SLAVEDRAGON TATTOO STUDIO

I passed out... WHY? (Vasovagal Response)

VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE If you happen to become "green", hot, sweaty, dizzy, your ears ring, or you feel nauseated, you are more than likely experiencing a vasovagal response, which can lead to vomiting or fainting. While I am not a doctor and can't diagnose health concerns nor prescribe medication, this is a reasonably common phenomenon in tattooing. Fainting is not a pleasant sensation. I know, it's happened to me personally. Over the last 3 decades, I have seen it many times in my clientele. Good News! Most of you will never experience it, and there are simple ways to avoid it in the future. There could be a number of reasons for what many artists call, "the nod." Even seeing your own blood can cause a vasovagal response. In my experience it can be directly related to diet, sleep, stress, or restricted blood flow. If you typically have low blood sugar, or haven't eaten a sufficient meal and/or are dehydrated, that can tend to be the most common culprit where tattooing is concerned. So be sure to eat a balanced meal, drink lots of fluids, wear loose fitting clothing, control your breathing, relax, stay calm, smile, and talk to your artist. Please, if you start to feel sick, tell me! I can usually get you sorted before you faint! Please note: There could be several other conditions that would cause fainting or getting sick. If you have experienced fainting often, you should consult with your physician. Have a look at this website for more information on Vasovagal Syncope. And here is a great reference on how to deal with fainting: Faint Safely Q: Will this happen every time I get tattooed? A: It's extremely unlikely that you'll experience it 100% of the time, and unlikely that is would reoccur during the same tattoo session.

Do you tattoo minors with parental consent?

No. "But, me and my spouse are--" No. Please stop asking. "But why not?" Because I prefer to deal with adults old enough to make permanent life alterations, and avoid debating with adults who don't have a problem modifying the flesh of children who aren't fully grown. A tattoo is more than just a piece of living art, it's an affirmation of adulthood. "But my kid is very grown up for their age and knows what--" Click. Dialtone.

Do you do body piercing?

No. I stopped piercing a decade ago. Why? Because I am a tattoo artist. If you found me through Google or some other search, understand, they tend to lump tattooing and body piercing together as an individual professional category. I wish they would make the distinction. It's like Hair and Nails... one is most certainly not the other. Some people do both, I get it. Thanks for considering me, but I'm sorry I can't help you with your body piercing needs. That ship has sailed.

Do you tattoo on weekends?

I have a set schedule just like everyone else. I work Monday through Friday from noon until 5pm. I don't want to tattoo 7 days per week. I usually do other things on my weekends, just like you. My friendships and family matter to me as I'm certain they matter to you. That said, I am flexible on occasion, but you can expect a non negotiable weekend rate of +50%.

Can you do glow in the dark colors?

In my humble option, 'glow in the dark' pigment is garbage. And technically it does NOT actually glow in the dark, it is merely 'UV reactive.' That is, it appears more vibrant in the range between UV light (Black Light) and normal color spectrum (ROY G BIV). Glowing in the dark requires materials that to put it plainly are carcenogenic. It's one of the reasons we surface dwellers aren't naturally bioluminescent. In my experience, it doesn't have the lightfastness of tried and true industry standard pigments, thus it is not in my arsenal. It might look cool at a rave, but under normal light conditions it's not even as vibrant as regular inks. When it first came out, people were mixing it with other brands of color to get the best of both worlds, but here we are years later and the results are in, the stuff is junk either way. CAN I? Yes. WILL I? No.

Why are tattoos so expensive?

I loathe this question, and arguing about it is even worse. How does one put a price on a great tattoo? Let's see... Consider what it takes to research, create, and transfer a custom tattoo design permanently into your skin. The age of my clientele ranges from 18-80. The bulk of those are an average 30 yrs old. (They used to be younger, but so did I.) Anyway let's say the average customer will have his/her tattoo for another 40 years or so. Based on a $250.00 tattoo (roughly 2.5 hours at $100/hr), the amortized breakdown is about $6.25/yr. That's 0.017 cent's per day. Overall that's a reasonable price for a tattoo, wouldn't you say? Expensive? Not at all.

