Bringing Tradition from the Philippines to California: Francis San Diego, the Batok Practitioner

Premiered May 29, 2026 • 2:30

When you think of getting a tattoo, you probably imagine the buzz of a machine. But there's a shop in Riverside where one artist uses needles wrapped around sticks and a mallet. It's called Batok and it originated in the Philippines. KVCR's Toni Lopez spoke with Filipino Batok Practitioner Francis San Diego, and took a piece of his art home with her.