Even with tattooing coming out of the shadows there are still those shops that are downright intimidating, especially to people who aren’t covered in ink from head to toe. The crew at Iron Street Tattoo & Body Piercing works hard at put a fresh spin out-dated perceptions.

The city of Salina sits pretty much smack in the middle of Kansas. That’s where Iron Street owner Travis Thornhill decided to set up shop after spending much of his two decades of tattooing working at studios on the Jersey shore, in Vancouver, Canada and in nearby Wichita.

“I’d worked at a lot of great shops, and I wanted it to follow their example,” Thornhill says. “I wanted it to be inviting and family friendly with a real focus on customer service.”

Each city in Kansas has its own rules regarding tattoo shops, and there were a lot of hoops to jump through in order for Iron Street to open its downtown location. Up until then, tattoo shops were in stuck in the same taboo genre as strip clubs, and many of the old-fashioned business owners didn’t know quite what to think.

“I got up and I said, I’ve been tattooing all over the country, and 80 percent of our business is women — i’ve tattooed priests, firefighters,” Thornhill says. “I let them know that we’re professionals and there weren’t going to be titties flopping around or people shooting off guns in the alley.”

As a family friendly shop, there’s no raunchy music playing or shocking art on the walls. It’s all very tasteful. “Anybody that works for me has to be super friendly and actually give a shit about the customer,” Thornhill says.

Thornhill’s crew includes tattooers Chase Wheeler, Valen Laska and Damen Donaldson, piercer Spencer Foster, and shop manager Kyle Erbert.

Piercing at Iron Street is pretty basic simply because of the restrictions imposed by the Kansas board of cosmetology — dermals, for instance, are allowed, but must be done with a piercing needle rather than a punch. It’s just as strict on the tattoo side, with individual artists required to be licensed rather than just the shop itself.

“You really have to know your shit to be legit,” Thornhill says.

Iron Street is one of only a handful of tattoo shops in Salina, and not only do they have fans in town who have voted them best tattoo shop in the area, but customers also come from bigger cities like Kansas City and Wichita. A lady from Ireland, who had heard about the great work being produced at the shop, even stopped in while she was visiting the states.

“We have people come from all over the place because of our reviews online and the positive feedback from our customers,” Thornhill says.

Iron Street is so sure of their work that they unconditionally guarantee every tattoo they do. They’ll do everything in their power to fix an issue — even something as simple as a touch up, if the customer isn’t completely satisfied.

“We go above and beyond to make sure our customers are happy,” Thornhill says. And when the customer are pleased, it’s a feeling that’s shared all around.

“That’s definitely what puts a smile on my face every time,” Thornhill says.

Iron Street Tattoo & Body Piercing
www.facebook.com/ironstreettattoo

Inside Las Vegas’ Larger-Than-Life Tattoo Destination

A larger audience demands larger gestures. If you think Bono looks likes a buffoon with his tinted shades and grandiose theatrics, imagine him performing on that arena stage as if he were in a coffee shop. It just doesn’t work.

Don’t get lost on the choice of artist here. If our Irish buddies aren’t your cup of tea, fill the metaphor with whomever works for you. Metallica. Queen. McCartney. Kanye. It doesn’t matter. The point is, a vacuum cannot remain a vacuum. Empty space must be filled. The bells and whistles of an arena performance are intended not to distract from the art, but to enhance it.

Now, if you can, apply that thought process to a tattoo parlor. Imagine two celebrity artists opening a shop together in Las Vegas, the city synonymous with excess and bombast. Now try to imagine them building anything other than awe-inspiring. You can’t. You’re too busy imagining Revolt.

Don’t beat yourself up if words fail you when you step through the doors of Revolt Tattoo. That was the intention. The Vegas tattoo super-parlor owned and operated by Ink Masters Season 3 champion, Joey Hamilton and Season 4 runner up, Walter “Sausage” Frank is in a class all its own. It’s hard not to feel swallowed up as you gaze across the 4,000 square foot workspace/foyer immaculately designed to sit atop the aesthetic fulcrum of post-industrial arthouse and futuristic sports bar. The 6’x12’ LED TV screen only further adds to the effect as does the army of highly-skilled artists working their stations, each equipped with a webcam to livestream their output. Yet, somehow, the atmosphere doesn’t intimidate. On the contrary, it invites.

