Jake’s a hardass. Don’t let his slim build fool you, at 6’7”, the dude’s huge. He also might be a complete nut, ‘cuz he got this Skull tattooed on his hand and asked for it to come down over his knuckles like this, OUCH! We’ll post healed pics as soon as we can. Thanks Jake! Will’s still designing that sleeve y’all talked about!
It was a strange thing for Will to tattoo the image of one of his childhood friends on her daughter. Melissa was one of Will’s sister’s good buddies growing up, though he hasn’t seen her in many years. So when her daughter showed up to get a portrait of her mom, well, nothing like a little pressure to liven things up!
“It’s always a bit more stress when you’re doing a portrait of a loved one, someone the clients sees everyday. Have to nail those.” Will is succinct in his explanation of the anxiety portrait artists face when when tattooing family members or close friends of clients as opposed to some celebrity or movie character.
Still, Destiny has portraits of her mother and father, as well as her two children, all expertly performed by Will. Never a better endorsement than another satisfied repeat customer!
Will is currently accepting appointments from new clients on a limited basis, in order to prevent long wait times and to allow him to finish existing pieces on his current clientele. Interested parties should visit the shop or fill out our ‘Set an Appointment’ form here on this website. Thanks for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you!
Monsters are Universal, especially these! Universal Studios are the original purveyors of horror films, with classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Wolfman, all shown here, as performed by our portrait artist Will. We can’t say enough for the impact these original creature features had on the film industry, our imaginations, and pop culture even today! Combined with the expert craftsmanship of a veteran tattoo artist, these creatures come alive once again in the flesh of those who would be so honored to call them home.
We’re drawn to the strength and suffering of these monsters, as we see ourselves in them in so many ways. Outcasts, those who have lost their way, those on a path of regret, we fear the depths we might descend to and that’s why these creatures frighten and inure themselves to us. They seem to serve as both a punishment and a warning: ‘Beware the thing you fear so that it is not what you become.’
Join us at Lighthouse Tattoo in celebrating our love of these classic horror icons.
So his name sounds like a Bond villain, and like any good villain, Matt doesn’t give a damn about gravity, or about what the sudden stop at the end of a long fall could do for your digestion. Either way, he’s ours and we love him!
We met Matt when he came into the shop to get his first tattoo: A Legend of Zelda lifebar heart. Since then he’s regaled us with tales about his ferocious love of all things Dungeons and Dragons; close-up magic; vape tricks; and cats. We’re still trying to talk him into getting a motorcycle…
Matt’s specialty is Traditional American-style old school tattoos. He’s been with us for a couple of years now and he’s shown consistent improvement since he started tattooing. We introduce him here so you can learn his name as we expect great things from Matt in the coming months. Stop by Lighthouse tattoo when he works from Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 10pm and see what all the fuss is about!
This Saturday, November 28th, the exhibition match between 54 year-old Iron Mike Tyson and 51 yr-old Roy Jones Jr. will be taking place. it’s not really like anyone has anything better to do, you know? Hell, I’ve felt like I’ve been getting punched in the face for most of 2020, so how bad could it be?
Regardless of your leaning, or betting odds, we hope both of these legendary fighters make it through this upcoming fight healthy. This portrait was done for free as part of an exclusive promotional offer on our Instagram account. If you’re interested in such offers, go follow us on our Instagram @lighthouse_tattoos, or follow us on Facebook, where will be making more exclusive offers, but you must be a follow to win!
2020 is almost over and it shows no signs of getting tired or slowing down. Any minute now we’re going to find out the COVID vaccine causes the zombie apocalypse from that horrible Will Smith movie that everyone hates the ending to. It looks like 2021 is looking up though, as evidenced by nothing in particular but a vague hope in this writer’s mind, so without further adieu, here’s a couple videos to encourage you to hang in there for the rest of this year at least, in case the next one doesn’t suck just as much.
Ah, the pumpkin spice lattes have all been poured, election day has come and passed, you can almost small the turkey baking in grandma’s oven. The time is here…to get tattooed!
