The pervasiveness of having a loved one’s— or pet’s— ashes embedded into a tattoo is becoming increasingly pervasive. These are called ash tattoos, and more people are favouring this way of cherishing a loved one’s memories and legacy.
Drew O’Neill, 43, owns Drew’s Tattoos at Brentwood Mall in northwest Calgary. He started tattooing during his teenage years.
About a year ago, clients started approaching him with requests to do ash-based memorial tattoos. So far, he has done two of them: one for a mother who wanted his son’s ash tattoo, and the other client wanted a tattoo for her dog.
“It’s good for the client, good for the satisfaction,” Drew said. “You know by helping somebody through their process of grieving one way or another.”
Drew is trying to introduce this concept to others, as he feels that very few people aren’t aware of this option.
“I am just introducing it now, but I’ll be doing quite a few over time,” said O’Neill.
O’Neill recalls the first ash tattoo he did. It was for a mother who lost her child. For two years, she looked for a tattoo artist who was able to do it. While O’Neill has never done it before, he knew the procedure and wanted to help her.
The next day, the woman came back with her child’s ashes. About a tablespoon of ash is taken, sterilized, and then mixed with the tattoo ink. O’Neill makes sure to mix the ink and the ashes in front of his client.
Ashpreet Chahal, 23, got an ash tattoo of her late partner. The tattoo she received was an inscription of her partner’s birth date and death date.
At first, Chahal was unsure about the process, but after receiving her tattoo, she felt a ray of light in the darkness of grief.
“I got a way to keep him alive within me, permanently, forever. Not just in my memories, but in my body as well,” said Chahal.
Recent statistics show that an estimated 45 million people in the U.S. have been inked at least once, with a growing number of individuals opting for memorial tattoos. Dates, lyrics, initials, quotes, and images are some of the styles people request for their ash-tattoos.
