It's taken me a month or so to write this review. I truly, truly wanted to like this place, but I…read morefeel like I was lied to.
I walked in a month or so ago looking to get a tattoo on my knee, a spider web. I spoke to the youngest artist there, who was also the apprentice there not long before (maybe a few years prior) and explained what I wanted. When it comes to spiderwebs, I wanted it to be dialed in. I asked if he felt comfortable with doing the tattoo, which he said he was, I took him at his word.
The first thing that stood out to me, was that he needed 5ish hours to do the tattoo. That's fine, he wants to take his time, I'll give him that. The second is he has a heavy hand, and when tattooing the knee, it sucks. But all of this I chalk up to him being nervous, but that's fine, as long as my tattoo comes out the way I want it.
After three hours of the session, he finally fully wipes off the tattoo for a breather.
To my horror, I see that the lines are off. I'm absolutely pissed, but again, he's a nice enough guy so I'm not going to make a scene, even though I'm sure the situation warranted it. I excused myself to use the restroom to assess the damage, and Im absolutely appalled at it. The lining is off and the webbing feels lopsided. I take a breather and try to talk myself down, he has just started the shading, so the lining is done, but numerous parts of the lining are not finished, I decide to end it there.
I come back and explain to him that I'm really let down by the tattoo and the lining. He seemed apologetic about it and even said I didn't need to pay, which we went back and forth on, but then decided yeah it was the right choice. As I'm leaving, he doesn't clean the tattoo or offer any covering for it like Second Skin. I then suggest he cleans it and wraps it, he wraps it in plastic, but does a half ass job with cleaning it off. I sense this is where he started to get upset that I called him on his work.
We shake hands and I leave. I had asked him if he was comfortable with the tattoo to do it justice. He said he could. He lied about his ability, and that's why I'll never come back to this shop. Three hours of my life, getting tattooed on a part of the body that hurts so much, for nothing. I now have a tattoo on my knee I have to get covered by another more capable artist.
Do not take an artist at their word. Do your research and make sure you get what you pay for. I didn't pay for this tattoo, and you can tell why I didn't.
Now, a month later, the lines are even more off, and the shading has really faded as well as some of the lines as well. I'm hoping the entire thing starts to, so I can try to salvage my knee for better art.
Again, he was a nice enough guy, but to say you were capable of the job, knowing you weren't. Knowing the lines were off every time you passed it, that's what's so infuriating. Another person probably wouldn't have said anything, then would've paid.
I am too old and work too hard for my money to pay for something so lackluster, so below average. I wish I hadn't walked into Figueroa Street Tattoo, I'll never make that mistake again. Do your research and find an artist capable of what you want, that knows they can do it and doesn't just agree because if you dont, you'll end up with a shit tattoo.
