Friday the 13th is anything but an unlucky calendar date at Leviathan Studios. On this special day at the Sherwood Forest Boulevard tattoo shop, artists get ready to celebrate with exclusive designs and discounted prices. It’s a longtime unofficial tattoo holiday not just around the country, but in Baton Rouge, too.
Leading up to the big day, tattoo artists create what they call a “flash sheet” composed of pre-drawn designs offered at a discounted price. Usually, these sheets have horror movie characters or lucky number 13s, but it’s all up to the artist.
And this month, Leviathan Studios artists are revved up for the big day: Friday, Oct. 13.
|
|
|
The shop’s artists Chris Starscream, Magic Morgan, Kyle Thackrey and Froggy Melancon have prepped flash designs. Starting at noon, walk-in clients can get any of those designs as line work, shaded or colored with up to three hues.
Starscream and Morgan say the tradition of tattooing special designs on Friday the 13th has a long history—dating at least to the ’40s or ’50s.
Not all tattoo shops are keen on this holiday, though. Whether they dislike offering discounts on their work or only work by appointment, some artists have their own reasons for warding off the day when it makes an appearance a few times a year.
“Me, personally, I don’t see a problem with doing it as a special for a day,” Starscream says. “Sure, we (don’t) make a lot of money off of it, but if they liked the tattoo, they’re more prone to come back to us for their next tattoo. So it’s just a good exposure.”
Most tattoo artists usually work by appointment, Starscream says, so participating in Friday the 13th walk-ins can be a nice change of pace. He says the small, low priced tattoos bring in a variety of customers, both old and new.
“We’ll get a lot of our regular clients, so it’s like a treat for them. But for the people that have never come here before, it exposes them to the shop and gets them in,” Starscream says. “Sometimes it’s their first tattoo. … It’s kind of like a way to dip their toes in and see if they want to do it.” Find it on Instagram at @leviathanstudiostattoo.
Where to find Friday the 13th specials
A few local tattoo shops that participate:
Art Addiction Tattoo
13580 Coursey Blvd.
Body Images Tattoo
3607 Government St.
Leviathan Studios
5830 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Suite A-4
Safe Voyage
1500 Florida Ave.
Stronghold Tattoo
3358 Drusilla Lane, Suite 6D
Tips for trying Flash Tat Friday
Starscream’s and Morgan’s advice about getting tattooed:
• Availability is first come, first served, so get there early.
• Bring your ID.
|
|
|
• Eat before you go.
• Come with a good attitude and open mind.
This article was originally published in a January 2023 edition of 225 Daily. It has been updated for the October 2023 issue of 225 magazine.