Ink Relief is a Chicago charity that covers tattoos for survivors of sex trafficking and domestic abuse. It's run by Ben Wahh who says it feels great to help erase painful parts of the past for people who need it the most.
Wahh owns Deluxe Tattoo in Chicago, and for more than 30 years, he's be creating works of arts to help people express themselves, but a couple of years ago, he's started using his talent to help victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence reclaim their bodies and their lives by covering up unwanted tattoos and scars.
Deluxe Tattoo located at 1461 W. Irving Park Road in Chicago.
Mai Martinez
"I was contacted by a group called Salt and Light (Coalition), and they run a program to help survivors," recalls Wahh who says he feels great about being able to help people heal. "When they have their abuser’s name on their body it’s horrible. It's like a daily reminder of the abuse and the horrible period of their lives," explains Wahh, who does all of the work for the survivors no matter how many sessions it takes, free of charge.
For each new tattoo, Wahh carefully crafts a design to cover up the existing painful reminder. He explains, "You can’t just do use anything for a cover up. It has to work specifically for that design you’re covering, whether it’s a cut, whether it's a bite, whether it’s a burn, with the elements of the design, you want them to work with the shapes of the scar."
Ink Relief's founder, Ben Wahh, working to cover scars on the leg of a survivor of domestic abuse.
Mai Martinez
The results are incredible, and those who received the tattoos says they are eternally grateful. 41-year-old Ella is one of the dozens of survivors Wahh has helped. "I’ve been through a lot of domestic violence, plus a lot of trauma with men," she explains.
That includes two men, whose names were tattooed on her body. "I was forced to get them, and I never even wanted it," she explains, adding, "I hated it. I still felt like a piece of their property.
Ellas says Wahh gave her "the best gift ever" by covering up those painful reminders with new tattoos including one where the name was beautifully transformed into flowers and butterflies. She says it was very emotional in a happy way when she first looked at her back and no longer saw the name.
Ella's new tattoo that covers the name of a man she said abused her and forced her to get his name tattooed on her body. The before picture is below.
Mai Martinez
Ella's tattoo before it was transformed into flowers and butterflies by Ben Wahh of Ink Relief.
Ben Wahh, Ink Relief
"By Ben doing this for me. I feel like I owe him my life. He gave me my life back," says Ella adding, "I feel like I’m me again. I’m nobody’s property like, I own my identity again. I thank him so much."
She also says if it wasn’t for Wahh, she would never have been able to afford to get the tattoo covered up or removed because the high cost.
As for Wahh, he says he's touched to be a part of the healing journey for so many. "I love being able to be the person to be like, ‘I’m going to help,’ you and do it. To know that you really help that person is a really good feeling," he says as he recalls how many people he's helped.
He's also hoping people will help him to help even more survivors through Ink Relief. Wahh says anyone interested in helping or donating can find more information on the charity's website, inkrelief.org (linked here) . "I’ve never done anything like this in my life. I’ve never run a charity. Anybody who has any resources or who can help please contact me," says Wahh.
