Many of us have wondered what it would be like to get a tattoo. You might even have a design already in mind, like a flag, a symbol, an animal. But not everyone is brave enough to sit in that chair and watch a tattooist work needles filled with ink into their skin.

Always ready to try something new, I decided now was the time for my first tattoo, and yes, it HURTS! But more about that later.

The most important part of getting a tattoo is finding a reputable place - one like the Prophecy Tattoo and Piercing Studio in Smithers, that has the words "Health Board Inspected and City Licensed" on their door. Once inside the door, you have to be at least 18 years old and at least 90% sober to get anything done.

You will be met by a tattooist, in my case Jason, a veteran of three years from Ontario and Andy, an apprentice from Kitimat. Tattoo specialists, also called "permanant cosmetic color technicians" train under a master tattooist for at least two years, before being able to work on their own.

Uwe, the master and owner of Prophecy was away and so Jason and I began the hardest part of the ordeal, finding the right design. Two large walls are covered in beautiful drawings from artists nationwide. Tattooists often swap designs with each other and the coffee table is littered with picture albums, magazines and books on tattooes.