“In most shops, when the new blood comes in, they feel really intimidated,” remarks Revolt’s general manager, Rafael Pagarigan. “We try to alleviate that and make everyone comfortable. We even try to bring in that family environment where parents can feel OK bringing in their kids so they don’t have to find a babysitter.”

But let’s reach back to the original metaphor. The pomp and circumstance only really works if there is substance behind it. Otherwise, when you push it all aside, it’s just Britney without autotune. Fortunately, this is more like Clapton with an acoustic.

As Rafael puts it, “It’s not really about the glitz and the glamor. You could take this and scale it all the way down to a hole in the wall . . . people will still come because the product is the same. It’s still quality.”

It has to be. When you have two TV celebrity artists like Joey and Sausage running the show, there is an expectation of excellence in the output, which is why they hand-selected their team of supporting artists. There are no minor league players here. No matter whose chair in which you find yourself, the results, though diverse in style, will always be worthy of the brand they’ve established. In short, it’s not another Vegas casino factory for ‘regret stamps.’ Quite the opposite. In fact, that’s how the name came about in the first place.

“If you’ve watched the video on the website,” Rafael explains, “you’ve heard Joey explain the name as representing a revolt against the some of the industry norms here in Vegas. I don’t want to speak negatively about anyone in particular . . .” He hesitates. “. . . but a lot of these casino shops are just about quantity. They’re tourist traps.”

From here, the plan is expansion. Shop number two is already open and operating in a local Vegas mall. As it turns out, tattoo shops can be much-needed shot in the arm for struggling commercial centers looking down the barrel of extinction from e-commerce. You can’t get a tattoo on Amazon. As this article goes to press, there’s another location being scouted in Florida. But expansion is not about empire. In Rafael’s words, it’s about extending “the family.” He elaborates:

“You don’t ever want to suppress an artist in your shop that wants to grow. You want to be able to promote them. So what’s the next step? Opening up their own spot. It’s definitely an aspiration, but we don’t want to dilute the quality just because we want to expand.”

REVOLT TATTOOS – Las Vegas, Nevada
www.revolttattoos.com

“I’m kind of a big deal.”

The tone is tongue in cheek; the words, uttered in mock braggadocio. A true narcissist, our subject is not. Yet, there is an element of truth in her jest.

Theresa Cardella is kind of a big deal, at least within this space. The part-time tattoo model has appeared in a hefty handful of publications dedicated to the subdermal arts, Inked Magazine and Freshly Inked being among them. You may know her as the canvas-sans-clothing that graced the cover of PAIN this past April, promoting Papillon’s new line of vegan, hemp-based Ink. There’s an audible blush when the topic is broached.

“Yeah, I didn’t think they were going to use that one,” she chuckles sheepishly, but then backsteps the tones of modesty, “It’s actually a really good photo. It’s sexy and edgy.”

But if the opening quote has you wondering, no, her apartment doesn’t smell like rich mahogany, nor does it contain many leather-bound books. “Probably more like dead bugs and animal carcasses, with lots of cat hair.” That’s not as weird as it sounds. She’s a bug-pinning and taxidermy enthusiast. The rest is self-explanatory.

But this is all peripheral. She’s more interested in discussing Body Graphics Tattoo, the South Windsor, CT shop she’s proudly managed for the past eight years.

Founded in 1992, Body Graphics has become a transgenerational institution of the local community, almost a rite of passage handed down from parent to progeny.

“I hear every day, ‘Oh, my mom got tattooed here when she was 18.’ It’s crazy.” Crazier yet, many of them even shared the same artist. That would be Gypsy, who’s been marking flesh under the Body Graphics banner since the studio’s inception.

“When I started,” Gypsy recalls, “I believe there were about 50 female tattoo artists worldwide. Now it’s probably 50/50.” The topic triggers memories of days long past, when men would refuse her services, solely over the fact that she is a woman. Flawed logic, in her mind.

“I believe that women really have—well—call it a feminine touch. We know how to work with the flow of the body.” It’s a good point, one that’s backed up by the fact that she’s outlasted most of her male colleagues.

Speaking of her colleagues, Gypsy’s three decades of consistent work may grant her a legendary status, but the team of artists who surround her are nothing to be scoffed at either. A quick perusal of their work would reveal as much. Theresa couldn’t agree more.

“Everything everyone here does is solid,” she asserts confidently. “Everything is smooth, all the fades are perfect. Everybody here puts a lot of work into the quality of their tattoos. There’s never a half-assed job done here.”

