YANT ART SPACE — Attraction in New York

Left with a misspelled outline and now have to explore laser treatments. Mistakes happen, and I take responsibility for my lapse in judgement; in not triple checking myself.

After several emails, a submission form and a zoom meeting explaining what I wanted (with correct spelling) I went into the appointment confident and trusting everything was in order because of how professional Yant studios conducted their business, the amazing reviews and having submitted several written examples.

I wanted to get “rubis rouge” (meaning ruby red) on my thighs. When my appointment started we selected a font style and size. We spent 45 minutes on centering placement alone. Everything seemed great. My artist was polite, friendly and knowledgeable.

I do take responsibility for not triple checking the spelling, however I was never asked to verify the spelling on the stencil prior to starting. I really trusted the process because of how thorough the process of getting an appointment and the detailed submission forms. We started on “rouge” first… after the outline I realized the letters were arranged incorrectly and I was given “rogue” … by definition a savage animal, or untrustworthy man… mentally I’m am now at a place of extreme disgust, discomfort and detachment from my own body. To say I feel embarrassed and ashamed is an understatement.

Initially we thought of ways to change the font to correct the mishap but couldn’t not find a solution because of the original font style. Another senior artist was FaceTimed in and offered the suggestion to color the word white, let it heal and then try to cover with a skin tone on top. I am not new to tattoos, I have been going to the same artist over the past 5 years (who unfortunately moved out of state and my reasoning for going to yant studio). In what knowledge I have about the tattooing process I was not comfortable with this solution; it seemed like a panic suggestion and I felt this proposed solutions were potentially problematic and completely wrong.

The artist and I both agreed the best solution was to walk away and have laser treatment. The artist was beyond apologetic, and offered me what money they could from their own pocket to receive treatment. The shop refunded me my initial deposit.

This is a cautionary tail that even if everything seems like you’ve done it right, you can never...

I went to Yant to get a D&D tattoo design done of my characters on my forearm and got an infection that I’m still currently dealing with. The artist and management are not professional nor do they care about you and your concerns. I had Jio as my artist. We worked the first session in the beginning of August and it turned out well. We scheduled another session a few weeks later in September where Jio worked on coloring in more of the tattoo. I started noticing slight pain during the week and my arm was getting scaley and red. I showed it to Jio and he thought that I had a reaction to the color and to just keep doing my cleaning. Two days later a piece of my skin came off and I had open cuts on my tattoo so I went straight to the doctor. I informed Jio that I was going to the doctor and what happened. He told me I should get an over the counter product but, the way my arm was looking had me worried. The doctor said I had an infection in my arm and any later I would need surgery to remedy the infection or possibly lose my arm. After two weeks of follow up with my doctor and a specialist, I spoke to Jio about some compensation for my ordeal but he was not receptive. He was shifting the blame onto me and said the product I was using, Mad Rabbit, is not good to use and that other artists will say the same. I never had an issue using it on the first session and other tattoos I have. I even had other artists look at my arm and they say that he went too deep into my arm. Jio was shifting the blame to me, saying I didn’t believe him with no apolgy nor empathy for what I’m going through. The management at the studio were not receptive to my issues or helpful towards me. I would not recommend going to this studio if you value professional...

Scheduling: Scheduling procedure will vary by artist. I had the pleasure of getting a piece done by Rachel (@rraeink) who's in charge of her own scheduling. She was professional, communicative, and accessible. I recommend you follow the artist from whom you're interested in getting work on Instagram to stay up-to-date with when their books open.

Studio: If you don't live in NYC, the Queens location is definitely a hike but still well worth it. The studio is housed on a second floor, and I don't think I saw an elevator, so if you have mobility challenges, that might be a problem. The studio was bright, minimalistic, and clean. It was also quite spacious.

COVID safety: My session was in August. No guests were allowed, which I appreciate because it minimized close contact with people. Upon coming in, there's hand sani available, and you're asked to use it. Masks are kept on by clients and artists alike (except to drink water but everyone was mindful of doing that in a corner/away from others).

Tattoo/artist: Actual process of discussing the tattoo design was relatively easy and efficient. The piece that Rachel designed for me was adorable and better than how I imagined it. I didn't ask for any alterations and I got it done as Rachel had designed it. (If you're new to tattoos, know that it's pretty standard to not see the custom design until the day of, as artists want to protect their creative/intellectual property.) Aftercare was super easy. The studio has easy-to-follow instructions on how to take care of your tattoo while you're healing.

Final thoughts: Highly recommend this studio, especially Rachel! Don't forget to tip...