Tattoos and Tattoo Removal: Better Together

Written by Hannah Barling

“I love what I do. I love to help people,” says Kristine Le-Esposito.

Le-Esposito is the lead laser technician and shop manager at 1 Point Tattoo, located in Kailua, Hawaii, a town on the east coast of  Oahu. 1 Point Tattoo is a famed tattoo studio housing some of the world’s most elite artists.

First opening its doors in 2016, owner Simon Halpern already had nearly 10 years of experience in the industry as an artist. Since then, he’s mindfully crafted the perfect team of tattoo artists—each practicing different styles and bringing unique skills to 1 Point Tattoo. “Everybody comes in and does really cool work, we kind of go back and forth with each other, and we make it really just a fun experience for all of us where everybody at the shop has their style,” Halpern says. “But it’s also something they can call their own.”

That’s where Le-Esposito comes into the picture. Halpern brought Le-Esposito on board to help with the front of the shop and says she’s been instrumental in managing the day-to-day and keeping the business running smoothly. But just as each tattoo artist owns a unique style of art, he wanted Le-Esposito to have something she could master and add to the services 1 Point Tattoo provides.

“Watching the industry and seeing what’s happening was good, and as an owner, [I realized] there was a need in the market and that we could really benefit the people who live here,” Halpern says. Adding laser tattoo removal to his studio made perfect sense and was a need he knew they could fill.

Tattoos and Tattoo Removal: Better Together

Some may think laser tattoo removal practitioners are anti-tattoo, but the reality is quite the opposite. Laser tattoo removal is the safest, most-effective method for removing undesired ink, making room for new art and removing restrictions that interfere with many cover-ups. Whether clients want an old tattoo faded down for a cover-up or are seeking complete removal, adding laser tattoo removal to a shop allows owners to individualize their artistic services.

“It doesn’t matter why you’re coming in here—no judgments,” Le-Esposito says. “We obviously love tattoos, and we build the art, but if someone doesn’t like theirs, if they don’t want it and it’s just one little tattoo, that’s fine. I remove them all the time. You just need to make sure you’re providing them [the best service], and obviously, with the lasers, we have the best and the results speak for themselves.”

1 Point Tattoo utilizes the Astanza Duality laser machine to perform safe and effective tattoo removal, allowing them to create beautiful new artwork on top of both faded and fully-removed tattoos. In addition, Astanza tattoo removal lasers are ideal for tattoo studios that want to add laser tattoo removal to their existing shop.

Best Tattoo Removal Technology for Tattoo Artists

Le-Esposito said 1 Point decided they wanted to bring the best removal results to Hawaii about six years ago. While researching different companies, they prioritized laser technology that would deliver the best results for what they were trying to accomplish and unbeatable customer service—that’s when they found Astanza Laser.

“I went to the [New Look Laser] College in Dallas. It was awesome, I got hands-on [training], I learned and was super eager, we did everything there,” says Le-Esposito. “Since then, it’s been five years; I love everybody at Astanza. They’re great, they come to service my machine, and there’s always a lot of good back and forth of educating each other on different things, different results, types of tattoos, and things like that. Things just melted together really well and it’s still going really well at 1 Point.”

More and more tattoo artists realize that laser tattoo removal enhances their ability to produce the best possible body art for their clients while simultaneously increasing profits.

Create the Best Art and Increase Profits

The majority of unwanted tattoos typically lead to cover-up opportunities. Even the most talented tattoo artists have difficulty executing the perfect cover-up if the original tattoo is heavily pigmented. For example, a dense, dark tattoo can be challenging to cover with lighter colors. Offering laser tattoo removal in your shop allows for more creative freedom, giving both the artist and client a higher level of satisfaction with their new tattoo.

Astanza’s Q-switched tattoo removal lasers can fade and completely remove unwanted ink, giving tattoo artists a cleaner canvas to create the best cover-up. Laser tattoo removal also offers revenue opportunities while enhancing your reputation as the best cover-up provider.

How much is an average tattoo removal treatment? Well, it depends. Factors like geographic location, current competition and other market analyses should be considered. Astanza lasers can generate $150 – $500 for a five-to-15-minute treatment on a single client with minimal consumable expenses (bandages, tape, etc.). Only a few treatments are needed for a cover-up, or if a client seeks complete removal, the average number ranges from eight to 12.

The Astanza Experience

If you are inspired by the success that 1 Point has had and are interested in learning more about how to successfully add laser tattoo removal services to your tattoo shop or want to open a stand alone laser tattoo removal business, please contact Astanza. Astanza is the leader in laser tattoo removal and the Astanza Experience includes the Business Builder System, 3-Business Day Service Guarantee, and Lifetime Training and Clinical Support.