Frequently Asked Questions:

PRICING:

How much is this going to cost?

This is probably one of the hardest questions to answer without seeing any reference. We price each piece at an hourly rate or if a piece is small enough, just bid it our directly. The shop rate is $120 an hour, with a $60 minimum. To give you an idea, a kanji [or Chinese or Japanese alphabet character] that is about an inch and half by an inch and a half would be sixty dollars, the more you add to it the more time it will take and thus the price will go up accordingly.

Even if you wanted a single little dot, that would be $60- we can’t go below this price. Before you think this is too much, look at the quality of the work in the portfolios. You will see that all the lines are crisp, the fields of colors are consistent, and it will heal up perfectly. Also we stand behind every tattoo that we do and leaves this shop, so long as you follow the artist prescribed aftercare, we will do any retouches free of charge. Remember think of your tattoo as an investment that will be there until the day you die. Will saving $20 now seem like a good idea in 10, 20, 50 years?

As mentioned before, larger pieces are at an hourly rate. To give you an idea of how long various body parts take to tattoo here are some guidelines to consider:

Full back-piece: 40-50 hours

Full sleeve: 25-35 hours

Half sleeve: 12-20 hours

Quarter sleeve: 6-10 hours

Full rib / chest piece: 25-30 hours

Full calf [ankle to knee]: 10-14 hours

*Again these are just guidelines, and are to give you an idea of how much time and commitment is required for large-scale tattoos.

AVAILABILITY:

Do you do walk-ins?

Yes we do, but appointments are always preferred. If you were to call early in the day and we say we have openings that is not a guarantee you will be able to get in later as that we will not take appointments over the phone. So if you want a specific time, simply stop in with any reference you have, and make an appointment for later that day. We require a $20 deposit, which will come off the cost of the tattoo, and that holds your timeslot. With all that said, we will do our best to get you in with one of our accomplished artists as soon as possible, and in the best way to accommodate your schedule.

What are the best ways to make an appointment?

The absolute best way is to just come on by the shop. If you have a very specific image in mind, bring in any reference you have, we aren’t mind readers. If you have more of a concept that you want to be fleshed out [ignore the pun], come in and talk to the artist. We know some of our clients travel a great distance to get tattooed, and it may be hard to ‘just stop on by’. In that case call as soon as you know when you want to get tattooed and we will get you the appropriate artists e-mail address. This saves time on both ends since messages won’t be lost, and the direct contact will give each of you a better understanding of what is being expected.

If you are traveling from a distance, we are glad to help you in whatever way we can, be it recommending places to stay, ways to get around or things to do all depending on your comfort level and personal interests. Located centrally between LA and San Francisco on the coast, San Luis Obispo County has an array of things for all ages so that if mom wants to get tattooed, dad can take the kids to do various activities. We can also recommend some nightspots worth checking out depending on your tastes.

Here are a few links to help you along:

San Luis Obispo County

http://www.sanluisobispocounty.com/

Central Coast Tourism Council

http://www.centralcoast-tourism.com/sanluisobispo.htm

San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce

http://www.visitslo.com/

Paso Robles Wine Alliance

http://www.pasowine.com/

Sycamore Mineral Springs

http://www.sycamoresprings.com/

Lake Lopez Recreation Park

http://www.slocountyparks.com/activities/lopez.htm

CLEANLINESS:

Is there any possibility of getting AIDS or Hepatitis?

Not from us. All of our needles are single-use, disposables. That means they arrive sterilized, we open them in from of you, and after your tattoo they are disposed of in a sharps container [which are destroyed off site]. The ink is poured into a single-use, disposable cap and that is thrown away at the end of the tattoo as well. Also all surfaces have a barrier placed over them to prevent biohazard from collecting on them. In addition to this, all tools that are not disposed of after a tattoo are autoclaved in the same way a doctor or dentist’s office would sterilize their tools. These practices mean there is a ZERO percent chance of cross-contamination. Your safety is our number one concern and we are, by no means, going to put you in jeopardy. To re-enforce this all of our artists have been trained in cross-contamination, as well as basic first-aid and CPR. If you have any questions ask us, we want you know how seriously we take your health