Cathy has been involved in the body art industry for over 46 years in several capacities including licensed permanent cosmetics practitioner, tattoo artist, tattoo shop manager, and tattoo shop owner. Over 20 years ago she established and still owns Absolute Tattoo, Piercing, and Permanent Cosmetics. Always the pioneer, when Cathy set up her tattoo business in the 1990’s, it was unusual for a woman to own her own tattoo studio. Absolute Tattoo continues to be a well-respected shop in the San Diego, California area. In 2005 she established Cathy Montie Body Art Training Company (cathymontie.com), a business that provides courses that meet the bloodborne pathogen certification requirements of the industry as well as other classes specific to the body art industry. Needless to say, Cathy is passionate about her chosen industry! This journey has taken her on a path of self-education and ever-expanding service in an effort to align the industry on a national level regarding bloodborne pathogen regulations and by promoting safer body art standards of practice to her peers. Cathy’s vision is to encourage our nation to adopt and accept safe body art standards, but looks forward to the day when the entire world is on the same page!

To promote this vision, Cathy recruits talented and knowledgeable people to support her educational endeavors. Through her involvement and affiliations with several industry-related educational health organizations, along with local and national regulatory agencies, she hopes to unite the body art industry and agencies with the common goal of encouraging safe body art practices. 

In 1997 Cathy represented the body art industry for the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and participated in several of the county’s industry outreach activities. Other affiliations include her role as an OSHA Authorized Outreach Industry-Specific Trainer, service on the California State Steering Committee for AB 300 the “California Safe Body Art Act” of 2011, ongoing work with the National Environment Health Association (NEHA) to develop the Body Art Model Code (BAMC) and is also working with the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) on the Body Art Educational Alliance committee.  States and agencies around the country have reached out to Cathy as an industry expert to provide insight in shaping the requirements that govern the industry; for example, the Kansas Board of Cosmetology Statutes and Regulations review committee requested Cathy’s industry expertise when the state’s body art regulations needed revision.