Alliance of Professional Tattooists

What Alliance of Professional Tattooists does

The Alliance of Professional Tattooists, Inc. (APT) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 1992 and incorporated in Delaware, with its home office in San Diego, California. APT is the only membership-driven trade association specifically focused on the U.S. and Canadian tattoo industry, serving working tattooists through tiered membership (Professional Tattooist at $150/year, Associate at $100/year, Cosmetic Tattooist, Associate Non-Artist at $75/year, and Corporate Sponsorship at $200/year) and a proprietary training curriculum.

APT's core educational product is the PDTT™ (Prevention of Disease Transmission in Tattooing), a 5-hour live Zoom bloodborne pathogen training course approved by the Florida Department of Health for tattoo artist licensure and meeting OSHA bloodborne pathogen training standards. A complementary self-paced Online BBP Refresher course serves experienced practitioners maintaining annual certification (not valid in Florida). Beyond training, APT functions as an industry advocacy body, publishing public statements on regulatory developments such as the AFDO MoCRA Implementation Working Group and accountability issues affecting military-base tattoo studios, and maintaining a volunteer network of state and provincial representatives across 14+ U.S. states and Canada.

APT generates revenue through recurring membership dues and per-seat training course fees ($75 per PDTT attendee), with payments processed via Stripe, PayPal, and Square through its safe-tattoos.com and tattoosafety.org websites. The organization is governed by a volunteer board of directors (President Mick O'Herien, Acting VP Tyson Schaffert, Treasurer Caroline Evans, Director of Education Kate Connors, Board Clinician Dr. Matt Davis, plus five additional board members and four advisors), supported by 15+ corporate sponsors across tattoo supply, insurance, legal, and tax services. APT has no external investors, no parent company, and a headcount in the 1-10 range, operating as a lean, member-funded nonprofit trade league.

Name

Alliance of Professional Tattooists

Legal name

Alliance of Professional Tattooists, Inc.

Website

https://safe-tattoos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Alliance of Professional Tattooists is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association serving professional tattooists in the U.S. and Canada with tiered memberships and FDA/Florida-approved bloodborne pathogen training (PDTT™) via live Zoom and online courses, alongside regulatory advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Trade Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Permanent Makeup & Cosmetic Tattoo Training (HSALANAH)

Keywords

• Tattoo industry training
• Bloodborne pathogen certification
• Professional trade association
• Tattoo safety education
• Industry advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: APT generates revenue through annual membership dues across multiple tiers: Professional Tattooist ($150/year), Associate Tattooist ($100/year), Cosmetic Tattooist (unspecified), Associate Non-Artist ($75/year), and Corporate Sponsorship ($200/year). Membership benefits include certificates, ID cards, banners, free PDTT retakes for Professional members, and voting rights.
2. PDTT Training Course: The Prevention of Disease Transmission in Tattooing (PDTT) course is offered as a $75 per-attendee live Zoom training, providing 5 hours of instruction with CE credits and certificate of completion. Valid in all states including Florida for tattoo artist licensure.
3. Online BBP Refresher Course: Self-paced online bloodborne pathogen refresher course for experienced practitioners maintaining annual certification. Not valid in Florida. Competitive pricing for annual recertification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Alliance of Professional Tattooists (APT) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit professional trade association founded in 1992 that provides standardized health and safety training, bloodborne pathogen certification, and industry advocacy for tattoo professionals. Its core offerings include the in-person PDTT (Prevent Disease Transmission Training) course, an online bloodborne pathogen refresher course, and tiered memberships (Professional Tattooist, Associate Tattooist, Cosmetic Tattooist, Associate Non-Artist, and Corporate Sponsorship) for working tattooists, apprentices, cosmetic artists, and partner companies.

