No Regrets Tattoo Studio has brought one of the oldest art forms and professions to Arlington Plaza in Madison.

Owner/artist Amber Garner Pickel said people from all over the world use tattoos to mark their right of passage into adulthood. Tattoos “remind us of those people, places and things we have an eternal bond with.”

Pickel has been tattooing for 15 years. “My dad and mom were both award-winning tattoo artists and opened the first tattoo shop in North Alabama in 1983,” she said.

Raised in her parents’ shop, Pickel takes pride in the profession. “Trust me when I say I keep it very professional and ethical,” she said. After working in studios across Alabama, she opened her own business in 2007 to make a name for herself.

Realism, portraits, pin-ups and color are Pickel’s specialties. “My husband Stephen Pickel is a genius at scripts and black-and-gray shading,” she said. The most popular choices at No Regrets are neo-traditional, pin-ups and color portraits.

No Regrets also sells piercing jewelry and aftercare products for tattoos and piercing.

“We are Madison’s premier tattoo parlor,” Pickel said. “No Regrets has a very loyal following. We have an outstanding reputation. Look us up online, we are the highest rated tattoo shop in North Alabama.”

While tattoos always have been popular, state health departments have regulated tattoo shops only in the last decade. “Our tattoo shop is as sterile — if not more so — than a doctor’s/physician’s office,” Pickel said.

Pickel credits the increasing popularity of tattoos to no risk of AIDS, diseases and infections at reputable tattoo shops.

Stephen Pickel has worked as a tattoo artist for three years. He has served in the U.S. military. They have two children, Rebecca and James.

Amber Pickel is a Madison native. “We plan live in the area for a very long time,” Pickel said.

No Regrets’ address is 107 Arlington Drive, Suite I.

For more information, call 256-461-4643, send email to tattoostudio@gmail.com or visit noregretstattoostudio.com and Facebook.com/pages/No-Regrets-Tattoo-Studio/327392487294688.