But in an era of oversaturated media and tired ad gimmicks, quality alone is sadly not the only ingredient in the recipe for success. This is where Theresa comes in.

“I’m the first person everybody sees,” she says, stressing the importance of both a friendly atmosphere and an effective marking strategy. “It’s important to be nice . . . We care about our customers. And not just like, kind of care. No, we care. We talk to them . . . It’s a cool bond. That makes our customers loyal and it encourages them to send their friends. They know we’ll take care of them.”

This is enhanced further by her frequent Facebook Live chats. Sometimes they’re for promoting specials and sometimes they’re more or less to cure boredom, but the result is always the same: more business, and a clientele that feels connected.

“It’s just a cool, fun way to interact with potential customers. I can even talk to other tattooers and bring them on my livestream. It’s pretty awesome just how far you can go with it.”

Body Graphics Tattoo – South Windsor, CT
IG: @bodygraphicsct
Phone: 1-860-289-6534

Oak Harbor, Washington
@NiteOwlTattooandGallery

At Nite Owl Tattoo, in Oak Harbor, Washington, things are not exactly as they seem. The walls are covered with framed sheets of American traditional flash. But that doesn’t mean this is an old-school shop. Owner William Lloyd and his crew like to put their own modern twist on the classic style.

“If you look at a picture of a traditional tattoo it seems so basic and simple — it looks easy, but that’s what makes it incredibly difficult,” who opened Nite Owl in 2012, on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, north of Seattle.

Lloyd was introduced to tattooing back in high school when he would hang out at his friend’s pop’s shop back when it was actually illegal to tattoo on the island. His apprenticeship was certainly old school – cleaning tubes, organizing, drawing and other chores, and that’s where he gained an appreciation for the kind of tattoos that stand the test of time.

“Over time, most tattoos are going to fade and the lines are going to swell out. But with traditional, the colors are saturated into the skin, so it will have the longest lifetime,” Lloyd says.

There are definitely dynamics to traditional. But according to Lloyd, the rules nowadays are a lot looser.

“I really like the to put twists on art from old school tattooers, like Bert Grimm, Sailor Jerry and Cap Coleman, and bring the style into the modern age,” he says.

“I think they were limited back in their day. Like with some of the line work, you can tell exactly what it is, but it just need to be freshened up,” he adds. “It’s kind of like if somebody were to come in with a tattoo idea, I would draw over that tattoo idea to make it my own. I try and do the same with all the older stuff.”

Check out the portfolios at the shop and you’ll have no trouble seeing the well-rounded talents of Lloyd and his fellow artists – Molly Vigallon, Seth Smith and Joshua Jay. In the traditional, you’ll find tried and true designs ranging from nautical to roses and flaming hearts. You’ll also see Star Wars and pop culture inspired pieces. Anything, Lloyd says, can be turned into traditional with the right touch.

“The hard part about drawing is turning your brain off and just drawing,” he says. “If you put too much into it, it’s not going to look like a typical traditional tattoo. It’s best to keep it basic.”

Typical traditional uses only a few colors, but Lloyd might pick from a dozen or more. Then again, just because a traditional tattoo is traditionally colored, doesn’t mean that it can’t simply be black and grey. B&G is another of Lloyd’s favorite techniques, and he’s not afraid to fuse the two styles.

“Normally you don’t put a gray wash in traditional tattooing, but it can be done, and it can look great,” he says. “I like it to have more contrast; so more black, then softer shading because that’s what’s going to hold it together.”

When it comes to ink, Lloyd has a preference for Eternal, but every brand has its best colors, and on the trays at Nite Owl, you’ll also find, Fusion, Dynamic, Intenze, and Waverly. As for machines, Lloyd sticks with good old fashioned coils that he says work especially well with the traditional style tattoos.

“I go off the feeling in my hand and the sound of the machine to know If I’m getting a good line or if I’m bouncing off the skin. I use my senses to make sure that my machine is working correctly and my needles are gliding properly.”

For the last five years, Lloyd has used the same machine, made by Adam Rosenthal at River City Machinery, for 95 percent of his tattoos. “I’ve never really had to retune it,” he says.

The Nite Owl crew travels to expos as frequently as their schedules allow. Not only do they meet and work with new clients, they’re also excited to be able to kick it with other tattoo artists who they admire. Another big part of going to a show is having your work critiqued in the daily competitions. Yes, they’ve got Best of Show and Best of Tattoo for the day trophies, but what really counts is the opportunity to further their art.

