Going clean reached a new pinnacle in February, when Pete Davidson appeared in that campaign for the clothing brand Reformation. The images were remarkable not for the clothes, but for what was under them: the enfant terrible of comedy, sans all of the signature ink that had reinforced his persona as a tortured misfit from Staten Island. His arms, once covered in giant renderings of wild animals, important dates, and planets, now bare. His scrawny legs, once home to a rendering of Hillary Clinton and a Big Sean nod, all clean. His torso, a former museum of references to pop-cultural touchstones like The Sopranos, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the Wu-Tang Clan, returned to its natural state. It seemed as if Davidson, who was also newly sober, had undergone a kind of adult baptism. And he looked fantastic.
Davidson had reportedly spent about $200,000 up to that point on his tattoo-removal journey. (Pete appeared shirtless at the beach shortly after, with plenty of tattoos remaining, suggesting that the campaign photos may have overstated how close he is to being fully clean.) Most people in search of tattoo removal will choose from a range of more cost-effective options: You can get your tattoos lasered by anyone from a local dermatologist to a med spa offering deals on Groupon. More recently, specialty chains like Inkless and Removery have cropped up. Some tattoo shops even have their own in-house laser technicians, creating a one-stop shop for the whole process. Some laser studios, like Removery, offer extensive package deals—or free services to clients who were formerly incarcerated, victims of sex trafficking, or who want to remove racist symbols. At full price, a small tattoo tends to require around eight sessions and cost an average of $600; a larger, full-color tattoo might take twice as long and could cost closer to $4,000.