Popular Piercings and How they Got That Way

All Piercings By Kathleen Langley @ Lucky 7 Tattoo and Piercing, North Tahoe, Ca.

Author Malcom Gladwell has a wonderful book titled "The Tipping Point." One amazing fact I took away from his work in this tome;  how a few "special " people heavily influence fickle humanity toward a product or service. Just a spoken thought or action - what these "special" people may or may not wear, gobble up for lunch, goods and services they personally favor, purchase, etc - others take notice and follow.  Author Gladwell coins these influential consumers "Connectors."   

No amount of advertising dollars or clever social media marketing campaigns can accomplish what these incredible "Connectors" do. Really there is no thought to it on the Connectors part. These people just go through life enjoying themselves, taking in the best of what they find or discover out in the consumer world. Yet the difference between them and the general consumer masses is this: the folks that know these special Connectors look up to them in some way, admire what they know, who they know, and the products they use. Maybe it is admiration or charisma that others are attracted to. Whatever "IT" is these Connectors have - to a business they are very valuable!

    

Product and service providers cannot buy this "thing" that these certain people possess. 

Surface Piercing near Tragus by Kathleen Langley @ Lucky 7 Tahoe

    As a body piercer just shy of 20 years in my chosen profession, certain years have been very popular for particular piercings. A few of these "trending" piercings were set off by celebrities. When the Aerosmith video for the song "CRYIN" hit the MTV airwaves. Alicia Silverstone went on a coming of age journey in the video, with the highlight being a trip to a body piercer for the cutting edge hoop through her flat 16 year old naughty school girl stomach. Belly button piercings instantly became my bread and butter.

Naval Piercings, "90's Style Hoops" (captive bead rings)  By Kathleen Langley

At the time in the early 1990's - at the bare minimum, 6 of my customers per day requested this cutting edge, midriff adornment. In 2012 the naval piercing have morphed into a right of passage for the 16 to 18 set. Marking important birthdays. In marking their 18th birthday, belly piercings mark "not needing Ma or Pa's permission any longer" to do what they like to their own temple. For other ladies over 18, many come in for a belly barbell after a painful divorce from a controlling man. Or perhaps after working on their fitness, getting a more toned bod, wanting to show off a sexy new core. No matter the decade, or the decade of life these woman are in - the example is set by the trendsetters of their peer group.

"Evolution of the Naval Piercing"- Triple Naval Piercing by Kathleen Langley @ Lucky 7 Tattoo & Piercing-Lake Tahoe

     The last 2 years at Lucky 7 we have had an explosion of what I like to call "hardcore ear project" piercings. Not your average "double lobe" or ear rim. clients are asking for piercings that are crazy to see, yet tucked away under hair as to not upset bosses or parents paying for college. Executing these projects takes me to the limit of my skill set-and I dig the challenge!

Cheek/Dimple Piercing by Kathleen @ Lucky 7 Tahoe

On the t.v. program "Brett Micheal's Rock of Love" , one of the contestants rocked pierced cheeks.  Well, once this rare dimple style hardware was noticed, it took off like a rocket! This is a difficult piercing to do-as the area is hard to reach with fingers or tools. Plus, saliva glands can be damaged with the procedure quite easily. Each of my clients know the pitfalls BEFORE i pick up the needle. Many decided against having it done after knowing the details. But look at my beautiful chipmunk cheeked model with hers. Gorgeous!

"Miss Spear" wearing a "Triple Orbital" ear rim piercing By  Kathleen Langley
Lucky 7 Tattoo and Piercing North Lake Tahoe, Ca.

The orbital piercing is another challenge. Must be measured perfectly, as well as using 3 one inch needles. A needle prick waiting to happen! Clients must be informed of a long healing period. In addition, these multiple site piercings can take a year or more to heal all the way. In 2002 I had a client with so many of these piercings she had to sleep with her head laying on a round pillow with a hole in the middle to avoid discomfort! Now that is some dedication to the lifestyle! Many piercers will tell the customers to get 3 seperate rim piercing with 3 individual hoops to heal in. Then after initial healing, try and switch to the style of jewelry to the type seen here. I do not use this method, as I want the jewelry to work with the angles I create using measuring and the way I tilt the needles. This creates the least amount of friction for a lifetime of wear.

