Hygiene and safety
Quick reading: Remington Tattoo says it uses sterilized equipment and new needles and inks for every client.[1] California’s Safe Body Art Act sets the legal floor: practitioner training and registration, medical-grade sterilization with monthly spore testing, and three-year logs.[3]
What the shop says about safety
Remington Tattoo’s about page has a short section headed “Safety First.” It says the shop uses sterilized equipment and new needles and inks for every client, every time, and that the artist will answer questions about the procedure and aftercare.[1] The shop page adds that the parlor aims to combine tradition and nostalgia with a modern, clean environment using the best quality supplies and sterilization techniques.[2] Those are the shop’s own words. This wiki has not inspected the studio and does not grade its hygiene.
What the law requires before a session
The Safe Body Art Act sets out what a practitioner must do before starting. The practitioner washes and dries their hands, puts on a clean apron, bib or lap pad over clean clothing, and puts on personal protective equipment suitable for the task.[3] The client signs the informed consent form and completes a health questionnaire beforehand, as described on the body-art rules page.[3]
The Act defines “sterilization” as the complete destruction of all microbial life forms, including spores, and “decontamination” as removing or inactivating bloodborne pathogens until a surface or item is safe to handle.[3] The difference matters. Work surfaces are decontaminated between clients; needles and other instruments that pierce skin are sterile, single-use, or sterilized in a medical-grade sterilizer.
Sterilizers and logs
A facility that sterilizes its own instruments must use equipment made for medical instruments, run each load with mechanical indicators for time, temperature and pressure and at least a Class V integrator, and test the sterilizer with a commercial biological indicator after installation, after major repairs, and at least monthly. Results and a cycle-by-cycle log are kept for three years for the inspector.[3] Clean instruments and sterilized packs are stored in labeled containers or cabinets protected from dust and moisture, and sterilized instruments stay in intact packaging until use.[3]
San Diego County publishes a body art sterilization log template and an infection prevention control plan template for operators, along with fact sheets on safe machine designs and on sterile water use in tattooing.[4] A client who wants to understand a shop’s practice can reasonably ask how instruments are sterilized or whether they are pre-sterilized and single-use.
Training and vaccination
Each registered practitioner must complete bloodborne pathogens exposure-control training before registering and an update of at least two hours every year, and must show hepatitis B vaccination, proof of immunity, or a compliant declination.[3][4] In San Diego County, the training must come from a trainer on the County’s approved list.[5] The training covers what counts as an exposure incident, how exposures happen, how to prevent them, and the risk of infection after one, according to the statute’s list of required topics.[3]
When to seek medical care
The shop’s aftercare sheet says some redness around a new tattoo is normal inflammation, but that fever, redness, swelling or tenderness at the site, a foul-smelling green or yellow discharge, or red streaks running from the site toward the heart are signs that call for medical care.[6] The Act requires the consent paperwork to list the same kinds of warning signs.[3] This wiki is not medical advice. If a new tattoo looks infected, contact a clinician.
Reasonable questions to ask any shop
- Is the facility permitted by the County, and is my artist registered?
- Are needles and tubes single-use and opened in front of me?
- How are reusable instruments cleaned and sterilized, and is there a sterilization log?
- What aftercare instructions will I receive in writing?
- What should I do if I see signs of infection?
The questions follow the structure of the Act and the County’s guidance; they are not a checklist issued by the County.[3][4] A well-run studio should be able to answer each of them without hesitation, and the County program can confirm permit and registration status independently.
Common questions
Does Remington Tattoo use new needles?
The shop’s about page says it uses sterilized equipment and new needles and inks for every client, every time.
What is a Class V integrator?
A chemical indicator the Safe Body Art Act requires in every sterilization load as a check on the sterilizing conditions.
Is a tattoo shop inspected?
In San Diego County, permitted body art facilities are inspected by Environmental Health Specialists of the County DEHQ.
See also
Sources cited
- ^ a b About Remington Tattoo Parlor. Remington Tattoo Parlor (remingtontattoo.com). Retrieved 9 November 2026.
- ^ The Tattoo Shop – Remington. Remington Tattoo Parlor (remingtontattoo.com). Retrieved 9 November 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Safe Body Art Act (program PDF). County of San Diego. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
- ^ a b c Body Art Program. County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
- ^ Approved Bloodborne Pathogens trainer list. County of San Diego. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
- ^ Aftercare Instructions. Remington Tattoo Parlor (remingtontattoo.com). Retrieved 9 November 2026.