San Antonio Tattoo Studio Joins JBSA-Lackland Exchange

The Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Exchange unveiled its newest addition to the military community: Final Touch, a tattoo studio that provides quality artistry in a safe and professional environment for service members.

Final Touch marks the 16th on-installation tattoo studio for the Exchange, with the first opening at Nellis Air Force Base in 2020.

The grand opening, attended by Col. Christine Littlejohn, 502nd Installation Support Group commander; Chief Master Sgt. Amanda Hass, 502nd Installation Support Group senior enlisted leader; Mikel Hunter, Exchange general manager; Maggie Colon, services business manager; and Final Touch Tattoo owner Chris Padilla, featured tours, temporary Exchange-branded tattoos and light refreshments.

“Tattoos have thousands of years of history with warriors around the world and throughout the Americas,” Littlejohn said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “U.S. service members as early as the Civil War began incorporating tattoos into military culture to commemorate their service or honor a fallen servicemember.”

The studio will display branch-specific regulations for patrons with sanitation closely monitored. Tattoo studios operating as Exchange concessionaires adhere to pristine sanitation standards, undergoing rigorous compliance inspections by installation military public health officials.

“Tattoo studios on installations provide service members a safe, regulated environment, ensuring designs meet military standards while minimizing health risks,” Hunter said. “The Exchange and JBSA-Lackland Public Health Department will remain an involved partner with Final Touch Tattoo to oversee routine inspections to maintain high operational standards.”

Celebrating the grand opening of Final Touch tattoo studio at the JBSA Lakland Exchange are, from left: tattoo artists Zelinda Schmitt, Mario Rios and Mike “Canada” Pugliese; JBSA-Lackland Services Business Manager Maggie Colon; Final Touch owner Chris Padilla; and co-owner/lead tattoo artist Moses Castillo.