Is This Going to Hurt?

Remember when you got your first tattoo? Everyone told you a picture of a burlesque girl on your left butt cheek was going to hurt like hell (cool, she wiggles when you do!), but you’re made of tougher stuff than most. You relished the clarifying pain as that needle dug...

By John Linn

August 14, 2008

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Remember when you got your first tattoo? Everyone told you a picture of a burlesque girl on your left butt cheek was going to hurt like hell (cool, she wiggles when you do!), but you’re made of tougher stuff than most. You relished the clarifying pain as that needle dug into your soft flesh, and when it was over you felt vindicated. Now you’re a pain junky. You can’t get enough of the stuff. And you’re in luck. Because this year’s 13th Annual South Florida Tattoo Expo has “ouch” written all over it.

Not only will the coolest yearly tattoo con in SoFla feature over a hundred artists just itching to scrawl something big and painful across your body parts, the three day celebration will also feature live fetish shows from Abusement Park Entertainment and skin suspension, courtesy of Skin Mechanic and the Disgraceland Hook Squad. Suspension is all about lifting people off the floor from big metal hooks lodged into their backs, arms, chests, and legs. But the cats at the show don’t just dangle — they spin around at 100s of RPMs, swinging jerkingly back and forth as their friends hang from them like baby monkeys. And you thought that itty little star tattooed on your ankle hurt. Wuss.

If pain isn’t your game, there’s still plenty to relish at the con. In addition to the live tattooing contests there will be a Wet T-Shirt competition with a $1000 grand prize, a Hot Rod Show on Sunday featuring hundreds of the bad-assingest dragsters in these here parts, and two concerts on Friday and Saturday where you can groove the rockabilly vibes of the Hep Cat Boo Daddies, Slip & The Spinouts, the Kings of Hell, and more. So what are you waiting for? Get to the Deerfield Beach Hilton (100 Fairway Dr., Deerfield Beach) Friday and Saturday from noon till 1 a.m., and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. And bring the sting-reducing ointment. Admission costs $15 per day, or $30 for all three. Call 954-343-5585, or visit www.sofltattooexpo.com.
Fri., Aug. 15, noon; Sat., Aug. 16, noon; Sun., Aug. 17, noon, 2008

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, New Times Broward-Palm Beach has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.