Believe it or not this was one of few times I did NOT consult yelp before making an appointment. I…read morewent based on personal research (and lots and lots of thinking) before getting my 2nd ever tattoo.
However, now looking at some of these 'bad' reviews, I'm laughing because it's kind of ludicrous what's being called out. This is a well-known, famous tattoo shop so they have a right to charge more than others. And if you're not getting a good vibe from your artist but still decide to proceed with the tattoo, that's on you.
I lucked out and was able to get in with East sooner than I thought due to a cancellation last week so I snatched that appt up. Called and Cody, his assistant was nice and surprisingly candid with what he could do schedule-wise. Not only that, but day of, when I found out they charge extra for using a credit card, I called to see if I could come a little late so I could run to the ATM and they were totally cool with it. AND didn't rush me throughout the entire process, even though this made me 15min late.
That afternoon I showed up alone and a little intimidated in light of how small the tattoo I wanted to get was compared to what they're probably used to...but all that was eased as soon as I got there. Cody and East were chill, professional, straightforward. Probably the best words I can think of. My desired tattoo was just two words, but very meaningful to me, and have thought about this for many years. I came in confident I wanted them on my lower bicep but East immediately suggested under my forearm, saying that's how words turn out/look the best. I was taken aback at first as I had not thought about that placement at all, but it ended up working out exactly how I wanted...not once did I feel he was pressuring me, merely offering me his opinion, and with zero condescension. He was so patient, saw I was thinking about it hard, and said how about this, he would go and sketch it out while I thought about it. I loved that I wasn't rushed, and that there was never an 'I told you so,' vibe when I finally agreed.
The entire process was utterly professional. Again wasn't sure what I expected but it was such a nice balance: I felt welcomed but there was privacy as I was going through the process. Minimal small talk from East, but I loved how focused he was on getting the tattoo right even if it's something so simple. Had me check the words, reminded me to look at spelling. Then he placed and re-placed the stencil several times to get it right in his eyes...the way he made me stand naturally and angled it ever so, while he narrowed down the exact placement, was so technically precise. I was impressed. As for the actual process, it went smoothly and corny as it might have been, East happily obliged to a photo together at my request (I've been such a fan of his), even helped take the selfie, before turning me completely over to Cody to receive aftercare instructions and settle up with payment. Yes, it was not the cheapest (including the $15 on-site parking) but worth every penny in terms of experience and results. And, if you're coming here, you know what you're paying for.
