NEWS

It’s already been ten years since J “Swarm” Wood joined the Studio 21 Tattoo family as an artist and all around mood director!  We at the studio really are excited to celebrate this exciting milestone with J. Austin and Charlie have known Swarm since the late 90’s when we all started tattooing at local shops here in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s hard to believe this much time has passed since the beginning of our tattoo careers together. Time flies when you’re having fun! Yes, it has been fun for sure.

We’ve watched J get married, have two beautiful little girls, Mikayla and Emma who are just about all grown up by now. A great dad, Swarm really is proud of these two and really should be! Sweet as they can be! The girls almost always attend the Studio 21 Tattoo events and add to the family spirit we all enjoy here. It’s always great to have them visit the studio. Could it be that one of these two will be groomed as an artist thanks to the influence of dad? Whatever they choose to do, they will know that they are loved by their dad, that’s for sure. 

During his time here at the studio, Swarm started a project that really influenced his art style and capability. One day J walked in and started installing these empty picture frames on the walls in his booth here at the studio. His idea was to design a tattoo flash sheet for each of these frames. Not a small task as there are a total of fifty-nine of these!

Fifty-nine sheets of movie and video game themed flash sheets! These are amazing art pieces and he’s almost finished! Wow! It’s always fun to just stand around in his booth an admire these works of art. So cool.  This is quite an accomplishment for someone who is juggling the duties of fatherhood, maintaining his sanity and consistently showing up and tattooing hard day in and day out for all these years. That is admirable! We at the studio are very proud to have Swarm on our team. 

In recent years, J Swarm has taken up a new addiction. Running. Running his ass off!

He’s participated in numerous marathons and successfully completed them all. He qualified for the last two years for sponsorship by Michelob Ultra to run in the New York Marathon. They pay all his expenses including airline, a hotel at Central Park and meals. How cool is that? We wish him luck in the upcoming New York Marathon.

J Swarm is a guy you can always depend on to help with charity work here at the studio as well. He has done many tattoos over the years and donated the proceeds to various local charities. He hung in there with us to help do the over three hundred tattoos we did for the victims of the Las Vegas shooting on October 1st, 2017. In very difficult times, he was here, doing what he does with no complaint. For that we are all very appreciative!

From all of us here at Studio 21 Tattoo, love ya J Swarm!! We look forward to what the next ten years brings. Pretty sure it will be a lot of fun. Thanks for being the studio “mood director”!

-By Charlie Spencer

The second Taco Tuesday at Studio 21 Tattoo is just around the corner. As you know we have this event the last Tuesday of June, July and August, so if you missed June, you still have a chance to get that taco tattoo or maybe two. Two street tacos are a bonus with your $50 Tattoo and there’s lots of designs available to choose from so there is no excuse not to head our way. Cheap date, why not? Maybe bring a friend or two. Hope to see you there. Summer wouldn’t be summer without Taco Tuesday.

An interesting phenomenon is currently occurring in our little oasis in th e Mohave Desert we all know as Las Vegas. It’s a serious case of Vegas Golden Knights fever! No matter where you look in our little city, you will find evidence of this new epidemic. The excitement has been building throughout this, the inagural season, of our NHL expansion team.

Now in the playoffs for the 2017 season, the Vegas Golden Knights are creating an amazing buzz around this town! The Las Vegas community has embraced this team like nothing ever seen before. You may be surprised that a town in the middle of the desert would have an amazing professional hockey team. It is interesting to talk to folks who, a year ago had on interest in the game of hockey and now understand hockey terms such as icing and forecheck.

Studio 21 Tattoo has joined in on the fever. For the last ten years of so we’ve only had one true sports fan on staff. Jasen “Swarm” Wood, @darthswarm has been the studio’s dyed in the wool sports fan and has helped our entire staff learn some of the hockey rules and terminology.

No matter if the Vegas Golden Knights win the coveted Stanley Cup, the team has developed a fan base that is as solid as a rock! It is very exciting to feel like a part of something special. After the terrible event on October 1st, 2017, a day that all local Las Vegans would like to just put in the past, it is wonderful to have a feeling that something positive is happening in our community. Without a doubt, Las Vegas residents have something to be proud of!

Having lived in Las Vegas for almost thirty years, I personally have not seen anything like the excitement and positivity that the Vegas Golden Knights have brought to our city. The home games have been sold out since the season began. To attend a Vegas Golden Knights game at the T-Mobile Arena is amazing. It seems that every fan has at least one article of clothing with the Knight’s logo on it. Many of them are wearing the jersey of their favoorite player.

