I saw Nhi's artwork on Instagram, while looking around for a fine line tattoo artist. Her work thoroughly caught my attention because it has such detail and whimsy. I had an idea for an anklet tattoo I was considering; I wear an anklet normally and it kept catching on my sneakers at times...very annoying, so I figured why not have my lucky anklet charm permanently on me.
Nhi is very responsive via direct messaging on IG, and I had my appointment easily booked for 2 months out. We chatted for a while about what I wanted, but I still wasn't sure about the exact design at the same time. She said she'll design one with her own twist and my criteria. An estimate of the cost (very reasonable) was given based upon the custom criteria. A deposit from me was needed to make an appointment (as expected with most custom products and services in general). About a week before my appointment, she sent me a draft; I had some changes I wanted to make to that draft, and she was very accommodating.
On the day of my appointment, I was a little confused about the address of her studio; the entrance was 2 glass doors with an elevator visible through the glass, next to Aota House Vietnamese Restaurant. The doors were locked, but Nhi came down to open the doors, and up the elevator we went. The offices were quiet and quite a few other tattoo artists worked there as well. There are restrooms right around the corner from the studio, which were very clean. As for the studio itself, it was very cozy and clean, with a comfortable work area and good lighting.
When putting the stencil on, Nhi was very patient and we made additional adjustments on placement. I think my soul died a little bit during the session, because I got an ankle tattoo; the ankle is a very sensitive area for me apparently. She was very precise and light-handed with all her strokes, which made the session go much quicker than I expected. Hilariously, we just kept apologizing to each other back and forth over the pain I felt, but it's what I wanted. Nhi made the experience the best it could've been, given my choice of tattoo placement. She has a rabbit plushie in the studio and allowed me to use that as sort of a stress ball. That poor rabbit had its ears gripped ridiculously tight during my session. An hour and a half went by very quickly, and I was a tired, yet very happy customer.
For my tattoo post care, she gave a little care package with a cleaning solution and lotion (that I am still using) to keep my tattoo moisturized. It also came with a beautiful soft bandana with her logo; I'm putting that up on my wall because of how pretty it is!
Final Thoughts: If you're looking for a super talented, friendly and steady handed tattoo artist, Nhi is the one to get a tattoo from! Thank you so much, Nhi! I am sooo coming back for more in the future! :) read more