   

  Miss Spears wearing this piercing will create demand at her school this year. She will be the one to follow, to set the fashion. And I thank the Gods and Goddesses that business is good from CONNECTORS like her and all the young ones featured in this post. So do something new, be creative, and lets stick some new metal in ya!   Kathleen Langley L7T2

Naughty Nigerian Email Scams, Computers and the Modern Tattoo Shop.

Crazy to think just 11 years ago we didn't even have a computer of any kind in Lucky 7 Tattoo. No previous shop I had worked in or owned had any type of computer. Not until 1998 did my boss in Sac Town even buy a copier for the business. Staff had to jog 3 blocks to Kinko's, enlarge or reduce the image, then run back the way we came. Dripping with sweat and panting apologies to the waiting client. After years of this foot race for the shop girls - one hot and smoggy afternoon in July -  my boss had to make this Kinko's trip himself  (for his first and last time.) At that turning point he decide to crack open his money clip and call the I.B.M. salesman.

Up until a few years ago, a great deal of the tattoo designs were either sheets of "flash", which are large pieces of white paper with anywhere from 1 to dozens of drawings of tattoo patterns -usually grouped together by similarities, like all butterflies, etc.. Each shop had  many of these "flash sheets" on hand, drawn by the shops artists.In older street shops, some or even all of these sheets were purchased from supply companies to the tattoo trade. Needed too were books. These were a huge investment, yet very necessary and a vital supply to have for reference. At the very top of the tattoo shop heap were the artists who would draw each design from scratch. Difficult in the best of circumstances, doing the best you could to have the customer describe what they saw in their minds eye, then to have them explain the tattoo in terms you can follow and create on paper. At the time the designs requested were at least simpler than today. Most tattoos followed the straight ahead traditional Americana patterns of bold lines, simple details -tried and true designs that had been around forever.

Flash By Corey Boobar, 2001

Everything changed last decade, at least on the forward thinking West Coast. As extensive tattooing became more seen in public, and true artist's with a love for the medium joined the ranks, new thinking opened up the tattoo industries creative mind. One of a kind tattoos became the "it" ink to have. Picking a design off the wall of the shop was deemed "not cool" and "thoughtless". The public at large decided each tattoo must have "meaning". For tattooers who worked at the art it was a somewhat welcome and challenging change. For the 'Biker Bob's" of the tattoo world, who had only been able to trace the predetermined flash designs of the past, were shit out of luck. The either evolved or perished - most sinking in to the shame of the latter.

Flash by Ben Karnofsky, 2011

With small computers coming on line to almost everyone in the new millennium - hard and fast - it helped tattoo artists and their customers tremendously. Not only with all kinds of  information at their fingertips to aid in the design of ink but also in finding good tattoo shops and their artists. Only a decade ago most people in search of a tattooer just picked a place near their home. Or looked up "tattoo parlors" listed in the phone book yellow pages. Yeesh, that is scary. Now each and every week we receive a new client from Yelp or another Social Media site. You can pick up your smart phone and see the style and vibe of an artist work. Or see what others have said about a shop and their personal experience with the staff. That is cool! A good deal of appointments, the prep work that goes in to the design, etc are done online through email. This helps our guys at Lucky 7 get the design kinks worked out before an appointment.The client doesn't have to keep stopping by to make suggestions or request changes. That makes the artist and the client much happier.

Flash By Russell Fortier, 2004

So this all loosely leads up to my Nigerian Scam story. I, as I am sure many of you, have had an unsolicited email or two arrive to our inbox. Telling some story of sadness from across the ocean. Many times it is from someone who claims to be very rich and very important, perhaps even a "government official". But darn their bad luck, even with all their riches and connections they need YOU to "help" them out of a jam. Which, after you "help" them out of their jam, you will receive thousands of dollars! All by cashiers check!

Starting about 6 years ago Lucky 7 received an email offer of outstanding proportions. The author of the email wrote in that clipped, slang version or proper English with many misspellings. The subject line directing me to "PAY ATTENTION AT ONCE!!!". Doing as I was told I cracked open the body of the email to learn the Nature of what this person wanted from Lucky 7:
 He was going to be sending a cashiers check, made out to Lucky 7, in the amount of $5100. He is the manager of a "very famous musical group" coming to play my area in 5 months time. The band members would arrive one by one in a limousine. Each band member wanted a tattoo. The tattoo designs requested were as followed: "Clocks, houses, MOMS, bicycles and songbirds." As there are 11 members of the band, and the cashiers check was made out for "too much money", I should send a cash refund of $2900 immediately after Lucky 7 received the band managers cashiers check. Um......WOW...

