As sleeve lengths get longer and cooler weather sets in, the upcoming cozy season might be the best time to consider getting the tattoo you have been thinking about.

Fewer layers in the summer means more tattoos on display, which leads to more minds on ink therapy; however, that exposure is not actually good for a healing tattoo, said 138 Tattoo owner and artist James Jarvis.

“The fact that you’re on the boat, in the sun, in saltwater, in chlorine water—it’s some of the worst things you can do for a tattoo that’s healing,” he said. Summer tends to be the most popular time of year to get a tattoo, and artists stay busier in those months.

While saltwater can be beneficial for piercings, it is not the same for tattoos. “Saltwater and chlorine are terrible for tattoos,” he said. In the water, you are exposed to different bacteria. “With a healing tattoo, that’s pretty dangerous.”
The saltwater can also have adverse effects on tattoos. “It could make the color really dull—shading or coloring,” he said. The chemicals in chlorinated water are even worse for a healing tattoo. “Tattoos do not like chlorine what-so-ever—and hot tubs are the same way, not just pools.”

With the York River and other waterways so close by, minimizing exposure to a healing tattoo in the summer can be difficult. “It’s hard to tell somebody to stay out of the sun, stay out of the water in the middle of July,” he said.
“Gloucester has been an amazing place to tattoo for 30 years.” James hit 30 years in July, starting his tattooing journey at another company, which recently closed. “I was there for nine-ish years, but the rest of the time has been here.”
The business has five tattoo artists and four piercers, said James’s wife Julie, owner and piercer. “Our shop has always been like a family environment, our crew has been like family,” she said.

One of the artists has been with James since the very beginning. “Steve Pfahl, he and I learned together years ago—we’ve been working together for 30 years,” James said. “He’s part of the foundation of this shop, for sure.”
The piercing side of the business is going strong, as well. The shop pierces ages three and up for ears. Julie and the other piercers have worked hard to ensure younger clients who come in with their parents feel comfortable and understand the process of ear piercing. “They [the younger clients] almost always come out on the other side pleasantly surprised,” she said. “I mean, you get tears sometimes, but that’s to be expected with the little ones. What I think we have done successfully is earned the moms’ seal of approval on a lot of things.”

138 Tattoo and Body Piercing is located off Route 17 in Gloucester Point, not far from Gloucester Point Beach Park and the York River. Originally, the shop opened near the foot of the George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge in 2002, but had to relocate when the highway was widened. “We had to leave there and ended up here and it’s been home ever since,” said James.

The duo has loved the years of tattooing and piercing in Gloucester and the clientele that come through the door and plan to do it for many more.