My wife, Carrie, and I attended Opal's anniversary flash weekend on the 1st day. When we arrived, we showed the staff member the designs we picked and she told us any artist could do any design so we opted to take 1st available. After waiting, we realized that it was not actually a "first available" system but each person was allocated to a specific artist. I asked the staff if we could request Erin since we'd have to wait regardless and she had originally drawn our designs. I was told that Erin's list was full for the day but was reassured multiple times that Lex was completely capable of doing the designs we picked out. With that reassurance, we moved ahead with Lex. When mine were completed, they were wrapped in plastic. When Carrie came off the table, we were stunned at how different it looked from the original, how uneven the line work was, and Lex's complete lack of understanding of shading. We left the shop as quickly as possible. When I unwrapped mine, the lines skipped as if she moved too quickly and many were shaky and different widths at random points. I don't know if this is typical for Lex or if something was going on that day, but it is unacceptable.
I messaged the shop to let them know how disappointed I was and that I felt taken advantage of when I was repeatedly told any artist could do any design. Before sending photos of our tattoos, the owner, Zara, asked if ours was "the eye tattoo," leading me to believe that we were not the only ones. Zara offered two options to rectify -- rework the tattoos or give a full refund. We opted to have her rework them once healed. I reiterated that I hoped they would reconsider the process for the 2nd day and was shut down and told that we were the only ones who complained. Eventually, we were able to get on Zara's schedule and planned a consultation call. My text conversation with Zara was curt but I was still hoping we could turn it around. Zara was more helpful during the call, seeming to understand that we would need the lines fixed and add shading. She talked about some of the options and asked questions like if we'd be open to adding white ink. We left the call feeling a little more hopeful about the rework.
Rework appt: Zara again acted as if she were doing us a favor and like she didn't understand what we would need fixed. I again explained that I wanted the lines redone to clean them up and to make the outlines bolder to get the contrast from the original design. I tried to show a photo example and was cut off and told "the original doesn't matter because what's done is done." After 3 passes over the outline, asking to go bolder each time, I accepted it as good enough. Carrie got similar treatment and ended up with a tattoo that technically looks better but is still wobbly and VERY different from the original design. It is not a design she would have chosen outright. None of the ideas that she offered during the consultation such as adding white, etc. were offered at the appt.
This is not to say that these are bad artists, but the management of this flash day and following situation was disappointing. There doesn't seem to be accountability across artists at the shop, and the owner did not take any responsibility for the situation. A simple apology could have gone a long way. We each have 12+ tattoos and know what to expect. These were not complex tattoos and there is no excuse for the work that was done. Be wary of the info being given out at the shop (particularly on busier days), and make sure you research and choose a specific artist.
ETA: We were not informed of Lex's departure, and that does not change the fact that she did these tattoos while working there. While I do appreciate that Zara reworked them at no cost, I do not feel that equates to an apology or taking responsibility. We communicated our needs clearly on multiple occasions, and perhaps this was the best that could be done given original work. We ended up with tattoos that are not what we picked out or consented to. I feel the pictures here speak for themselves in that regard. read more