Another interesting thing that has developed is a sense of pride during the singing of the National Anthem by Carnell “Golden Pipes” Johnson. While singing the anthem, when Mr. Johnson recites the line “gave proof through the night”, the crowd roars the word KNIGHT. To be there and hear this fever pitch roar will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck!

To sum it up, Vegas Golden Knights fever has a grip on the Las Vegas community like nothing we’ve ever seen before! Go Knights Go!

In March 2018 Studio 21 Tattoo received the “Don’t Forget To Share” award from the Nevada Business Magazine, sponsored by Nevada State Bank. Our company was among many small family business finalist at the event being recognized for their hard work and dedication. Nevada State Bank sponsors the event and recognizes the challenges that small family businesses can incur, and provides capital for financial needs, tools to assist in all areas of business operations, including online webinars and articles targeted to small companies. The Nevada Family Owned Business Event pays tribute to those small organizations providing jobs, contributing to the local economy, their perseverance and teamwork to community service. It was inspiring to be attending an event and nominated for an award amongst so many successful businesses, let alone win the award.

The “Don’t Forget To Share” award category honors businesses who have made a significant contribution to the community and pride themselves on giving back. Austin Spencer was awarded and recognized, along with Becki and Charles Spencer for Studio 21 Tattoo’s team and their charity contributions in Las Vegas. The most recent and most notable of all our contributions was to the Steve Sisolac Fundraiser for Las Vegas Victims Fund. The following day after the Route 91 Harvest Festival trajic event, Austin Spencer pulled together a fundraiser, researched a reputable source to transfer our funds to, and within hours the event was under way. Within a week Studio 21 Tattoo had raised $17,540 to help the victims and badly injured to begin their long road to recovery. Our studio offered one design, an outline of Nevada with a small red heart in the southern part of the state to represent Las Vegas. Customers poured in from all over for the $50 tattoo to show respect for the victims as well as their love for our fabulous city. 1 October was, and still is, a difficult time for Las Vegas and the incredible sadness surrounding the event grew daily in epic porportions. Within a the week our team heard the worst of stories from our clients, and those closely related to friends and family of the victims. Thanks to Austin Spencer’s quick thinking and the desire and need to help our community, Studio 21 Tattoo’s employee participation, we successfully contributed a substantial amount of money, doing what we do best, tattoos. The team pulled together for a week, heads down working hard, near exhaustion, trying to hold back our own sadness until the event was over. The Sunday after 1 October, the last day of the fundraiser actually overlapped another pre-planed charity event, needless to say, our lobby was full at all times.

The Spencer family is so proud of our team of employees who are incredibly dedicated to their trade, as well as share in our ideals of giving back to the community. The Studio 21 Tattoo crew has given much of their time and income to many chaities events over the years and we are grateful for their devotion and artistic contributions. Here’s a link to the brochure for the event if you want to read more about other small businesses in our community to support.

Other charities we have contributed to through the years:

American Heart Ass., CandleLighters Children for Childhood Cancer, St. Jude’s Ranch, Cimarron High School Robotics Program, Adaptive Action Sports, Boy’s & Girls Club, Best Buddies Nevada, Southern Nevada Pug Rescue, The Animal Foundation

https://studio21tattoo.com

Studio 21 Tattoo is adding the artistry of microblading permanent makeup by Alieen Fang to our list of services in the tattoo studio. As of April 22, 2018 she will be taking appointments for permanent make up proceedures. Aileen has been an employee with Studio 21 Tattoo for the last year offering outstanding customer service and will continue to do so as she splits her schedule between microblading (eyebrows & eye liner) in addition to helping our clientele with their tattoo needs. We are proud to have her in the studio offering additional services, which our clients have been requesting for quite some time. We are excited to begin this new phase of our business.

Your eyebrows are one of the most prominent facial features, so if you’re not satified with your current brows, you have options to achieve the natural look you always wanted to flatter your unique facial features. The process of semi-permanent micro blading provides a way to camouflage missing hair by depositing small deposits of pigments in the outer layer of skin to achieve great looking brows. Microblading is a meticulous artful process involving extensive measuring, choosing an eyebrow style and drawing on individual hairs. Microblading can illuminate brow imperfections such as bald spots, gaps, sparse patches and provide symetry. Imagine waking up everyday to beautiful flawless eyebrows without pencils and powders and illuminating the time consuming process of drawing on brows from your daily routine. Microblading creates a fresh natural younger more refined look and a worthwhile investment.

