The Collective Tattoo — Local services in Salt Lake City

Horrible experience. Great tattoo. This review is about Patrick Cat, not the studio as a whole, which appeared clean, nice aesthetic. This was my 8th tattoo, and a memorial tattoo to my cat that saved my life from depression. My experience is below for your consideration:

Pros: gorgeous tattoo, clean studio. Added 2 missing elements upon arrival.

Cons: Horrible communication, wrong reference photos, ZERO discussion of art preferences past initial conversation. Zero communication during tattoo of time expectations. Zero check in about satisfaction at the end. Missing the few key elements I specified as crucial to capturing the memorial. Completely wrong estimate of duration. Inconsistent information around healing process.

Long form: When I arrived, the watercolor art for the tattoo used two reference photos that I explicitly asked Patrick not to use. The main photo he chose shows my cat's illness, and I can see it in her face. I'd taken considerable time to send clear, detailed messages with reference photos. I sent a few others for consideration, hoping to have this design echo a key element of the sleeve on my other arm. This was not done (and never mentioned if he decided it just didn't work for his vision. I was very open to that discussion).

I am very comfortable following the lead of the artist. Patrick has room for improvement in that he did not narrate his choices prior to the visit. If he needed better lighting or photo quality, I could have found that for him ahead of time.

I flew in from Colorado for this tattoo, and to arrive, planning for a marathon tattoo (quoted 5-8 hours, ended up taking 10), and have the wind knocked out of you because the art is so different from my direct request--it really sucked.

He had warned me he's a quiet, focused artist, but he has huge room for improvement around communicating during a session: progress made, expectation for duration. Despite being quoted 5-8 hours, we took a solid 10 with no conversation about how I was doing or that he expected it to go long. He changed the design mid-tattoo without discussion. He also closed and washed the tattoo at the end without asking if I was satisfied or saw need for finishing touches. From there, he told me 3 different durations for Saniderm wear. I had no confidence in him by that point.

The tattoo is gorgeous and well done. However, these things that add up to an experience I cannot recommend to anyone. Proceed...

Everything about the process of getting tattooed at Misery and Co. from start to finish exceeded my expectations. The lobby is spacious and welcoming. As soon as I walked in I was greeted immediately by multiple people who were ready to help me. After seeing samples of everyone's art, it's easy for me to say that every artist that works there is beyond talented. For the particular design I wanted, I chose Judd to do my tattoo. Communicating with him about design, placement, and size was really easy. He is attentive, professional, and kind. I always felt I could ask questions or change something about the design if I needed to.

On the day of my appointment, Judd offered me a bottled water before we started, which was nice because I had forgotten my own. Each artist there has their own private room that is well lit and extremely clean. Judd's room was no exception. He played calming music to ease my already anxious nerves and explained everything he was doing throughout the process.

Between the amazing customer service, incredibly talented artists, and gorgeous studio, I will definitely...

The shop is beautiful. It’s located downtown so I was able to park at the gateway and take a short walk to the shop. Each artist has their own space. There’s really interesting art everywhere and seemed very clean. My artist, Valerie, was super helpful. She was kind, took time to answer questions, and was incredibly respectful. She explained the process and made sure to check that I was doing ok throughout the six hours I was there. Aside from Valerie being a wonderful individual, her artwork and tattooing are insane 🤯. All of my previous tattoos are black and gray, so I was a little worried about doing a color tattoo. Valerie tattooed like a legit angel. I dozed off a few times during the black and gray work, she was so gentle. The color was a bit more intense but Valerie continued to check in with me and provided moral support. I’ve gotten work by a lot of different artists and they’ve all been great, however I would rate my experience at Misery & Co quite high on the list. My tattoo is still fresh so I’ll report back once healed. Although I’m sure it will heal beautifully....