A healed traditional dagger and rose tattoo running down an inner forearm

Dagger and roseRen Okada, healed at four months

Private studio · Providence, Rhode Island · since 2016

Custom work,
one chair
at a time

Three artists in the Jewelry District. We take one client per session, draw everything from scratch for the placement it will live on, and never put the same design on two people.

Start a consult See the flash wall

Consults are free and take about half an hour. You leave with a drawing plan, a placement, and a price range in writing.

The flash wall

Every design here gets tattooed once

We draw flash between appointments and hang it on the wall. When someone claims a piece it comes down, and it never goes on anybody else.

A healed traditional swallow in black and red on a forearm — Traditional Ledge Street Swallow$240 Forearm or calf, about three inches. One sitting.

A healed fine line peony and buds drawn along a rib cage — Fine line Peony Study$260 Ribs or spine, single needle, about two hours.

A healed black sun with dotwork rays centered on a sternum — Blackwork Black Sun$390 Sternum centerpiece, heavy line with dotwork rays.

A healed solid black double armband wrapping a shoulder — Blackwork Double Band$420 Upper arm wrap, solid black, two sittings a fortnight apart.

A healed grey wash moth with patterned wings across a shoulder blade — Realism Emperor Moth$460 Shoulder blade or sternum, grey wash, one long sitting.

A healed traditional anchor wrapped in red rope on a calf — Traditional Harbor Anchor$280 Calf or outer forearm, red rope, one sitting.

A healed breaking wave in soft grey wash along an inner forearm — Realism Break Study$440 Inner forearm, grey wash, no outline on the horizon.

A healed line of five small stars drifting across a collarbone, one of them red — Fine line North Thread$210 Collarbone, five points, one of them red.

The residents

Three chairs, three hands

Each artist keeps their own calendar and only takes work that suits their hand. Come with an artist in mind, or come with the idea and we will point you at the right chair.

Mara Voss
Blackwork · ornamental

Heavy architectural black. Sleeves and back pieces built to read across a room and still hold together at arm's length.

TakesLarge-scale black, ornamental panels, cover-ups over old work.

Passes onColor, portraits, small script.

Next openingMarch
Elio Marsh
Fine line · botanical

Single needle botanicals and lettering, drawn light enough that they settle instead of spreading.

TakesSmall placements, plant studies, handwriting.

Passes onSolid black fills, portraits, anything under an inch.

Next openingSix weeks
Ren Okada
Traditional · Japanese

American traditional and irezumi-informed work. Heavy line, saturated color, made to still read at twenty years.

TakesFlash, sleeves, color work, anything bold.

Passes onFine line, tiny lettering, freehand script.

Next openingThis month

Booking

Book a consult

Half an hour in the studio, no charge. Bring your references and anything you have already sketched.

Your artist

The style

When you can come in

ArtistNot chosen yet

StyleNot chosen yet

WeekNot chosen yet

Hollow Crown is a concept demo by BellCode, so nothing was sent. On a real build this request lands in the studio inbox and the receptionist confirms it within the hour.

The studio

Private by design

The front door stays locked while somebody is in the chair. There is no waiting bench and nobody leaning over your shoulder for a look. One artist, one client, door closed. It costs us the walk-in money and it is the entire point of the place.

Nothing gets traced out of a binder either. Your drawing is made for the muscle it will sit on and you see it before the stencil goes down. If it is not right, we redraw it.

By appointment only. Second floor, buzzer marked Hollow Crown.

Sterilization: Statim autoclave, spore-tested weekly, results posted by the door
Needles: Single-use cartridges, opened in front of you
Pigments: Vegan, Eternal and World Famous
Licensing: Rhode Island Department of Health, the studio and all three artists
Touch-ups: One free within six months of the sitting
Sessions: Half day $700, full day $1,200, minimum $150
Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 7pm
Parking: Two marked spots behind the building on Ledge Street

Hollow Crown

Aftercare card

You get this card with your balm on the way out. Keep it somewhere you will see it for the next two weeks, because the healed tattoo is the one you actually paid for.

The routine

First night
Leave the wrap on until morning unless it fills with fluid. If it does, take it off, wash it, and leave it open to the air.
Day 2 and 3
Wash twice a day with unscented soap and cool water. Pat dry with paper towel, never a bath towel, then a thin layer of balm.
Day 4 to 14
It will flake and it will itch. Do not pick it and do not scratch it. Keep it moisturized and let the skin come off on its own.
After that
Sunscreen on it for the rest of its life. Sun is the one thing that ages a good tattoo fast.

Call the studio if it is hot to the touch, still weeping after day three, or you are worried about anything at all. That call is free as well.

Questions we get

When is it actually healed?

The surface closes in about two weeks and the ink keeps settling underneath for another month. Judge the tattoo at six weeks, not at six days.

Gym, beach, pool?

Gym after three days, covered. No pools, no ocean and no baths until it has finished peeling. Two weeks is the safe answer.

Do touch-ups cost extra?

No. One touch-up within six months is part of the price you already paid.

Can I bring my own design?

Bring references, sketches, a photo of your grandmother's handwriting, whatever you have. We will not copy another artist's tattoo line for line, but we will build your own version of the idea.

What will it cost?

The minimum is $150. Most palm-sized pieces land between $200 and $400. Half days are $700 and full days $1,200, and you get a firm range at the consult in writing.

14 Ledge Street, Providence RI(401) 555-0184Wed to Sat, 11am to 7pm

Custom work,one chairat a time