I am so grateful for Against the Grain, and artist Cody Gower specifically. I've never had a tattoo before, so I went into this pretty nervous, especially because I'm definitely not a needle person.
I wanted to get a tattoo in memory of my 18 1/2 year old dog that just passed recently, whom I've had since he was 3 months old. He was my absolute world, so having this tattoo be as accurate and representative of him as possible was so important to me.
Kobi (my dog) always had a very distinguishable backwards 'L' marking on his back that we always said stood for love since he was just the biggest lover ever. Today, I got that same marking tattooed on me with his ashes mixed into the ink. He will always be with me now.
The tattoo came out perfectly and Cody was adamant about making sure I was completely happy with the design beforehand, despite me having him make tweaks repeatedly. I truly appreciated how understanding he was throughout the process. He was very professional and more than happy to make the adjustments I requested until it was perfect.
During the tattooing, I got lightheaded and passed out, because as I said before, I am not a needle-person. When I came to, everyone in the shop was very chill and didn't make a fuss about it at all. They just reassured me that it was normal and knew exactly how to handle the situation. They made sure I was comfortable, got me some candy that they had on-hand to get my blood sugar up (I hadn't even eaten, so that didn't help), put a cool compress on my head, and let me take my time, constantly checking in on me to see how I was feeling. When we got back to the tattooing, Cody kept checking in to make sure I was good and was very kind and considerate, while making light of the situation, which I greatly appreciated.
As for the shop itself, it was very clean and kept.
I would highly recommend Against the Grain all day, especially if it's for your first tattoo or if you aren't a needle-person like myself.
Thank you so much again, Cody. This tattoo means more than you know. read more