Carey Hart's first tattoo was a skull with flames and his teenage motocross racing number.

"It was done the night before my 18th birthday, in my buddy's kitchen," said Hart. "His dad had just got out of jail and did it on my chest. It was pretty bad."

That debut tat has been long covered up by other ink. Actually, a lot of ink. All of it interconnected to such extremes on Hart's lean, muscular frame that he has stopped counting just how many tattoos he has on his body.

"I basically have a full shirt," he said, smiling, his ink work visibly meandering out of a tight black T-shirt from both forearms to his hands.

Perched on a tattoo chair in one of the private rooms of his new shop in Waikiki, Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company, Hart — a star of the reality show "Inked" and former star freestyle motocrosser who's married to Grammy-winning rock star Pink — described some of the body ink he was proudest of, much of it family-related.

He brushed errant locks of brown hair away from behind an ear to reveal his newest tattoo — a shamrock commemorating his grandfather, who recently passed away, and to whom he was close.

A hand bears the words "from the heart" in Latin.

"Me and my wife have matching tattoos," he said. "That one's pretty great."

Pink has even personally inked Hart — somewhere the sun rarely shines. But more about that tattoo later.

VEGAS CREW VISITS

Thanks to A&E's "Inked," Hart and the staff of his original shop at the Las Vegas Palms Casino Resort — first-name-only-please Clarke, Lacey, Joshua, Joey and Dizzle — have become insta-celebs.

Hart brought his Las Vegas crew with him for a couple of Hart & Huntington Waikiki grand-opening celebrations.

Yesterday, he held a private autograph session at the Kuhio Avenue shop. He also appeared at a USO of Hawaii benefit at Osake Sushi Bar & Lounge.

The TV series is about to begin a third season of filming, following the humorous and quasi-dramatic lives of Hart and staff. This time around, Hawai'i will also play a part in some segments.

Viewers — and visitors — will see a 2,000-square-foot store in Waikiki, coolly modern, sleek, yet warmly unfussy in design. It houses a small apparel area up front and four tattoo stations in back. Work going on at two stations is semi-visible from a reception area; the other two are private rooms.

Hart's beloved hard punk plays on the sound system.

The youngish staff — dressed in casual black and mostly sporting H&H apparel — are all tattooed to various extremes.

The Waikiki shop, like Hart's original store and his Cabo San Lucas location, is part upscale tattoo parlor, and part retailer of Hart's nascent tattoo-design-inspired clothing and accessories line.

A SECOND CAREER?

Hart said he's been fascinated with the art form as far back as the second grade, when he'd draw designs on his forearms in class, ticking off his dad. Not actually a tattoo artist himself, Hart is currently apprenticing with a professional inker to learn the craft, if not actually practice someday.

All of this while still pursuing his first — and more famous — career in competitive motocross (see box above).

His vision for Hart & Huntington was to make the tattoo parlor upscale, and friendly to customers who are debating their first tattoo experience.

"Walk into 80 percent of the tattoo shops around the world ... there's a vibe. It's very cold. You get attitude. And it scares people off," he said. "That's what gives people the whole idea that tattoo shops belong in back alleys, and that it's an outlaw industry.

"The tattoo experience should be inviting. You're basically getting surgery. It's something that's going to be on your body for the rest of your life. It should be a great experience."

At Hart & Huntington, customers are greeted by a receptionist when they walk in, invited to flip through books of photos showcasing designs as they look on actual skin, and given advice or answers to any questions they have — no matter how mundane or odd.

There's no rush, no attitude. And the goal is to turn folks on to the art form, not scare them away.

Hart said he's been involved in every aspect of building H&H — from approving tattoo and apparel designs to store design to hiring staff to laying tile at the Cabo San Lucas store.

"I just spent the better part of the last four months living in Cabo, building up the shop down there (and) constantly on the phone with the guys here making sure this place is going smooth," he said. "It's a handful. I'm trying to learn to delegate a little bit. But it's hard. This is my baby."

TOURISM IS KEY

The Waikiki shop follows Hart & Huntington's overall strategy of opening stores in high-traffic tourist destinations.

That, and then there's the fact that Hart loves Hawai'i, having visited often for competitions and motocross film trips.

"I want to open a shop anywhere that I love to go," said Hart. "And I love coming to Hawai'i, going to Mexico and Vegas. It's those key places, because I'm passionate about them."

Every H&H store has its own specialty. For the Waikiki store, that means specializing in Polynesian- and Asian-themed tattoo designs. Three of Hart & Huntington Waikiki's six artists — Jack Omoto, Kory Oakland and Riccy Boy — are Hawai'i-raised and -schooled.

"I wanted to hire as many native tattoo artists as possible. That's the whole idea of being able to do it here," said Hart.

Thanks to "Inked" and Hart's star power, tourists and celebrity clients, including Dave Navarro, Tony Hawk, Bam Margera and Jaime Pressley, have proven the bread and butter of his Las Vegas shop.

First-timers make up much of the customer base here so far, many of them walk-ins, or driven by word of mouth. And Hart says H&H Waikiki could ultimately outperform the flagship.

"It's summer here year-round, people here are walking around with shorts and T-shirts, and it makes sense," said Hart. "Things have (also) evolved so much over the last three years we've been open. With the help of the TV show, it's made it a little more culturally acceptable to get tattooed."

NO MINORS, PERIOD

"My pop was pretty lenient, but very strict on traditional things. And I stand by that today," said Hart.

That means no one under 18 gets a tattoo at Hart & Huntington, even if accompanied by a parent. No exceptions.

"What's cool when you're 16 and what's cool when you're 26 usually isn't in the same spectrum of things," said Hart, a knowing glint in his eyes.

Also verboten? Anything racist or borderline racist.

First timers hoping to tattoo the name of a current flame — or most names, for that matter — are encouraged by H&H staffers to consider other design options.

"There's nothing wrong with tattooing people's names on you. But you have to realize that it's there forever," said Hart. "You can't get it off unless you cover it. And then it's still never the same.

"Any good tattooist should talk their client out of something that's bad."

That statement, oddly enough, turned the conversation back to Pink, currently on tour with Justin Timberlake and bummed about not accompanying her husband of a year-and-change to Hawai'i.

Hart said the couple just hooked up in Las Vegas, and they regularly spend one or two weeks together each month, often in hotels or tour buses.

Pink has several Hart & Huntington tattoos on her person.

"She just did a huge forearm piece," Hart said. "... And I actually let her tattoo me, in the shop."

Say what?

"My favorite band is Social Distortion. So she did the Social Distortion logo on one of my butt cheeks. ... It hurt."

Did she do a good job?

"Yeah. It wasn't bad."

Did she enjoy it?

"Uh, she enjoyed it more than I did."

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.