Obviously this clown was trying to trick bag me and Lucky 7. We received this email, in one version or another, at least 15 more times over the years with a slight variation or 2 in the "Tattoo Designs" requested by "THE MUSICAL GROUP". What I usually would send as an answer was:

HOW IS THE WEATHER IN NIGERIA?

Funny, I never got an answer or response from the musical group manager. Sometimes I like to ponder what others do in response to these emails. One great soul turned the tables on these guys, made the "Nigerian Church Official" get a tattoo to prove his devotion to the "church" in America who was going to send the Nigerian lots of money for his "Earthquake Relief Efforts". Go to www.419Eater.com if you want the whole funny story. Brilliant stuff!  Toodles kids!

“So Long Dolphins, Tribal Arm Bands and Lower Back Tattoos…Hello Inside Fingers!”

“So Long Dolphins, Tribal Arm Bands and Lower Back Tattoos…Hello Inside Fingers!” Thought I would take us all back through a couple of decades of what has been “In & Out” as far as trends in the tattoo industry. Let us see where we have traveled, stayed awhile, then said a fond “fair well” to. Tattooing as well as piercing has hit quite the stride in the last 6 years. Meaning it is trendy and soared in popularity. Tattooing in the United States has boomed before, yet never like this.  That’s why there is an over supply of walk in shops and new “tattooers” everywhere you turn. The current situation will right it self over time. Shops that under serve clients with mediocre tattoos and piercing will fumble along and quietly close when the surge slows. Those who are great at what they do with rise to the top like cream, and continue to grow in skills, attracting customers along the way. While this has all been happening tattooing and piercing trends have come and (thankfully) gone. Designs and ideas that once were very popular and a “must have”- then after a few years time burned itself out and left many with something they dig. That reminds them of a time and place in their life - or sadly- a decision made in haste and looking more dated then a pair of Sassoon High Waist Mom Jeans. Back in the early 1990’s as shops started to be less “Biker Bobs” and younger, hipper artists and spaces sprouted up, a surge of “New Skool” designs began to develop. This style of tattoos took the tried and true staple of “Americana” tattoos that had been around forever and spun them with modern color palates, edgy design ideas and developed familiar yet a completely new feeling about them. Tattoo Artists themselves dug creating traditional styles without it seeming to be just like everything else that had been done the last 50 years. The public saw that tattoos could be something different than the same old same old they have seen forever. Over the next 5 years these tattoos broke open the pre-conceived fixed beliefs of what could be tattooed. Graffix Bong Logo 1990's by Corey Boo By the year 2000 these “gotta have it” -  new style ink had waned. What had once seemed crazy and cool didn’t age so well. Looked a bit silly on a middle aged man working at Whole Foods. But it had served a great purpose of getting everyone out of the rut of the same styles since the Korean War. This art is still gracing the flash racks and watercolor paintings of many a shop. Free standing “tits with bones” and “kewpie doll heads in roses” will be a part of most new artist programs forever. Coming up with these types of funky ideas and art are the second rung of the ladder in developing basic street shop skill sets this class of artists need. In the mid 90’s Little Green Men, Alien Heads and their spaceships had a solid 3 year run. Aliens were always colored some shade of green, shaped with pointy chins and enormous, empty black almond shaped eyes. Customers made this sticker type tat a  prominent part in sleeves of the lower arm. Seemed to be favored by young males under 24 years of age who fostered a deep affection for Graphix Water pipes - and that never met a sack of weed they didn’t like. Side note: I once worked with a chick who’s primary tattoo artist  was famous for his well executed alien tattoos. This co worker decided she wanted a Vargas style female pin up on her upper arm. Sadly the pin up tattoo head looked pretty much like an alien head with human features. This design did not come out as she had hoped. She knew it, I knew it, yet it went unspoken that she had a pin up with the skull of an alien. So, like most trends,  by the year 2000 these designs had completely disappeared from flash racks. During the Clinton Presidency “Bio Mechanical” aka “BIOMEC” for you hip kids out there - became the “IT“ tattoo for fellas. This design style of “robot innards” being seen through torn away human skin looked wicked bad ass in the years of TERMINATOR movies. Like tearing apart your dads first COMPAQ computer, peering in to see what makes it tick. A few very creative artists took this to a crazy level, imagining entire limbs of their clients body as a futuristic nightmare. Well executed and containing more ins and outs than a Pat Fish Celtic back piece. So that it seemed as if their clients body and some crazy humanistic mechanics were fused.  Some Biomec Flash Then we have the scratchers who sadly attempted this very difficult style, hacking  people to bits…..making a sad attempt to further their “tattoo skills.” These poor folks who asked the under skilled tattooers for what they clearly were not capable of got terrible tattoos that you could not even hedge a guess as to what the tattooer was trying to convey with the design. Those attempts at mechanical realism brought the whole trend to a crashing halt. Now and then I will hear about an artist in Ohio or Delaware that “kicks ass” at Biomec….and I always thing about how great that would have been…… 14 years ago. Being a water sign myself, I have always had an attraction to the sea and other bodies of water. Doesn’t matter how cold, windy, rainy, whatever. If water is nearby I want to go and wade knee deep or watch it while sipping on a cold water or hot coffee. Something primal in me digs it…any how I guess that’s why I can relate to folks who desire dolphin tattoos. The certainly come across as friendly creatures from the sea, kinda like the “dog of the oceans.” Man’s