Turning 18 is an exciting time, a step into adulthood, new opportunities and things you can do without reliance on a guardian or parent. One of those things I have readily taken advantage of is piercings, ringing up 4 facial piercings already. But with my friend turning 18 just days before, we set out to the next big thing–tattoos.
Located on South Jefferson Avenue on the edge of the Fox Park neighborhood, Trader Bob’s Tattooing brought the art back to St. Louis back in 1980 after a void left by Bert Grimm almost 30 years before. Grimm was a well-known and celebrated tattoo artist who helped create the now well-known American Traditional style of tattoo, recognizable by its thick lines, bold colors, and common symbols. Trader Bob’s still carries on this tradition, specializing in American traditional, the outside and inside decorated with lights, walls covered in hand-drawn Flash sheets, and many brightly painted vintage signs. The store draws your eye as you drive past which is how I first learned about it while out adventuring in the city with friends. Other St. Louis tattoo studios have similar bright exteriors, but Trader Bob’s stands out with its strong historical identity and look.
Me and my friend, senior Izzie Rigueiro, walked into the store last Sunday, March 23, a little nervous but buzzing with excitement. Trader Bob’s takes walk-ins every day and we were lucky to get in without a wait. We were immediately helped by friendly staff and were able to easily fill out the paperwork and look at flash options for my friend’s. Izzie was more “on the fence” of what she was getting while I came with a plan, able to see how the shop handled both situations. We were introduced and set up with the available artist, Jake Jegel (@jakeyliketattoo), a local St. Louis artist of many years. He was kind, patient, and able to work with our different visions. He quickly and happily printed out templates to help figure out the size and placement, changing or adding whatever we wanted in just a few minutes. Thirty minutes after walking in I was lying on the table getting an Egyptian ‘Ankh’ tattooed on my lower tricep, Izzie and I talking idly.
The pain varied between me and Izzie, us getting the same placement on our arm, known for being a less sensitive part, though how she described it was more uncomfortable for her. She decided on a bird design to represent her and her twin brother she found online. Jake was able to take the reference photo and recreate it quickly and resize it to her liking. In the end her tattoo looked just as good if not better than the reference she brought in, and my tattoo came out exactly how I had in mind. We were given aftercare instructions and an invitation to come back if touchups were ever needed after we wrapped up. The pricing overall was incredibly fair–mine ringing up for $120 and Izzie’s more intricate design with a touch of color for only $30 more. We paid, tipped our artist, and were even able to get free stickers.
We were overall impressed and relieved to have such a comfortable and enjoyable experience; many first-time fears and preconceived notions were able to be dampened and soon squashed throughout the day. We walked out of the studio with beautiful tattoos, spending less money than first expected, and already discussing plans for the next. If you’re thinking of getting a tattoo any time soon, why not trust St. Louis’ oldest and finest to do it?
