Is tattoo publicity golden?

BOUNTIFUL — Maybe Kari Smith should have had an advertisement for a phone company tattooed on her forehead instead.

After getting the domain for an Internet casino tattooed on her forehead for $10,000, Smith's phone has been ringing nonstop.

The 30-year-old Bountiful woman's tattoo for GoldenPalace.com has sparked international interest, and Smith has done interviews for media outlets in England, France, Germany and Australia.

"It's been pretty crazy, but it's really cool," she said. "I've loved every minute of it."

The most popular question: "What would possess a woman to do that?"

Smith, 30, had "GoldenPalace.com" tattooed on her forehead June 29 in Salt Lake City. She said her 11-year-old son, Brady, had fallen behind in school after his aunt died in a car accident April 18, and the money she received from the company would help pay for him to attend a private school and get back on track.

The phone calls start early, end late and come from all over the place, she said, but she doesn't mind doing the interviews.

"I don't care if I repeat myself 100 times," she said. "One day, I talked so much that my throat was sore. I thought I had laryngitis. But the more people who hear my story, the more people who understand my situation."

A crew from a German television show will fly to Utah Saturday to film an interview with Smith, she said. Nationally, photos of Smith's tattoo were picked up by the Associated Press and made the front page of newspapers across the United States. Smith said she has also received an offer to be flown to California to be on the new "Tyra Banks Show" on July 28.

"I think she was a singer at some point," Smith said of the Victoria's Secret model. "I don't keep track of people like that."

In Utah, Smith said people come up to her and ask her about the tattoo with regularity. "They say things like, 'That's so awesome,' or 'That's not real,' " she said. People have even asked to have their picture taken with Smith.

While opinions about her tattoo vary, she said the response has been largely positive.

"I've only had a couple of negative people tell me it'll cost $4,000 to get the tattoo removed, or things like that. That's their opinion and everyone's entitled to an opinion. I handle negativity and criticism very well.

"You don't have to believe in what I'm doing. As long as I know what I did is right, that's all that matters."

Smith said she never signed a contract with GoldenPalace.com and can have the tattoo removed whenever she wants. Still, she doesn't regret the tattoo and said she won't have it removed anytime soon.

"I don't see me getting it removed for a long time," she said. "I don't even notice it until I look in the mirror. I don't see it as often as other people do."

As for her son, Smith said he is currently taking summer courses at Woods Cross Elementary. Smith is still sifting through private schools and deciding where Brady will attend in the fall.

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E-mail: afalk@desnews.com