Company History
Welcome 😊
In 1998 I started working in the body art business, then opened a shop in Rockport Massachusetts called Soulstice. I started only using henna leaves for tattoos which create various shades of brown that last about two weeks. Though henna has a great color customers consistently requested for a natural black dye. Dangerous black colors that contained hair dyeing chemicals such as PPD flooded the market creating a nationwide warning about “Black Henna” and the skin reactions people were having. Natural Henna is only brown and some companies went to the extent of adding these chemical dyes in order to create the black color and still called it henna
In 2005 I heard from the Peace Corps about a tribe in Central America that uses Jagua (an edible fruit) for temporary black tattoos. I was intrigued and determined to find a solution so I decided to go there and learn more about it.
I traveled for a few months and spent time in the Darien Jungle of Panama with the Embera tribe in the Sambu River Region to learn about their culture and use of this Jagua fruit. (This is a cut version of the adventure)
We learned that the fruit is edible but when unripe it reacts with oxygen. We then used the juice from the Jagua fruit just before it was too ripe. I created a mixture to make it similar to paint like henna. The tribe loved the new Jagua gel and the kids/ teens gathered for their tattoos with intricate designs.
Still to this day, several different villages collect the organically growing fruit and each family is paid directly. I work with Jason Cook who has worked and lived close with the local tribes for years with his family. They have a radio station that connects with families deep in the Darien Jungle to collect fruit and then be paid directly after collected on riverbanks by dugout canoe.
These people need this income.
This plentiful fruit that they don't eat is useful and the money they earn gives them a chance to live the way they want.
Nature’s Body Art is the first company to sell Jagua in the U.S. in 2006
Jagua gel, paint and the pure juice is available. I take pride in my customer service and product quality. I personally mix each batch and use the same product in my shop in Rockport, Mass.
Whether you are testing a tattoo before getting it permanently or just having fun, henna and Jagua are great natural dyes to use!
Thank you for visiting my website and hopefully I will see you sometime in my retail shop where you can find a variety of artisans’ work as well as get a hand painted tattoo!
Soulstice artists are also available for your next event, offering Jagua/Henna tattoos as well as hair wraps!!! Please call 781-589-8230 for more information
