Meet Bilal, a boxing British middleweight champion, personal trainer and actor. But his early life didn’t lend itself to such personal success, after coming to England from Nigeria as a refugee when he was a child. When Bilal discovered his real birth date placed him in the Leo zodiac, Bilal got two lions tattooed on his shoulders to represent his star sign. Now, he’s removing them. This is Bilal’s story. 

Because of my upbringing - my mum wasn’t nice, my dad wasn’t there - I have this built up aggression, this fire that’s about to explode and I want to let it out. The only way that I can express it is through being a lion. I came here with the assumption that my date of birth was the 3rd of April. I found a relative that told me ‘Bilal, you're not the 3rd of April, you’re actually the 3rd of August,’ and that put me in the demographics of Leo.

"I love tattoos. It's liking something, but you don't have to own it."

And that explained everything. I have so much fire, so much energy, it's overflowing. I want to tame it. So I realised I was a lion, the symbol of Leo. I got the lions tattooed on me and they’re roaring against each other. That's me. That's who I am. 

I realised as time goes by that you don't really have to use muscle. I don't have to advertise my energy or what I am, I can evoke it, summon it, bring it out. Having tattoos is nice, but I've grown out of it. 

You’re a very passionate and driven person. How does that translate into your tattoos?

If you're going to do something, it has to have meaning. Whatever you do in life, you need to know why you're doing it. 

My tattoos have a meaning, but it’s not me anymore. It's just too loud. The lions and then one on my arm I would like to go because it doesn't sit right with my soul.

And you’ve made that choice! What drew you to NAAMA?

I’m very picky. Trust me. I'm one of the most picky individuals you can find. 

I went on Google and I said, ‘the best tattoo removal in London’ - because you don't want to go to an inferior one - and you guys came up. 

The organisation and the orchestration of the facility is second to none. It's amazing. You are the most important person, they give you everything you need. I can't thank you guys enough, it’s amazing. 

"My tattoos have a meaning, but it’s not me anymore."

For you to be in the city in this location and in this space shows that you are using the premium gadgets. The trajectory of tattoo removal has been going further but other studios are still holding onto the materials and the equipment that they've had for like 10 years or five years. That's why I'm here. I'm picky.

And that was when the transformation started. When I look at myself now I'm delighted with my appearance. I'm not saying I wasn't before, but I'm more now than I was before. If you have a house and in your room you have so many things, like boxes, your shirt, your laptop on the floor, the food plate from yesterday over there… your mind is scattered. If you clear all that out, the moment you go out and come back in, it's like a breath of fresh air. That's how I feel now.

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