IT'S an industry that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic, but Tamworth's tattoo parlours are preparing to reopen thanks to an easing of restrictions.
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From June 13, parlours will be allowed to service clients, under strict guidelines, and one business eager to captilise on the return to trade is Empire Ink.
Business owner Cain Dibley said he was thrilled to hear his studio would soon be allowed to open for business.
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"My phone has been going non-stop since the closure, but since Tuesday's announcement, people have been calling to book their place for when the studio reopens," Mr Dibley told the Leader.
"Even before the announcement, we were booked out for quite a while, so we'll have to juggle those existing bookings with the ones that are coming in now."
Mr Dibley said his business had relied on the federal government's JobKeeper payments to help see it through the lockdown period.
"It's certainly been tough from a monetary standpoint," he said.
"JobKeeper has been covering the bills, but not being able to do what we love has really had an impact.
"I was able to work around it by breaking out into other things like commissioned paintings and other creative ways, but it is certainly exciting to be back."
Massage parlours will also be able to throw open their doors.
The Massage Escape's owner Heidi Burchell said while she had been able to perform remedial massage in recent weeks, she was eager to her have long-term clients back.
"The pocket has been dry, so it is really good to be back," Ms Burchell said.
"I do retail as well, so I was delivering products for people right to their doorsteps to keep things ticking
"I had to kind of morph to what the times were bringing, but it will certainly be good to be back to business as usual."
Ms Burchell said she was focused on ensuring her business would continue to ensure the safety and hygiene of its clients.
"I already had a lot of measures in place such as regularly changing towels and things like that," she said.
"I think everyone is really aware of it all now, so it hopefully it shouldn't be too difficult a transition for people."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
