#Squids ink tattoo full
#Squids ink tattoo free

Both time and my heart are racing, but I mentally note that when she steps back over the rope to leave the shop she's smiling from ear to ear. She's with her friend who has an appointment later that evening to get a piercing. I'm just in time to see a 30s-or-40s-something woman getting waved behind the rope into the tattooing area. I show up for my appointment 45 minutes early, thinking it will help to calm my nerves. (Luckily, Valiant Lady drink menus always have a small but enticing selection of non-alcoholic cocktails, too - just one example of the ship's outstanding level of inclusivity.) Since alcohol causes the blood to thin, it's recommended to avoid it for at least 24 hours before you get inked - no easy task on a Virgin Voyages ship.

#Squids ink tattoo full

When the day finally arrives, I spend the few hours up until my tattoo getting my nervous energy out by walking the ship, making sure I have a full stomach by stopping by the Galley food hall and avoiding alcohol. (Another hot tip: one of the perks of booking a Rockstar-level suite is that you get a pre-tattoo consultation with your artist, something that can be worth its weight in gold if you've got a more intense design, you want done.) Bundle of Nerves: Preparing For Getting a Tattoo on a Cruise Ship I have exactly six hours to change my mind and still get my deposit back. Squid Ink's £150 deposit gets taken out of my Sailor Loot (Virgin-speak for my onboard account) and it's a done deal - the 30-hour countdown to my tattoos begins. I opt for the touch-up and a small new one, still undecided where the new one might go. I double-down and book-in enough time for two simple tattoos and loosely go over what I think those might be with Bradley. But as the clock ticks closer to 5 p.m., the people at the gate are getting playfully restless, shaking the shop's closed metal gates. 'So you only pay the minimum once.' Hot tip, though it oddly doesn't help to push me toward any internal resolution - it only serves to fuel more possible ideas. 'It's better to get two tattoos at the same time, if that's what you want,' he says. I ask Bradley if the shop's £150 minimum would cover two tattoos or if each would require their own minimum, assuming it might guide my decision. Now, here in the shop, it's crunch time, and I still can't decide whether to get an old tattoo touched up or go for an entirely new tattoo.

I've batted a few ideas back and forth over the years without ever feeling compelled to commit. I currently have five tattoos, but it's been 10 years since my last. Unlike Gensinger and Hauck who have traveled from New York to join Valiant Lady, Bradley owns his own tattoo shop, called Indelible Ink, in Gosport, located just across the harbor from where Valiant Lady's first handful of voyages will be departing in Portsmouth, England. Soon after we meet, Gensinger assigns Bradley to be my tattoo artist. Meeting Gez Bradley, My Valiant Lady Cruise Ship Tattoo Artist For this inaugural sailing, Virgin Voyages brought back Scarlet Lady Squid Ink veterans Dennis Gensinger, the Squid Ink shop manager and piercer, and tattoo artists Justin Hauck and Gez Bradley. Our sailing's current Squid Ink crew were generous enough to give me first pick at their schedule.

#Squids ink tattoo free

And, considering Virgin Voyages ships are packed with dozens of excellent entertainment venues, loads of free (and fun) fitness classes, a stellar thermal suite and spa, and myriad spots to grab food and drink, that’s saying a lot.Īt-sea artists-in-residence join Squid Ink on a rotating basis, for up to six weeks at a time. Judging by the constant lines and crowds we've witnessed so far on this weekend's MerMaiden voyage of Valiant Lady, Virgin Voyages' second cruise ship, it looks like the concept is already a favorite across the pond, too. Cleverly dubbed Squid Ink, the ink shop debuted last year on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, the line's first-ever vessel. on embarkation day, but, by the time I arrive at 4:30 p.m., a line has already started forming outside its gated entryway. The tattoo shop onboard Virgin Voyages' new ship, Valiant Lady, opens at 5 p.m.