A new trend in Bali, where tourists undergo general anesthesia for full-body tattoos, is drawing sharp criticism from Australian tattoo artists and medical professionals who warn of potentially deadly risks. The procedure, which can cost between $9,000 and $16,000, condenses work that would typically take months or years into one or two sessions lasting 10 to 20 hours, allowing clients to avoid the pain associated with tattooing.
Kian Forreal, owner and master artist at Sydney's Authentink Studio, slammed the practice as dangerous and questioned its artistic integrity. "You don't end up with a nice tattoo. You end up with usually a bunch of AI slop or Pinterest slop that's sort of mashed together," Forreal told the Daily Mail. He likened the experience to claiming to have climbed Mount Everest by taking a helicopter, arguing that the transformative aspect of earning a tattoo through enduring pain is lost.
"During the course of these 100 hours I spend with them in four- to six-hour chunks, they become a different person," Forreal explained. "You can't f***ing call it in. You squirm, you sweat, you bleed, you whinge, but they do it. It changes you and that's part of the whole transformative process."
Other Australian artists echoed these concerns. Ray Vom, who runs Markd Tattoo Studio in Redfern, stated, "It's such a big risk. I don't think they really stress that enough because some people don't wake up." Kristen Sorrenson from Nine Muses added that she "wouldn't take those odds" to get a tattoo.
Medical professionals also voiced alarm. Kyle Hoath, president of the Australian Medical Association WA, described the practice as "dangerous, unnecessary and unsafe." He highlighted that general anesthesia requires constant monitoring by trained medical professionals to maintain a patient's life functions and carries inherent risks, including death. Doctors generally reserve its use for procedures that cannot be performed otherwise.
"Tattooing can be done safely and can be done in safe sterile environments, but there is no need to go through a general anesthetic, which adds considerable risk to the procedure, just for convenience's sake," Hoath told 9News Perth. "That's not convenient, that's dangerous and that's unsafe, and something that should be avoided."
Despite these warnings, thousands of tourists, predominantly Australians, are reportedly traveling to Bali for these expedited, pain-free tattoos. One Brisbane man, Anthony Waud, underwent a nine-hour session under general anesthesia in September, paying $9,000. He reported a smooth recovery and professional medical care, stating he had no concerns about the process.
However, the consensus among experienced tattoo artists and medical experts remains that the perceived benefits of convenience and pain avoidance do not justify the significant health risks involved in undergoing general anesthesia for a tattooing procedure.