There is a difference between an eyebrow tattoo and microblading. Eyebrow tattoos are a permanent procedure, which uses a machine to penetrate pigment deeper into the skin producing a more permanent look. Microblading involves using a small hand tool with nine or more tiny needles to create shallower cuts on the skin which allows cosmetic pigments to seep in. Microblading lasts one to three years depending on your skin’s pigment retention. If you are not wanting to make a permanent change, then microblading (semi-permanent makeup) might be the direction you are looking for. Microblading is a low maintenance, smudge proof solution. Analyizing a client’s hair color, eyebrow growth patterns, skin undertones, bone structure and facial features are all part of the microblading process to determine the proper eyebrow choice for you. The healing process is very important and requires a longer period of time to heal than tattooing. Microblading is a two step process and will make the difference in the longevity of your new brows if you follow the aftercare for the proceedure.

Email for information: info@studio21tattoo.com, please state “Permanent Make-Up” in the subject line.

Information to educate everyone about the Microblading services are listed below.

BROWS (~3.5 hours for first session, ~2 hours for touch-up)

Styles of Brows:

• SofTap (micropigmentation/shading) $450
  • Done manually with a hand tool
  • Resembles a powder make-up fill
  • Recommended for sparse brows or in any area that needs more definition and shape
  • Customized to be as bold or natural as client prefers
  • Lasts 1-3 years, depending on skin type, lifestyle, and boldness of initial procedure
• GenuLine (microblading) $450
  • Done manually with a hand tool
  • Imitates natural hair strokes
  • Recommended for clients who already have a decent amount of hair and want to add fullness
  • Lasts 6 months – 1 year, depending on skin type and lifestyle
  • Not recommended for sparse brows or oily skin types
• Combination $500
  • Hair strokes added to the front of the brows to enhance fullness
  • Rest of the brow is filled in with shading to add shape and definition to arches and tails
  • Customized to be as bold or natural as client prefers
  • Recommended for clients who have enough hair in the fronts of the brows for microblading
• Touch-Up/Color Refresh
  • First touch-up/second session is included in the price of the first session
    • Needs to be booked 6-8 weeks after initial session
  • Each additional touch-up/color refresh is $150
  • Changing the brow shape or covering work from other artists would be considered a first session, not a touch-up
• Aftercare
  • The healed color will be 30-40% lighter than the initial color
  • Redness, swelling, and bruising are common and temporary side effects
  • Keep a thin layer of aftercare over brow for 7 days, using a clean Q-tip for each application
  • The treatment area should not be allowed to dry out, pigment may not hold and extra spottiness will occur
  • Flaking, scabbing, and peeling are normal during healing
  • Do not scratch, pick, or peel your brows as this can cause loss of pigment
  • No make-up, cleansers, lotions, sunscreen, etc. on the brows until healed (roughly 7 days or more)
  • Avoid sun exposure and excessive sweating during the healing process
  • Please call with any questions during the healing stages, all final adjustments and detail work will be done in the second session

EYELINER/LASH ENHANCEMENT $250 or $100 (with brow appointment, same day service)

• Done manually with a hand tool (same tool for SofTap)
• Customized to be as bold or natural as client prefers
• Lasts 1-3 years, depending on skin type, lifestyle, and boldness of initial procedure
• Same aftercare instructions as brows

• Process
  • Online questionnaire is filled out prior to booking, consent form on day of your appointment
  • Doctor’s note might be required if client has certain health conditions:
    • Skin is cleansed of make-up, products, etc.
    • “Before” pictures/videos are taken
    • Numbing cream is applied on the treatment area and left on for 15 minutes
    • Consultation topics are discussed while waiting for numbing cream to take effect
      • Explanation of procedure, aftercare information, side effects, client preferences, etc.
      • Numbing cream is cleansed off and recommended pigments are swatched onto skin
      • Healed results will be 30-40% lighter than immediate results
      • If client is unsure about initial color, the lightest recommended pigment should be used because adjustments can be made during second session
    • Begin drawing brow shape
      • Brows hairs are tweezed, trimmed, and shaved around brow shape
      • Drawing of brow shape is most time-consuming part of appointment, shape needs to be approved by the client before next step is taken
      • Client needs to be as picky as possible during this time
    • First “pass” is done on each brow, and stronger numbing cream is applied
    • Second “pass” is longer to perfect shading and details
    • “After” pictures/videos are taken
    • Aftercare is applied on brows and aftercare instructions are discussed again
      • Client will receive aftercare product and instructions sheet
    • Touch-up appointment (included in price of initial procedure) needs to be booked 6-8 weeks after initial procedure