A Tale of The Tiger Tattoo by Korean Tattoo Artist 85tattooer

While travelling to South Korea, Fafa and I got semi-matching tiger tattoos to celebrate our anniversary. Coincidentally, it was also the Year of the Tiger, marking the inking with a double meaning.

Getting tattoos while travelling was my friend Vi’s idea, which I adopted. Also, it had been three years since my last tattoo—if you have one, you’d recognize the phantom itch to get the next one.

Long before our trip to South Korea, I began my research with specific tattoo criteria in mind—the most important one being a tattoo that reflected Korean culture.

I listed a few artists, with the top two being Pitta and Sion. The former caught my attention because of the distinctive style of Korean architecture. The latter, after reading an article about Norigae tattoo, intrigued me with the idea of having a female tattoo artist create a good luck symbol. However, after reaching out and learning that both artists were unavailable, I paused my Korean tattoo dream for months.

As fate would have it, a couple of weeks before flying to Seoul, I came across 85tattooer while reading about Seoul on one of my favourite blogs—Books and Bao (they also mentioned Pitta and Sion in the same article).

85tattooer’s style differed from what I had in mind, but I decided to check out his work. I liked their latest offering—Tiger Tattoos. So I reached out to them on IG, asking whether it’s possible to modify the tiger to make it less fierce. Not only did they (Hongil) reply rather quickly, but he also accommodated my request in detail without making me jump through Kakao instant messaging hoops.

While sorting out the nitty-gritty—the where, when, and others—I informed Fafa about my plan to get a tattoo from Hongil. Lo and behold, he wanted one, too.

Thankfully, Hongil agreed to ink us both, and on New Year’s Eve morning, we found ourselves in his neighbourhood. His studio was located inside a small three-story building with no signage, almost leading us to a different entrance, until we spotted a Korean flag on the second floor, which I recognized from the 85tattooer IG account.

Hongil, and who I assumed was his partner, welcomed us. I got inked first to avoid getting cold feet due to my fear of needles.

Tattooing on the side of the torso was painful, but Hongil’s expertise made it bearable. He was also patient and allowed me to take as many pauses as I needed during the process. When the 5cm tattoo was completed, I commended myself for not begging to stop halfway through.

Fafa’s tattoo preparation was shorter. We discussed color and size on the spot, and once we agreed, Hongil started working on a jumping tiger on his arm. The process for Fafa’s Tiger tattoo took longer, so I took a break to stretch my legs, grab a hot drink, and roam around the neighbourhood.

When I returned, I found them chatting about sneakers. Satisfied with our tattoos, we thanked him and his partner and wished them a happy new year.

I believe tattoos have a profound impact, altering the course of one’s life. Getting matching tattoos in Japan to mark our married life felt sacred—a reminder of our connection beyond this world. The tiger tattoos represent something equally meaningful: a unity of two distinctive individual styles, as they symbolize Air for me and Water for Fafa—both depicted as playful tigers.

Follow me on Instagram @KultureKween for more recent updates.