Indianapolis tattoo parlor reopens; health officials shut it down

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Monday was the first time in months that Steel Rod Tattoos in Indianapolis had customers.

Despite the city’s order that tattoo shops not open until June 1 because of COVID-19, the owner defiantly opened for business.

“I like it. The interaction is great. I missed it,” said Richard Lawrence, a tattoo artist at the parlor on Monday afternoon. “I still want to keep doing it. We’ve got to now. We’ve got to do something.”

Steel Rod Tattoo owner Eric Noe told News 8 he and his team went above state COVID-19 precaution mandates. Here’s a list of the tattoo shop’s additional safety measures he and his staff took:

• A portable hand washing station available for guests as soon as they enter.
• Ample hand sanitizer.
• Guests must enter the shop alone.
• Guests will be by appointment only.
• Tattoo booths are separated.
• Staff gets temperature checks before their shifts begin.
• Everything inside the tattoo shop is sanitized at night and again in the morning.
• Booths are disinfected after every client.

In addition to those precautions, Noe added more COVID-19 precautions Monday:

• All guests were required to wash their hands upon entry for at least 20 seconds at a portable hand washing station for guests.
• All guests were required to wear face masks or coverings.

Those safety measures were more than enough for Mary Rybak. She was among the parlor’s first customers to get a tattoo Monday.

“It feels great,” Rybak said. “They understand how blood-borne pathogens and infection control works. Walking in, it was easy. They were doing all the right things to make sure that I was safe and they were safe.”

But, less than 2 hours after reopening, the Marion County Health Department shut the place down.

“It’s pretty crazy it happened that fast,” tattoo artist Lawrence said moments after the order to immediately close. A bright orange “closed” notice was put on the front door.

Noe said, “Honestly, I didn’t expect anything less” after he got the order to shut down.

The notice to close sign also came with an emergency notice of violation letter. One of the violations on the letter read “this business must close immediately in order to prevent the spread of COVID 19.”

“That is what gets me,” Noe said after he read the letter aloud. “As you’ve seen, as everybody can see, we took extreme measures, extreme precautions. You don’t see a whole bunch of people in here.”

Noe and his tattoo artists are left wondering what happens now? Lawrence has children and grandchildren to provide for.

“It sucks,” Lawrence said. “You’re like, ‘Man.’ You’re ready to get back in the swing of things … get money for them.”

So, what happens next? Noe told News 8 that he got off the phone with the health department. He said the notice is a warning. He said he’s going to sit down with his staff, his artists and family to create an action plan.