"Reputation means a lot to me, cleanliness and the quality of their art," she said. "They do really precise, good work."

Earlier this year, Fay took her 16-year-old daughter to a shop in Ogden to cover up a tattoo. She didn't want her going to a place that would do shoddy work and perhaps etch permanent scars into her daughter's skin.

"I didn't want her going to someone's garage or having someone say, 'Yah, yah, I can do that,' " said Fay. "I knew she was going to do it one way or the other. If she's going to do it, I want a say where."

One of the problems Parker faces is competition from non-professional tattoo artists. People think they can tattoo with anything, and create unsanitary, unsafe sketches with needles and other tools found at home, Parker said.

"People do it out of their houses, and I wish they wouldn't," she said, flipping through a book of tattoos she was paid to cover.

Added artist Darin Gonzales: "The county doesn't care about the quality of art, they just care about how sterile it is."

How an artist applies a tattoo can determine whether the person will bleed or suffer permanent scars. The needle can't be pressed down too hard, said Parker. And the equipment must be sterile.

Also, a professional artist should explain basic rules to care for a tattoo or piercing, she added.

Before tattooing Fay Wilde, Parker gave a tongue piercing to Brenda Reardon of Roy. The process was methodical: First she explained about care, then performed the piercing — and ended with a repeat of the basic care information.

"Rinse it with warm salt water," she said, watching as Reardon carefully observed her tongue. "The more you do that the better and quicker it's going to heal."

When asked why she took such care to explain how to care for the piercing, Parker shrugged.

"You need to tell them how to take care of it," she said. "I hope everyone would."

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com