A tattoo artist and TikTok user is calling out a recent convention after seeing the handwashing station organizers had set up for tattoo artists.
For context, hand washing is an essential part of the tattooing process. As tattoo artists are working with needles and skin in a medium that can lead to infection, experts agree that it’s important for artists to wash their hands before and after putting on their gloves.
However, this frequent handwashing could be a little difficult in the setup recently discovered by TikTok user Jazzy J (@jazzyjtattoos).
In a clip with over 639,000 views, Jazzy shows off what she says was the handwashing station at an anime tattoo convention.
The station consists of a large bottle of water with a broken nozzle, a single soap dispenser that has been duct-taped to the table, and a crudely attached roll of paper towels.
“Was the mobile hand washing stations not available?” she asks in the caption.
The convention in question appears to be the recent Tattoo and Anime Show held in Los Angeles. The event has been largely criticized on social media sites like Reddit, with one prominent post on r/AnimeExpo dubbing it a “dumpster fire.” The Daily Dot has reached out to the organizers via email for comment.
Another TikTok creator shared their experience at the convention, calling it “the worst anime convention I’ve ever been to in my life.” Iris (@ayime.co) is an artist who was vending at the convention. She says the event was sparsely attended over the three days she set up shop.
She attributed the lack of patrons to failed advertising for the event, as well as its inconvenient and mismanaged organization.
“The idea of getting tattoos while shopping for anime stuff would have been cool if people were actually there [clown emoji],” Iris wrote in the caption.
Back on Jazzy J’s video, she explained why proper hand washing stations are important for tattoo artists in the comments section.
“The bathrooms were on the other side of the hall,” the artist wrote. “We tattoo artists need easier/closer access to a handwashing station. We wash our hands constantly.”
“How did the health department let this slide??” the artist added in a later comment.
However, Jazzy J has since deleted her video.
In the comments section, many users could not believe the state of the handwashing station, especially given the fact that tattooing appeared to play a prominent role in the advertising of the event.
“Isn’t hygiene like #1 when it comes to tattooing…why do they hate y’all ?” asked a user.
“No way and in California where they have stricter laws about tattooing,” said another.
“They really didn’t have the funds to just rent out a hand washing station from a carnival?” questioned a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Jazzy J via email.
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