Metchosin esthetics studio offers second chance to those with hateful tattoos

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WatchOffering a clean slate to past mistakes, M&Co. Esthetics in Metchosin has the technology to remove hateful tattoos from those looking to move forward. Oli Herrera explains.

Tattoos can showcase one’s personality, beliefs, loved ones, and more. Tattoos represent who someone is, but they sometimes represent who someone once was.

“I told people all the time if you were old enough to get tattoos in the early 2000s, you have tattoos that you want gone. I’m included in that,” said David Vanderlee, co-owner of M&Co. Esthetics.

His wife and business partner Melissa Daigle has decades of experience as an Esthetician, offering a variety of services.

Operating out of their property in Metochosin, Daigle has provided laser hair removal for nearly 10 years, but thanks to new equipment, they’ve begun to offer tattoo removals.

“The tramp stamps ones are always our favourite because they seem to be the one that people are most embarrassed of,” said Vanderlee.

Some tattoos can also represent errors in judgment of someone’s past and that person may no longer hold those views. That’s the driving factor behind the business’s new Clean Slate program: offering free removals of hateful, racist or other offensive tattoos.

Every three months, the couple will select two people for their program. Those wanting to take part are being asked to submit their story on the business’s website. The couple says they’ve received more than 100 submissions.

“People hide that shame their whole life when they don’t have to,” said Vanderlee.

Helping others move on from their past is something that has resonated with Vanderlee. He joined the Navy at 18 years old and holds nearly two decades of experience. During his service, he taught electronic warfare.

At the age of 19, Vanderlee used to watch the sunrise alongside one of the cooks of his ship. After over a year of early mornings, he was shocked to witness that the cook was covered in swastikas and other hateful tattoos.

“First time I’d seen him without his shirt on—off, I mean. Yeah, he panicked. Obviously, he was super embarrassed. He was covered in a lot of swastikas, a lot of real hateful — a lot of real just terrible tattoos,” said Vanderlee.

After the incident, the co-owner learned that the cook held those tattoos for almost 30 years but no longer held those views. Back then, tattoo removals involved a difficult procedure.

“To get a tattoo removed back then, you were having to go to the hospital and it was almost a belt sander equivalent where they sand that skin down and you’re trying to regrow it through skin grafts,” said Vanderlee.

The two decided that with their new laser equipment, they had the power to change people’s lives.

“We want to give back and set the example. This is one way that we figure we can help people,” said Vanderlee.

Their first selected client is scheduled for May 20. Vanderlee says he knew that his client was his first choice the moment he read their story.

Those wanting to remove any hateful or offensive tattoos can submit their story to [email protected].

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Oli HerreraOli Herrera

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