Damask Tattoo

Let me first say......I am VERY picky about who puts ink on me. I started getting tattoo in the day of scratchers and am so thrilled with the evolution of the craft; we have great artists to choose from. That said.....Suzanna Fisher is so worth a very serious look. Her art and the healed work are breathtaking. She took my concept/pendant and created what has proven to be my most profound and cherished piece. She is professional, a highly gifted artist, quick and painless, and a really cool person. What more could you want? Thanks Suzanna!

I wanted to try and be different from all the other 5 star reviews, but I can't help it [insert squeals of excitement]. I am so thankful to have chosen Damask Tattoo as my first go-to place for my FIRST tattoo ever. And more meaningful than being my first tattoo, it was with my sister whom I made a promise to three years ago that I would wait for her to turn 18.

How and why did I settle for Damask Tattoo? Simple as 1,2,3. I read hundreds of reviews [not joking] on different tattoo places in Seattle. [my friends were like, why did you go all the way up to Seattle? Why not go local, somewhere in Tacoma?] I was like, uh, this is P-E-R-M-A-N-E-N-T. I mean I'm all for being spontaneous and all about trying new places and such AND there are many talented artists that may not have made it big yet and are so-called "hidden gems" but I need to rely myself on reviews from Yelp about their experience... not go to a place that has 1-2 reviews that say, "yea they were great" ... not reliable enough. Anyways, back to the question of why? I studied Interior Design a while back and fell in love with the pattern called "Damask", I thought this was a sign! Plus, from their photos, the place looked so classy and neat I was like totally falling in love. So we went for it.

Having been from Tacoma, driving was a pain ... the first time and the last time. For our consultation appointment/ $60 deposit [mandatory] we were about 20 minutes late. Our Tattoo Artist was Laura (: I immediately liked her with her sleeves full of ink and bright aquamarine hair color! She was just perfect. On the other hand, my sister was expecting to go to a shop with grungy stereotypical style with big scary guys that would be inkin' up our wrists. I mean, it could be cool to say, "yea, I got tatted by some scary looking macho guy" but I get to say, the artist had blue hair and even had a sea-themed sleeve with a big tiger on the other! Way classier, yo.

Here comes the scary part, the only thing that had gotten me super nervous was the "stencil drawing" Laura had sent me through e-mail a week before the session. I was like, "oh my gosh.... this looks ... totally not what I want.. it looks ugly?!" but little did I know... that she didn't include the SHADING!! Of course, it would look hideous without the shading [which is the biggest detail I wanted]. What did I get, are you curious as you read this review? Well, I got two feathers that are tied at the tip of the quill with a fluffy little bow ribbon. My sister just got a simple cross on the inside of her wrist.

[important note: my sister and I were basically an hour late for our session!! We even left Tacoma an hour early, the GPS said it will take 50 minutes, and well... unfortunately the GPS did not warn us about traffic nor construction going up in Seattle. Plus, Queen Anne is like... the tip of Seattle which makes it just as long to drive through all that nasty traffic. I was hoping Laura wouldn't be too angry but she was super chill, thanks Laura].

As for the actual session, we were sat down one by one, she went through the details on what she was holding and cleaning and preparing. It didn't seem that scary. Okay, maybe the GIANT needle [which doesn't go inside your skin like at a doctor's office] was pretty intimidating. Little did we worry since Laura explained that she only uses the tiny tip at the end of the needle to "poke" us.

My sister went first, although... I waited almost 4 years to get my first tattoo... and she waited, what? A month? haha, ridiculous! But it was all worth it.

It's only been two days and I have gotten so many compliments and I just can't stop staring at it. It's beautiful. I wouldn't have gone anywhere else to get this specific tattoo done. Because it was my first, I was nit-picky about reading her profile on the website and staring like a creeper on her designs to see if she can make what I want. I mean, it's going to be on my wrist forever, ya know? Her bio said something about plants and animals and such so feathers would have been in her category, I think.

I will leave out the details about the rating of pain since each person has a different pain tolerance so for a first-timer, I will say, "not bad, not bad at all". Plus, I will definitely keep in mind to come back for my next ones [yes, plural] back to Laura unless I move out of the state or something. Most likely, I will be moving up to Seattle anyways.

I just want to give a huge thanks to Laura for making this happen and making it super awesome. I know, people always say it's so cool, I am so happy, and whatnot but having to wait for so long, it was dreadful. I mean I was even considering not getting a tattoo... ever ... but I am glad to have met Laura and have her as my first tattoo artist (:

I got permanent makeup done (eyebrows and top + bottom eyeliner).  The price was very competitive, especially considering the quality.  I interviewed a couple of other permanent cosmetics artists, but went with Christy because she was the most realistic about the healing process, cautious about making sure I made the right decisions, and has such a good portfolio.  

I have five other tattoos, so I wasn't an absolute novice, but it was really not a painful process.  She treats the area with a numbing cream before she tattoos you, and she double checks to make sure it won't hurt you.  The only unpleasant part is the next day, when you swell up and feel a bit under the weather.  And the scabbing, which lasts about 5 days after each treatment (there are 2). But it is SO WORTH IT - it's been 4 months now, and people are still asking me if I've lost weight, gotten a tan, and a host of other things that haven't happened - I just look healthier now, and it's not noticeable at all that I have permanent makeup.  Just looks like I'm always wearing very nicely done eyeliner, and I have beautifully defined eyebrows.  One of the best parts (there are so many!) is that I jump out of bed, put on some blush, and head to work - "doing makeup", and having it dripping into my eyes by noon, is a thing of the past.  When I feel fancy, I slap on a little mascara.  

So basically, this was the best present I ever gave myself - and given how much time I save, is a definite improvement in quality of life.  If I could volunteer to do infomercials for Christy, I would!