Product overview

APT operates as a membership-driven professional business league offering two primary educational products: the PDTT™ (Prevention of Disease Transmission in Tattooing), a comprehensive 5-hour live Zoom course, and an Online Bloodborne Pathogen Refresher for annual certification maintenance. The PDTT™ meets OSHA standards and is Florida-approved for tattooist licensure. APT complements these core training offerings with tiered membership programs (Professional, Associate Tattooist, Cosmetic Tattooist, Associate Non-Artist, and Corporate Sponsorship) that provide access to member benefits including ID cards, banners, voting rights, and free PDTT retakes for professional members. The organization also provides regulatory resources for US states and Canadian provinces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PDTT (Prevent Disease Transmission Training) Course

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Coalition Tattoo SupplyminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website, and can send brochures/handouts for membership packets.
• TattooProminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website, and can send brochures/handouts for membership packets.
• Ban-CardminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT offering tattoo artist and shop owner discounts. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website.
• 5th Avenue ProductsminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website, and can send brochures/handouts for membership packets.
• Ink Shop GuardminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website, and can send brochures/handouts for membership packets.
• The Artful DollarminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT and host of The Artful Dollar Podcast featuring APT board members. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website.
• PPIB Corp (Tattoo Insurance)minorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT offering tattoo insurance products. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website.
• Pigment and SkinminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website, and can send brochures/handouts for membership packets.
• Electrum SupplyminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website, and can send brochures/handouts for membership packets.
• TLD LawminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT offering legal services. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website, and can send brochures/handouts for membership packets.
• Tattoo Spray UKminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT from UK. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website, and can send brochures/handouts for membership packets.
• Good Judy CanadaminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT from Canada. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website, and can send brochures/handouts for membership packets.
• Friedman TaxminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT offering tax services. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website, and can send brochures/handouts for membership packets.
• Muro StarminorOthersCorporate sponsor of APT. Sponsor receives certificate, membership card, banner, logo and link on APT website, and can send brochures/handouts for membership packets.
• AFDO MoCRA Implementation Working Group (MIWG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPT is monitoring and reviewing information from the AFDO MoCRA Implementation Working Group (MIWG) conversations happening throughout the tattoo community regarding cosmetic regulation implementation.
• National Environmental Health AssociationminorOthersProvided video content for APT's educational resources on handwashing in body art facilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals: Professional association for permanent cosmetic / cosmetic tattoo practitioners. Directly comparable as a membership-based nonprofit providing training, certification, and advocacy for a tattoo-adjacent practitioner segment that APT also serves via its Cosmetic Tattooist tier.
• National Tattoo Association: Long-standing U.S. tattoo industry trade association where the APT concept was first introduced in 1991. Operates as a peer nonprofit trade body representing tattoo artists and the broader trade, overlapping directly with APT's mission and membership.
• American Academy of Micropigmentation: Professional society representing micropigmentation and cosmetic tattoo practitioners. Competes with APT for the same cosmetic tattooist membership base, offering training and credentials in the permanent makeup space.
• Association of Professional Piercers: Peer nonprofit trade association in the body modification space. Highly analogous organizational model (membership, training, advocacy, regional outreach), though focused on piercing — a segment APT explicitly excludes.

Emerging players

• International Body Modification Association: Smaller emerging association in body modification adjacent to tattooing. Comparable nonprofit association model but focused on segments APT explicitly excludes, serving as a partial substitute for members seeking broader trade representation.
• Permanent Makeup International: Emerging professional body focused on permanent makeup training and standards. Partial overlap with APT's cosmetic tattooist segment; competes for the same microblading and permanent makeup training demand.

Broad incumbents

• OSHA Education Centers: Authorized OSHA outreach trainers that meet the same 29 CFR 1910.1030(g)(2) standard as PDTT. Broad incumbents offering generalized BBP training that competes for the same regulatory compliance need, though without tattoo-specific content.
• Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO): AFDO runs the MoCRA Implementation Working Group (MIWG) that APT actively monitors. AFDO is a broader regulatory/standards organization whose work directly influences APT's training market and member demand.
• National Environmental Health Association: NEHA sets environmental health standards relevant to body art facilities and has provided video content for APT. A broader incumbent in body art standards, training, and credentialing that overlaps with APT's training mission.
• American Red Cross (Bloodborne Pathogen Training): Offers general-audience bloodborne pathogen training that competes with APT's online BBP refresher. A broad incumbent in BBP certification with broader reach but less tattoo-specific depth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/safe.tattoo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alliance-of-professional-tattooists-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alliance of Professional Tattooists