We’d like to remind everyone that the winter months are a great time to get some new tattoo work done. Less skin exposed to a punishing summer sun, Coronavirus has ruined almost every option for family get togethers that don’t involve Facetime or Zoom, and a lot of artist’s schedules open up this time of year, as everyone focuses on Christmas spending and planning travel for the holidays.
This Christmas season, give the gift that keeps on giving, a tattoo! We have gift certificates available, good for 90 days after their purchase, an excellent gift for the tattoo collector(s) in your life!
Well, another presidential election has come and gone and what the hell?! During the single greatest time of uncertainty in modern history, certainly in this writer’s lifetime, some folks are still trying to argue about who the president-elect is? Honestly: What a crock of shit.
So, for our part, we would like to offer a discount on tattoos commemorating this historic time in our nation’s history. Be they somber or funny, Lighthouse Tattoo will honor a 30% discount on all election-related tattoos until such time as President Trump concedes defeat in this election. We honestly don’t care what side you’re on. Hardcore for the Teflon Don? Think the election was rigged? Get a lot of your info from Qanon? We got you! Think meat is murder and carbon emissions are more important than the economy? Sick and tired of the patriarchy? We’re here for you!
Our message is thus: Like it or not, we are all in this together. The sooner we figure that out and start working toward a common goal of improving the lives of our fellow Americans and the human race, the better off we all will be. In the meantime, let’s have a little fun with how ridiculous all of this has become! Get a tattoo, have some laughs, and don’t make any long-term plans, as we never know what tomorrow will bring!
And who knows? Maybe 2021 will be better…
Until next week, when our heat and A/C system is replaced, we will be using kerosene space heaters to knock any chill out of the room. If it is supposed to be especially chilly, or if you are going to have to be in an advanced state of undress during your appointment, you may want to go ahead and reschedule. Otherwise, we will do everything in our power to keep you comfortable during your appointment, as always.
Secondly, as the rate of new COVID-19 infections continues to rise, having remained above 70,000 new diagnosed cases per day for the last week now, we would like to inform our clients of our intention to close temporarily during this peak time, should the situation appear to become untenable. We have already seen the inability and unwilling of state and federal government to protect us. We have experienced first hand the inability of some of our clients to put others before themselves. It is our solemn promise to do what we can to protect the public whilst still trying to serve the same. Also, with schools and universities reopened and with Halloween being on Saturday this year, combined with the phenomenon known as pandemic fatigue, we expect that the number of Halloween parties will result in a spike of infections.
So: We will be drastically limiting access to the shop. We will remain open, but only to conduct remedial assistance with piercings and to conduct pre-scheduled business. No one else will be allowed into the building, and as usual, not without a mask. (We have masks on hand if you need one when you get here.)
It would appear that now is the time to really buckle down and practice social distancing. We encourage like-minded folks who already have an appointment to voluntarily reschedule, and if the situation does not improve within the next couple of weeks, we will shutdown all services indefinitely for the greater good. We hate to inconvenience anyone, but we just can’t see a workable alternative.
Hang in there, we’re all in this together, take care of yourselves. Remember to log on to lighthousetattoo.net to keep up-to-date!
You know how it is: first chilly day of fall, you cut on the gas heat, and get carbon monoxide poisoning. Happens every year, right? Well, this is what happened to us today. We have already put in a call to have the system replaced, which should be done early next week, and we plan on being open for business as normal tomorrow. We want to thank everyone for your patience and the good Lord for not calling us home on the express pass! Fortunately, no clients were affected and those of US that were managed to recover quickly despite a lingering headache. See y’all tomorrow!
