I came here for my first tattoo. I was planning on getting three stars on my lower ankle but ended up with a trail of ten stars around my hip. Let me start from the beginning.
My friend and I arrived early because Federal Hill only accepts reservations in person. When I told the artist that I wanted a tattoo on my foot, he advised against it. He explained that the skin on your foot is very delicate and foot tattoos don't hold up over time. I guess a lot of people come in and ask for Nicole Richie's famous cross tattoo on her foot. The artist claimed that it was photographed when she first got it and she constantly has to have it re-inked. Federal Hill has a lifetime guarantee on their ink and will re-ink your tattoo for free if it fades. However, that does not apply to foot tattoos.
I was a nervous to get my tattoo in the first place and now I was second guessing going through with it. The artist told me he would do the tattoo if I really wanted him to, but he would prefer it if I got it somewhere else on my body. He also said he understood if I didn't want to get it at all, he just wanted to tell me the truth. My friend and I were impressed with his integrity and decided to go inside and think things over.
The studio was clean, professional and inviting. Right away, I decided I wanted the stars on my hip. I had the artist draw stars, first on paper, then on my hip with a Sharpie. He had in mind a big tattoo with two inch stars but that wasn't what I wanted at all. I'm petite and wanted smaller stars and for the tattoo to only show if I was wearing a bikini. I made him wipe his drawing off, redraw it again and again, then I would run half dressed to the mirror to inspect if I liked the design. He was extraordinarily patient with me and made sure the final drawing was exactly what I wanted.
Finally, we agreed on the design and size of the tattoo. I had ten stars drawn in an arch, the largest resting on my hip bone. He also suggested dots in between which looked fantastic.
The actual tattoo only took eleven minutes and didn't really hurt. The artist was professional, had a great sense of humor and now I have an amazing tattoo! read more