09/15/2026
In 2019, while travelling through Thailand, I had the opportunity to receive a traditional Sak Yant tattoo and thought it would be cool to share here now that I’m a tattoo artist myself!
A little about Sak Yant tattoos:
Sak Yant is much more than a tattoo style. The word sak means “to tattoo” and yant refers to a sacred yantra, aka a geometric design traditionally believed to carry spiritual protection, blessings, and specific intentions. They have roots in Buddhist, Hindu/Brahmanic and animist traditions, and have been used throughout Southeast Asia for centuries.
Mine was done by Ajarn Daeng, at Sak Yant Chiang Mai | Real Bamboo Tattoo , a master of the Sak Yant tradition, using the traditional hand-poked technique rather than a tattoo machine. The experience was completely different from any tattoo I had received before… the setting, the ritual, the chanting, and the intention behind the tattoo all felt like an important part of the process.
One thing I find especially interesting now that I’m a tattoo artist myself is how much the meaning and ritual are considered part of the tattoo itself. A Sak Yant isn’t simply a design chosen because it looks cool. Different yants carry different meanings, and traditionally the recipient may also receive teachings or precepts connected to their particular tattoo.
Looking back almost 7 years later, I’m really grateful I got to experience tattooing from the other side of the needle and in a tradition so different and spiritually charged from the kind of tattooing I practice every day.
It definitely gave me a much deeper appreciation for how tattoos can be art, identity, ritual and spirituality all at once. 🪷
Have you ever experienced a traditional tattooing practice from another culture?