What kind of tattoo guns do you use on your tats?

I can always tell a noob when they start using terms like "guns" or "tats" in reference to tattooing. I don't "tat" people. I don't put "tats" on people. And when I tattoo and most certainly am not "tatting" them, nor do they end up in "tatters." Please get your terminology straight. Nothing sounds more like nails on a chalkboard to a tattoo artist. "I use tattoo machines," is my defacto standard reply. But since I do understand the question and am not a complete arsehole, I'll answer it: I use industry standard dual spring / dual coil brass or ferrous tattoo machines. Some are custom, others aren't. I have my favorite workhorses and I have some that I haven't touched for years. We all find our favorites. An experienced tattoo artist can fine tune a machine the way it should run no matter who initially built it, provided it is constructed with good geometry and materials. I have some amazing Micky Sharpz and Danny Knight machines I picked up years ago that have needed minimal upkeep. I have some Wayne Mitchell Custom brass machines and Sean Ozz Oliver's run great. The point here is that machines are a personal thing. They don't need to cost an arm and a leg and they don't have to be the latest and greatest. If you like pen or swashdrive rotary, pneumatic, pivot or standard tattoo machines, use whatever works for you. Since artists use all types and get good results, the question is essentially rhetorical.

My other tattoo artist told me to put .... on my new tattoo. Is that good?

I've already explained my aftercare procedure in great detail on this website. I don't give a baboons rosey red butt what anyone wants you to smother your new ink with. It's irrelevant. There are about as many methods out there as tattoo artists. Fundamentally though, it's a tattoo, not some generic wound, thus, it should be healed as such. That requires you to understand the philosophy/logic behind the healing method. For you non readers, just do as you are told. If you don't think my aftercare method works, then by all means fiddle around with someone else's method. I get paid the same either way. When their method fails you, feel free to give MY AFTERCARE METHOD a whirl.

I don't have COVID-19, why won't you tattoo me?

If you haven't been recently tested for the virus, there is a very real chance that you could easily be an asymptomatic carrier of the disease. Even if you HAVE been tested, it doesn't mean you can't contract it after the fact. A test kit isn't a vaccine. This means you may have already infected several people without knowing it. Just because you aren't showing symptoms doesn't mean anything. This is perhaps the largest and most virulent plague/epidemic the planet has seen in 100 years. Until this thing is under control (which could take years in all reality) I won't be risking my health and safety, and honestly, neither should you. The world has been awakened to the reality that we can rapidly transmit viral infections through mucus, saliva, tears, blood, and other body fluids, with relative ease. While many of us have built up a "herd immunity" to some of these virii over the course of time, the COVID-19 strain is many times more virulent, potentially life threatening and has no confirmed herd immunity as of yet. Plainly put, you're tattoo isn't worth the risk. BUT WAIT, there's more! As a general rule, if you have a viral infection, you need your immunities to focus on getting healthy and fighting the existing issues you already face, not healing a new tattoo. The world may never get back to "normal", but we now know how to fight and starve diseases utilizing these basic principles:

• self-isolation
• sterilizing the things we contact
• covering our mouths when we cough or sneeze
• wearing appropriate face covering/mask/gloves
• maintaining social distance
• washing our hands with soap
• usining hand sanitizer
• take Vitamin D3, Selenium, Zinc, C, and drink lots of water (read all warning labels and don't exceed the recommended dosages!). This will turn your body into a virus fighting machine.

I heard you were moving to Denver. Is that true?

Once upon a time it was absolutely true. But my plans fell through unfortunately and much to my eternal sadness. So for now, you are stuck with me in Twin Falls. If by some stroke of benevolence that changes, I'll let you know. Thanks for standing by me. Sorry for the confusion. Let's get busy!