An Australian tattoo master has slammed a controversial Bali trend that sees tourists put under general anaesthetic for full-body tattoos, likening it to taking a helicopter to the summit of Mount Everest and claiming to have climbed it.
Kian Forreal, owner and master artist at Authentink Studio in Sydney's Surry Hills, told the Daily Mail the practice carried unnecessary risks and stripped tattooing of its transformative nature.
Tourists are paying between $9,000 and $16,000 to be tattooed under general anaesthetic in a licensed hospital operating room, with up to nine artists working on them at once.
Sessions last between 10 and 20 hours, condensing work that would typically take months or years into one or two appointments. The price includes hospital and procedure fees.
Thousands have reportedly travelled to Bali this year for large or full-body tattoos under general anaesthetic.
The island is already a popular destination for tourists seeking affordable tattoos, with foreigners accounting for at least 80 per cent of tattoo shop clients.
But while the procedure allows clients to avoid the pain of being tattooed, Australian artists and medical professionals have warned the risks outweigh the benefits.
Forreal, who specialises in traditional Japanese Irezumi and has 33 years of experience in bodysuits and large-scale work, also questioned the quality of the results.
Aussies are flocking to Bali for a new tattooing trend that sees a person be put under general anaesthetic for a full-body tattoo
The procedure means Aussies do not have to endure the pain of a tattoo
Kian Forreal, owner and master artist at Authentink Studio in Sydney's Surry Hills, told the Daily Mail the practice carried unnecessary risks and stripped tattooing of its transformative nature
'You don't end up with a nice tattoo. You end up with usually a bunch of AI slop or Pinterest slop that's sort of mashed together,' he said.
'When done properly, you have something that you've earned. Going to Bali under general anaesthetic is like wearing the badge "I climbed Everest" but taking a helicopter. Like did you though? No.
'During the course of these 100 hours I spend with them in four- to six-hour chunks, they become a different person.
'You can't f***ing call it in. You squirm, you sweat, you bleed, you whinge, but they do it. It changes you and that's part of the whole transformative process.
'We all get to sit at that table because we've earned our place there. You know, and going and getting the anesthesia bodysuit, you're cutting that whole experience out.
'You know, you see these guys getting lions and wolves and all this stuff and warriors. You're getting a f***ing giant dragon to show how tough you are, but you can't sit for it.
'The guys that I do, I do a big warrior on a guy's back, that's his power talisman and he earned it.'
Sydney tattoo artist Ray Vom, who runs Markd Tattoo Studio in Redfern, also condemned the trend.
The controversial trend involves putting a person under general anaesthetic while up to nine tattoo artists work on the person
Aussie tattoo artists and medical professionals have slammed the trend as dangerous, unsafe and a risk not worth taking
'It's such a big risk. I don't think they really stress that enough because some people don't wake up,' Mr Vom told 9News.
Gold Coast artist Kristen Sorrenson, from Nine Muses, said she 'wouldn't take those odds' and risk her life to get a tattoo.
Australian Medical Association WA president Kyle Hoath described the practice as dangerous, unnecessary and unsafe.
He said that general anaesthetic requires a trained medical professional to keep a patient breathing and alive while unconscious, and carries risks including death.
Doctors generally avoid using it for procedures that can be performed without it, he said.
'Tattooing can be done safely and can be done in safe sterile environments, but there is no need to go through a general anesthetic, which adds considerable risk to the procedure, just for convenience's sake,' Mr Hoath told 9News Perth.
'That's not convenient, that's dangerous and that's unsafe, and something that should be avoided.
'We don't see this happening in Australia, and I can't imagine we ever will because it's an unnecessary complication and risk to add into what should be something that's pretty straightforward in getting a tattoo.'
Despite the warnings, tourists, predominantly Australians, are travelling to Bali seeking faster, cheaper and pain-free full-body tattoos.
Brisbane man Anthony Waud visited Bali in September and spent nine hours under general anaesthetic while having his front and back tattooed.
Mr Waud told Yahoo News he paid $9,000 for the entire process and experienced no problems with his recovery.
The 46-year-old said medical staff questioned him about drug use, alcohol and smoking, and conducted blood tests, heart checks and blood pressure checks before the procedure.
'I had no concerns. Everything was done professionally. The medical side was good. They were very helpful and caring,' he said.
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