Tattoo Booking & Contact

Kalia Tattoo Studio – Guest & Infection Control Policy (California, USA)

Our studio adheres strictly to universal precautions as required by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) infection control guidelines.
As a high-risk environment involving skin penetration, blood exposure, and contact with bodily fluids, we enforce strict policies to prevent cross-contamination, protect client safety, and maintain a sterile workspace. These protocols apply to both the client and any authorized guest who may enter the facility.
SOLO APPOINTMENT POLICY

• Clients must arrive alone.

• No children are allowed inside the tattoo studio.

• No pregnant individuals are permitted as guests or clients.

• This studio is not a social space; it is a professional, sterile medical-grade environment.

Guest Exception Policy:

• In rare and pre-approved cases, one (1) healthy adult guest may be allowed.

• Guest must remain seated in designated area, wear protective gear if instructed, and follow all infection control protocols.

• No talking, video recording, photography, or movement around the studio will be tolerated.

Any guest exhibiting illness, skin disease, or disruptive behavior will be asked to leave immediately.
WHY THIS POLICY MATTERS
Much like hospital or surgical procedures, tattooing involves open wounds and blood exposure. Extra people, distractions, and surface contact can jeopardize both the artwork and the client's health.
 

INFECTION CONTROL AND CONTAMINATION RISK

Tattooing introduces Bloodborne Pathogens and Skin-borne pathogens directly into the body. Every touchpoint and breath can potentially spread infectious disease. Therefore, we require strict cooperation from the client.
Routes of Infection:

1. Airborne Diseases - Spread by coughing/sneezing:

   • COVID-19

   • Tuberculosis (TB)

   • Influenza (Flu)

   • RSV

   • Common cold viruses (rhinovirus, adenovirus)

2. Blood-Borne Diseases - Spread through contact with infected blood or fluids:

   • HIV/AIDS

   • Hepatitis B (HBV)

   • Hepatitis C (HCV)

   • Syphilis

   • Tetanus

   • Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)

3. Skin Infections / Surface Transferred Pathogens:

   • Staphylococcus (Staph/MRSA)

   • Impetigo

   • Ringworm (Tinea)

   • Scabies

   • Cold sores (Herpes simplex virus)

   • Chickenpox/Shingles (Varicella Zoster)

   • Athlete’s foot

   • Eczema-related infection

   • ​

CROSS-CONTAMINATION CONCERNS

• Clients who bring guests may inadvertently allow touching of door knobs, counters, armrests, or tattooed skin.

• Guests who cough or sneeze can expose clients and artists to airborne pathogens.

• Tattooed skin is an open wound and must be protected from all casual contact.

Once infected, a tattoo may require antibiotics, and in rare cases, hospitalization. This not only endangers your health but could permanently damage your tattoo art.

STUDIO SAFETY PROTOCOLS
We comply with the Department of Public Health and follow:

• Mandatory BloodBorne Pathogen training certification (BBP)

• Sharps container disposal

• Single-use sterilized needles

• New gloves, razors, and ink caps for each client

• Hospital-grade disinfection of all surfaces before and after every appointment

Clients must:

• Sanitize hands upon entering and after restroom use

• Not touch tattooed skin during the session

• Not bring food, open drinks, or gum into the procedure area

• Not use phones or tablets that touch the face while being tattooed

• ​

ARTIST HEALTH
As the tattoo artist, King 'Afa is vulnerable to exposure from client illnesses. Sickness, TB, COVID-19, Hepatitis, and other infectious agents can sideline the artist for weeks and endanger all future clients. This policy is designed to protect the long-term viability of the artist and this studio.

FOCUS AND ARTISTIC SAFETY
Tattooing is not coloring on paper – it is surgery with art. Every line is permanent. The artist requires total concentration. Extra noise, people laughing, video calls, or touching the artist or client is completely unacceptable. If the client is distracted, it increases the risk of error.

LIABILITY & AFTERCARE
The studio provides detailed aftercare instructions. If a client:

• Goes to the gym after a session

• Enters unsanitary work environments (e.g., butcher shops, construction, public gyms)

• Touches tattoo with unclean hands

• Allows others to touch the tattoo

... and later develops an infection, that is the client’s responsibility.
King 'Afa Tattoo Studio is not liable for any infection or complication that arises due to client negligence or non-compliance with this policy.
All client sessions are documented with sterilization and hygiene logs.

