Tattoo Removal Firm Intends to Go Public

California Based Dr. Tattoff Seeks IPO to Raise Capital for Growth

August 9, 2009 - Dr. Tattoff, the tattoo removal clinic operator, has announced to the LA Times plans to go public early next year.  The company is seeking to raise capital through an IPO to provide cash for more growth. As more and more people are getting tattoos, the market for removing tattoos is also growing, due to what the company refers to as the “tattoo regret factor.” 

Dr. Tattoff has tattoo removal clinics in Beverly Hills, Encino and Irvine.  By the end of this year, the company has indicated that it hopes to have five additional locations outside of California. 

Tattoos are a big business, and it costs more to remove a tattoo than to get one.  While, the cost varies by city, most tattoos cost about $100 each.  Dr. Tattoff charges from $750 to $1,500 to remove one, with the removal process requiring five to 10 treatments, at a cost per treatment of around $150. Lasers are used for the removal, and the laser essentially burns the tattoo off the skin with each color of ink requiring a different laser frequency to match the tattoo's color.

John Keefe, the company’s chief executive indicated that Dr. Tattoff had intended to go public through an IPO last fall, but the company postponed its plans due to the recession.  While the company hasn’t released financial information, Keefe indicated to the LA Times that Dr. Tattoff is a multi-million dollar business and that the company is seeing record revenue. He also indicated to the LA Times that he believed that tattoo removal could become a $10 billion a year industry.