How a queer, AAPI-run tattoo collective is trying to change the game

Long Time Tattoo in Brooklyn, New York, is reimagining the tattoo shop experience with inclusivity as a top priority.

The tattoo industry has long been a male-dominated space with a troubling problem. Stories of hostile work environments, power imbalances and misconduct have revealed a highly toxic culture.

On social media, many have argued that the recent alleged dip in traffic to traditional tattoo parlors is likely a direct result of long-standing bad business practices and behavior. But there’s a movement to change that. 

Long Time Tattoo is a queer and Asian American Pacific Islander-run tattoo collective that’s reimagining how things are run and done. Located in an industrial warehouse a few blocks off the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, New York, the studio is one of a growing number of businesses creating inclusive spaces to get inked.

For tattoo artist Melanie Lee, the experience of giving and getting a tattoo involves more than just the process itself.

“It’s also intimate for me as well to be so close to another person,” Lee said. “Personally, I’m not even a hugger. But sometimes I’m just in there, like, my elbow is on your boob for six hours. You know, there’s a lot of mutual trust. It goes both ways.” 

“When we get asked to tattoo at a party or something for either a brand or another group,” co-founder Citrus Son said, “I try really hard to make sure that everybody within Long Time Tattoo is also getting a piece of the pie.” 

As the tattoo landscape evolves, the old norms may not suffice. Long Time Tattoo envisions a new way of operating that could rewrite the rules for how to thrive in the industry.

To hear more about how Long Time Tattoo is reimagining the tattoo shop experience, click the audio player above.