Hi Sage,

I am thinking about getting my first tattoo. Actually, I have been thinking about it for 9 years now and am finally almost there. I have always changed my mind about what tattoo I would choose - I have some ideas and but would need to talk to the artist about them. Would also need to take a look at examples.

Anyway I thought this would be a great thing to do with my best friend who now lives in Phoenix (I live in Boston and will be visiting in October). He has several tattoos but has been thinking of getting another so I said I would do the research. I have to say your website it the best by far. I have been worried about finding a safe, cleanly environment and your website puts my fears to rest. Also - I was worried about getting a bad tattoo (every time I see my brother-in law's - I cringe) - the examples on the website put my fears to rest.

I just have a question about moles - is it a bad idea to tattoo over one?

I see you accept walk-ins - do people come in and talk to you first and then go from there - or do you recommend an appointment?

Also - do you require a deposit or anything if we make an appointment?

Thanks,
Christine

Also - praise again for the website… I find it comforting (to me this is a big deal) and a good web site really helps if you are not in the area.

Thank you so very much for the praise, we put a lot into that site and constantly update it with new and educational things. We try to get you the most up to date information in order to aid you in making the best decision regarding your art.

I just have a few questions for you, are you at least 18? We do not tattoo minors. We feel that this is a major decision and should only be handled by an adult.

I have thousands of pieces you could look at here at the shop and I employ 4 other world renowned artists, with portfolios that you can look at to get ideas. We can go from literally anything!

The question about the moles- Are they raised? Have you had a doctor check them for pre-cancerous lesions? If so, did he say it was o.k. to tattoo over them. We do tattoo over moles but they should be flat with the skin and normal in color. meaning not red or bumpy and pre-cancerous. In which case we ask the client to see a doctor first. Your health is the first issue here. When they are raised as in people who are overweight, it tends to be hard to tattoo them due to the elevation. so we try to go around the moles, tattooing up to but not including the mole.

We do accept walk-ins daily but prefer appointments because we are so busy that sometimes people have to wait a couple of hours to get in. And that can impede with your schedule. For our appointments we take a refundable $50.00 deposit, that goes towards the price of the tattoo and should you decide not to get tattooed, we refund the money. The only case in which the money is not refundable is if you do not cancel within 24 hours and/or just don't show up.

What are your ideas? Do you have anything to go from? We are all artists and love to do custom work more than anything, so if you send me a picture or give me some ideas I can draw anything for you. There is no limit to where we could go. But again, I have to tell you that we have thousands of pre-made designs on the walls for those who need some inspiration.

We accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover and would love to help you with your tattoo.

Please keep me informed of your pending arrival and if you want we can set up a consultation appointment which cost you nothing and we can kind of brainstorm ideas until we come up with the perfect tattoo for you!

Thanking you again for your wonderful questions and letter.

At your service,
Sage