Tattoos Are the Ultimate Travel Souvenir-Inside the Rise of 'Tattourism'

"At first, I couldn't find the entrance to Untitled at 3 Freeman Alley, a boutique hotel tucked in Manhattan's buzzing Lower East Side. I circled the block looking for its famed graffiti-lined passageway-the one Liv Novotny, owner of Unscripted Ink, the tattoo parlor on the hotel's ground floor, describes as a place that "looks like the walls themselves are tattooed.""

"Maximalist and bright, the alley revealed itself all at once. I passed a spray-painted relic from my childhood-Luigi of Super Mario-before stepping inside the hotel, where warm wooden accents, lush green plants, and mural-covered walls echoed the visual energy outside. Check-in was effortless, leaving me free to explore: first, the most delightfully unserious elevator I've ever encountered, plastered in stickers from floor to ceiling; and then, the tattoo studio itself."

""Tattoos were always such a hit in that atmosphere. People loved the energy of getting tattooed while surrounded by music and art; it felt like a true New York experience," Novotny told Travel + Leisure. "So when the hotel approached me about opening a shop in their space, it felt like a natural next step to create a place where tattoos and hospitality could coexist in a fresh, modern way.""

Untitled at 3 Freeman Alley hosts Unscripted Ink, New York City's first permanent in-hotel tattoo parlor, blending hospitality with tattooing. A graffiti-lined alley and mural-covered interiors create a maximalist, art-forward environment that complements a casual, sticker-covered elevator and easy check-in. Unscripted Ink grew from pop-up sessions tied to live-music lobby events into a permanent partnership, driven by guests enjoying the energy of live art and music while receiving tattoos. The emergence of tattourism is encouraging hotels to offer on-site ink so travelers can commemorate destinations through tattoos as part of their stay.

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