Health officials: Selbyville barbershop closed for unsanitary conditions, unlicensed tattoos and body piercings

The Delaware Division of Public Health closed a Selbyville barber shop Nov. 28.  Officials say the shop was grossly unsanitary and was offering tattooing and body piercing without a permit.

An anonymous person alerted public health officials about grossly unsanitary conditions at B&B Barber Shop at 5 West Church St., unit 203, and officials were not able to confirm that proper sanitary precautions were in use, said Andrea Wojcik, chief of community relations for the Division of Public Health.

Wojcik said the barber shop was also operating as tattoo and body piercing parlor without a permit.

At this time, she said, officials do not know how many customers were served or how long the operation was in business. In addition, officials are looking into whether barbers in the shop were certified with the Division of Professional Regulation’s Board of Cosmetology.

The Division of Public Health encourages customers who received tattooing or other body art services at this location to contact their health care provider for evaluation for diseases such as hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus that may have been transmitted through unsterile equipment, Wojcik said. Tell the doctor about receiving a tattoo or piercing from the unregulated establishment, when it occurred, and any symptoms since the visit, she said.

The unregulated tattoo parlor kept no client records and, as a result, DPH cannot contact individuals urging them to seek medical testing, Wojcik said.

“No one should ever seek body art services from an unpermitted business,” said public health Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “Establishments regulated by DPH are inspected and must meet requirements for sanitation, proper disposal of needles, use of gloves, and many other items. HIV and hepatitis can all too easily be transmitted if proper precautions are not taken. Before getting any kind of body art done, people should always insist on seeing the DPH permit, which is required to be posted in an obvious place.”

The investigation is ongoing. 

For more information, customers can contact the DPH Communicable Disease Bureau at 302-744-1050.