Anyone who knows Will knows he’s a boxing fan. A boxer in his youth, Will found the characters of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson fascinating. With the upcoming exhibition match between Iron Mike and Roy Jones, Will has decided to offer two free portraits to one lucky fan of each fighter. To enter, you need to follow our Instagram; share the post about the free tattoo drawing; and comment on the post which fighter you would like a tattoo of. You must be available to get tattooed on Wednesday, Oct. 28th and/or Wednesday, Nov. 4th to win. Entrants IG names will be put into a hat and the winners will be drawn this Saturday, Oct. 24th at 4pm. If we can not reach you via IG message by 6pm, we will draw another name. If you would like to message us your phone number and/or email on IG we will try to call and email you before we move on. Good luck!
After the killing of George Floyd and subsequent and ongoing upheaval regarding policing in particular and race relations in general, we saw fit to re-post our policy about not doing Confederate imagery tattoos. It’s times like these when people start to come out of the woodwork so to speak and emblazon their beliefs on their skin, sometime to their detriment. We want no part of that. We pride ourselves on conscientious tattooing and while we seek to not judge our clientele and the wide array of beliefs they exhibit, there are just some things we don’t want to participate in.
That being said, we’ve had our previous post up since June 30th and in the last 6 weeks we’ve had more people come into the shop asking for Confederate flag tattoos than have in the last two years. It’s no coincidence. It takes a special kind of ignorance to wind up being called a racist and a race traitor in the same week, but the same day?!? Come on! That must be some kind of record.
To reiterate: We will not put imagery related to gangs, racist ideology, hateful images, boyfriend/girlfriends’ names, or anything else we as a group or a particular artist finds objectionable. We’re cool, and we want you to be cool too, but if you’re not, don’t expect us to be.
That being said. We understand a lot of people don’t feel that the rebel flag is a racist image. We understand, we just don’t agree. Certainly, in years to come, that symbol will become even more synonymous with bigotry and since tattoos are a lifelong commitment, we would not want to saddle any of our beloved clients with that kind of long-term burden. We hope you understand. If you don’t that’s okay too, but we’re still not doing any Confederate flag tattoos.
Joaquin Phoenix won an Academy Award for Best Actor with his portrayal of failed comedian Arthur Fleck in The Joker. Visceral and disturbing, Phoenix’s performance seethed with a intensity that grabs at your gut. The message is clear and disheartening: We’re all only one bad day from insanity. Michael Douglas in Falling Down; Robert De Niro in Cape Fear; Woody Harrelson in Natural Born Killers; and now Joaquin Phoenix in The Joker, a masterpiece of cinematic psychoses! Call 615 784-4500 to schedule your appointment today!
This is the first session on this color portrait by Will Wood.
We are now accepting appointments to do piercings. in order to observe the most reasonable balance of social distancing and commerce, we will be scheduling piercing appointments at 30 minute intervals, starting at noon daily. Clients will need to call the shop at 615 784-4500 and pay for the piercing over the phone in order to get an appointment. We do this to reduce the number of people who may waste our time and yours. Once the appointment is set, the client need only bring their appropriate identification paperwork (Driver’s license; or the extra documentation needed for minor piercings), get your new piercing, and you’re done!
We ask that all piercing clients please bring their own masks and wear them while in the shop, until our piercer dons their face shields. We appreciate your patience and cooperation while we work diligently to serve you during this time of heightened risk.
So, call Lighthouse Tattoo today to schedule your piercing appointment! We look forward to serving you!
It should be obvious by now, someone up there wants you to buy a bike. Two wheels of social distancing fury! Motorcycles are better than cars for more ways than dogs are better than cats (fight, fight!) but one more way that they’re better is they tend to make better tattoos! Mostly because you can see the engine, which adds a ton of detail and that can make a piece all the more interesting to look at. This is by far the largest, and one of the very best motorcycle tattoos we’ve seen. Call Lighthouse Tattoo to leave your deposit an schedule your appointment today at 615-784-4500 or email us at info@lighthousetattoo.net
Governor Lee has seen fit to lift the ban on close-contact professions conducting business as of May 6th. While we respect the practical nature of this decision, we also understand the threat it poses to the public health and we must acknowledge that this choice has been made for many of us out of necessity. It’s not the safest choice, but the alternative for many people is forced poverty. So wish us all in close-contact businesses luck!
