Maine Association for Safe Tattooing

03/31/2026

From: Eric Hamlin concerning waste. Read👇🏼
Our regulatory authority over biomedical waste generators overlaps with that of the Maine DHHS – CDC – Health Inspections program, which issues licenses to body artists. Over the last year or so we’ve begun sharing information and trying to help each other ensure that body artists are in compliance with both sets of requirements. We’ve made some progress, but it has still been a challenge; I suspect this is partly because artists of any sort, including body artists, tend to be free spirits and a little hard to round up and get on the same page, so we’ve been trying to find contact people for any sort of online forums, trade associations, information sharing systems, etc. to help get information out about our respective regulations and how to stay in compliance, and to provide information about a new online electronic interface the Department has been building with the help of an outside vendor.



I absolutely understand that it probably wouldn’t be very appealing to have a regulator join a group or forum for body artists, so I was looking for a person or a few people who might be willing to pass along information to the community. Not only would that help with our compliance goals, but it would also reduce the difficulties we have seen on several occasions when someone wants to open a new body art studio and they find out late in the game that they need a Maine DHHS-CDC license…and then find out they need to register with the Department. This has happened more than once on the day people were set to open and had already gotten word out on social media, which caused a bit of anxiety.



Our new system should make the process both easier and faster, but we need to let people know it’s there and provide some guidance on how to get started. I was planning to produce an information sheet specific to body artists (much easier to digest than the whole rule chapter) and a “how to get started in our new system” document. If you or someone you know would be willing to help get that information out, I’d really appreciate it.



Eric P. Hamlin

Manager, Solid Materials Management Unit

BRWM/Division of Materials Management

Maine Department of Environmental Protection

207-694-9389

www.maine.gov/dep



Please note that all Biomedical Waste Generator registration applications, modifications, and cancellations must be submitted through the Department’s new online license portal, called MELS. For more information or to access MELS, please visit our MELS Hub.

03/22/2026

Hey all!!
Hope you’re all doing great and getting ready to get out of this winter slump!
Well, MAST is still here in the background. Hasn’t been needed much lately as far as the state is concerned but there is some new info coming down the pipeline soon, which I will share in another post after this.
What I would like to do is generate some more activity on this page (myself included) and share info on products, conventions, websites, etc, pretty much anything interesting, relevant or helpful to us as a whole. Resources and contacts also. We could use this page to benefit all. Would love to see every Maine licensed artist on here.
So to kick it off I was hoping we could help spread the word about our laser special for licensed artists, also if you could help make other artists aware of MAST and what we are doing that would be great!
Let’s build a network of like minded professionals here, we are already effective in Augusta, now let’s make it a group everyone wants to be a part of.

01/02/2026

Happy New Year all!!
Hoping for a great 2026 for all of us.
Also hoping we are not needed in Augusta as well!👍🏼

11/16/2021

Hello to all! This is a message to members that may not have joined the private group. Email to all members went out today. Please be on the lookout for that. If you don't get one by the end of the day today, please email [email protected] so I can check your contact info. Thanks!

06/04/2020

Well, the cool 13 counties can open soon..congrats to you all. :) Maybe someday the 3 shunned counties will be able to work again too. 🤬

AUGUSTA (WGME) – Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday that additional businesses can reopen in rural Maine. Under the update, tasting rooms and bars may open for outside service and gyms and fitness centers, nail salons, and tattoo and piercing parlors may open with added health and safety prec...

05/26/2020

We have been working really hard to get us all open sooner than the third stage. It has been discouraging to say the least. Especially when the DECD and governor, are not only NOT listening to legislators, citizens, or small business owners, they can't even directly answer any of the questions we send them.

Currently, the only one to have any response to us whatsoever, would be Heather Johnson at the DECD. She picks and chooses which emails she will answer, and tends to skirt around the questions giving me the same "general answers" most of the time.

With N.H. announcing reopening of tattoo studios June 1st, MA with a tentative date of June 8th, I reached out yet again on Friday. This was the response we received

"Johnson, Heather

Fri 5/22/2020 7:16 PM

Kelly,

Thank you for your email. We are working every day right now recognizing the challenges businesses are facing. Safety with respect to COVID-19 is multi-dimensional. One of them is that a business or organization’s space and practices have been modified to ensure safety. This is why Maine has developed COVID-19 Prevention Checklists. Safe reopening also involves limiting the number of people interacting and leaving their homes. If all businesses opened at once, even with adoption of safety guidelines, the risk of COVID-19 spread would be multiple times higher than it is with gradual reopening. Having many people interact in the short-term could result in a large spike in cases that could overwhelm our health system.

The most difficult categories of businesses to safely reopen are those that involve close personal contact for an extended period of time. Developing public heath approved guidance and requirements for businesses that fall into that sector is much more challenging.

We recognize the urgency to get your sector open as agreed to, we are reviewing options to pull forward timing for your sector. We have not made that decision at this time. I hope to be back to you shortly.

Heather"

Again, vague and discouraging.

We are still fighting. I feel you may see some rebellion and shops will open anyway since they can't offer a logical, legitimate reason as to why we can't. They can't just shut us down indefinitely and ignore us.

I will try to update this page more often so the general public has an idea of what we're doing, and how hard we've been fighting to retain our livelihoods.

Thanks all, Kelly

05/05/2020

Please copy and paste this post so the text is shared as well!
Give this page a share so others can stay up to date on any changes made with tattooing/piercing in Maine. Lend your support! We truly appreciate it!Made up of licensed artists/piercers in our state, we as a team are working to get our businesses open before phase 3 July/August in a safe manner. MAST is leading the way and pioneering the effort to make this happen for our industry. Initially formed to help the state with rules and regulations concerning tattooing, cosmetic tattooing, laser removal and piercing, we are currently focused on getting back to work in a timely manner and in a safe fashion. We are working with our legislators and congressmen/woman along with the Health Department to make it happen. Any support and exposure helps! Thank you!

https://www.facebook.com/maineassociationforsafetattooing/

Uniting Maine artists for the greater good of our industry as a whole. Working with authorities with education in our field and helping fellow artists, cosmetology, micro blading and piercing.

05/01/2020

https://bangordailynews.com/2020/05/01/opinion/contributors/tattoo-artists-operate-safely-in-maine-let-us-reopen/

We hope that we can reopen this entire category of businesses, which has already made safety and sanitation part and parcel of their operations. That’s all we’re asking.

05/01/2020

The link to our Maine senators and representatives.. in case any of the public would like to voice their opinions with them.

https://legislature.maine.gov/senate/senators/9536

https://mehousegop.org/

https://legislature.maine.gov/senate-home-page/find-your-state-senator

All members of the 129th Maine Senate have been elected to serve a two year term. Of the 35 members, there are 21 Democrats and 14 Republicans. Twelve are women (4 Republicans and 8 Democrats) and 23 are men (10 Republicans and 13 Democrats). There are 13 new members; 23 have served in the House ...

05/01/2020

Let’s get to 295 signatures by the end of today - can you add yours?

05/01/2020

👍🏻

04/30/2020

https://appengine.egov.com/apps/me/essentialservicerequest