High Spirits Tattoo Co

Reviews 3

RE

Ren Chicoye

When I walked in for the first time only one of the two artists greeted me. Over the few visits I had, there wasnt one smile amongst the pair and the enthusiasm to make my tattoo happen was little to none. Good communication wasnt established but even so, I could have left feeling not so torn up if the language used towards my vision and myself wasnt so aggressive, unfortunately that wasnt the case. Getting on the same page may be frustrating, but there are ways to approach people that wont make them feel judged or that their ideas are unworthy, especially when working in an industry where the clients make your income. Though the shop was incredibly clean like the reviews said & the artwork in the portfolios looked great, I would personally rather have my session done by people who give off more positive vibes so I can leave feeling like the overall experience was worth it and not just about the business. This would have been my 8th tattoo; the majority of my pieces larger and Ive gotten each from a different shop so I listen to my intuition when it feels like the professionals are more about the money and not about creating meaning for the individual through ink. If you have a solid direction and dont need to spend a lot of time here then Id say go for it, as they do seem good at what they do. Personally, Im going to place my time, cash, and faith into those who are friendly with good energy and are just as good as what they do as well. After my review Im even more taken back then I was before. I received a call asking me to take it down, but I believe a good opinion is an honest one and decided to leave it. Because of this decision there was profanity used from the artist, I listened as asked to hear his side of things but when it was my turn to talk was constantly interrupted and talked over, and was once again judged negativly. Then after it all I see a response to the first part of the review I made claiming I missed an appointment that did not exist. I think a possible solution to these confusions would be to have an appointment book that clients can sign to have on file so it may be referenced or computer system entry so that this doesnt happen again. Indeed I went to a tattoo expo the day the artist said he could work with me, and both him and the owner know where I was and obviously state in the response what I was doing so it was made clear I wouldnt be available. Most people pay $50 as a down payment, but I gave $60 so Im hoping the extra $10 that Im owed will be kept as incentive to lose my personal cell phone number. I would have rather had the owner near the artist during the conversation so that he could have overheard both sides and interveigned appropriately when he recognized his employees emotions were getting high. Though the claims in the response to my review arent completely factual, I am a customer experience supervisor in my profession with a Masters degree in conflict management, and if it came down to trusting the words of someone I worked with over a long period of time or a one time walk in, I would most likely go with the employees side of the story as well so I respect the bond that shows between the two. The attempt to make amends ended up leaving me feeling like a victim because of how the language escalated when the artist couldnt have their way, but I appreciate that it was an attempt none the less so I have increased my stars in hopes that this review will be utilized constructively, everyone can strive to be better.

KE

Kenny Pollock

Wow.... where to start... Ive been getting tattoos since I was 15 years old. Im 25 now. A few years ago, a dermatologist f*#ked my hand up with a procedure and left red bumps all over my hand. I was extremely self-conscious and knew a tattoo would be the way to cover it. I shopped around... went to my tattoo artist at the time, paid him to draw something up... NOPE! Went to every "big name" tattoo shop I could find with good reviews on Google, paid them deposits to draw up my vision... NO ONE GOT IT. One artist drew on my hand freehand with markers... he got pretty close to what I wanted, but WOULD NOT CHANGE IT when I told him I didnt like it. I remember going to Darians shop (when he was down in Hollywood working at Twisted Heart) and showing him my hand with the previous guys marker lines and telling him Im not happy. IMMEDIATELY Darian said he knew what I wanted, and in a couple minutes of meeting him I know he knew what I actually wanted. He made me pay a deposit, and he was booking for a couple months ahead... but I knew this was "THE ONE". Went back there for my appointment and his drawing was insane! It was my dream tattoo! I got a robotic biomechanical robot/terminator tattoo on my hand and when I left the shop everyone around me was so impressed with it! I remember how proud I was when I first got it…. still am! Fast forward a few years later and Darian is KILLING IT at his new location, High Spirits. Darian has transformed from being my tattoo guy to being one of my coolest friends. Every tattoo he does is better than his last… and that’s saying a lot NOW THAT I’M COVERED IN DARIAN’S TATTOOS. Last year I entered my Bill Gates/Steve Jobs portraits in the annual Florida Tattoo Expo…. and won 2nd and 3rd place out of all the portraits! He won tattoo artist of the year that year! A year later, we expanded on those tattoos and turned it into an amazing sleeve. If I wear a tank top, I can’t even go out in public because I get TOO MANY COMPLIMENTS. I cannot count how many times people have said “I don’t even like tattoos but you have the best tattoos I’ve ever seen in my entire life” …. if that doesn’t make you feel good after getting a tattoo then I don’t know what will. I entered my full sleeve from Darian in this year’s tattoo expo and WON FIRST PLACE BEST SLEEVE!!!! There were some seriously killer entries I was competing against, but the judges thought my sleeve was incredible! Darian’s new shop is the cleanest, nicest tattoo shop I’ve ever been in. I’ve been there when he got inspected by the county’s inspectors… even they say how sparkly clean it is. I’ve sent countless people to High Spirits and they come back and hug me because they are so happy with their new work. YES! DARIAN IS BOOKED FOR A WHILE! THERE IS A REASON! I was an “impulse tattooer”- only got tattoos when i was in the mood, and wanted them done right away. Luckily I only have to wait 1-3 months for his schedule.. but I would wait a full year if it meant I could get some tattoo time with Darian. Thank you so much for the AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, PERMENANT additions to my body. I would not be the same person without these tattoos. Friends of’ life! Thanks again brother for putting out consistent, ridiculously unique and creative work.

AD

Adamantium K.

Great experience. This was my first tattoo and my wife 3rd and 4th tattoo thus far. We were both tattooed by Darian and he was such a professional and did an amazing job!!!! We have decided High Spirits is the place to go for our next set. Darian works off of a schedule so he has to fit you in and asks for your design or he simply takes your ideas to help you create your master piece. Believe it or not I rushed home to write this review and I just had to mention how clean the shop was, not too many images up, but the ones that were up looked amazing and finally I have to mention the BATHROOM, both my wife and I believe it was so clean that you could eat off of it and that is saying ALOT! Description of Darian: Bald, Cool and he gets the job done. Hopes this helps those on the edge of finding a place. Also he had really glowing comments on Instagram and Facebook.