Teens, boomers, GenXers and Ys-millions of people each year take the plunge and get a tattoo. Tattoo shops have sprung up in every major city and across small-town America to meet the growing demand. Popular cable shows such as Miami Ink and Inked, along with such specials as Body Art, draw millions of viewers. Yes, tattoos are no longer fringe fetishes or prison emblems of machismo-they've hit the mainstream. But the thought of getting a "tatt" is still scary for most regular folks. Does it hurt? Can you get sick? Is it safe? How long does it last? How much does it cost? First-timers have dozens and dozens of questions about the process-and that's before they try to make up their minds about the design they want. Author and tattoo artist John Reardon easily spends half his "parlor time" answering these basic questions over and over again, so for the novice and aficionado alike, he's written the definitive The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting a Tattooto help take away the fear of the unknown. In simple layman's terms, Reardon walks the reader through every step of the process- from the decision to get tattooed to the physical issues of the process, from the agonizing decision about which tattoo to chose, to the care and nurturing after it's done. In addition to the practical and comprehensive advice, he and his posse of dedicated artists have contributed 30 original tattoo designs available only in this book.