Kerry Linden, one of the owners of American Beauty Tattooing, is the perfect person to do tattoos.
Naturally, she's got an abundance of tats herself. Plus she has loads of experience tattooing others, is a fantastic artist, has a great work ethic, a congenial way of doing business, and has a terrific personality. We hit it off so well!
I have had tattoos for 40 years. I got them long before it was "acceptable" for women to have them. I remember back in the early '70s having to say to people in elevators or on the subway (the ones who were backing slowly away from me after spotting a tat or two), "It's OK, you have nothing to fear, I've never been to prison and my I.Q.'s over 135."
Now, at age 65, I wanted to get another tat to memorialize 25 years of marriage to my wonderful husband (who, alas, remains tat-less) by having a heart with his name in it, put on my upper arm.
I found Kerry online, after reading all the Yelp reviews, I was pretty sure she was the one. I left a message and she called me the same day. She requested a deposit and said she'd call me when the check arrived. I included a piece of clip art that resembled what I had in mind for my tat, and about a week later she called and we set an appointment.
When I arrived, Kerry had already sketched out a design for me and it was great. It took about an hour for the work to be done, and I couldn't be happier. Everything is healed up now and it looks great. I've been very careful to keep it hidden from my husband until the actual anniversary date. He's going to get a real thrill out of it.
I know that most women would feel 100% at ease in this shop. I'm sure a lot of men would too. I can't help but compare my experience at American Beauty with the ones I had in Chicago and Los Angeles. They are like night and day.
I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy a bit of rebellion back in the day. And I'm not saying that having a Rolling Stone's tongue tattooed to the middle of my chest while sitting in the front window of a tat parlor on Clark Street (near Wrigley Field - or whatever they call it now) so that everyone walking by could enjoy the show, wasn't exciting. However, as a senior citizen, I thought it would be prudent to rein myself in at this time. That's all I'm gonna say!
I got a tattoo here a couple weeks ago and the girl who did it was super amazing! I have 10 other tattoos and this one was by far the best one I've got yet! The shop was super clean and they made me feel really good about everything. My tattoo healed perfect. I will for sure be going back here
Review Source:Kerry and Michelle are amazing artists. I visited another shop in Bellevue and the guy was not so freindly trying to redesing what I wanted completly I left looked on my phone and found these ladies. They are super sweet and very freindly. I walked in told them what I wanted and Michelle designed it and sent me a picture/text the day before I got my tattoo. She designed exacatly what I wanted and I love it. When I got my tattoo she was so sweet and gentle with me since it was my first one. She took her time changed her gloves often and made it perfect. Im very happy with the job she did and all my freinds keep saying how beautiful it is. I love how its girl owned and operated as well. Give this place a try I highly reccomend it they are awesome!!!! They are also cheaper than the guys down the street which is a plus!
Review Source:Kerry was so great! I went in with a few ideas and talked with her about what I liked and she made an amazing piece of art for me! This is my 3rd tattoo and my favorite by far. I love the girl owned and operated shop. She made me feel welcome and comfortable right away. Please give them a shot, you will be so happy you did!
Review Source:Kerry Linden, the owner of American Beauty Tattoo, was my artist. I LOVE my tattoo! It's beautiful. She did an amazing job. The design and quality have received many compliments. Especially nice since it's quite visible.
Kerry was totally open to the ideas and concept I had and asked me to send or bring her pictures and examples of what I was looking for. We communicated initially via email then I went in for a brief consultation. My tattoo is on my foot and I appreciated that she was open with me about placement and areas that might not work so well such as very low on the foot. At the actual appointment we talked more about what I did and didn't want. She listened, took out a bic pen and drew a beautiful custom design freehand. I love how it turned out!
From our initial contact Kerry was very friendly and engaging. I especially appreciated this as the process of getting a tattoo is a bit nerve-provoking and a little bit intimidating. Kerry immediately put me at ease and I enjoyed our conversation during the almost two hours we spent together. She provided good information about the process as we went through it as well as how to take care of my tattoo afterwards. Â She also mentioned that she guarantees her work and will touch it up if it fades or there are any problems. I'm not sure if every artist does this or not.
I also appreciated that Kerry expressed enthusiasm about doing my tattoo and clearly had pride in her work. I didn't feel at all like I was just another random customer wanting to get some ink. For me, this tattoo has particular meaning so it was so nice to find an artist who I felt understood that and connected with me.
I should also mention that the shop was clean, sanitary and inviting. I was able to watch Kerry take the new implements out of their packaging and she was careful to change her gloves the one time she had to stop. The shop is to the east of 405 about a block from the Bellevue Whole Foods. It was easy to find and parking was available for free in the lot in front of the shop.
Getting another tattoo was something I thought long and hard about...I'm so glad I had it done where I did and that I have a tattoo artist in Kerry for life! It was important to me to have a woman tattoo artist but to also have one who was experienced and did quality work. Kerry was a great find!!
PS. And yes, it did hurt having a tattoo on my foot but it wasn't horrible. No worse than the one on my shoulder. It's such a lovely design I'm already thinking about how I can have Kerry add to it.
I am a returning customer (and will continue to return for every tattoo I get) of Michelle's! Her work is flawless and she always knows what I want (even when I can't picture it completely). I have given her creative freedom every time I have worked with her and and I have left each time with a gorgeous piece that I am proud to show off! She is talented, makes me feel comfortable with each visit, and takes my whining better than most artists would. I would recommend her to everyone (and I do on a daily basis!)
Review Source:Just wanted to give a shout out to Kerry at ABT for being as good as it gets!  I just got my second tattoo from her and couldn't be happier with the result.  She took a  tiny little image I emailed her and then freehand drew it on my wrist and hand.  She was meticulous and it looks awesome!  She is extremely professional, talented, and damn fine company.  Her shop is clean, cozy, and she plays great tunes while she works.  I was at ease the whole time.  Cheers to a talented woman and a well run business!
Review Source:I've had several tattoos done in the Seattle and Tacoma area, and I have never had a worse experience than with this shop. Â (I was tattooed by the owner, Gypsy Jill, so I have no experience with the other artist who works there.)
On the plus side, the shop is clean and the assistant is pleasant and helpful. Â Jill is enthusiastic and cheerful. Â However, this doesn't even begin to balance out how awful the artist's work is. Â I've seen other pieces she has done, and I can't figure out how she managed to f- up my tattoo as much as she did. Â She designed and started a large piece for me, but the tattoo was so bad I stopped going in after a few sessions. Â Every single line of the tattoo is wavy due a tremor in her hand. Â It was supposed to be a symmetrical piece, but one side is placed much farther forward. Â All of the lines have to be thickened in an attempt to cover this up.
She charges $200/hour (I think her rate changes depending on her mood or what she thinks you can afford) and then works slowly and talks quite a bit to stretch out the time. Â Her assistant then asked me to tip on top of it. Â Don't get me wrong, I have no problem paying well for something that's going to be on my body permanently. Â But 200/hour for the poor quality of work she is doing seems extremely unreasonable.
I consulted with a few artists about fixing and finishing the tattoo, and they couldn't believe it was done at an actual, professional shop. Â They thought it was an amateur job out of someone's garage or something. Â I was really excited about getting this tattoo, but working with Jill just left me with a bitter taste in my mouth and some really f-ed up body art.
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