Patrick’s take
Check the Claim Before the Ink
This week's lead story is about something that did not happen. Current reporting surfaced no verified tattoo or piercing controversy, yet the viral claim kept moving anyway. I think that is worth a column, because a story can travel a long way without any evidence behind it, and our industry is small enough that a false alarm can land on real people. The practical habit is simple: ask what the claim is, who verified it, and whether anything checkable sits underneath it.
The matching tattoo story shows why this matters. It was a design failure, not a tattooing failure, and the lesson is to test every tattoo alone at full size before permanent ink goes in. Those are two very different problems, but a viral post blurs them together. If we blame the wrong thing, we fix nothing, and the next client with the same design faces the same risk. Careful diagnosis is part of doing the work well.
The same discipline belongs with the stories that do rest on evidence. EU Safety Gate alerts flagged excessive formaldehyde and lead in tattoo inks under REACH Entry 75 in October 2026, and studios and suppliers have real work to do in response. In Thailand, the Sak Yant problem is hygiene guesswork, which means safe needles, fresh ink and sterilisation should be visible to the client. Real alerts deserve our attention, and invented ones should not take it away.
To my fellow modern primitives, Patrick
Sukhumvit 33, Bangkok, ThailandBangkok Ink
I first met Martin Kendall in 2015, when my son wanted to learn tattooing in Bangkok. Two passionate people found each other: together we created a new Sak Yant needle, and he developed his own practice skins with me at Poli. His Bangkok Ink on Sukhumvit 33 has Sak Yant masters, a machine team, piercers and a tattoo school, and it keeps getting better.
Patrick’s note
“Meeting Martin was one of those moments when two passionate people find each other. Bangkok Ink really is a work of art that comes from a deep passion.”
Patrick Poli
“Life is magical. Live your life like magic.”
Read the full feature How did Bangkok Ink begin?
Beginning with one man's fascination with this ancient art of tattooing, Bangkok Ink was born. I spent many years learning the ways of Sak Yant and, more importantly, the way of Buddhism. It was not easy to gain the trust of the Sak Yant masters I met, so I spent time with them and learned a lot about the history and origins of this spiritual practice. My staff and I are honoured to be a part of this Thai tradition, and proud to make real the dreams of many foreigners who have researched Sak Yant.
What do your own Sak Yant mean to you?
For me, becoming a better person starts with daily reminders of the values I want to live by, and that is why I chose Sak Yant and Buddhism. The unalome on my throat greets me every time I look in the mirror, and the ones on my back, arms, chest and belly stay with me even when I can't see them. Together, they keep me grounded and remind me to be a good person and show love, respect, patience and kindness to my partner, family, friends and the people I work with.
Where does the offering money go?
The offering on the dish is known as parn kroo, and there is one more called kar kroo, a traditional donation to the master. This is the money the master and his family live on. Some of it is donated to temples and to poor people in the mountains of Thailand: villages and schools far from Bangkok, with no roads and no phone signal, reached only by 4x4. There are hundreds of members in the 4x4 club Ajarn Ohr runs, and they all donate to these villages.
What should a new student know before coming?
You need to learn to operate as a tattooist on your own, so when you leave the school you can tattoo alone, because there will not be an instructor with you. We do not promise the world or put you in a room full of expensive equipment just to impress. That does not get you tattooing.
Plates made from Bangkok Ink’s story, free to print for their walls (and yours):
Photos: Bangkok Ink. Header and plates: AI-assisted artwork, edited by Poli International. The answers are the studio’s own words. Your studio next?
Cover story
Viral
Thailand
Regulation
Market
Gear
