The mushrooming of tattoo studios and tattooing in public places such as streets and festival grounds have prompted health authorities to sound a note of caution about the potential health risks and the need to adopt safe practices. In an effort to curb the spread of infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B and C, the Health Department has come up with a set of safety guidelines that tattoo studios are required to follow. Besides tattoo studios, other establishments covered by the guidelines in Ernakulam include salons and barber shops. She pointed out that several tattoo studios are mushrooming in the city. Although there is a mention of sterilisation procedures in the safety guidelines, they need to make autoclave machines mandatory in tattoo studios.