Hello, I am going to write up a review on Powerhouse Tattoo in Montclair, NJ. Before I go into the review I?ll like to mention that this my first experience getting a tattoo and being in a tattoo parlor so I?ll be coming off as being a bit green. I came to know about Power House from word of mouth of students that generally get tattoos, so I figured that I should check it out since it was close by. I walked in with a set design and place in mind, but then saw that the shop had it in a very detailed design. Now I got damn nervous because I?m not the type to go over the top and I wasn?t going to start going that way first my first tattoo. I went up to the manager and tattooist, Eddie Peralta, and introduced myself as the caller that wanted a koi fish tattoo as a shoulder blade piece. The employee, who turned out to be the manager, recognized who I was and showed me to his workbench, and started to inform me on the tattoo I wanted. He proceeded with a reference sketch of the koi, telling me that this is a traditional Japanese design and can be easily customized with added designs. I liked the fact that I didn?t have to go all out with my first tattoo and just start plain and basic; this really assured me a lot. But what really helped me was his advice on the tattoo placement. At first I really wanted my tattoo on the shoulder blade, but Eddie explained to me that it wouldn?t give the tattoo any justice. What he meant by that was that my back is such a huge space so if I wanted to get a medium sized tattoo there it would seem puny compared to the empty space. Because I was green about tattooing, I didn?t consider that my tattoo would lack the power to impress depending on the size and placement. So he suggested two alternatives, to either place it on the upper arm or on the leg while also asking if I wanted it to be concealed if I wanted it on the arm for professional work reasons. Eddie started off by free drawing the tattoo in sharpie, and I have to say that it looked amazing for as a sketch; he also shifted the design upward to conceal it better by making a borderline without making it look odd. It looked natural and classy, as if the koi was actually traversing a fall. Every interaction with Eddie brought me more confidence in going through with getting and optimizing the tattoo, not to mention that the shop wasn?t intimidating. At first I pictured a tattoo parlor being poorly lit, intimidating, and messy but Powerhouse was the complete opposite. The atmosphere, BGM, and employees, especially a funny man named Thrasher, were clean and humorous that you?ll literally become a bit more relaxed in breathing when dealing with the tattoo pains. All in all, this was a great first experience on getting a tattoo and if I ever want to optimize my tattoo or get another one, I know I can rest assured that I have a preferred parlor to go to.
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