A lot of tattoo artists actually hate Friday the 13th. The sales were started by Oliver Peck, co-owner of Elm Street Tattoo in Texas. The $13 tattoo sale is a good way to drum up clients for newer tattoo artists, or artists who have moved to a new shop.
Most shops typically require a $7 tip for the $13 tattoo, for a total charge of $20—while some shops charge $30 plus tip. While the tattoo is cheap, the effort to get one isn’t exactly a breeze. Customers wait in line for hours and hours, essentially spending their whole day at a tattoo shop to get 5-10 minutes worth of work done.
Buster De Louise, owner of Ink Buster Tattoo, stopped doing these sales. On the last Friday the 13th, the shop received over 30 calls before noon. The last time De Louise did the sale was Friday the 13th in October, in the spirit of the spooky superstitious traditions. “I, myself, did upwards of 27 tattoos that day, and my other artists did another 20+ each, between 5pm and 10pm,” De Louise says. “Not worth it—the headache and cheap dirt-bags that crawl out of the woodwork alone made me regret even thinking about doing the sale.”
The concept of bringing in new clients can be enticing, but a lot of the people who typically want the cheap tattoo deals don’t really care so much about what they get, who does it, or how well it’s done. Dan Szymanski, a tattoo artist from The Lost Sparrow Tattoo, says that he’s noticed a lot of the people who come in for tattoo sales “don’t have a lot of money, but they want to be tattooed. So they get covered in a lot of cheap, poorly done tattoos and don’t really respect the time and effort a tattoo artist takes to learn tattooing.”
This coming July gives us a Friday the 13th, so if you’re about getting a $13 tattoo, there are a few things to keep in mind. Remember that you could end up sitting in the shop for several hours before getting tattooed. Be sure to eat before you go, and bring some snacks and water with you.
The artist you decide to go to has been (or will be) tattooing all day. Be sure to tell them how much you appreciate their time, and mention that you plan come back for a bigger piece (only if you mean it). Ask where you can find photos of their work online–or, if you already know, let them know that you came to them specifically because you like their work. A few kind words can go a long way.
Do not call any tattoo shops on Friday the 13th. Call a few days before, or reach out on social media a few days prior. Many tattoo shops will advertise on social media a few days beforehand, with a list of rules and restrictions regarding their sales.
If you can afford to tip a little extra, do it. You’ll still be spending less than you normally would on any other day for a chair fee in most shops.
And one more time for good measure: thank your artist. Seriously. Just do it. Their time is just valuable as yours.