To insure that we have enough protective equipment for our artists and clients, we will not be opening until May 15th. Our procedures will be as follows:
We will not be offering piercing for the foreseeable future, once we do, it will be by appointment only. Feel free to call to book your appointment or stay tuned to this website for updates.
We will only allow the person getting tattooed into the building. Upon entering, you will be directed to wash your hands and don a pair of gloves and a mask. We ask that you either leave your phone at home, in your car, or in your purse/pocket, we have ordered a UV sterilizer for telephones but it is on back order and phones are dirty people, so please use some restraint with them.
If your appointment is not the first one of the day, we ask that you remain outside until the previous appointment is complete. Please call once you have arrived and we will let you know when to come in.
Common Sense: If you don’t feel well or suspect you may have been exposed to COVID-19, please reschedule your appointment.
Tattoos will be performed on an appointment-only basis. We will not be letting people into the shop for any other reason. No questions, no consultations, no exceptions. Please resort to phone calls or emails to correspond with us regarding your interest in getting tattooed.
The next few weeks will be pretty tentative, but we will persevere. We want to go ahead and express our humble thanks to all of our loyal clients who have stood by us during this difficult time and are ready to ride it out with us, we love you all, please stay safe
It may seem a bit early to be thinking about your "summer look", but body piercings and tattoos are a great way of showing off who you are and what you are all about, and with more swimsuits and even more sun, summer is the prime time to show off that uniqueness. Getting an early start on a piercing or tattoo before you bust out that summer bod that you have studiously been working on (and definitely not been putting it off till "next year") can be a great idea.
Starting off with healing, ultimately the most important part of any new piercing or tattoo and you wouldn't want that getting in the way of your spring and summer plans. The main hold up on your plans being NO SWIMMING!!!! While healing you cannot be out in the water for 4-6 weeks for piercings, and at least 2 weeks for tattoos, really killing the whole point of summer! So getting that Naval, Nose piercing, or sweet new tatty now will allow you to kick back on the beach this summer without a single worry of getting your fancy new art or jewelry infected or otherwise harmed.
Next is the look of healing, anyone who's familiar with piercings will tell you that they tend to get red, swollen, and even getting those infamous crusties on your jewelry. Along with tattoos having the tendency to peal and flake and always look the best once you get all that out of the way. Though all of that is just your bodies way of healing and is completely natural, it doesn't always match with your outfit. Getting all that flaking and redness gone well before you're getting out on the lake, can make it all the better. Along with no longer having to deal with the soreness of a fresh piercing or tattoo as you stay active with summer plans, you can get all the nitty-gritty of healing out of the way while we're all cooped up in our well-heated houses hiding from the cold.
Last, and this mainly goes for the piercing audience, customization! Who wants to be walking around rocking the same jewelry as everyone else? During the healing process you got to keep the jewelry you got pierced with in to promote a better heal, and though we don't use anything ugly, we keep the jewelry simple here. So by the time you're out there swimming, boating, or just tanning in the sand you can be putting in whatever colors or styles you like and really pull your summer look together with some nice looking jewelry.
So what you waiting for? Come in and show us what your wanting to get and we can get you a quote and an appointment to come in and get you that work done and you may even be surprised at just how affordable that may be.
Minors must bring a parent or legal guardian and both the child and parent or guardian must bring a state-issued, photo ID, as well as a birth certificate (as documentation proving the relationship of the parent/guardian) in order to get pierced. The last name (and address if using an ID) of the child must match the last name (and address if using an ID) of the parent, or a divorce decree/marriage certificate must be included (in order to explain the name discrepancy). If the minor does not have a state issued ID we will also need some form of photo identification corresponding to the child's name i.e. a yearbook photo with their name or and ident-a-kid card, in addition to the other materials listed above.
We will pierce children’s ears of any age as long as they can sit still and not cry (too much). We recommend very small children (under 7 or so), go to the Gallatin Children’s Clinic for ear piercings, they are better equipped for children so young.
