I, my youngest daughter, and my wife, decided to get our first tattoos back in 2017. I was looking to get some Japanese kanji tattooed on my left arm, while my wife wanted a lily on her ankle, and my ... Read More
I, my youngest daughter, and my wife, decided to get our first tattoos back in 2017. I was looking to get some Japanese kanji tattooed on my left arm, while my wife wanted a lily on her ankle, and my daughter decided she would get the same tattoo as mine on her back, and the same tattoo as my wife's on her ankle.I found Taka on Yelp. Taka works out of what looks like a small office or apartment that's used as a studio that he shares with one other artist. Because he's not always there, you have to make an appointment ahead of time (i.e., you can't just drop in). I emailed the images that we wanted, and he said it wouldn't be a problem. My daughter and I went on the first day, and it was a great experience. The atmosphere was nice and calm, the studio was very clean, almost like a medical office.Taka printed off the image I had sent, and he checked with me to see if it was the size that I wanted. When I gave my OK, he then printed off a temporary tattoo and transferred it to my arm. This was great, because then I could again check the size, and the placement, and if I wasn't happy with either, then he could just wipe the temporary tattoo off and start over before actually going to the needle.When I was happy with the size and placement, Taka got to work, going over the temporary tattoo with the needle and ink. My tattoo took about a half an hour. After me, my daughter got an image of a lily tattooed on her ankle. The next day, I, my daughter, and my wife went back so my daughter could get the same tattoo as I did on her back, and my wife got the same lily tattoo as our daughter on her ankle. We all loved the experience, and a year and a half later, we are still very happy with our tattoos. Don't know if I'll ever get another one, but if I do, I'll be going back to Taka.It can be a little hard to find the place because there's no signage. It's a half block west of St. Vincent Medical center on the south side of 3rd Street, and you'll have to find parking on the street. If you don't find any parking on 3rd Street, try going around the block. Please note again that he does not take any walk-ins because he is not there all the time; he shares the space with another artist, so you have to email to set up an appointment. Read Less