The first time I fell in lust would never have happened had it not been for a very cool spine tattoo decorated in piercings. Spine tattoos may be in style now, but in 1996, they were just as enticingly rebellious as the blue spiked Mohawk my crush donned. I would spend my entire allowance at Hot Topic in hopes of having another four word, awkward exchange with my older crush. Eventually, he moved away to college and took his cool spinal tat with him.
When spinal art is good and the tattoo is done well these types of ink masterpieces can be incredibly breathtaking. Depending on your size and stature, a tattoo on the spine can be a painful experience, but as anyone with ink knows, all tattoos come with that familiar, sometimes pleasurable stinging sensation. According to sources at Tattoo Models, spine tattoos are difficult to remove which makes choosing the right design even more important. The structural outline of the spine is one of the more common pieces to get on your spine, but early morning Instagram stalking has opened me up to a world of spinal tats that have me dreaming of laying down on my stomach waiting for the needle to hit my own back.
With my new spine tattoo craving in mind, here are some of the coolest ones I've spotted.
1. Compass
I love compass tats, mostly because of unique the same image can be in a tattoo depending on the placement and shading. For instance, this one has me wondering which direction her tattoo artist is.
2. Spinal Alignment
This hand-poked tat incorporates alignment in the perfect place: the spine, in all its breathtaking glory. Sheer elegance with a touch of badass.
3. Lavender Sprig
I almost wanted to keep this lavender sprig all to myself, but the shading, placement, and beautiful bow at the bottom of the sprig needed to be highlighted. This spine tat looks so good it had to be worth the pain.
4. A Back Necklace
Well, now, someone's got the right idea when it comes to permanent jewelry. Gone are the days of untangling your fave necklace because with a back necklace like this you are accessorized forever. This one in particular is flawless.
5. Henna
Perhaps you want to take your spine tattoo for a test drive by using henna first? Well, this tattoo would have me test driving for about 30 minutes before I strolled into a parlor demanding to make my henna permanent saying "Make me sexy forever please!"
6. An Arrow
A spine tattoo doesn't have to take up your entire spine to be awesome. This is what I tell myself when I think about the pain I may go through tattooing my ridiculously bony spine.
7. A Swan
In case you want to be the black swan without the drama, here's a spine tattoo that has some incredible detail while remaining simple and elegant.
8. Botanical Spine
A spine tattoo doesn't have to be an outline of a vertebrae (although, yes that is hot). Soften it up with some botanics and a sexy backless top and you've got yourself a tattoo dream come true!
9. Lower Back Spine Tat
And this is one of the many reasons why calling lower back tattoos tramp stamps is completely outdated, this spine tattoo ending on the lower back is beautiful, classy, and has great detail.
10. Go Bold
This tattoo makes me long for backless shirts. Line tattoos are easily becoming one of my faves and this one on the spine with its thick bold shading is worth the sticking of a needle.
11. A Tree
A tree is a great way to show off your spine, especially with some intricate lines and cool shapes underneath the root. This spine tattoo will definitely keep you grounded.
12. Get Colorful
This burst of bold color and beautiful detail shows just how versatile spine tattoos can be and I'm loving the different types of life cascading down the back.
13. Two Moons, One Spine
These two moons provides some serious visual stimulation for anyone watching you walk away in a backless shirt. Whenever I need inspiration for tattoo ideas, Minka Sicklinger is right there with sick designs and beautiful shading.
14. Wild Flowers
I am loving these wild flowers that go beyond the spine.
15. Crisp, Bold Shapes
The length of this spine is made more powerful with this bold tattoo; these shapes are absolutely #flawless. OK, I'm officially ready to hit the parlor for my next work of art.
Image: Courtesy Francis Merlyn Doody (1); Courtesy Minka Sicklinger(1)