“Even if you don’t win anything, you’re getting your tattoos out there for people to see. It’s really awesome to get constructive criticism from the judges, who are usually heavy hitters. That’s feedback we can put towards making a better tattoo,” Lloyd says.

And as for American Traditional? “It’s never going to go away. It’s continually growing because people are pushing the limits of what can be traditional and what’s excepted.”

Nite Owl Tattoo
Oak Harbor, Washington
@NiteOwlTattooandGallery

Wasted Talent Tattoos – Rogers, Texas. You might have more Facebook friends than Rogers, Texas has inhabitants. Seriously. The square acre of local businesses and country homes that straddles the road from Temple to Houston boasts a population of a whopping 1,209. For perspective, that’s less than a third of the size of Houston’s average public high school.

It’s a classic holdover of the Americana of yesteryear, a pass-through gem of a town full of aging buildings and friendly folk who love their football almost as much as they detest the confinement of city living. But beyond that, it’s difficult for the uninitiated to pinpoint the cause for its recent uptick in visitors. The city’s website dubs it the “Best Kept Secret in Central Texas,” but they’re not clear on what that secret is. They mention a handful of businesses, a capable fire department, and a Dollar General, but none of that is particularly unique.

For those in the know, the secret isn’t a secret at all. It’s Wasted Talent Tattoos, a custom studio founded by native son, Chris Ramos, that has already inspired the pilgrimages of ink enthusiasts from around the region and beyond after only a year in business.

It’s an impressive story, especially considering that Chris started his career as a 12-year-old in a garage inking his friends with a homemade machine he’d fashioned from discarded VCR parts. For those reeling at the idea of being tattooed by a self-taught wildling, worry not; he eventually put in four years at a shop in the neighboring city of Belton and smoothed out any remaining rough edges. Even so, it would be easy to write him off as a “scratcher,” but to do so would also be lazy.

As his wife, Kristina is quick to point out, “He was still professional. He still wore gloves, he still did what he needed to. Actual scratchers don’t do that. They don’t protect the area they’re tattooing, they don’t clean it, they don’t wear gloves, they don’t sanitize.”

Kristina is more than just Chris’s doting wife. She’s also the mother of his two children, his first love since 14, and the backbone of his work. She’s the unofficial fifth employee of a business with four on the books, the one responsible for all the “adulting” that a tattoo business entails, the overseer of the everyday details that Chris admits would fall through the cracks if it were left to him.

Considering the stereotype of small town America, it’s a wonder they haven’t been driven out for peddling their sinful services. Luckily, Rogers doesn’t fit the stereotype.

“They don’t see us as tattoo people,” Chris suggests. “They just see us as another family growing their business.”

“They were more excited about having a tattoo shop in Rogers than anything,” Kristina, chimes in. “They were thinking it would be more publicity, more people coming out this way and letting little Rogers become more well known.”

Their excitement is merited. The shop maintains a fully booked calendar at least three months in advance with clientele coming from as far as Canada. And according to Chris, nine out of ten of his visitors will hit the Mexican joint next door for dinner, grab a soda and snack at the drug store or even go across the street to pick up a trinket or two from the antique shop. It’s a win for everyone.

All of this has been accomplished with barely a web presence to speak of. Their Facebook page has been virtually dormant since Chris’s phone “crapped out” on him a month ago. They don’t even have an Instagram account. He chalks it all up to friendly service and quality of work, though he’s quick to back step on the latter in fear of sounding cocky.

The true clincher is the fact that he knows his market and fits the bill. He and his staff are exactly what his town needs…individuals who embody the local culture but whose talent shines brightly enough to bring in the outsiders.

“I’m country as hell,” he says proudly. “We have more of a family vibe . . . We constantly have country music and oldies playing, like, low rider oldies. I don’t necessarily like the rocker vibe or gangster vibe of tattoo shops. I mean, it’s cool and all, but a lot of people in my region aren’t too welcomed by it.”

It’s just the country way; hard work, mutual respect, and most importantly, humility. He sums it up with his parting words, paraphrasing a quote from his hero:

“Don’t ever think you’re the best. There’s always something to learn. Every tattoo, you learn something new. It was Sailor Jerry who said, ‘Once you think you’re top dog, you’re on your way out.’”

Facebook.com/WastedTalentTattoos
254-407-0506