I’ve followed Banul for a few years now, and her
delicate designs have made me fall more and more in love with her tattooing style
over time. She is extremely busy, so when I noticed she’d opened bookings
coinciding with a trip I’d already planned, I threw caution to the wind and
hoped for the best.
Despite my tight schedule, I managed to get an
appointment for the day I arrived in Seoul; so after heading practically straight
from the airport, I was about to embark on my first tattoo adventure.
Upon entering her studio, I felt more like a
treasured roommate than a customer in the best way. I arrived at 6pm and left
at 10:45pm, with the tattoo taking just over two and a half hours. The rest of
the time was dedicated to redrawing my design to get it perfect and feeding me
instant tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes).
Banul creates her floral designs using real photos
of flowers, before photoshopping them into a design on her computer. As we’d
discussed my idea beforehand, she had three designs waiting for me. After
seeing my skin, we decided some pinks would be too light, and after giving my
opinions she spent over an hour and a half creating a new design I was
completely happy with. Banul is so talented, in the sense that even before I’d
voiced my opinions, she was already drawing exactly what I wanted.
I couldn’t have asked for a more comfortable
experience, and would totally recommend her to anyone interested. I almost fell
asleep on the table, because the gospel music playing and her angelic singing throughout
added to how relaxed I was.
It’s healing like a beaut, and I feel like it’s
been part of me for much longer than it has. I think that’s why Banul is just
so good. Not only can she create intricate pieces of art, but she understands
you on a personal level and is fully devoted to taking her time and giving you
exactly what you imagined. The pictures she put on her Instagram of my tattoo
got over 7,000 likes, so many more people have been absorbed by the beauty of
her tattoos too. Does that make me Instagram famous? Maybe not, maybe just my
side boob.
Getting this tattoo has been a learning curve in
more ways than one. The main one? Having to go braless for two weeks (I’m on
day 6, will it never end?!), when I’ve barely done more than a cheeky Tesco run
*Non-Brits, read ventured outside* without one in about 10 years.
School has been interesting… I’m wearing more
layers of clothes to ensure I don’t smack a kid in the head, and I’ll admit I
had to body swerve a special needs kid who came running up to me for a hug.
That kind of contact I was not, and still aren’t quite ready for.
To those of you who go without a bra daily, I
applaud you. For me, I’m counting down the days until this hell is over and
I’ll celebrate with a large glass of wine.
