NEWS — Tattoo Shop

Here at the studio, we have the opportunity to meet and tattoo folks from all over the world every day. Guess that’s one of the advantages of tattooing in Las Vegas. We have a tremendous clientele from Alberta. Mostly from Calgary and Edmonton, but many from British Columbia, primarily Vancouver. It seems Canadians like getting their commemorative tattoos for their holidays in Las Vegas. Most of them return every year for one or two sessions, sometimes more.

The attitude of Canadian people who get tattooed is what always stands out to me. These guys really know how to have a good time. It’s a very rare occasion when we meet an unfriendly or rude Canadian. Always smiling and having a great time telling stories of home.

When the recession hit Las Vegas back in 2008, the Canadian tattoo enthusiasts along with the European clientele were the ones who kept us afloat through the tough times. When locals here in Vegas couldn’t fit the tattoos in their budgets, the Canadians just kept coming.

I do a tattoo convention in Calgary, Alberta every October. It’s called Alberta Bound tattoo and Arts Festival. It’s put together by a very nice guy named Steve Peace. He owns Immaculate Concept Tattoo up there in Calgary. You couldn’t find a nicer guy to work with. He’s got the best tattoo convention going right now. It’s always buzzing with activity from beginning to end. Steve provides great entertainment at a really nice venue. The convention is always held at the Calgary Stampede Grounds which is a perfect spot in downtown Calgary. Looking forward to making the trip real soon! Love tattooing Canadians!

I always take a couple extra days to go sight seeing when the convention is done. It’s always great to drive west out of Calgary toward the Rockies! The scenery can’t be beat.The traffic is not bad. Occasionally, you’ll run across a tour bus full of Japanese people who don’t know how to behave in public, but, what the hell, they’re just trying to snap as many photos as possible with their iPads and yell at the top of their lungs in the most pristine, quiet places. That brings me to Lake Louise. this is possibly one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever seen. Amazing!

Canada eh? Love it!!!

Chas. T. Spencer @21tat

Owner/ Artist

Studio 21 Tattoo

Las Vegas

It’s another beautiful day to tattoo in Las Vegas, Nevada! As usual, I went on a long bicycle ride to get some fresh air and a little exercise. Exercise is not something a tattoo artist gets during the work day. There is a lot of sitting involved in the tattoo process.

As I was rolling around in this perfect weather, I couldn’t help but feel very fortunate to be where I am on the earth doing what I do. The dry, desert breeze never fails to appeal to a desert rat such as myself. Having grown up on the gulf coast of Texas, mostly in the Houston area, I have developed an appreciation for the desert. Humidity, what’s that? We just don’t get a lot of that damp, muggy air around these parts. In fact, it’s really hard to work up a sweat on a day like today. Awesome!

The desert flora are in bloom and the mountain backdrop is amazing!  As I head west on parts of my ride, I can see the Spring Mountain range and the Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area. No matter how many times I’ve looked at this view, I never get tired of it. It is absolutely gorgeous.  On the flip side, as I head east, I have a view of the fabulous Las Vegas Strip and the Stratosphere Tower. Another view that just doesn’t get old. My family has been in Las Vegas for twenty-five years now. How time flies. Austin and Courtney were just little farts when we moved here. A move that we have never regretted!

As I begin my day trying to make sure all of our amazing tattoo artists are busy. I feel lucky to be here tattooing in Las Vegas. I feel lucky to have a staff of hard working artists with loads of talent to spend my days with. How could you not like this job?

I have to thank my lucky stars for this life. Now lets get to work!

Chas T. Spencer @21tat

Owner/Artist

Studio 21 Tattoo

Las Vegas, Nevada

It’s Saturday morning in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. Well, not for long. Here at Studio 21 Tattoo, our doors open at noon. I can hear Penny in there counting the drawer and getting ready for a very busy day. Penny is one of our counter girl, customer service representatives. The other one is Courtney, my daughter, who has the day off today. These two provide, without a doubt, the best customer service in the tattoo industry in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Not enough can be said about how important these two ladies are to us. They are the first impression with every new customer. As we all know, first impressions are extremely important.

I frequently hear from my customers that it is very hard to get some of the other Las Vegas tattoo parlors to return emails and even phone calls. I really like hearing this!

That’s how our competition sends us business. Thanks guys for not returning those emails! We appreciate every customer you send us.

Once Courtney and Penny communicate with the customer and figure out what crazy tattoo idea they have, it’s time to assign the job to one of our excellent tattoo artists.

The idea is then presented to the artists. The next step is to estimate the price. This is passed on the the customer for approval. The appointment is set and we are ready to rock!

