Questions, answered

Send an enquiry from the contact page, message us on Instagram, or call (480) 277-1909. Tell us what you want, roughly what size, and where on your body. We reply within one business day with a quote and a time estimate.

We are appointment only, because we book one guest at a time and there is rarely a gap. Call ahead if you are hoping to be seen the same day and we will tell you honestly whether there is space.

A deposit holds your appointment and comes off the final price. It moves with you if you reschedule with at least 48 hours notice. With less notice, or if you do not turn up, the deposit covers the time that was held for you and a new one is needed to rebook.

One person, yes. The room is small and a crowd changes the atmosphere for everyone, including you. Children cannot be in the room during a procedure.

Eat a proper meal within a couple of hours, bring photo identification, skip alcohol the night before, and wear something that gives easy access to the placement. There is a fuller list on the booking page.

18 or older, with valid government issued photo identification. We cannot tattoo minors, with or without a parent present.

Less than most people expect. A single needle scratches rather than vibrates. Ribs, sternum, spine and the tops of feet are sharper. Outer arm and thigh are easy. Eating beforehand makes more difference than anything else you can control.

The surface heals in two to three weeks, the deeper layers over four to six. Flaking between days four and fourteen is normal, and the tattoo often looks dull or patchy during that stage. The aftercare guide walks through it week by week.

Fine line work cannot cover an existing tattoo. There simply is not enough ink in it to hide anything underneath, and anyone who tells you otherwise is going to disappoint you. What we can do is design something that sits alongside existing work, follows a scar, or fills a gap. Send photographs and we will give you an honest answer.

It will soften. Fine line work carries less ink than bold traditional work, so it settles lighter, and we size and space the linework expecting that. Placement matters most. Hands, fingers and feet fade fastest. Sunscreen once healed is the single biggest thing you can do.

Yes. Drawings, screenshots, a photograph of someone's handwriting, whatever you have. If a design belongs to another artist we will ask you to get their blessing, or we will draw something in the same spirit that is yours.

Always a single use, sterile hollow needle, for everything including lobes. Guns cannot be properly sterilised and they force blunt jewelry through tissue rather than making a clean channel.

Lobes settle in two to three months. Cartilage piercings take six to twelve months, even though they feel fine much sooner. Piercings heal from the outside in, so looking healed and being healed are different things. There is a full table on the piercings page.

Initial jewelry is fitted slightly long to leave room for swelling. Once that settles, six to twelve weeks in, the extra length starts to snag and can angle the piercing. Your first downsize is included in what you already paid, so please do come back for it.

Usually two or three cartilage piercings, spread across both ears where possible. Lobes are gentler so more is fine. Four fresh holes in one ear makes sleeping miserable and the swelling from one affects the next.

Please call the studio before booking. What is required differs by piercing and by age, and we will tell you exactly what identification and consent we need so nobody has a wasted trip.

Message us and come in. Most irritation comes from sleeping on it, changing jewelry early, or a bar that needs downsizing, and all three are fixable. There is no charge for looking at a piercing we did. If you have spreading redness, heat, thick discharge or a fever, leave the jewelry in and see a doctor.

Plating is a thin skin of gold over cheaper base metal. Inside a piercing channel it wears through and puts whatever is underneath against your tissue. We fit implant grade titanium or solid gold only.

Not for a fresh piercing. Once healed, bring it in and we will check the material and sizing and fit it for you. Wrong sizing is the most common cause of irritation we see, so it is worth the small fitting fee.

Once fully healed, yes, though threadless ends take practice. While healing, please let us do it. Taking jewelry out early is the most common reason a piercing closes or gets angry.

4206 N Goldwater Blvd, just off Fifth Avenue in Old Town Scottsdale. There is free public parking in the Old Town garages a few minutes walk away. Full directions and a map are on the visit page.

Yes. Ground floor and step free. If you have specific access needs, call ahead and we will have everything set up before you arrive.

No. We do not tattoo or pierce anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding. It is simply not a risk worth taking, and we will happily hold your idea until afterwards.

Yes, we take private bookings and pop-up events. Get in touch with your date, rough guest numbers and what you have in mind, and we will come back with what is possible.