LEAVENWORTH — A downtown tattoo artist who’s got public safety under his skin has become one of the key figures in the future of the state’s tattoo and piercing industry.

Doc Elsea, owner and manager with his wife, Geisha, of the Leavenworth Tattoo & Piercing Haus, is one of eight artists and technicians on a statewide advisory committee charged with helping draft new rules and policies for the body art business — an industry that, until now, has remained largely unregulated by the state.

Elsea, 57, is the only tattoo and piercing artist in eastern Washington to serve on the board. Mary Tanneberg, a permanent cosmetics technician at Derma-Tech in East Wenatchee, is also a member of the advisory group.

“The ultimate goal is to protect the public with regulations that make sense for clients and the industry,” Elsea said. “We want our customers to have a good, safe experience, but also make sure we (tattoo artists) aren’t over-regulated right out of business.”

Meeting about every two weeks, the advisory committee works with state Department of Licensing officials to shape codes, policies and regulations for tattooing, piercing, branding and permanent cosmetic industries. Elsea said these arms of the body art industry have all shown substantial growth in the last decade.

Formation of the committee followed passage in July of state Substitute Senate Bill 5391, a law that requires licensing of body art practitioners to ensure safe and sanitary conditions in parlors, studios and salons. The law takes effect July 1.

The body art industry has determined its own, varying professional standards through several state and national organizations, including the Washington Association of Body Artists and the Alliance of Professional Tattooists based in Kansas City, Mo.

But until now, regulating an industry that views itself as out-of-the-mainstream, even on the fringe, of regular society has proven challenging, Elsea said. The result has been a flurry of untrained and unqualified tattooists and piercers offering services in sometimes substandard conditions, he added. “With some people even working out of their cars or on the street.”

Tattoo parties in private homes are “huge red flags” that conditions may not be the safest or most sanitary, Elsea said. “You’ve got to immediately wonder why this tattoo person isn’t working in a parlor or studio. It might be because nobody wants them.”

Under the new law, licensing would help restrict unqualified tattooists by ensuring safe and sanitary practices that limit contamination of fresh tattoos and piercings, Elsea said. “Remember, these are open wounds,” he noted, “and they need to be treated as such.”

Modern tattooing works by using a rapid-fire needle machine to insert droplets of indelible ink among layers of skin. Recipients can feel varying degrees of pain, depending on technique and tattoo size, and some bleeding could occur.

Over the last two decades, tattoos have become more mainstream, Elsea said. They’re most popular with young people but also trendy with aging baby boomers and not uncommon among seniors.

The tattoo artist said one client received her first tattoo, an ankle adornment, at age 70. “She took a lot of ribbing from her friends,” Elsea said, “but at age 71 she was back for a wrist tattoo.”

Receiving a tattoo is a big decision for anyone, said Elsea, but for an elderly woman it’s a huge consideration. “Almost every day, I’m humbled at being a part of these big decisions in people’s lives,” he added. “It’s a privilege for me as an artist, so I need to make sure it’s done in the best and safest way.”

Elsea has been in the tattoo and piercing industry for 35 years. He owned a studio for many years in Mill Creek and still has a body art school in the area. Before moving to Leavenworth in 2008, he operated a studio in Chelan with his wife Geisha, a former student of his.

Mike Irwin: 665-1179

irwin@wenatcheeworld.com