Studio 21 also takes walk-ins on a first come, first served basis. Usually we have an extra artist on staff just for this purpose.

With almost two hundred tattoo studios, shops, parlors or whatever in Las Vegas, it’s increasingly difficult to stay on top. We have eight experienced tattoo artists on staff to take care of any tattoo style. Courtney and Penny are always available to get you set up with the best artists for your style of tattoo.

Thanks Courtney and Penny for all you do!!!

Chas. T. Spencer @21tat

Owner/Artist at Studio 21 Tattoo, Las Vegas

People ask me now and then if I ever do any professional athlete tattoos. To that I say, “yes, I do!”. Tattooing in Las Vegas affords us the opportunity to meet all kinds of interesting people from all over the world. You just never know who’s going to walk through that door.

A couple years ago, I had a young man come in and ask me to tattoo his children’s names on his chest. I said I’d be happy to. We agreed on a price and I went to work on getting the job done.

As he gets in my chair, I asked him what he does for a living. Something I frequently do to break the ice and get the conversation flowing. I remember he had a very strong accent. Wasn’t sure where he was from, but guessed he may be German. He very quietly tells me he plays futbol for a team in Amsterdam. I proceeded to tell him that I know nothing about sports. Pardon my ignorance, but I just don’t have time to keep up with sports. He smiled really big and said that it was all right. I could tell he liked not being recognized.

He explained to me that he played soccer. They just call it futbol over in Europe.

I had heard this before, so now we were clear on what sport he played. I still don’t know at this point that he is some what of a big deal over there.

He told me he was captain of his team in Amsterdam. Sounds like a real big deal to me now. Pretty cool! He was a very soft spoken guy who seemed a little timid.

I had a nice little visit with him while doing his tattoo. He told me he comes to Vegas with some friends for the World Series Of Poker. He didn’t play poker himself but just likes Vegas and enjoys to nice weather. Makes sense because I think the weather over in Holland is not so good much of the time.

Turns out his name is Ron Vlaar. He now plays for a team in England. He played with the Amsterdam team in the 2014 World Cup. I watched my first soccer game during the world cup just so I could see Ron do his job. He put on a great performance! I still don’t know a thing about soccer.  Whatever.

The studio has also had a couple visits from ice hockey defenseman, Deryk Engelland who at the time was playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now he plays for the Calgary Flames. Phil luck got to tattoo him. Phil said he didn’t talk much. As the story goes, Phil asked him why the hell he would move from Canada to Pennsylvania to play hockey. Deryk told him he played for the Penguins. All of a sudden, this made much more sense to Phil.

We’ve had a number of visits from pro athletes, but I don’t remember the names.

Sorry. I’m just not a sports fan. Unless it’s fishing!!! Don’t get me started!!!

Chas. T. Spencer

Owner/Artist

Studio 21 Tattoo

To find out why Studio 21 Tattoo was voted Las Vegas best tattoo shop, one only needs to pay us a visit and see what goes on inside. Our shop is located two miles west of the Las Vegas Strip on West Flamingo Road, only a short cab ride from the heart of the strip.

Visitors will always be greeted by the friendly, smiling faces of Courtney or Penny. First you will see a comfortable lobby filled with objects of interest and a gallery of outstanding art, mostly provided by the studio staff. Our customer service representatives will direct you to the artist portfolios and help you find the artist that best fits the type of tattoo desired.

There are six well appointed booths with very comfortable seating to make the tattoo process as painless as possible. Every booth is always spotless. The cleanliness and professionalism will be apparent the instant you walk through the door.

It has taken years to find artists that meet our standards of professionalism. We have artists that work in many different styles of tattooing. If you want a portrait, you might want to come by and see Mike Biggs @biggsstudio or Tyson @savageson. These guys both do black and grey or color portraits very well. If you are more inclined to traditional style tattoos, check out J. “Swarm” Wood @darthswarm or Phil Luck @phillucktattoo. Phil has just returned from New York to work with us again.

If you want a pug tattoo, you just need to check out Nick Bones @nickbonestattoos. Dog portraits are not all that Nick does, but he certainly does his fair share.

Owners, Charlie @21tat and his son, Austin @onmydong also do their fair share of tattooing at the studio. Charlie sticks with the traditional tattoo style while Austin has a style of his own. Austin spends much of his time doing amazing tattoo sleeves with his skeladudes.

Stop in and find out why Studio 21 Tattoo was voted Las Vegas best tattoo shop, but hey, It’s my family business, family owned and operated since 2003. We will continue to strive to do the very best for every person who walks through the door!

Chas. T. Spencer @21tat – Owner/Artist, Studio 21 Tattoo