Tattooing, piercing and laser removal in the heart of the CBD.
Our interview
Originally published on 9 July 2019.
The storefront of a new shop in Liverpool Street, a 1940s American-vibe, catches your eye when you walk past and the Hello Hobart team wanted to find out more. We headed in and interviewed managers Josh & Will, a collaborative team who are great friends and more like roommates than work colleagues. Cue Walk The Line Tattoo.
*no one from the Hello Hobart team got a tattoo in the making of this article… yet.*
Josh is the tattoo artist who has worked in Hobart for 10+ years’ whilst Will is the in-house piercer. They opened their doors at 147 Liverpool Street just over a month ago.
This duo has a strong motto, their work is not a ‘one size fits all’, they are super friendly and will sit down and discuss your options. They can do something bespoke or if you need some inspiration, Josh has a portfolio of work he is happy to share.
Chatting with Will, we discovered that he is one of the only fully-qualified piercers in the state. He underwent an intensive apprenticeship to learn his skills, including theory, CPR and even learning about blood pathogens to maintain the upmost quality in piercings.
“We don’t pierce with a piercing gun. It’s much gentler and as a result we have many children getting their earlobes done with us. It is also much more hygienic, even the pens we use to mark the piercing are all disposable,” said Will.
Josh explained that quite often they have people come in for cover-up work with tattoos. “People can have all manner of sins they wish to cover up, from bad home jobs to tattoos that they no longer connect to. Of course, we also do cover-ups for people that have had old lovers names tattooed on them.”
We asked Josh what is the most unusual tattoo he has ever done. “I’;ve had my share of unusual tattoos, but I think the one that takes the cake is a gentleman who wanted a corn kernel with the word ‘unicorn’ written underneath.”
The piercing studio is situated at the rear of the shop in a private space. “Often piercing spaces are an after-thought, but we specifically designed the store with this in mind. We didn’t want it to be white like a hospital, but rather have character,” said Will.
White Rabbit Laser Tattoo Removal are also opening up a space in the studio. “We have found that sometimes with cover-up jobs it can be difficult to simply tattoo over, so White Rabbit are coming on-board in the coming months to offer their laser removal and lightening.”
If you do make your way for a piercing or tattoo, make sure you ask to use the toilet. It is situated in a very cool private laneway from yesteryear – very hidden Hobart.