friend on cruise ships and ship wrecks. In tattoo designing dolphins can also be made into various secondary designs such as hearts and yin / yang’s. Seems pretty simple….but our ocean friends certainly are not easy to tattoo and make them look good. Matter of fact some of the worst tattoos I have seen are poorly done are dolphins. Monochromatic with one bright blue swipe of pigment - no highlights or contrast. Zero consideration or thought to the creatures expression or movement. EEK. Well, these gracefully mammals had a great ride appearing on ankles, lower backs and shoulders for about 6 years….but now they sadly have been pushed into the “not too cool” category by the very women who use to get weepy eyed over the “mother and baby dolphin swimming” flash. Dolphin Tattoo Fix-Up by Corey Boobar In the 90’s, Chinese Symbols, or KANJI were inked on occasion. Customers working on sleeves that resembled patch work quilts liked to cram that design type in areas with very little room for something bigger. These symbols were around most shops, but having a large collection on hand not very common. By 2000, they suddenly became THE TATTOO. No lie, at Lucky 7 we inked a minimum of 3 a week, and that is when it was off season, with only 2 full time artist working. When this tattoo started to catch fire Lucky 7 took extra time to research where to buy flash designs we could trust. That all the symbols meant what the person who produced the flash sheets said. However not every shop was that ethical….far too many customers ended up with “Chicken Chow Mein” rather than the “Serenity” or “Love” they had dreamed of. In addition to these misbegotten words, poor execution of the brush stroke used to build the symbols could mistakenly turn a character that was suppose to mean “Family”, and morph that into “Fornicator.” Furthermore it seems that some Asian people delighted in scaring black, middle class kids in sushi joints by telling them the design meant something completely different than what they had thought when the tattoo was inked. Funny, but mean. So by 2004 these clean little tats were everywhere and became too mainstream for the trendsetters and followers to want any longer. We do have one client with a sleeve who got a couple of them that were very funny. One said “Golden Shower” and the other said “Fecal Matter.” Now that’s comedy! By Ben Karnofsky And finally we have the Grand Daddy of trendy. The number one with a bullet! Can you guess what it is? I know some of you were wondering if I was going to bring it up, some of you have completely erased it from your minds, and other may still secretly want one. We are talking about the Tribal ARM Band. Tribal had been creeping into the 90’s at a slow and steady rate since the late 80’s. A few well known and talented tattoo artists brought this style to the attention of their customers. Many people who didn’t care much for the traditional Americana tattoos “clicked” with the well executed clean line work, body forming aesthetics and the way the tattoo could represent “something“, though  the designs were not  straight forward images. Now you could get a  cool design that was new and original…..until it caught on with the sports crowds. Tribal Arm Band Flash A few sports stars chose tribal to be a “rebel“ in their leagues. Once that action took place look the hell out! These sports stars were seen every weekend by lots of male fans nationwide, so an explosion of tribal arm bands began. Easy to cover for work, yet looked good hanging out it bars with a cut off sleeve t shirt. Adding gasoline to the inferno was George Clooney. Rocking a very large tribal piece that crept its way on to Georges neck in the movie “From Dusk Til Dawn.”  The ladies were not left out of this party either. Some females opted for a smaller, thinner more delicate looking version of the guys tribal arm bands - (with the section under the arm missing because it hurt too much there.) In these feminine designed bands  flowers, hearts or their beloveds name in tiny letters were added….which I believe morphed into what many call the lower back “Tramp Stamp” - I prefer the name “California License Plate.” Sounds classier some how…This hybrid design style located ,near a ladies undies, shot out like a cannon. Everywhere you looked low rise jeans and g strings were giving way to an abundance of ink splashing out each time a lady kneeled down in front of you. Sometimes it looked amazing, but sometimes it hurt the eyes. Especially when the carrier and/or the ink were not put together too well. Catch my drift.!?! Once again a backlash began around 2004. For the men, a few clever beer commercials made them feel bad about their once “cool” band. Shirt sleeves were no longer lifted in victory when asked “ Do you have any tattoos?” by drunk, divorced single mothers at the local watering hole. Now the defeated ESPN junkies slowly replied “ Yeah, but I am going to cover it up with a big family crest soon, so I don’t want to show it to anyone. Family Crest by Lucky 7 For females the tribal art tattoos held on loosely a bit longer. Lower back tats still had an element of tribal. However it was thinned into more of a filigree or vine look. Hawaiian flowers, bluebirds and banners began to grace the center, etc…yet the dye was cast when too many d list celebrities, over the hill porn stars and Saturday Night Live skits had the tramp stamp emerge as part of their look or joke. So, like a 70’s tube top they were put away, no longer wanted - as well as many chicks second guessing whether it should have been donned at all. “Did I ever really think it looked good wearing it?!” I still love the lower back tattoos. The area is perfect for small or large ideas. Large flat canvas with only a bit of curve. Tattoos peeked out only if you looked at the wrong/right moment. Furthermore a great deal of woman were afraid getting any tattoo until this area became popular. Weight gain and loss doesn’t affect the overall look of the ink. Yet it will take another decade at the least to let the current stigma wear off enough to let it come back around in the great glory it once enjoyed. Lower Back Tattoo Hey, thanks for reading. Would love to hear from you about the trends you saw come and go in the last decade or 2.    Kathleen @ Lucky 7 tattoo & Piercing

