Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

This Swiss pastry chef, who is also a volunteer firefighter and animal rescuer, has spent over GBP 23,000 on tattoos and piercings.

Andreas Stauffiger, 43, from the Swiss city of Basel proudly showed off his 60 tattoos and remembered how he was mesmerised with his first one at the age of 18.

He said: “I started my tattoo career a few days after my 18th birthday. I have no regrets about it. Nowadays it’s more of an addiction. I don’t really have an inspiration.

“Most of my tattoos have no meaning. The ones with meaning are from my childhood.”

Stauffiger has spent over GBP 23,000 on body modifications, which include not only tattoos but 16 piercings as well, but he said his tattoo passion comes in first place.

The experienced pastry chef, who worked as a chef for an industrial food company and is also a first responder in two volunteer fire crews, said getting tattoos alleviated his pain tolerance.

He believes pain tolerance has a lot to do with a person’s physical and mental state, but admits some of his tattoos were very painful, especially the facial ones.

Stauffiger explained: “Pain can be trained. Some people think that my pain tolerance is very high, but that’s not the truth. I just learnt to deal with it. This skill helps me in everyday life and in my role as a firefighter.”

In an interview with Newsflash, Stauffiger explained more about his future plans: “My goal is to get a full tattoo body suit. I have tattoos all over my body but they’re not combined yet.

“As soon as I feel pain, whether physical or mental I start to breathe slowly and deeply and it helps me deal with it better than others.”

The 43-year-old has so far tattooed his hands, fingers, neck, throat and face. As well as professional ink, he also has several henna tattoos he loves equally as much.

Stauffiger, who says he prefers the company of animals to humans, claimed that although he has experienced a lot of discrimination, most of the feedback is positive.

According to the Swiss man, who considers himself politically neutral, there is no political meaning behind any of his tattoos.

Stauffiger believes his body is a “construction site” he will work on for the rest of his life.

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