This Medi-Spa Is Removing People's Racist Tattoos For Free

For every person who’s still crazy about the tattoo they got 10 years ago, there’s someone else who deeply regrets putting the cover art from Sublime’s "40oz to Freedom" on the back of their neck. And so, after centuries of people scrubbing their epidermis with salt (a technique called salabrasion) or undergoing “excisions” (as in, throwing the baby out with the bathwater and removing all the tattooed skin), advances in technology have led to the existence of highly effective laser tattoo removal.

The only problem with laser removal is that it’s expensive — sometimes prohibitively so. But according to Allure, a medi-spa located in Strongesville, OH, is offering access to its hi-tech, fast-acting, relatively painless PicoWay laser free of charge. As you can imagine, the PicoWay treatment is normally costly — up to $6,000, in fact — but Skin Deep Medi Spa is just giving it away. The only catch is that the tattoo you want removed must be “racially influenced.” So, to be entirely clear: Skin Deep Medi Spa has offered to remove racist tattoos for free.

Reports of increased racial tension, particularly following the recent election, have been pouring in from all over the U.S. the past several months. It’s a sad state of affairs, to say the least, but Skin Deep wants to do its small part to help. “We have technology that can offer a clean slate, and hopefully a fresh perspective,” the spa’s owner, Joe Stanoszek, wrote in a statement on Cleveland.com. “We want to empower anyone that has changed their mindset to be free of their past, in hopes that they will influence those around them to be accepting, regardless of race.”

Since this is a limited-edition promotion, all appointments must be booked before the end of March, but the removal sessions can take place any time after that. So if you’re ready to join the civilized world, but find that your swastika tattoo is really holding you back, know that there are options — and Skin Deep is here to help.