What's new at Lucky 7 Tattoo....

Well Cats and Kittens, the Tahoe winter is kicking in. Nights have become much colder  (Russell and I have even had to stack another pug on the bed for warmth!)

Mr Fetchy Con Carne, bed warmer.

Cherry Blossom Branch
by Ben Karnofski
@ Lucky 7 Tattoo
Lake Tahoe, Ca

 Sadly the snow is mostly man made on the ski slopes. Mother Nature must be involved in some other business she deems more important than winter sports and mankind's thirst at the moment. Over the years we at L7T2 have come to figure out that our busiest winters are a "drought year." There are a few reasons I believe this is the case. Most folks who travel to Tahoe in a light snow year are disappointed with conditions on the slopes. Therefore they decide not to venture out more than a day or 2 when it is "rock city" on the their equipment. In addition, not many people will spend the big bucks a lift ticket and resort amenities costs when the mountain is only partially opened and the conditions are lacking. So some of those smart skiers and boarders decide that a trip to visit the world famous Lucky 7 family is in order. Thank the Heavens - or Mother Natures laziness in this case.

Blue Crawdaddy by
Ben Karnofski @
Lucky 7 Tattoo Tahoe

Fall and early Winter are always slower than the rest of the year in our shop. The Holiday season has consumers spending their resources on everyone and everything besides themselves. In order to keep our family/staff from getting too bored, and to help clients get themselves a holiday treat of ink or new metal this time of year, we have come up with several discounted offers that aim to please and get you in our door and away from your visiting relatives!

Double Dermal Anchor AKA Single Point Piercings
By Kathleen @ Lucky 7 Tattoo & Piercing
Kings Beach / North Lake Tahoe, Ca.

