I asked my editor if I could get a tattoo for journalistic purposes. She said no.
Tomorrow is the second, and last, Friday the 13th of the year. (A calendar year will have one to three.) The day is essentially a tattoo holiday where artists offer small $13 — or discounted — tattoos that are pre-designed.
The holiday is special not just because of the price, but the overall experience.
Popular tattoo shops that participate can be packed with lines out the door. The spontaneous canvases rotate through and hop on the table for the permanent design they chose off the sheet. (Or not, but I’ll get to that.) Once a tattoo is done, the artist preps the station, the next person is called and it goes on for hours.
Shops will put their own spin on the day, too. For the really spontaneous, Think Tank Tattoo in the past has put 13 designs on a wheel that the customer spun. What you landed on is what you got inked on you forever. Unfortunately, Think Tank said it was too booked to participate this year.
The first 13th of this year, which was in April, was a special day for me. It’s when I got my first and — thanks to said editor — only tattoo.
In April, my girlfriend and I had been scrolling through our respective Instagram feeds when we stumbled across the various flash sheets for artists at Ritual Tattoo & Gallery in Sunnyside. Artists typically drop their flash sheets the day before or the day of Friday the 13th, showing the designs they will be doing for the special. You can look through and pick a design that speaks to you — but most places don’t allow changes. Many designs have the number 13 incorporated and/or are spooky themed, such as black cats and coffins.
So there we were flipping through flash sheets when I saw her. An old-school cowgirl with a hat and bandanna to boot by Oakland-based stick-and-poke artist Joe B. It was love at first sight. Although, admittedly, the two or three whiskey gingers I had been drinking could have quickened the love factor.
The next day, Friday the 13th, the two of us went to pick up cash (some places are cash only) for our respective tattoos (she was going for a skateboarding demon) and rolled up to Ritual on Jason Street south of West 44th Avenue at about 10 a.m. There was already a line for the shop, which opened at 11 a.m.
Friday the 13th is good for its discounted prices, but it’s also a great chance to get on the schedule for popular artists who may already be booked out months in advance, Ritual Assistant Manager Laina Sydney said.
But the day doesn’t guarantee a slot with someone like Ritual’s Rachel Paton, whose Instagram @blackity_black_black has 32,400 followers. For Ritual, people should start lining up between 9 and 9:30 a.m., Sydney said. For most popular shops, it’s best to show up an hour or more before they open to make sure you can secure a spot on an artist’s schedule.
When we got up to the counter, Joey B’s schedule was already full. My heart sunk. My head was reeling. What are these — tears? I put on a brave face and grabbed the first spot on his waiting list. My girlfriend got on the schedule for her skateboarding demon and we headed out.
The shop gave a generic time for my girlfriend’s appointment. She gave them a call in the early afternoon to get an update. While on the phone, she inquired about my spot on Joey B. Good news, they said, he could fit me in. What are these — happy tears?
We returned to the shop shortly before its 8 p.m. closing. It was buzzing with activity as people waited in couches, sat still as artists worked the needles over their skin or admired their new ink.
The shop did about 70 tattoos that day, Sydney said. Certified Tattoo Studio said they had roughly 1,000 people come through. Marion Street Tattoo reported about 600 tattoos done.
My girlfriend and I waited for our respective times and got our tattoos. As we were paying in cash, two men in their early 20s popped in, hoping to get on the list. The woman running the schedules stared at them incredulously before saying these people had been waiting all day. The two men walked out with tails between their legs.
Hoping to go to Friday the 13th yourself? Here’s some tips I got from tattoo shops and from my own experience:
- Most shops and artists will post flash sheets with their designs and prices the day before or the day of Friday the 13th. It’s a good idea to have a couple of back-ups if the artist you like is full.
- Get there an hour or more early, especially if you have a particular artist in mind.
- Bring food and drinks but also make sure you empty your bladder beforehand.
- Flash tattoos typically start at $60 or $80 and go up from there. Look up the prices ahead of time and calculate in a tip (roughly about 20 percent). For my $80 tattoo, I gave a $20 tip for a total of $100.
- Not all shops accept credit cards so either check ahead or bring cash to be safe.
- If you don’t make it on the schedule, put yourself on a waitlist. It just might work in your favor.
Here are some shops participating in Friday the 13th this year. Note: This is not an exhaustive list.
- Ritual Tattoo & Gallery, 4241 Jason St., ritualtattoogallery.com, 303-455-1558, opens at 11 a.m., flash starts at $60
- Certified Customs, 1559 S. Broadway, certifiedcustoms.net, 720-366-6925, opens at 11 a.m., $20 tattoos and $20 piercings
- Marion Street Tattoo, 2823 E. Colfax Ave., marionstreettattoo.com, 303-832-3717, opens at 9 a.m., $13 small tattoos
- Landmark Tattoo, 609 E. 13th Ave., 303-955-4531, opens at noon, flash starts at $60
- Kitchens’ Ink Tattoo, 757 Santa Fe Dr., kitchens-ink.com, 303-573-3791, opens at noon, at least one artist is offering $31 flash
- Lifetime Tattoo, 1510 E. Colfax Ave., lifetimetattoodenver.com, 303-839-8088, opens at 11 a.m., $60 for a get-what-you-get tattoo, $100 to pick your design
Journalism doesn’t grow on trees. Please support The Denver Post.
Become a subscriber for only 99 cents for the first month.
[Read More …]
No comments:
Post a Comment