A tattoo on holiday in Bali can feel like the perfect souvenir. Walk down the main strips of Kuta, Seminyak or Canggu and there are shopfronts offering walk-in tattoos for a fraction of what you would expect to pay at home, often done the same afternoon. But plenty of those tattoos come home to Perth looking very different a year or two later. In the trade, the rushed, cheap version is sometimes called “slap and paste” work: a design stuck on, lined fast and sent out the door. Here is why so many cheap Bali tattoos don’t last, what the health risks are, and what you can do about one once you are back in Western Australia.
Why holiday tattoos are so cheap
A low price usually comes from cutting time. Walk-in shops in busy tourist areas make money on volume, so the design is often picked off a wall, transferred onto the skin and finished in one quick sitting. There is little or no time for drawing a design to fit your body, for careful lining, or for packing the colour and black in properly. Not every studio in Bali works this way, but the cheapest end of the market often does.
Why cheap Bali tattoos fade and blur
When people bring a holiday tattoo into our studio, the same problems come up again and again:
- Rushed or shallow lines. Lines put in too lightly can fall out in patches as the tattoo heals. Lines pushed too hard can spread under the skin and blur.
- Weak saturation. Black and colour that is not packed in evenly heals patchy and greys out much faster than solid work.
- Unknown ink. With a cheap walk-in tattoo overseas, you often have no idea what ink was used or where it came from.
- Too small, too detailed. Fine detail squeezed into a small design blurs together as the years go on, no matter where it was done.
The holiday makes healing harder
Even a well-done tattoo struggles on a beach holiday. HealthyWA, the WA Government’s health site, says a tattoo takes about two to three weeks to heal, that you should not swim until it has healed, and that sunscreen should not go on a tattoo until it has healed. On a week in Bali that means no pool, no surf and no sea, and keeping fresh ink covered from strong tropical sun. Most people getting tattooed on day two of a holiday don’t do any of that, and the tattoo pays the price. Our tattoo aftercare guide for Perth covers healing in more detail.
The health risk is real
In January 2012, WA Health announced that a West Australian traveller who had returned from Bali had tested positive for HIV, and that a tattoo done in Bali was considered the most likely source of the infection. Australians who had recently had a tattoo or body piercing in Bali were advised to get a blood test for HIV (reported by Travel Daily, 5 January 2012).
Tattoos also affect blood donation. Australian Red Cross Lifeblood says that after a tattoo from a licensed Australian studio you can give plasma straight away and blood after seven days, but after a tattoo done overseas or at an unlicensed place you need to wait four months.
If you got tattooed overseas and you are worried about infection, or the tattoo is red, hot, swollen or weeping, see your GP.
Fixing a Bali tattoo back home in Perth
A disappointing holiday tattoo is not the end of the story. Depending on how dark the old ink is, its size and where it sits, there are usually a few options:
- Rework it. Sharpen the lines, add shading and fill out the colour so it finally looks the way it should have.
- Build it into something bigger. A small, faded piece can become part of a half sleeve or larger design.
- Cover it. Bold styles, such as Japanese, black and grey and blackwork, are good at hiding old work. A cover-up is usually larger and darker than the original.
If you still want a tattoo in Bali
Plenty of Australians will still get tattooed on holiday. If you do, look at the studio’s healed work, not just fresh photos, check that needles are opened in front of you, and plan it for the end of your trip so the new tattoo is not in the sea or pool for days. Better still, get the tattoo at home in Perth, heal it properly, and enjoy Bali with a tattoo that is already settled.
Travelling from regional WA, Sydney or Melbourne?
We see Bali tattoos from FIFO workers, regional WA clients and visitors from across Australia. Send clear, well-lit photos of your tattoo to start, and we can plan any rework or cover-up sessions around your roster or trip to Perth.
Ready to fix a holiday tattoo? Book a consultation or browse our tattoo gallery. If you have any concerns about infection or your health after an overseas tattoo, speak to your doctor.
Sources
- Travel Daily, “Bali tattoo warning”, 5 January 2012 (WA Health announcement)
- HealthyWA, “Taking care of body art” (WA Government)
- Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, “Tatts no longer a barrier to blood donation under new rule change”, 2023
