My sister called to book a consultation. She explained over the phone what we wanted (small matching blue feather fans with the word "sisters" underneath, a reference to the film White Christmas) and sent in reference photos. We both filled out the necessary online paperwork. We were told to bring $200 cash for a deposit and came prepared.
I have a half sleeve and about a half dozen other tattoos; my sister must have close to 40 tattoos. Between the two of us, we've worked with at least ten different tattoos artists in three cities, and I've never had a consultation that was so rude, condescending, and such a waste of time. Every consultation I've had in the past has been to discuss design, placement, size, etc., and to feel out the artist if it was someone I hadn't worked with before, to make sure we were both comfortable with each other - especially if it's a bigger piece.
When we arrived on time for our consultation at CryBaby, we were asked if we had reference photos (a strange question considering my sister had already sent these in weeks in advance), and my sister pulled one up on her phone and re-explained what we wanted. The artist/owner took a look at the picture from the film, said that she has "a lot of integrity" when it comes to her work and that she couldn't do this for us because it "wasn't [her] style." I'm still not sure what that means since we weren't even requesting a specific style. She then proceeded to explain, "but that's okay, that's what consultations are for, right?" (As I previously explained, not in my experience with any tattoo consultation I've ever had.) I asked if another artist at the shop could do it, and she said no, but that she could recommend other artists at another shop. She then recommended a shop that my sister and I have already both been to multiple times. When my sister said that we already knew that shop, the artist/owner ignored this and kept telling us about this other shop and its artists as if my sister had not literally just said that we already knew that shop. Frustrated at not being listened to, my sister then interrupted to clarify whether or not CryBaby would be doing our tattoos. When the artist/owner confirmed that no, they would not, my sister, having had enough of her time wasted, picked up her things and proceeded to leave. I followed her as the artist/owner called after her, "oh, I'm sorry, did I upset you?" I was so flabbergasted by the condescension in her voice that all I could manage was a, "no, we're fine," before yeeting myself out of that toxic environment as quickly as possible. I guess maybe it was a blessing in disguise as I would not want to have been trapped under the needle of someone who talks to other women like that.
My sister is disabled. Getting $200 cash, finding parking downtown, and walking to the shop in the January cold is inconvenient for anyone, but especially those with disabilities who require mobility devices. I was with her when she called and made the appointment and heard her clearly explain what we wanted and saw the reference pictures she sent. The only time I have been turned away in the past has been because an artist did not feel they were capable of doing what I wanted justice (with more complicated pieces), not because it "wasn't their style." Besides that that is incredibly unprofessional, it's also abysmal customer service to wait until the consultation to tell us something that could have easily been said over the phone before we brought $200 cash into the shop for a consultation. Maybe this is a common occurrence and I've just been lucky enough to have always worked with more considerate tattoo artists and business owners.
I really wanted to support this female-owned local business, but I guess they're not able to do anything besides line drawings and flash tattoos. If you want anything else, and you don't want to waste your time, don't bother with CryBaby. 0 stars if I could. read more