2 For 1 Piercings on Wednesdays - by appointment only. You can split the deal with a friend, pick any piercing and jewelry style. INCLUDES DERMAL ANCHORS. This event sells out every week, so call me know to reserve a time. Deal ends December 14 th

$25 Off Tattooing Certificates. These little babies are available in store, just for stopping by and saying hello! Wow, what an easy way to save yourself a few bucks! This offer ends on December 31st, so don't wait.

10 % Off Tattooing or Piercing Cards. For those newbies who are contemplating their first tattoo or piercing, and cost is a concern, this discount is for YOU and has no end date. L7T2 wants your first bod mod to be a great experience. No cut rate, half ass fly by night shop is going to exceed your expectations like we know we will. So email, call or stop by for your consultation and discount card to get started. This promotion ends May 30 th 2012

Peace Sunflower by Ben Karnofski
Lucky 7 Tattoo
Kings Beach/North Lake Tahoe, Ca

10 % Off Tattooing and Piercing for all Resort Employees. This offer is good for ANYONE who works for any ski resort, or in hospitality services in the Truckee, Tahoe and Northern Nevada areas.  Just bring in your current employee I.D. and receive the savings. This discount program ends April 15, 2012.

Starting in January L7T2 will have some new promotions to reward all you true blue friends/clients. Our wish is to kiss the lingering recession "adios" and get back to growth, both in overall sales as well as breaking new ground in our industry. Please feel free to forward any part of this blog to a friend so they can join in the savings. Offers can end early, and may not be combined.

Good Luck Clover by
Ben Karnofski @
L7T2

All the tattoos included in this blog entry are inked our youngster Ben Karnofski, now a big grown up young man of 19! He's been a part of our team for over 2 years. The fellas and I sure are proud of the work he is creating. Ben has gone through his apprenticeship "old school" style. The time honored and traditional way that is customary to our trade. Sadly so many of the "tattooers/scratchers" that have popped up in droves for the past 5 years just buy equipment from eBay, look at videos online and attempt to "teach" themselves. Their victims have that "learning experience" for the rest of their lives, or until they can afford to pay a tattoo artist to cover it up or rework that "deal" they received in a friends kitchen or fly by night shop. Ben did his training the right way, and it sure does show, don't you agree?

Thanks for opening and reading this handy dandy little nugget from us here at L7T2. We so appreciate your business, and look forward to a brand new year just around the corner. All my best! Kathleen @L7T2

Watch out T.V. Viewers, Here Comes Lucky 7 Tahoe...(maybe)

                                                                                                            Well my friends, our cool news wouldn't fit on Facebook. Therefore I decided to use the blog to explain what all of us at Lucky 7 are so happy to finally be able to tell you about. The Lucky 7 family is under contract to a producer and a director for a reality show "demo" for television! What this means is, The extended Lucky 7 "family" will film a "mini pilot" the last 2 weeks of December. Then the folks who signed us will take that footage around to networks and see if they can sell it as a special or series. This is NOT to be like the tattoo shows you have watched for the last 6 years. Of course Lucky 7 will be a huge part, BUT the focus is the relationships between me, my husband Russell and 2 of my ex-husbands ( Corey and Jason) all working together and being our strange modern family unit. Crazy huh!!??!! All of the staff and Corey's wife Amber will be included. All the craziness that is our lives will be possible entertainment for the masses.
By no means is selling this pilot to a network a "for sure" thing. However, the fact that we have even made it to the "demo pilot" stage is a HUGE deal. We all gave filmed interviews a few months ago, and passed the test to go to this stage.
I am sure you want to know how this all came about? Well, the producer found us online from our website and my blogs. The producer was looking for a unique family business to work with and found ours to be just what he wanted.
Now that we are set to film the last 2 weeks of December, I have a request from all of our established clients. We would like to have YOU in the demo, getting tattooed or pierced. Anyone who schedules on the filming days will be given a deep discount on their work while the filming takes place. That way, we can have a cool crowd of clients/friends to add to the vibe of the project. And I am sure that will make it easier for the family to shine on camera. Interested? I thought so! As the dates are yet to be set in stone I will have to update everyone as soon as I know. What I would dig is if you can e mail me ASAP so I can start a tentative schedule for everyone involved. Please copy my private e mail address:   LUCKY7TATTOOTAHOE@GMAIL.com
Get at me asap and let's make a great demo! Lord knows half the crap on television right now is terrible. Think good thoughts and perhaps this miracle may really happen. All my best and thanks for reading.

