High-flying Police chiefs and Supreme Court judges might not be the first people you?d expect to find marching through the doors of a tattoo parlour.

But it seems all sections of society are now deciding to ?show the ink? ? shattering the stereotypical image of skin art being the sole preserve of burly builders flashing flesh and flexing muscles on construction sites.

?It?s very popular and has become a lot more mainstream,? explains Mehryar Sharifi, of Tattoo Pirates, off Front Street. ?I?ve had judges, doctors and chief inspectors in here.

?Bermudians from all walks of life love showing the ink.?

He added: ?Designs are getting more and more intricate and the popularity is also to do with the climate.

?In colder countries people hide their skin and only get it out when they go somewhere warm on holidays. That?s a shame.?

There?s been no shortage of arms, legs, backs, necks and many other parts of anatomy for Mehryar ? better known as Alex ? to work his tattooing talents on since he first came to the Island from the UK seven years ago.

Designs of future work cover a wall of his impeccably-clean smelling shop: ranging from tigers and lions, mermaids, a map of the Island through to the Rolling Stones? famous lips logo.

Requests for the name of a favourite football team, a lost relative or a loved one to be emblazoned on an arm remain common. This is despite the prospect of an unexpected break-up meaning a tricky cover-up job is needed to transform your embarrassing ex into an inoffensive Oriental-influenced swirl of clouds.

But Alex, who was born in Persia, has had his fair share of what some might consider bizarre demands from customers stepping into his Brunswick Mall store.

One recently asked for the words ?love hurts? to be placed inside their lip; while another customer got ?100 percent Bermudian? displayed across his stomach. The downwards arrow below those words left those lucky enough to see it in no doubt exactly what the 100 percent referred to...

?There?s one guy who?s an important businessman,? explained Alex, discussing another customer.

?You always see him in a smart suit and tie, even in summer.

?But if you were to take his shirt off you would find he?s completely tattooed up, from the neck down. He?s had a lot of tattoos from me and from all over the world.?

Alex hit back at suggestions that people have to go through the pain barrier before having a permanent piece of art ingrained on their torsos.

?Tattoos hurt, but not that much,? Alex reassured a slightly squeamish reporter?It has to be a big one to bother you. Most of them are more like a constant cat scratch. It?s more annoying than painful.

?The most painful ones are the larger ones, on places like the ribcage or stomach. They are very sensitive areas, but most parts of the body are fine.?

Even the prospect of a small amount of discomfort doesn?t stop a few people getting addicted to the procedure.

?They come in and get their dose,? added Alex, who boasts a fair few tattoos himself. ?There?s always a bit of skin left to work on.?

The whole process of applying a tattoo normally takes about 20 minutes and requires a keen eye for accuracy and nerves of steel, combined with the artistic flourish of an accomplished painter.

It starts with the section of customer?s skin that is due to go under Alex?s needle being cleaned. A print transfer of the tattoo in question is then placed on the area before the tattoo machine whirrs into action. Almost like a pen being dipped into permanent ink, the needle is moved up and down by magnetic force.

Alex, who used to be a keen artist before launching his career, stressed the subtle nature of the operation, which leaves no time for nervy, unsteady hands.

?You have to be gentle so as not to cut the skin, but you have to be firm enough to leave a mark,? he added. ?It?s a delicate balancing act.

?The fact I?ve always been good with my hands does help and I?m also a very good chef and carpenter.?

Full-scale removals are not available at Tattoo Pirates. Cover-ups are on the menu, however, so help is at hand for anybody grappling with similar problems faced by actor Johnny Depp after he split with fellow Hollywood heartthrob Winona Ryder.

Depp, who reportedly has a dozen tattoos, famously had the phrase ?Winona Forever? imprinted on his arm during the first flushes of the celebrity couple?s romance.

But when love turned sour and the pair split, this illustration was cunningly changed to the slightly less appealing yet undeniably practical ?Wino Forever?.

Alex says such cover-ups are increasingly common, with names of old flames regularly camouflaged into more elaborate designs.

?You might have had Mickey Mouse tattooed on your chest when you were younger. You get older and might think: ?What the hell was I thinking?? There are ways of covering it.?

Cosmetic tattoos are also popular, with people flocking to replace lost eyebrows or add Marilyn-style beauty spots.

Many might think that tattoos are fast becoming fashion badges of the young and glamorous, their popularity fuelled by celebrity fans like David Beckham.

However, Alex recalled how a middle-aged couple paid him a visit recently. Both left with three tattoos each.

?They had never had one before,? explained Alex, who stresses that under-18s need parental permission before he gives them tattoos or pierces body parts. ?It was just something they said they wanted to do.?

According to new statistics, 16 percent of Americans have at least one tattoo. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, the figure is nearly half.

No such study has taken place in Bermuda. But with technology helping quality and design improve all the time, Alex reckons that the Island?s tattoo boom shows no sign of fading.

?They are like fashion. They change all the time,? he concluded. ?They are never going to die ? they just get better and better.?