TATTOO artist ‘Roy’ became fascinated with tattoos shortly after getting his first (a skull) when he was just nineteen, a year later he had moved from his quiet town in Chumpon province to Bangkok to train to become a tattooist.

Thailand has a rich, unique and historic relationship with tattoos; in Ancient Thailand, warriors were tattooed with designs of animals believed to hold magical powers so that they could protect them in battle. These types of tattoos are known as sak yant; the traditional Buddhist name for the Thai art of tattooing sacred and intricate geometrical designs.

Today, Muay Thai fighters wear the ‘sak yant’ tattoos with the same hope and belief that they will protect them from injury. However, it is not just they who wear them; a brief stroll around Phuket will reveal a whole plethora of Thai society from beach boys to business women who proudly sports tigers to ancient scriptures.

Each year, hundreds of young men attend the Wat Bang Phra temple 50km from Bangkok, to have their own ancient empowering symbol administered by the heavily tattooed monks.
But for Roy, these, “religious tattoos are for old people, monks and warriors. These days the younger Thai’s are getting this style.”

The style he refers to is ‘Chicano’; popularised by the Latino gangs in Los Angeles. These traditionally black and white tattoos often contain letterings in old English and are sometimes affirmations of a person’s allegiance to a particular gang.

The majority of Roy’s torso is covered in tattoos, some of which were given by his girlfriend Kooky, also a tattoo artist who draws Henna tattoos, “Henna is primarily for people who can’t have a tattoo for religious reasons. Almost all my customers are Arabic.” she said.

There are many holidaymakers who get hennas, safe in the knowledge that two weeks later, when they’re back home and at work all traces of it will already be fading like their sun tan.

However, there are still many tourists and Thais who are ready to commit, including Bosho, a nineteen-year-old Thai Muslim superbike racer from Phuket who was getting an image of a woman tattooed on his arm. “I don’t like sak yant because I don’t like magic” he said.

But it seems that there are many that do and not just Thai but also many foreigners. In fact it certainly appears that the number of tattooed westerners is disproportionately high in Phuket, many of whom had their first tattoo in Thailand.

Perhaps this is because in western countries like England or America, people who have tattoos are typically seen as working class, criminals, or women of ill repute, whereas here it can mean so much more or even so much less.

To Kangpong Samrit a 28-year-old graphic designer, the Japanese Koi fish tattoo he had when he was 15 now means very little, “I got it because my high school friends had it done. It has no meaning to me, I just like it, but I never show it to others, even my current friends.”

Kangpong is similar to Roy in that they were the first people in their family to get a tattoo, yet unlike Kangpong, Roy likes showing off his tattoos; it’s very much part of him.

Roy said, “Tattoos means different things to different people, but to me it’s a reflection of a person’s character and personality. To me it can be a real expression, but if someone has a dragon, then obviously it’s not real, but I like gangster style.”

Although he was quick to point out that he did not necessarily agree with the fighting that is associated with such styles, he admits to being interested in the honesty of expression.

It seems everywhere you turn in Phuket you see a dragon, or a gun or even a magical symbol… in tattoo form.

So this would all seem to suggest that the stigma of having a tattoo that pervades Western culture is not really applicable in a society with a deep rooted belief system embedded not only in their religion but also their folklore.

However this is not so, Roy explains that, “My mum hated the first one, She’s a teacher and my dad is a police man. In Thailand you can’t work for the government if you have a tattoo, so they didn’t understand it.”

It seems that Roy’s chances of dressing up in a suit and working in an office are behind him, but I have a feeling that he is not too bothered about that.

He said. “My mother now understands me and that it’s art. Plus in a way she inspired me because she was such a good drawer.”

Roy’s SN Tattoo Family & Famous studio can be found at: 204/27 Rat u Tit 200 Pee Patong, Phuket. 082-817 8954