‘Old-school masters are suffering’: Kazan tattooists on price changes

‘My work was appreciated by the band Deftones’

The first and, perhaps, main question we asked the studios was: how has price growth affected the cost of tattoos and studios overall? The fact is that the materials for the work, including paints and equipment, are imported. They are almost not produced in Russia.

As the masters assert, the cost of materials for tattoos is not as high as it might seem at first glance. Pavel Karpenko, founder and senior master of the tattoo salon Yunost (Youth), which has existed in Kazan since 2016 and remains one of the popular ones, said that there is indeed an increase in the price of consumables, but it is not so critical as to strongly affect the final session cost and especially the salon«s attendance. People who truly love tattoos and want quality work are willing to pay for it.

The most expensive and valuable resource in studios is time, so the cost of a tattoo depends on the complexity of the work and the duration of the session. And, of course, on the skills and reputation of the master. Some masters might be booked for months in advance.

Karpenko noted that some masters are indeed experiencing difficulties finding clients now, but there is no massive drop in demand for tattoos. Studios and artists who have established themselves, built a client base, and created a reputation continue to work as successfully as before.

‘I haven«t felt a downturn myself. On the contrary, given my experience and professionalism, demand is only growing. I»ve been doing tattoos for over 10 years, and there is great demand for my art. Clients come from both Tatarstan and other Russian cities. A regular client of mine from St. Petersburg, a big fan of the cult metal band Deftones, recently came to me. I developed a custom sketch for him and did a tattoo based on that band«s latest album. I posted a photo of this work on social media. And Deftones appreciated my work and posted about this tattoo on their official account (with 4 million subscribers). It was pleasant for me as a master and for the client as the owner,’ he shared.

‘Before, tattoos were done by people with high incomes’

‘If you compare tattoo prices 5–10 years ago and now, I would say they have increased insignificantly compared to the price growth of everything else. Before, tattoos were mostly done by people with high incomes. Now any student can easily afford a small tattoo. Yes, a less quality one and from a not very experienced master, but they can,’ said Dina Synthetica, the founder of another popular studio in Kazan, Chill Ink Tattoo.

Regarding demand for tattoos, the interviewee from 116.RU is confident it has not decreased in recent years. People still get them, new generations of tattoo lovers are growing up. Moreover, the number of masters in the profession is increasing.

‘Old-school masters are suffering’

Dina Synthetica not only created a studio but has also been working as a tattoo master herself for 8 years, and she has no other sources of income. According to her, if before people came by word of mouth, now, when working with the social media generation, promoting oneself and one«s work is a mandatory part of any master»s job.

‘I wouldn«t say that tattoos have stopped being a trend, that people stopped getting them. Rather, competition among masters has grown, there are many tattooists now: entry into the profession is easier, prices for beginners are more affordable. First and foremost, the old-school masters are suffering, those who still deny the necessity of maintaining social media, showing their face, and investing in advertising,’ noted Dina Synthetica.

Self-employed tattoo masters

Tattoo masters in Kazan work in a variety of formats: some work in a single studio and represent only its interests, some rent space themselves or jointly with other colleagues. There are also those who set up studios in their own apartments and work for themselves. The working principle doesn«t change from this. The only difference is that freelance artists, not tied to a studio, find clients themselves by promoting themselves on social media.

Tattoo master Alina Malakhova created a studio in her own apartment – in a Stalin-era building in central Kazan. She works in the hand-poke technique (tattoos are applied manually without an electric machine), which doesn«t require a lot of equipment or consumables. According to her, she really liked this format of working in small spaces while working outside Russia, for example in Colombia or Turkey.

‘For me, this is the perfect option now. I worked in different studios in Kazan, and I also had two small studios of my own a few years ago, but I realized that this format is uncomfortable for me and I like working from home; there«s a special atmosphere in it, while sterility and professionalism are maintained because I have a huge allocated space in the house. I didn»t have problems finding clients. I have my own style, and clients most often definitely come back because they want to complement their body with tattoos in the same style,’ she said.

‘The stigma around tattoos is disappearing’

Alina Malakhova also emphasized that tattoo lovers haven«t gone anywhere and their numbers haven»t decreased. On the contrary, the younger generation reaches 18–20 years old and also goes to get tattoos. Society has changed a lot over the last ten years, and now it no longer seems like something forbidden, the master believes.

‘Actually, every year there are more and more people wanting to get a tattoo on their body. In large companies where before, perhaps, it was not accepted to wear tattoos on visible parts of the body, there are no such rules now, as the employees are mostly young. And because of this, attitudes are changing and the stigma of tattoos is disappearing. Even doctors, people from large corporations, from banks, lawyers are starting to come to me. Recently, girls who do ski cross in Russia came. They interestingly talked about their sports achievements. Creative people also often come: designers, architects,’ shared Malakhova.

‘I tattooed a dog for a grandmother. She cried’

According to Alina Malakhova, adults also get tattoos, but the main audience is still people aged 20 to 30. In other countries, for example in Colombia, tattooed people are significantly older.

‘There, I tattooed a real grandmother and her granddaughter. Their dog died, and in honor of that we did a tattoo with a portrait of that dog. It was very touching. They told me many stories related to that dog. I think the whole session was like a psychological one. They reflected a lot. The grandmother cried,’ the master said.

Overall, the average cost of a miniature tattoo in Kazan now is 5,000 rubles (about $55 at current rates), said another 116.RU interviewee Darya Tambassova, who works at the Tattoorstan studio. A larger piece requiring a long session (maybe more than one) will cost from 15,000 to 20,000 rubles (about $165–$220), she noted.

‘For one session they can charge 200,000’

‘A miniature tattoo is some inscription, flower, heart. Something you can do in an hour maximum. For larger sessions, a large-scale work, for 6–8 hours for example, the price tag will of course be higher. There are those who charge 200,000 rubles ($2,200) for one session. Famous masters, for example, in cool studios. But such an average price tag is about 20,000 rubles ($220),’ Darya pointed out.

The girl herself has been doing tattoos for nine years. Like other 116.RU interviewees, she has already worked both in studios, at home, and outside Russia. Now, together with other masters, she shares a space on Moskovskaya Street. It operates on a coworking principle. Each has their own separate workplace, but everyone finds clients for themselves. As the 116.RU interviewee noted, this format is not very popular in Russia. Mostly Kazan masters work in some specific studio.

Darya has been doing tattoos since she was 18, since she entered the Feshin Art School to get a professional art education.

‘Doing tattoos always seemed very interesting to me. It«s communication with people, it»s an opportunity to work abroad without knowing the language, to travel the world. For example, I worked in Turkey for 7 months in a large studio with worldwide fame. Also, I have friends, for example, who go to Germany to work, which I also plan to do later. So for me, perhaps, one of the factors in choosing the profession of tattoo master was that,’ she emphasized.