1. Kathleen & the Crew.

Russell and Kathleen of Lucky 7 Tattoo & Piercing Lake Tahoe.

The Cherry Tattoo

Cherry Tattoos

Cherries have been present in the tattoo community for decades. It is a seemingly small fruit that has become an icon in traditional tattoos as well as in the fashion world. From underwear to purses and clothing, cherry print is an ever present decor usually associated with sexiness and confidence. Of all the fruits, why cherries?

Cherries by Russell Fortier

The sexual connotations of the cherry within western culture is something that really can't be ignored when discussing this design. Cherries have become a symbol of purity and temptation. A preserved and intact cherry is readily associated as a symbol of virtue and virginity. With this interpretation it is also associated as a symbol of temptation, as something that is forbidden but still desired and yearned for. The cherry is a much more popular design than the apple which is the forbidden fruit in biblical terms, but tangibly the cherry creates a much more graphic image with its soft supple flesh, and sweet red juice. It is a much more delicate fruit and can be damaged or defiled more easily. A person with a tattoo of a cherry with a bite out of it, or a split can be interpreted as someone who has lost their virtue or who has given into temptation. Tattoos of cherries with whipped cream or chocolate sauce are all the more sweet and tempting.

Sailor Jerry Flash

Cherries are also a prevalent symbol associated with gambling a slot machines. Gambling, like sex, is another topic that many consider a vice. Another source of temptation that can bring great gratification or great hardship.  

Skull Cherry Painting by LEGO

Whatever reason a person may be motivated to get a cherry tattoo, there are a variety of great designs to fit the needs of any client. It is a sexy symbol most often associated with femininity that makes a great tattoo anywhere on the body. They are often seen on the hips or near the pelvic area which heightens the sexuality factor, but common on many other parts of the body as well. You may want a cherry tattoo simply because you like the way the design looks. Regardless of what connotations this design has, it has and will be a prevalent design in tattooing that isn't going anywhere anytime soon. If you don't have any tattoos, it is a great design to have your tattoo "cherry" popped.   

Cherry Wooden Cutout

"Why Do Tattoos Cost So Much?" Read up and know the deal...p

Plumeria Tattoo By Ben Karnofski @ Lucky 7 Tattoo

Back in 1986 I got my first tattoo. It was around my 18th birthday, and I was so ready to take the plunge in to the pool of ink. In those days you pretty much had to pick your tattoo from a flash sheet off the wall of the shop. The price of the tattoo was listed on a small worn white sticker next to the pattern, so you knew up front how much you were going to be charged. $20 was like a $100 to me back then, but I paid the $18 happily and walked out of that old biker shop in Belmont California as happy as I ever was at that miserable age.

Monkey in Branches By Russell Fortier @ Lucky 7 Tattoo

During the next 6 years I ended up getting 4 tattoos, all at different shops. Prices for tattooing were going up, and the pricing stickers began to come down as more an more California shops opened, offering custom tattoos. At this time the tattoo customers were starting to choose  their tattoos on areas of their bodies that were more difficult for the tattooer to manage. More lower backs and inside arms increased prices and the artist opened nicer, cleaner shops and studios. Demand increased for the small number of great artists. A new style of shop and artist was coming up in the early 90's. I became a piercer in 1992, getting to watch this industry evolve from the biker "parlors" of the past, into full on businesses.

In the last 5 years tattooing has exploded. No longer am I looked at by older folks as some type of demon for being covered in ink. For better or worse, television has taken a rebel act - a way of life-and made it an acceptable art form for almost everyone. Television and the media have advertised tattoos as a type of meaningful  "keepsake" for the masses. It has created the mindset that each tattoo must be thought out, always be uber original and have some deep meaning in order to "justify" getting the tattoo. Trust me dear reader, until this decade most tattoos had no more meaning than to say "F+*# You to the rest of society by the outlaws who wore them. Alas, things change, and I appreciate anyone who walks through the doors of my shop to get ink from my family. Which brings us to the topic I started this blog entry with. "Why Do Tattoos Cost So Much?"

