My sister and I came into Empire Ink during our trip to Miami in July of 2021. To be fair, we were walk-ins, and officially decided on what we wanted as a matching tattoo our last day there, and had to ensure we made our flight. The staff were incredibly friendly and respectful, and we were very understanding of the fact that we were asking for a difficult (neon) tattoo as a walk in. We did see lots of 5 star reviews with walk ins and had high hopes, if they were able to squeeze us in. They said they were able to do a neon tattoo and could accommodate our timeline, but we would not be able to have the same artist due to a timing overlap. I am not judging this tattoo based on how much it matched to my sister's. I'm judging it because it was just bad, and if the artists did not know how to do a neon tattoo, I just wish I would have been told during my consultation that they did not know how to/had not done a neon tattoo.
Throughout the tattoo, both artists (mine was the 'more experienced,' Kike.) talked trying to figure out how to make it 'look right' which was a bit concerning to hear about. Once it was done, I figured my tattoo was maybe just swollen or my skin wasn't reacting well. But the pictures I have provided are the tattoo fully healed, after being taken care of following all guidelines/recommendations. Scarring is apparent, and it's hard to tell what the tattoo is even of (the neon sign of a women lounging in macs club deuce).
Another part that bothers me is right after receiving my tattoo, I was asked to post a positive review listing my artist, so that they were able to get a higher commission off the piece, and I was encouraged to do it before I even left the shop. I wanted to give my artist that extra money since they were the person executing the design, but looking back, I think the owner is taking advantage of clients leaving higher ratings than what is actually deserved, since it is incentivized to leave a positive review so artiste get paid more.
My sister and I make light of it, and it is still something to commemorate my trip. I just wish the artists/staff would have been more straight forward about their skill set/abilities instead of saying that a neon tattoo in our design would not be a problem.
(Note the outline/sample shown for the tattoo included no black, and the reference photo is included as well) read more