My wife and I traveled from Seattle, WA to Nashville based entirely on the strength of Josh Woods' portfolio. We had been following Josh's work in any number of tattoo magazines over the last several months, and decided to see if he had any openings for a new client. The shop was extremely flexible with our scheduling, very friendly, and the process could not have been simpler -- let them know when we wanted what type / size of tattoo, put down a modest deposit, and away we go. Being so far away, Doy did a great job keeping up with my wife's thoughts for her upcoming tattoo, and was the epitome of courtesy and professionalism in the face of my wife's dozen e-mails or so.
Upon finally arriving at Black 13, we found the shop to be very warm and much more contemporary than any other tattoo shops we had been in (from the Seattle area, anyway). There was absolutely no ""members only"" vibe in the place, and in fact, we overheard three other customer counseling sessions while we were waiting for the final artist proof and each time the office staff (Fred) was exceptionally patient and understanding, even helping one prospective client adjust her expectations associated with a particularly large piece that would have taken much longer than she was anticipating.
The work itself was first-rate. My wife even wanted a change made on the fly, and Josh smoothly made the updates right on her arm without a hitch. Artistically, Josh does color work in a fun, playful style that we have not often seen. So colorful and playful in fact, that I don't think people really believe it's a tattoo -- you know, the kind that involves needles and a good amount o' pain. That was exactly what we were looking for. My wife's tattoo took several hours, and came out beautifully, healing in no time. It may be stating the obvious, but listen carefully to the aftercare instructions and actually *do* it.
I was impressed enough with Josh's work and the entire Black 13 experience that we're planning to make another trip from Seattle to Nashville in November (assuming Josh is still tattooing us regular folk at that time!).
Oh, and make sure to pick up a t-shirt or two on your way out -- they're awesome!
Pros: Clean, professional, friendly, good location
Cons: Not in Seattle...
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