His day began like many others. He woke up around noon, ate a nutritious meal, did some laundry. But on this particular day, Brian Briggs, sophomore in liberal arts and sciences, will be marked for life.

He will receive his first tattoo.

The art of tattooing, a practice dating back nearly as far as human civilization, has been a form of expression for ages. In Ames, a third tattoo parlor is joining the previous two in order to meet the demand for this trend.

Two months ago, Jaded Angel 2, 2406 Lincoln Way No. 3, opened its doors, half a block from the other two tattoo parlors in Ames. Co-owner Bob Parr worked around the corner at Lasting Impressions Tattoo Studio, 114 Welch Ave., before leaving and setting up his own shops in Ankeny and Ames.

“It was not pleasurable working for them,” Parr says. “They weren’t allowing me to be creative. I’d much rather be on my own.”

Unlike its competition, which are both large, brightly-lit studios, Jaded Angel 2 is fairly low-key. As one walks down to the small basement studio below *Zushy, the smell of incense and the distinct hum of a tattoo machine can be recognized before even entering the room.

Parr says he wants to make people feel at home in his shop, rather than intimidated.

“One of the things I do is let people choose the music I play,” Parr says.

As a result of the past conflicts, Parr admits he has taken some heat in recent months.

“There were a couple people who weren’t happy that we opened up in Ames,” he says. “But hey, that’s competition.”

Around the corner, Alicia Spray, 20, grimaces as Israel Walker of Lasting Impressions Tattoo Studio imprints her ankle with a yellow rubber duck.

After the job is finished, Spray says she was happy with Lasting Impressions’ work, because they did extra research to design the tattoo to her liking.

“I’d probably come back,” she says. “They did a good job.”

Take a short walk to The Asylum, 111 Welch Ave., where Scott Mumper, known by most as Mump, sees things from an outsider’s perspective.

“There’s a certain amount of competition in it, but you should never let competition get in the way of treating people right,” Mumper says. “You should never squeeze somebody in at the end of the day and do a half-assed job.”

Without being too specific, Mumper expresses his thoughts toward tattoo artists who dive into waters too deep.

“It upsets me when people do things they’re not able to do,” Mumper says.

“There’s one reason some tattoo artists do those anyway, and that’s to make money.”

Fellow employee Brent Hannapel adds, “We all know our limitations here.”

Mumper says it’s not out of the ordinary for tattoo artists in an area to rub one another the wrong way, but The Asylum has shown resilience against this epidemic.

“If you visit 10 tattoo shops, it’ll be hard to find people who’ve been there for a long time,” he says. “That’s kind of what makes us special.”

Clint Sletten, also known as Hotrod, says he opened The Asylum with fellow tattoo artist Hugo Kenemer eight years ago and the two have maintained a good relationship internally, as well as with Lasting Impressions, throughout that time.

“In most tattoo shops, the artists work against each other, trying to grab customers so they can make more money themselves,” Sletten says. “Here, we work like an engine, helping each other out.”

Mumper says The Asylum has been fortunate in the last year because its clientele has gotten better at knowing the difference between a good and a bad tattoo.

“A knowledgeable customer base is the best thing a good shop can have and the worst thing a bad shop can have,” he says.

One of those clients is Matt Royster, who has now had tattoos done at The Asylum several times.

“For the area, it’s the best place to go,” Royster says with great confidence.

Like anyone getting a tattoo, trust is an essential factor that must be present between the artist and the client. In this case, Royster trusted Hotrod enough to tattoo his genitals.

“You know the design on the old tiger shark planes?” he says. “I got that on the tip of my dick.”

Royster says that tattoo, which was his first ever, is a symbol of his aggression.

“Yeah sure, everybody’s got tattoos, but each tattoo is unique,” Royster says.

“It symbolizes something different for everyone. It says something about a person that you can’t put into words.”

The permanence of a tattoo is not something the artists at The Asylum take lightly.

“Some people don’t think about the fact that the tattoos they’re giving to people are going to be there forever,” Mumper says.

Sletten adds a final word of caution.

“This isn’t like going to get your hair cut where if someone screws it up, it’ll grow back two weeks later.”