#NYC tattoo shop says coronavirus is becoming sought-after ink design

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New York Hardcore Tattoo at 127 Stanton Street, Manhattan.

Gabriella Bass / NYPost

Tattoo parlors are among the Big Apple businesses set to start up again Monday under Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan — and the coronavirus is already a sought-after design.

“I had a group of nurses and doctors, who were in town to help out, e-mail me asking about a [COVID-related] group tattoo,’’ Paul Paz, assistant manager of the Bang Bang Tattoo shops in Lower Manhattan, told The Post on Sunday.

Another customer also e-mailed asking for a tat of “COVID, the virus, the picture of the actual virus,’’ he said.

In addition to tattoo parlors, nail and tanning salons and spas in the Big Apple are allowed to start up again under Phase 3, and people can also officially begin playing some outdoor sports.

Paz said his business is trying to figure out how to work through a backlog of appointments that were canceled because of the shutdown.

“We still have two and a half months of appointments to reschedule. They put in a deposit, they have priority,’’ he said. “Once they are contacted, we will start taking new customers.’’

NYC Tan near Willowbrook Park on Staten Island said its customers are also ready to bust down its doors, with at least six appointments already lined up Monday.

“We have face shields, we have masks, we have temperature guns,” owner John Carandola told The Post. “Front door stays locked, and we will take temperatures at the entrance.”

Mark Harada, the owner of New York Hardcore Tattoo in SoHo in Manhattan, said he was busy trying to reorganize his small, long and narrow spot on Stanton Street to ensure proper social distancing.

He said the artist working Monday already has three appointments.

“The biggest change is no walk-ins,’’ Harada said. “We will have actually one person working at a time with one customer. Friends are not allowed.

But other shops were expecting a slower return to business as usual.

“A lot of people are not in town. People are scared’’ of getting the virus, Kim Dong, manager of Aria Body Piercing in the East Village, told The Post.

Harada acknowledged that he is “cautiously optimistic’’ about reopening.

“We could be a vector for disease, so we have to be very careful. We don’t want to be shut down again,’’ the shop owner said, referring to the citywide lockdown that took effect in March amid the pandemic.

“I’m skeptical about how safe we could be, as I am skeptical about restaurants and bars reopening.’’

Indoor restaurant dining would typically be allowed under the state’s Phase 3 guidelines, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo nixed it for New York City amid fears over soaring virus figures in other states and the lack of social distancing in the Big Apple outside places such as bars.