Across the candlelit table, steam seeps from a bowl filled with a dark green, pasty substance. The scent of eucalyptus fills the room as Kent resident Jen McIntyre prepares to perform an ancient Middle-Eastern custom. Known in India as mehndi, the process of staining intricate designs on the skin using henna dye originated 5,000 years ago. Now, henna "tattooing" is a widely adopted practice throughout many countries.

From Los Angeles to Kent, this decorating trend has gained popularity because it lacks the commitment and pain of tattooing. Although it can be a long process (from 30 minutes to three hours), it's a more practical alternative to permanent body decoration.

In Kent, McIntyre, a former Kent graphic design student, and her partner, Anne Mitchell, have studied mehndi for several months. They are convinced that a potential market exists locally for this kind of service because of the popularity of tattooing and body piercing. "We figured Kent would be a perfect town to do mehndi," McIntyre says. "And we are the only ones doing it, as far as we know."

Students living outside of Kent can go to Hammer's Tattoos in Canton for henna tattoos. Hammer's has been doing mehndi regularly for three months but off and on for two years, says Clifton Boggs, a henna tattooist at Hammer's. Boggs also confirmed the growing popularity of henna body decorations. "We do 50 or more a week, which is up from 20 a week three months ago," he says.

Mehndi is a relatively inexpensive way to decorate hands, feet, shoulders and other body parts. Hammer's henna tattoos start at $30 and rise in price depending on the intricacy of the design, but Mitchell and McIntyre's prices are lower.

"The price ranges from $5 to $100 depending on how detailed," Mitchell says. "It depends on whether the design is specially crafted or whether a stencil is used. People can bring in their own designs, and we scan them into the computer to make vinyl stencils."

Applying henna tattoos to the body is an intricate process. The dye is prepared with lime or lemon juice, distilled water, black tea, eucalyptus oil and henna power. The mixture is heated and applied to the skin with toothpicks, Q-tips and stencils.

Other "secret" ingredients are sometimes used to increase the staying power of the design. The longer the henna is left on the skin and kept moist with a blend of lemon juice and sugar, the more intense the color. The colors range from black and brown to orange and red.

Mehndi's appeal to Western culture and counter-culture can be easily understood, considering the current obsession with body decorations. But this body-painting technique is used for more than just cosmetic purposes in India and other Eastern cultures. In India, mehndi is a pre-wedding ritual, Mitchell says. The day before a wedding, the bride-to-be is decorated by her future mother-in-law.

The pre-wedding process is important, Mitchell explains, because the bride is decorated to be a gift for the groom. It's important that mehndi lasts, Mitchell says.

"The new bride doesn't have to do housework for as long as the design lasts. It may be the only time in her life when she is a lady of leisure," she says.

Other countries have different traditions and perceptions about mehndi. For instance, in Turkey, the practice is as common as Americans who paint their nails.

"They sit around the kitchen table and do it," Mitchell says. "But in Egypt, it is considered a real low-class, hooker thing to do."