[Chroma Tattoo & Laser Tattoo Removal owner Jaime Howard and client Tracy Herrmann walking toward and into a room used for laser tattoo removal]
Jaime Howard (interview): “There’s a lot of reasons for tattoo removal. There’s a lot of reasons for clients to have it done and to have changes.”
[Howard using a laser machine on Herrmann’s foot tattoo]
Jaime Howard (interview): “Some people just want to take it all the way off, and that’s just because in life they might have got that tattoo when they were young. Maybe they were 16, 17, and now they’re 30 or 40 and they’re like, ‘This doesn’t jibe with me anymore.’ So, they’re like, ‘I want to get this off.’”
[Howard and Herrmann chatting before the start of the laser tattoo removal treatment]
Tracy Herrmann (interview): “I think just right now, as I’m getting older, I just want my natural-looking skin back.”
[Howard applying cold air to Herrmann’s foot and arm tattoos ahead of laser removal treatment]
Tracy Herrmann (interview): “I’ve put this in the past. I already got the tattoos. And then now I just want to move forward and go back to the original skin of what I was born with. But the other four I’m going to keep. They still mean a lot to me, but they’re more hidden, so.”
[Herrmann telling Howard she (English) “can’t wait” for some of her tattoos “to be gone”]
Jaime Howard (interview): “So, I would say probably about 70 percent of those clients, they’re in it for the long haul and they want to get them fully removed and they want to take them off, you know?”
[Tattoo on Herrmann’s right foot that reads (English) “one step at a time”]
Jaime Howard (interview): “There are people out there that do spend thousands and thousands of dollars on removal, because they are talked into buying these packages.”
[Howard turning on the machine and holding the hose that provides cold air]
Jaime Howard (interview): “So, I tell everyone that we start off at a $100 shop minimum, and that’s where I stay at.”
[Howard applying the cold air to Herrmann’s tattoo]
Jaime Howard (interview): “It definitely feels like a hot rubber band hitting you, or grease from a frying pan. Those are the two ways I explain that to a lot of people. It doesn’t feel great. And if you come to see me, I’m never going to tell you it’s going to be amazing, because it’s not. It’s not amazing. It sucks.”
[Herrmann rolling around in her hands stress balls meant to help alleviate the pain associated with the treatment]
[Howard applying the laser to one of Herrmann’s tattoos]
Tracy Herrmann (interview): “The stress balls really help, because at the time it is pretty intense. It’s like a bee sting that just continually doesn’t go away or someone’s snapping a rubber band until you’re at the beginning of your tattoo to the end.”
[Herrmann lying back on the chair during the treatment]
Tracy Herrmann (interview): “It’s not that bad. I would encourage anyone to have their tattoos removed if they can. I know price is sometimes an issue, but it’s worth it.”
[Howard blowing cold air on Herrmann’s foot]
Jaime Howard (interview): “I feel like if you want it bad enough, you’re going take it off. It’s all mind over matter. It really is just about breathing and getting through the process.”
[Treatment ending, and Herrmann sitting up and letting out a sigh of relief]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.