SPRINGFIELD -- Tattoos are taking off.  In spite of this uncertain economy, the number of licenses for tattoo parlors in Missouri has jumped nearly 50 percent over the past five years.

For some tattoos serve as a meaningful symbol, for others it's a jolt of youthful excitement. Right now in Missouri, becoming an artist has never been more popular.

"I think one of the big things that's really pushing the business is that there are a lot of TV shows, a lot more news coverage, it's just a lot more acceptable now," said Jon Wallace, owner of Next Generation in south Springfield.

According to state licensing statistics, Missouri has 320 parlors.  In Springfield, they've become more common on corners than McDonald's.

Wallace attributes the growth in the Queen City in part to a changing culture, more open to expressive body art.

"The religious community is probably our biggest boom.  Years ago, it was kind of a faux pas thing: you didn't get tattoos. Now we do more crosses than anything else," he said.

Business has been so good that Wallace is about to open a second location at the corner of Grant Avenue at Sunshine Street.

"It shocks me but, yeah, we've seen quite an increase this year," said Renaissance Tattoo owner Don Parrett.

Parrett said, in tough economic times, some people find the needle to be therapeutic.

"Being a tattoo artist, you're kind of like the proverbial bartender. You're the bartender, you're the priest, you're the counselor. You sit there and you talk to them, they get that physical pain and it takes their mind off the emotional pain they might be dealing with," Parrett said.

Both Wallace and Parrett believe the city is over-saturated, with close to 30 tattoo shops. Inevitably, capitalism prevails and the best survive but Wallace warns that part of the problem is that getting your license is too easy.

"You have to have less training for this job to get your license than you do to have to cut hair. It needs a lot more," said Wallace of the regulations.

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