She said that before joining Prospect, she often felt isolated as the only woman on the job. Kree Villegas, Prospect's tattoo manager, started tattooing about a dozen years ago when she was 16 and got her first studio gig at 18. And they’re going to feel more comfortable getting a tattoo from a female tattoo artist.” And I feel like women are a little bit more comfortable going into an all-female tattoo shop and getting a more private area tattooed. “I think it brings equality,” said Prospect Parlor founder and owner Jennifer Balderrama. That's why San Antonio's female tattoo-shop proprietors say there’s something special about a tattoo studio run by women who know what it’s like to be on both sides of that buzzing ink pen.Īlso on : A teddy bear face tattoo leads to a San Antonio woman's arrest in connection with a violent robbery According to the job website Zippia, 75 percent of tattoo artists are men.
Teddy bear tattoo skin#
She added that tattoo culture also has become more welcoming to all sexes, sexual orientations and skin colors.īut those slinging the ink still tend to be male. have gotten tattoos each year since 2012. According to Kouture, more women than men in the U.S. It makes sense that more women are running tattoo studios. Prospect Parlor is San Antonio's first all-women barbershop and tattoo studio. Later this year Kouture will expand her brand with her first Ink Couture in Austin. And this year marks a decade in business for Diane Castillo, founder and owner of Nite Owl Tattoo Studio's two locations. San Antonio tattoo artist Esther Quiara just celebrated the first anniversary of Into the Void, the tattoo shop she owns and operates in Southtown. Kouture is one of several San Antonio women making their mark in the male-dominated tattoo industry with their own businesses.Įarlier this year, Prospect Parlor, the Alamo City’s first all-women barbershop, added an all-women tattoo studio to its Northwest Side home near Ingram and Wurzbach roads. “Knowing that we are sensitive and welcoming to the female clientele versus the traditional, typical tattoo shop stereotype.”Īlso on : San Antonio tattoo artists look to cash in on NFTsĬall it a welcome injection of estrogen into a culture long steeped in testosterone. “Being female-owned is also a draw,” Kouture said. About a third of the tattoo artists are women. The business has grown into a trio of posh tattoo parlors in San Antonio that offer a more female-friendly spin on getting inked, with private tattoo rooms, fancy chandeliers and red velvet furnishings. So in 2018, Kouture opened her first Ink Couture Tattoos. And I thought, 'There has to be something different.' ” “Basically, my first tattoo experience I was on a table, in the middle of a room, basically naked with a bunch of men gawking at me. Tattoo model Kandy Kouture has bared her inked skin for Playboy Australia and other magazines, displaying a body of artwork that includes an ornate peacock tattoo that covers her left side from her underarm to her upper thigh.īut when she got her first tattoo 11 years ago, the San Antonio native felt downright, well, exposed. Kin Man Hui/Staff photographer Show More Show Less Quiara is one of several San Antonio women who run their own tattoo studio. Tattoo artist Esther Quiara recently celebrated the first anniversary of Into the Void, her Southtown tattoo shop. Kin Man Hui / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 8 of8 Tattoo artist Esther Quiara works on her friend Amanda Galindo at Into the Void, her Southtown tattoo shop. Quiara recently celebrated her first year in business as owner and operator. Abigail Im / Multimedia producer Show More Show Less 7 of8 A self-taught artist, she started her career a dozen years ago when she was age 16. Kree Villegas is the tattoo manager at Prospect Parlor. Kin Man Hui/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 6 of8
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Courtesy Hugo V Photography Show More Show Less 5 of8 She opened the tattoo parlor chain as a high-end, female-friendly option for women and men who want tattoos. Tattoo model and San Antonio native Kandy Kouture launched Ink Couture Tattoos in San Antonio in 2018.
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Kin Man Hui/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 4 of8 Tattoo artist Esther Quiara is one of several San Antonio women who run their own tattoo studio. Kin Man Hui / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 3 of8 Tattoo artist Esther Quiara works on her friend, Amanda Galindo at Into the Void, the 1-year-old business Quiara owns and operates. Courtesy Savannah B Photography Show More Show Less 2 of8 She now runs three locations in San Antonio, with a new studio on the way in Austin. Kandy Kouture (seated center) launched Ink Couture Tattoos in San Antonio in 2018.