Black Anchor Collective

literally amazing.  I drove from 90 miles away, twice, for sittings with Carlos Rojas.  I booked with Carlos through his email address.  He's an extremely laid back guy with one thing on his mind, tattooing.  I read through some of these 1 star novel-length reviews before I went to get tattooed and well, I still went.  Why? The work spoke for itself.  I've been tattooed in several different cities and countries around the world.  My sitting with Carlos was by far #1.  He made the whole process professional, fun, and productive.  His machines are high quality and his work is top notch.  I had two sittings with him, and his main concern was me and my tattoo the entire time. How was I feeling, did I love the tattoo?  And yes, I LOVE IT.  Not only will you be treated politely and professionally, but you will also LOVE YOUR WORK.  It will wear you well, even after you're gone.  I recommend everyone to see any of the artists at Black Anchor Collective, but especially Carlos Rojas, as he will be tattooing for a LONGGGG time. Remember that these artists are extremely well-sought and you may have to wait for an appointment.  From what I noticed, each artist has their own appointments and calendars and you can't just call and make an appointment.  Like other tattoo shops, It's not like the dentist.  Try to contact the artist!  You won't be sorry!  The shop overall is extremely clean and the ambience of the shop puts the client at ease.  It's obvious that the artists are very in-tuned with their work and the shop environment reflects this.  

My only complaint would be some of the clientele (which may be due to the shop's massive following), as is the same with many shops.  Ultimately you get what you pay for and having to listen to people talk about the huge back piece they want to a haggle a price on, or trying to change a tattoo after half of it has been tattooed on you, well there's nothing BAC can change about that, but patrons should be more versed before stepping into this shop.  It can be for the novice, as long as you understand how the process works.

Either way it was money very well spent.

Carlos did an amazing job on my tattoo. Would go to him before anyone else

So, first off keep in mind that this review is based solely on the way my girlfriend and I were treated and not on the art itself since we never made it to the chair.  My girlfriend came up with the great idea of a tattoo vacation, so we both put in for one week off from work.  We put a lot of thought into who we wanted to do our work.  We decided on Carlos Rojas at Black Anchor Collective, since Nikko is nearly impossible to book at this point.  But none the less we researched out Carlos and his work, which we both loved, as he is a Sullen signed artist.

We called on June 26, 2012, and spoke with a guy on the phone who informed me that Carlos had a 2 month waiting list.  He stated that I had to go on Paypal and send the deposits of $200 per tattoo in order to make the appointment.  He also stated that Carlos charged $200 per hour.  I was fine with both, and called back the next day after sending the deposits.  I made an appointment for my girlfriend on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, and myself on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 (approximately 5 months out).  

So as time began to approach for our vacation, we began planning since we were coming in from about 6-7 hours away.  We booked a rental car, hotel, and pet boarding.  I called the shop and spoke with Dan approximately 2 weeks before the appointments and was told that everything was confirmed for the original dates.  The anticipation began to get to us as we envisioned our new ink.  

On October 29, 2012, after coming out from work I noticed a few missed calls from the shop and a voicemail.  I returned the call and was informed by Dan that he needed to reschedule my tattoo from Wednesday to the Saturday before.  I told him that I could not make it as I still had to work through Sunday before my vacation started.  He asked if I could make it in on the Monday before my appointment.  I told him I could, but we were not leaving until late morning Monday, so the earliest I would make it to the shop would be late afternoon/ early evening.  I informed Dan of all the planning involved in making this trip.  I told him I would sit for as long as he needed me to, but Dan stated that Carlos would not be willing to work that late.  Dan asked if I could bring my girlfriend in earlier in the day for her appointment, approximately 1000.  I told him that was fine.  Dan stated that Carlos was flying out for Australia on Tuesday night, and eventually stated that I could possibly get rescheduled for early January since Carlos was supposed to be in San Francisco (closer to me).  I told him that since I wasn't being given any other options, I would figure it out when I was there that Tuesday.  So I was cancelled at this point, but my girlfriend was still on.  I could deal with that.

On November 4, 2012 (day before our vacation), I received call from Matt at the shop stating that he was going to have to reschedule my appointment.  I told him that I had already rescheduled my appointment with Dan.  Matt told me that he was calling regarding the Tuesday appointment.  I told Matt that I had already rescheduled it for earlier in the day.  Matt stated that Carlos no longer wanted to tattoo on Tuesday so he wouldn't have to rush... REALLY?!?!?!?  At this point my girlfriend and I lost it.  I just told Matt that I wanted to be refunded my deposits since obviously Carlos didn't want to tattoo us.  I told him that this is exactly why I booked the appointments so long ago.  Matt told me that it was against shop policy to refund deposits.  I lost it telling him that we were not the reason that these tattoos weren't getting done.  Carlos agreed to refund the deposits.  In other words... VACATION BLOWN!!!

All I have to say is if you're lucky enough to make it to the chair, I'm sure you'll be more than happy with the work.  Unfortunately the shop makes it hard for paying customers to make it that far as it seems like they put us last behind their own agendas.  I understand that Black Anchor is a shop of renowned artists who aren't struggling for clients.  But all of them must have forgot that they didn't start off that way.  I will never again even attempt to give any of my business to this shop, even if Nikko himself would do it.