Tattooing is something people have done for centuries, permanently inking designs into their skin. The same goes for body piercing. According to the professionals Newswatch 16 spoke with, both practices are becoming more popular these days.
"I think overall tattoos are very helpful for people's overall psyche, making them a little more happy in life or able to help them become more of an individual. It can make people much happier, you know?" said Elijah Birtel of The Electric City Tattoo Gallery.
"We have clients from lawyers to doctors too. You might have a full back piece that that I'm not even aware of, you might be tattooed down. I'm not surprised by anyone being in the modification," said Jonathan Owens of Marc's Tattooing.
The pros said they have clients of all ages, though body art seems more popular with younger generations. Now some people think that older generations are more judgmental and have more misconceptions about body art. According to the latest census data, more than 16 percent of the population in Scranton is 65 or older. So, is it true?
"Oh, I think they're crazy. They ought to get rid of all that garbage. That's a waste of money and it looks terrible. You don't even want to look at the people, you know?" said 88-year-old Anna Sokira. "The back and chest and everything, that I don't care for. On the arms, yeah, but not like they have now," said Edward Lyckowski of Moosic.
"Old folks? I mean I tattooed my grandma, so obviously she was totally fine on it. She got like a little rose tattoo on her a couple years ago, but she really liked it," Birtel said. But what about tattoos in the work place?
People with piercings and tattoos have been told to cover them up in some work environments. There are dozens of businesses with policies that require employees to cover up body art. For those in the business of piercing and inking, though, the future looks bright.
"For people to look at someone with a tattoo and not automatically judge them, but like I said that's happening less and less as time goes on," said Nick Frenchko of The Electric City Tattoo Gallery.
"This is older than us, this is deeper than us. It's always going to be popular. People need to change themselves through modification, so you know that's gonna happen," Owens added. It looks like body art is here to stay.
According to a recent report by the Food and Drug Administration, as many as 45 million Americans have tattoos. According to another study one in seven Americans has a piercing other than in their ear lobes.