As already mentioned in the previous blog posts on hygiene regulations, compliance with a hygiene plan is also mandatory in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. This must be routinely carried out under self-monitoring and communicated to all employees. For a proper hygiene plan, it is recommended to consult a hygiene specialist. The hygiene plan must be accessible and visible to all employees at all times. Employees should be instructed on the necessary hygiene measures at least once a year. The instruction must be documented in writing.
Tattoo studios in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern must also fulfil the hygiene requirements for equipment and facilities. The treatment room must be spatially separated from the waiting room and well ventilated. The floor must be wipeable and disinfectable. Care must be taken to ensure that the furnishings are suitable for wet cleaning and disinfection. A hand wash basin must be installed in the treatment room and provide both cold and hot running water. Liquid soap, paper towels and hand sanitiser must also be available for employees in every treatment room. Towels or bar soaps that are used by several employees are not permitted.
It is not permitted to eat, smoke or drink at the workplace. It is also not permitted to leave food in the treatment room.
All too often, tattooists are asked whether they are allowed to bring an accompanying person with them. In principle, you are allowed to bring them along, but the accompanying person is not allowed in the treatment room.
Before every tattoo session, the work surfaces and the treatment chair must be cleaned and disinfected. As a tattoo artist, you must also adhere to a few rules regarding your clothing and hair. Long hair must be tied up, jewellery must be removed and you should not wear your street clothes to the session. It is advisable to wear extra work clothes. Before the session, your hands must be sanitised and disposable gloves must be worn.
Informing your customer is essential. Always inform your customers about the risks of a tattoo and explain to them how to properly care for the tattoo afterwards.
As always, if you are unsure about the hygiene regulations, it is advisable to contact your local hygiene office for more information.

In Schleswig-Holstein, too, special emphasis is placed on hygiene measures in a tattoo studio. After all, you have to deal with bodily fluids on a daily basis, which in the worst case can carry pathogens such as AIDS, hepatitis B and C or other pathogens.
In Schleswig-Holstein, every tattoo artist, piercer or beautician is obliged to attend a course or further training on the subject of hygiene and to apply what they have learnt in their studio.
Before every tattoo session, hands and the skin area to be treated must be disinfected with disinfectant and disposable gloves must be worn. Equipment that comes into contact with the skin during the session should also be cleaned and disinfected. The same applies to the surfaces in the treatment room and the inventory.
After the tattoo session, needles must be disposed of in a specially designed container that is puncture-, tear- and break-proof.
In Schleswig-Holstein, tattoo artists are also obliged to keep a corresponding hygiene plan and keep it in a place that is easily visible to everyone. Employees must also undergo regular training.
Before each session, the customer must be informed about risks and side effects and instructed on correct aftercare.

In Rhineland-Palatinate there are special requirements that are placed on a tattoo artist. The following basic knowledge must be available in these areas:
- Sources of germs and transmission routes, pathogens of skin and wound infections, blood-borne viruses, especially hepatitis B and C and HIV
- General hygiene (germ sources, germ transmission routes, options and methods for interrupting the transmission of germs)
- Special hygiene (cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation, preparation of instruments relevant for germ transmission, hand disinfection, skin antisepsis, surface disinfection, protection against re-contamination, handling sterile materials, requirements for water, handling disposable materials, waste disposal)
- Personnel protection measures (disposable gloves, protective clothing, hand cleaning and hand disinfection, clothing, prevention of environmental contamination)
- Measures that promote the complication-free healing of tattoo wounds (a certified certificate of competence is desirable)

Tattooists are generally recommended to be vaccinated against hepatitis A and B.
However, requirements are not only placed on the tattoo artist, but also on the customer. As in the previously presented blog posts, the customer must also be properly informed in Rhineland-Palatinate. They must also be informed about proper aftercare. However, a physical requirement must also be met. This includes, for example, that the customer must be of legal age or, if still a minor, a declaration of consent from a parent or legal guardian must be provided. People who are under the influence of medication, drugs or alcohol may not be tattooed. Women who are pregnant are also not allowed to be tattooed. Moles or moles must not be tattooed over.
The working area must be kept separate from the reception and waiting area. Eating, drinking and smoking are prohibited in the work area. The work area must be easy to clean, well ventilated and adequately lit. Floors and work surfaces must be smooth and water-repellent or easy to wipe down and disinfect.
A hand washing station must be located within easy reach of the tattooing area, but not too close that splashing water can contaminate the tattooing area. In addition to a soap dispenser, the hand washing area must also have a hand sanitiser dispenser, paper towels and a waste bin for the paper towels.
Furnishings such as tattoo chairs or armrests must have a smooth, easy-to-clean and disinfectable surface. If this is not guaranteed, liquid-repellent disposable covers must be used.
A needle disposal container must be used for the needles and the tattoo machine must be cleaned, disinfected and bagged before each customer.
Colour bottles must always be kept closed and protected from dust. The colour bottles should be shaken well before use. Only sterile water or specially designed colour thinner may be used to dilute the colours.