"Weathered Tree with Raven" By Russell Fortier @ Lucky 7 Tattoo

Did you ever notice that you never see money change hands on the tattoo television shows? My guess is because it doesn't make good t.v. I also imagine all the fans of these programs would have their dreams of getting ink by a celebrity tattooer flattened and stomped on by the rates these famous tattoo artists charge. More power to these stars for their great marketing skills-yet it makes it difficult for us in the real world to explain to a tattoo virgin that Lucky 7 prices are $140 an hour, and yes it really takes many hours to ink a sleeve. It always looks easier on tv!

In this new era of the business of tattoo, no longer do potential new customers come in and look at portfolios for the quality of our work. First thing is asking "how much", while trying to describe an idea they have. When we politely answer  $140 an hour, you see some folks just about pass out. Eyes roll and attitude comes forth where none existed before. When we let the potential client know our minimum is $75 for even a tiny star on a finger we also get the big sigh of displeasure. Soon after loud comments of "My friend got hers done in Oklahoma for only $35." Also this gem, "well another shop told me half that price." Or my personal favorite is when I am shown a terrible home made mess of a tattoo done in a kitchen by a so called "licensed professional" or "friend who is learning ", and then being told they paid $25 for this pile of excrement and expect me to fawn all over them for showing it to me. This is what we now deal with daily. Thanks the GODS that we have a large regular clientele that appreciates great tattooing by artists who love what they do. If not we would be in the position of so many of these new fly by night shops popping up by the dozens. Hiring so called "tattooers" who never apprenticed under an established artist, or even learned the correct placement of a needle into a tube. Self taught with too much bravado for their own good. Making a mess of peoples bodies for the lowest price possible just to make scratch to pay the rent on the hovel of a shop, and bounce around the local watering holes acting like a stuck up jerk just because he thinks he can tattoo. Yes these are the folks we now compete with in a tough economy. Each day we see the horrible mess these scratchers put forth. Often times people come to us so we can fix or cover up these messes. Sadly they now have paid much more to go through the tattoo process twice and spent twice as much to get what they wanted. All in the quest to save a few twenty dollar bills. Sucks for everyone but the scratcher.

Butterfly Skull by Corey Boobar @ Lucky 7 Tattoo

And all those mobile tattooers, or the ones that advertise on CraigslistScatchers do this because they can't get a spot in any shop, good or bad. They can charge very low prices because they answer to no one. Not the health department, not a landlord, not even you if you are not happy with the end result. The don't care because if they did they wouldn't lower themselves to operating outside of the law. Each person who tattoos outside of a licensed shop is breaking the law. If they don't care about the very basics, perhaps they don't care about reusing needles, or pouring inks back into the bottle? Who really knows?! No one, because they answer to NO ONE.

Let me break down what it cost to run our family owned shop. All amounts are per month. $2000 for rent. $400 for insurance, $200 for power, $100 for phone and internet, $150 for trash and sharps (needle) disposal, $300 for basic office supply, $500 for needles and inks, $200 for gloves, $60 for cleaning products, $90 for distilled water..this is just the bare bones of operations and we are already past $4000 a month! That is before any one of us takes home a dime for ourselves and our family. The shop is always first in line to be paid for.

There is no such thing as an "easy tattoo." It is a huge pet peeve to the artist when people beg us to cram them in to a very full schedule. "But its a really small and easy tat" they whine. To the person who is inking you for life, they take on a level of stress that cannot be fully described. Yes, some designs and locations are easier than others. Yet we strive for perfection on every tattoo every time. Would you want anything less? Understand that any good artist should make a fair wage to do their craft, and to take on the stress of your tattoo. Have patience when an artist says " I can't tattoo you today, but let me design the tattoo tonight and schedule you on another day."  Know that good artists and reputable shops are not trying to rob you! What you pay for is a great tattoo in a licensed shop that is following the letter of the law. Those laws are in place to protect your health as well as the artist. I am sure you don't want a burned out tattoo artist who has to work 14 hours a day just to make a livable wage, right? Then please respect the prices tattooers charges for great work in a clean shop. You get what you pay for.

Last but not least. It is smart to price shop a pair of Levis 501 jeans. It is the same pair of jeans in every store, just some stores have better service and atmosphere. Save money on goods. When you choose a service -which is what tattooing boils down to- always pick the best you can find and afford. If money is short, save up! Waiting a few weeks isn't going to kill you. It makes you smarter than so many people who rush in without doing their research. That "bargain" tattoo isn't going to seem like such a deal when the joy of paying so little wears off and you hate the results that last a lifetime.