I've been debating for half a year about writing this, and ultimately I felt like it needed to be put out there for others to consider before spending lots of money on a tattoo. My overarching advice is to put energy into consultations and try to speak with an artist before going to get inked. I didn't, and am unfortunately left with a 1/2 finished tattoo that isn't what I wanted. I'm not going to out the artist, who I still believe does good work on others. I just think that they didn't vibe with me, the entire appointment was a nightmare, and it really shows in their work. I cant bring myself to go back to finish the rest of the tattoo because when I really reflect on the experience, I don't want them touching my skin again and it's too bad. The Skull Museum is a great shop with great artists, typically mine included, but I learned some hard lessons that day and have regretted it ever since.
I sent 6+ reference photos of the inspiration for the piece that I wanted when I booked. About a week or two before the appointment, I reached out to the artist directly on IG to see if they had any questions or concerns about the design references and said I'd be happy to flesh out my idea before arriving. I'd paid the deposit for the design consultation and knew that it would happen day-of, but still wanted to see if they needed any more info so we could hit the ground running bc I was traveling several hours to get there. They didn't respond, but I figured my message had gone to their requests--oh well.
Day of the tattoo came and the weather was absolutely horrendous, but I made it to the shop on time. I met the artist, showed them the references again, and they told me that it would take about 30 minutes to sketch up a design. When they saw my existing pieces, they told me, "That's going to look like shit in 10 years" and then walked off to go do my design. Thirty minutes turned into two hours. I sat there and the artist came up to me and sort of begrudgingly showed their work, saying something like, "Not going to lie, your tattoo idea does not inspire me and I hate it." What they drew was not even the same concept---not even in the same ballpark---as what I'd sent as references. They started explaining things like, "This weather is really bringing me down. I don't really like your reference photos. They are shit and impossible to tattoo..." etc.
I told them their design was indeed beautiful, but that it was pretty far from what I outlined to the booking manager. Internally, I was becoming anxious because they were exuding a palpable sense of frustration. To sort of diffuse the situation, I assured them that I don't want them to tattoo something they absolutely hate and I don't mind going slow and considering this a consultation appointment--even if it meant walking away with no ink. I also told them if they were just outright opposed to doing this tattoo, it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all and even if I lost a deposit, it was okay by me. They insisted that they try again and told me to hold tight for a redesign.
After another 2 hours, they came back with a totally new design. It was much closer to what I'd originally asked for, but they had added text to the design that I didn't want/ask for. I pointed it out and they got frustrated. When they sensed that I wanted to walk without ink, they laid a guilt trip on me and said that was absolutely not what they wanted and they wanted to make sure to get some ink on me that day, given how long I'd waited and how far I drove and they felt bad. After four hours of stressful waiting, plus the discomfort I'd felt when critiquing their work after they spent hours drawing for me, I eventually and unfortunately relented.
I sat in the chair and given the four hour late start, they worked quickly. The text I didn't want, which had looked faint/delicate in the design, came out thick and dark. They finished only half of the tattoo, and told me to email the booking manager for a second appointment. I waited until it healed to judge it and had to admit to myself it is not what I wanted at all. Though I reached out for that second appointment, I ultimately just couldn't force myself to sit in their chair again and be made to feel bad about my body/about my design/about the tattoo/about my other tattoos.
I would not say my experience is indicative of the majority of experiences people have at the Skull Museum, both with my artist and all the other artists. Like I said, this was a lesson learned in that sometimes awkwardly walking away, as awful as that feels, is actually the better route to go. Because I didn't, I have a tattoo that makes me sad each time I look at it, because (1) it isn't what I wanted, (2) it feels impossible to fix, and (3) it reminds me of the most sad/uncomfortable tattoo experience I've had.
I wanted to write this review so that others might learn from me, and I also wanted to give the shop candid feedback/a summary about how I was treated. read more