable and keep coming back,” said Lubbe. “My customers say the trees, the open air and good hygiene inside the studio make them feel relaxed.”
Lubbe received an Arts diploma from London and, as part of her final assessment, she had to tattoo five people and her volunteers and teachers were impressed by her artistry.
She has since received more training in Toronto and says she may leave to gain more experience in Europe.
“You can never know enough; never stop learning,” she said.
Lubbe takes her business very seriously and ships her supplies from South Africa.
She, however, warns that Batswana, who are caught up in the tattooing phase, need to remember that the tattoo is something that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.
When asked what she thought her weirdest request was, she responded that she had a customer who asked for a pair of hands coming out of his buttocks.
She said that for those looking to start off in the world of tattooing in Botswana should not be deterred by lack of customers streaming through the doors but must be patient in order to be successful.
