Heatstroke Tattoo — Local services in Indio

I have over 200 tattoos, 5 piercings, and have been getting body beautification for over 35 years. I have been to the dregs of the harbor towns, and the upper echelons of affluent communities. I was only an observer (twice) at Heat Stroke - and I have to say - the things I saw were upsetting, unprofessional, and dangerous. The staff show up when they feel like it, even after promising the client a time and date. In some cases the shop employees don’t even know when an artist will be there. My observations were: •Overly decorated studio with dust collecting on Knick-knacks, statues and the like. An impossible task to keep clean under any circumstances. •Little-to-no greeting when entering - one just stands there like a zombie until someone remembers that the customer is how they get paid, and then the attitude is like you’re inconveniencing them by even being there. •A piercer (supposedly the owner?) who leaves his break outside to come in and do a piercing without washing his hands, putting on gloves, or prepping the piercing site with any kind of disinfecting agent or cleanser. Also, missing the ‘sweet spot’ on a septum piercing and just wildly poking through the thickest part of the cartilage, when the spacer tool sits ignored on the tray. •An obvious ‘chip-on-the shoulder’ when people leave bad reviews. Instead of using constructive criticism to better themselves, they just fire back with an attitude and nothing changes. •Reptiles in a terrarium in the waiting area with no proper purification or cage ventilation - a breeding ground for surface bacteria such as: Toxoplasmosis, Salmonella, Mycobacterium, Campylobacter, Aeromonas, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Serratia and Flavobacterium meningosepticum. •Not a smile in the place - EVER. It is one thing to carry the anarchist attitude and be a bad a$$ as a tattoo/piercing artist - let’s face it - it’s the vibe you expect in these types of places; but I have seen many, many tattoo and piercing artists who smile frequently because they love their customers, they love their work, and they love their workspace. These folks just look downright miserable. I hope they are able to ‘transfer out,’ and find a shop somewhere that treats them better, and gives them the opportunity to shine - and above all - be happy.

I saved the dumbest for last: this one framed photograph of some young woman (presumably someone from the shop) holding a large-caliber semi-automatic pistol, pointed at the camera. First, it’s a cheap pistol. Second, her grip is all wrong and it’s obvious when the photo was taken she had no clue how to hold a firearm. Third, her finger is ON the trigger, not rested on the side of the weapon (not a safe situation for the photographer). I understand the desire to come off like some kind of gangsta-bada$$, but I don’t really want to be in a shop where one of the employees wants to shoot me...

I was in Indio a few weeks ago and had booked an appointment with Oscar for my dad to get his first tattoo. Verbal confirmation over the phone that he was available at 1pm on that Saturday to do it, and we were in the book. I had also reached out to him on instagram as the shop instructed me too, but no answer until literally today (10/25/23) when this was in September. Low and behold we show up to the shop at around 12:30/12:45 on Saturday, and the shop was closed for the weekend. Steve showed up some minutes later (grabbing some supplies) and tried to call Oscar, to which there was no response. Steve tried calling again before he left a little bit later, and still no response. Oscar never showed up to our appointment. Steve kept saying he’d show up, but alas no. (I think my favorite comment was at 12:45 when Steve said “oh, it’s 12:45. He should be waking up now and here soon”) We waited until like 1:30 and still a no show. I’m sure this was just a fluke, but evidently there is a lack of communication between the artists, the shop, and the customer, which is only bound to cause issues like this. When I called to schedule the appointment, they should’ve said that the shop was going to be closed that weekend because of the Powertrip festival. I got no phone call, no communication, and no warning to this information even though they knew it ahead of time. My time was wasted, and if given the chance I would not return...

I took my daughter here to get a tattoo for her birthday. I believe the artists name was Gus. It took him from about 4pm to a little after closing to finish but honestly I was surprised that he was able to do such an amazing piece in that short of time. After spending a good amount of time at the shop I feel like I'm able to leave a proper review. Everyone there was not only very professional but very friendly and down to earth. The owner was very involved and attentive to all customers and that's more you can say for most shops. The tattoo artist was extremely hard working and meticulous to detail. I seriously was blown away by everyone who got work done in the shop that day. The work was above and beyond amazing. I would recommend anyone looking for a tattoo or piercing to put their trust in this shop because I would put money on it that you'll walk out of there not only beyond satisfied with their work but feeling like you've made some new friends. I would give this shop 10 Stars if I could and I want to thank them for getting us in despite how extremely busy they were. It truly was a pleasure doing business with you....