COPYRIGHT & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY NOTICE
All tattoo artwork, design concepts, and layouts created by King 'Afa are original works protected by:

• U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code)

• Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works

• WIPO Copyright Treaty

You do not have the right to copy, replicate, modify, or allow another artist to replicate the artwork. All rights to reproduce or publish designs remain the property of the artist unless a written licensing agreement is signed.

LEGAL JURISDICTION & DISPUTE POLICY

All disputes or claims must be resolved in:

• Los Angeles County Superior Court, California

We do not participate in arbitration or informal negotiations once legal matters are initiated.
If a client files a dispute or claim against King 'Afa or Kalia Tattoo Studio, and the case is dismissed, the client is responsible for all legal costs and fees incurred by the artist and studio.
By booking a session, you affirm your full understanding and agreement to this policy.
For additional safety, licensing, and compliance information:

• Los Angeles County Public Health – Body Art Program

• California Safe Body Art Act

• OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard

Thank you for respecting this sacred process and helping us provide lifetime art in a safe, protected environment.

​

​

Website Policy / Client Disclaimer:

​

Studio Focus Policy: No Photography, No Filming, No Interruptions During the Design and Tattoo Process

A cultural tattoo session is not a casual hangout, livestream, photoshoot, or open studio observation. It is a focused creative, technical, cultural, and physical process between the artist and the client receiving the tattoo.

​

When I design and tattoo, I am working with the client’s body structure, skin type, movement, cultural background, family story, pain tolerance, breathing, placement, and long-term visual flow. This process requires concentration. The decisions made during the session are permanent decisions that the client will carry for life.

​

For this reason, photography, video recording, FaceTime, livestreaming, constant texting, and repeated updates to spouses, partners, family members, friends, or guests are not allowed during the design, drafting, stencil, freehand, outline, or tattooing process unless I clearly give permission.

​

This policy exists for several reasons:

​

First, it protects the client. A tattoo requires stillness. When a client keeps moving their arm, turning their body, looking in the mirror, taking selfies, recording videos, answering calls, or sending updates, it can interrupt the flow of the design and create unnecessary risk during the tattoo process.

​

Second, it protects the artwork. Cultural tattooing is not a fast-food service, a copy-and-paste design, or a quick decoration. It is a lifetime art collection built on life story, body flow, cultural knowledge, and visual balance. The tattoo is completed when the work is ready, not when outside pressure says it should be finished.

​

Third, it protects the creative process. A tattoo artist, like a film director, music producer, writer, fashion designer, architect, surgeon, engineer, or professional coach, needs a focused working environment. People cannot walk into a surgery room, construction site, music studio, film set, military training space, or professional sports camp and interrupt the work in progress. The same respect is required in my studio.

​

Fourth, it protects cultural protocol. In traditional tattoo practices across the Pacific Island cultures, the person receiving the tattoo must go through the process with discipline, patience, and respect. Family and loved ones may support the client, but they do not control the tattoo artistry process, interrupt the session, or demand constant explanations while the work is being created.

​

Questions are welcome at the proper time. However, constant questions during the design or tattoo process interrupt concentration. If the client wants a deeper explanation of symbols, patterns, cultural meanings, family history, or placement, that belongs in a paid consultation before or after the tattoo session—not in the middle of technical tattoo work.

​

Guests are limited and may be asked to wait outside, in another room, or leave the studio if they interrupt the session. Spouses, partners, relatives, and friends must respect the client’s appointment time and the artist’s working process. The person receiving the tattoo must be mentally present, physically still, and fully committed to the session.

​

If a client repeatedly violates the no-photo, no-video, no-interruption policy, the session may be paused, delayed, rescheduled, or ended. Payments, deposits, and session fees remain subject to the studio’s booking and cancellation policy.

​

Please understand: I only have a limited number of hours to study the body, design the tattoo, place the artwork, and make decisions that will remain on the client for life. Loved ones may look at the tattoo forever after it is completed. During the session, I need the client’s focus, stillness, trust, and respect.

This is not about secrecy. This is about safety, respect, cultural discipline, and protecting the quality of the work.

Photos and videos may be allowed only when I say it is the appropriate time.