Steel Tattooz LLC — Local services in Hartland Township

A full sleeve gone wrong — and a lesson learned the hard way. From the start, communication and professionalism were lacking. My husband and I went in for a consultation for my full sleeve. We talked about my tattoo for maybe four minutes. I had sent a clear, detailed list of specific flowers and meaningful elements I wanted included — each with symbolism tied to my life — something I’d spent five years planning.

Here’s what we never discussed during that consultation: the sleeve’s size, placement of objects, overall theme, or style. He simply said he was going for “realistic.” We didn’t cover shading techniques, thick black lines, or a dark background. No budget or timeline was established beyond “it’ll be done in two days.” There was no discussion of pain, healing, or aftercare, other than that I “might feel a little sick the next day.” The consult was less than 5 minutes. I was not told to shave my arm before the first appointment or not to take my daily meds. He said to eat a good breakfast but that was it.

I trusted that with my detailed list and the meaning behind each element, he’d create something special. But when I arrived for my first session and had a few small changes, I felt tension immediately. When I asked him to identify which flowers were which on the stencil (because it was difficult to tell), he seemed irritated and said he didn’t know off the top of his head but promised they were all from my list — telling me to “just trust him, he did not draw any flowers other than what was on my list.” When I asked for a dahlia to be added because I could see it wasn’t included, he said, “You’re killing me.”

Throughout the appointment, he made me feel like an inconvenience and even told me I was “the worst person he’s ever worked on” — not because I was difficult, but because I was bleeding badly. (could have been because I took my everydat medications) I stayed calm and professional, but his demeanor was harsh and condescending. I felt bad for bleeding but again it is something that it out of my control.

I was given no before-care instructions and very poor aftercare directions. I was told to use Aquaphor, which ended up ruining my sheets, clothes, couch, and car seat. For my second session, I had to ask for a better option myself. Only then did he suggest Mad Rabbit, which worked much better — but again, I had to ask. I even brought my own tattoo wrap since the first time was such a mess.

Before the second appointment, I sent a thoughtful, polite message outlining my ideas: adding a sunflower cover-up, my husband’s birth flower (larkspur), a dandelion for my siblings with their initials hidden in the seeds, feverfew as filler, and a small book. I attached reference photos and made it clear that my sketch and photos were only for concept — not to be copied.

When I arrived, he was unprepared. He had directly copied my quick sketch (which I’d specifically said not to copy) and hadn’t drawn the book at all. When I tried to ask questions, he said sharply that I was “pulling him in too many directions” and to “let him finish one thing,” which came across as rude and dismissive. All the reference images I sent him are the exact ones he traced — and they’re now permanently on my skin. I’m grateful I like the designs I picked, but as a tattoo artist, shouldn’t he have access to professional reference sources rather than Google?

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Continued Review

I had also texted that I didn’t like a part of the tattoo from the first day and wanted that section covered up. Instead of discussing options, he outlined a sunflower using the exact tattoo outline I had sent — literally copying another artist’s work — and then never completed it. Rather than finishing the cover-up, he began doing heavy shading behind all the flowers, adding wind and swirls that were never discussed or approved.

I also told him I wanted to see the placement before he applied the stencil, but he insisted it was better if I “just relaxed and stood up — he’s got it.” Clearly not. Several areas are crooked, and I even have a random black circle in the center of my arm that he claims is “because it’s not done.”

Before the third session (which thankfully never happened), I asked for the photos he used for reference from the first session. He initially said he would email them, but then refused and told me he wasn’t going to “get caught up” in identifying which flowers were which — and that if I wanted to continue, it would have to be “on his terms.” At that point, I no longer felt comfortable moving forward. That refusal also leaves the new artist who will finish my sleeve without any of the source material — and I think that speaks volumes about his character and professionalism.

I remained polite and professional throughout the entire process, but I was met with irritation, dismissiveness, and rudeness. This is permanent art on my body, and I deeply regret not trusting my instincts earlier. I wasn’t going to leave a review, but after reading so many others that echo my experience, I felt compelled to share mine — in hopes of saving someone else from going through the same thing. Please do your research before booking here. He may be fine if you hand over full creative control and never question a thing, but if you want an artist who communicates, listens, and treats clients with basic respect —...

Honesty the worst experience i have EVER HAD getting a tattoo. Beyond over priced, charged me 100$ for a small tattoo that was just an outline. There was no shading, nothing hard, literally just a simple outline of a flower, how could they mess that up? WRONG. The lines are crooked, he got aggravated when i asked him to adjust the tattoo(weird it's going to be on my body forever i'd like it to be perfect) and when i asked for minor adjustments he seemed like it was the end of the world. AND THATS NOT ALL. He CUT into my skin. Not just the needle making me bleed, he actually trenched out my skin so now i'm going to have scaring for the rest of my life on my arm. Thank god i know an amazing tattoo artist that can fix this mess because it is honestly AWFUL. Would NEVER reccomend to anybody. Would actually tell them to steer clear of this place and their unexperienced and...