NEWS — Tattoo Shop

Studio 21 Tattoo even does the popular tattoos daily! I’ve often pondered what causes tattoo trends. What makes people want to have the same tattoo that everybody else has? The most popular tattoos now are the infinity symbols. Nothing new about this symbol. It’s been around for an infinite number of years. I don’t know how long really. Google it!

More super popular tattoos would be the dandelion with birds flying out of it. The ladies just love this one! Many of them find their ideas for tattoos on Pinterest. Imagine wanting something original and clever and finding it on Pinterest.

Remember tattoo flash? If you don’t, I’ll give you a little info on the subject. You may have seen pictures of old tattoo shops with all these sheets of art on the wall. You just walked in and looked around at all these little tattoo pictures which usually had the price next to them. This was a brilliant idea. It made decisions easy for people who wanted a tattoo, but just couldn’t decide what they wanted. These flash sheets were usually prepared by an experienced tattoo artist who knew what was involved in the tattoo process. These guys knew how to design images that were easily applied to the skin and would last a very long time.

Fast forward to today. The customer walks in the studio with a “smart phone” in their hand, shows a very skilled artist a very bad picture of something they found on the internet. These are the same folks who would tell you they don’t want just any tattoo off the wall. This brings me back to Pinterest. This is the largest wall ever!

One thing I have learned over the years is, these trendy tattoos are the ones we cover up in a few years. Fortunately, the infinity symbol is going to be fairly easy to hide as soon as they figure out they have the same tattoo as everyone else in town.

What I am trying to say is, if you seek out the best tattoo artist in Las Vegas, try to let the artist help you come up with an image that is not so trendy. That way, you won’t be looking for a cover up tattoo in five years.

Chas. T. Spencer @21tat – Owner/ Artist, Studio 21 Tattoo

What do tattoos, rat rods and hot chicks have in common you might ask? You must have missed the wipe down!? Miss RED stopped by to give Charlies Hot Rod a quick wash…Hmnn…Ok. What brought this on was a visit from the guys at Rat Rod TV to film a little car was episode. The ’30 Model A Tudor has been the shop car for Studio 21 Tattoo, Las Vegas, Nevada for a number of years. This little rat rod has received so much attention over the years. What a fun way to promote a tattoo shop, right?

This awesome little rod originated in Sioux City, Iowa. Charlie picked this little guy up on Ebay back in August of 2006. Many improvements have been made on this guy including new rims and tires, front suspension upgrades, full Tijuana tuck ‘n roll interior, and a new roof package  to name a few. Additional paint including the vintage looking 21’s on the doors and some great looking pin stripes by @bigmeas.

This rod is registered as a 1930 Model A Ford. Though not totally street legal, it’s close enough to stay out of a lot of trouble. No mufflers is not usually an issue, unless the driver puts his/her foot into it too much. It has cheater slicks on the rear which are supposed to be legal, but the jury’s still out on that one. Charlie has been ticketed for excessive noise and slicks on the rear. That’s ok though. Stuff happens!

It’s so nice of Miss Redd to stop by and give the rat rod a little tender loving care! The guys in the parking lot didn’t seem to mind either. It’s always refreshing to see a pretty lady with a bucket of suds and a sponge! Next time we need a wash, we’ll know who to call!

Studio 21 Tattoo is a family owned business operated by the Spencer family of Las Vegas, Nevada since February of 2003. Charlie, Becki, Austin and Courtney Spencer are the family members responsible for all that transpires here at the studio. The Spencers have actually resided in Las Vegas since 1989. Not your average family, these guys have an interesting story to tell.

Leaving all family and friends behind, the family of four packed into a charcoal grey, brand spankin’ new 1989 Nissan Sentra to see what kind of trouble waited for them in the middle of the desert. Why, people asked? People thought we were crazy..maybe we were. The Spencers were leaving everything they knew along with remaining family members. All the memories, good and bad, and some of  the best BBQ and Blues music in the country .The  80’s were nearing an end and this quirky little crew was ready for something new. In 1989 the Spencer family packed up and took off from Houston, Texas to faboulous Las Vegas, Nevada. Heading out  west having no idea of what to expect, it couldnt have been more exciting, and just a little bit scary.

Fast forward to the year 2003. Charlie and Austin were really rollin’ with their tattoo careers in a community with a huge demand for tattoos and a serious shortage of talented artists. Charlie had begun getting tattooed in ’89 and decided there was a need for change in the Las Vegas tattoo scene. There seemed to be a shortage of customer service in the local industry. Back in those days, you walked into a tattoo parlor and nobody greeted you. It was always smoky and usually didn’t look very clean. That was normal back in those days.

It was decided that it was time to open a small, family tattoo studio. Charlie quit his day job, cashed in his 401k and found a 1300 square foot facility to convert into a place to kill it doing some awesome tattoos. The zoning laws at the time required locating in a less than desirable neighborhood. The first shop was located on Arville Rd. near the Orleans Casino in an industrial district. A great time was had by all at that location. That little place was where the Spencer family did what they do well enough to need to grow the business.

In February of 2006 the studio found a new 2600 square foot location at the corner of Flamingo and Jones, a great location 2.5  miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. The Spencer family decided to pull out all the stops on the new digs. An architect was hired to design the space. This is unheard of in the tattoo industry! It turned out to be a wise decision. Not only was this now the largest tattoo shop in the state of Nevada, but it was the coolest designed space for tattooing most people had seen. With six private booths and a comfortable lobby, this place turned out to be perfect. No regrets!!

The Spencer family continues to work hard at providing a clean, safe, comfortable environment for clients to enjoy their amazing tattoo experience. This is why folks from around the globe continue to return year after year to Studio 21 Tattoo for additional ink from their favorite artist in a super professional atmosphere.

Unfortunatly its been a while since we’ve done anything with our display window, hence why were so excited about this upcoming project! Some of you may remember the vintage tattoo shop instilation by PHil LUck or the mural by our good bud Travis Jackson..which just got painted over unfortunaatly…but this is going to be awesome and permanent. We are really really pumped about this new idea..ARE YOU READY!? Ok…here it goes..were goin to build an actual CACTUS GARDEN! Yuh! Hahah, hope your as pumped about this as we are. We’re real cactus lovers here at Studio 21 and couldn’t be more into this idea. With a light touch of some ghostly cactus murals from Tyson (@SavageSon)  and the collection of cactus and random antiques curated by Mom, Charlie and Austin, this is gonna be rad! Not %100 but were pretty damn sure that we’ll be the first and only Tattoo Shop to have an actual cactus garden #justsayin. After the murals are finished up and the cactus are arranged, we’ll be fabricating our own old school marquee sign backlight with RGB LED strips…then fun will then begin! Studio 21 will be able to update the sign at anytime and be able to provide a message to the 75-80 THOUSAND cars a day traveling up Flamingo road. Lets see…hmnn what are we gonna have to say!? Give us a month or so and well have the garden ready to roll! Here’s some sneek peek pics of the project. Can’t wait for you to see it!

Great turnout for our 10 Yr. Anniversary at the Arts Factory Bar + Bistro in the Las Vegas Arts District. This event was a big reunion for all our friends, clients and employees. Thanks to everyone who spent the night celebrating our 10 years of “Blood, Sweat & Beers”, your support of our family and business is priceless.