Into You Tattoo

A bit of pain for a lifetime of pleasure? Well that’s if you don’t change your mind…
I think getting a tattoo must be a bit like child birth. It seems like a great idea. Then the pain kicks in and you vow ‘never again’! But the resulting beautiful sight makes you think it was all worthwhile but you’re not quite sure when you’ll be ready to give it another go. I’m not really sure what I’m trying to say. I’ve had tattoos. I’ve not had children.
Anyway, Into You has a glorious reputation that precedes it, which is the kind of thing you want to hear when a tattoo needle comes buzzing towards you. I first discovered it several years ago when a friend was visiting from London especially to see the Into You tattoo artist that was completing his full sleeve. That’s a pretty solid recommendation there.
Sometime later I decided to get inked to mark a personal occasion and choosing this place seemed like a no-​brainer. I was left in the capable hands of a wonderful woman who was professional, talented and most importantly — quick!
My only gripe was it was just some small wording and £80 was more than I expected. But I guess it’s better to pay more when you can be confident in the results. Especially for something that is permanent.
Oh and if you’re sat there wondering what I got? I have «You’ll Never Walk Alone» tattooed on my foot in a feminine font. For Liverpool. Walk. On my foot. Geddit?! :D

I checked out the artists books and was really impressed. I think I might want to link up with Adam, who does tattooing by hand. I have been interested in that for a long time… Cool!

Yep, I have a little ink. It’s the done thing in Brighton, and I am a slave to trends! No, seriously, I love my tattoos, they are a truer snapshot of my life than any picture could be, and I wouldn’t be the same without them. One of them, my most recent, I got at Into You, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to get one. Brighton is full of different parlours, and Into You is the nicest, best-​staffed and best value-​for-​money in the whole town!
Out of my three pieces, two were done by gun, and one was hand-​done. For all of you tattoo virgins: a tattoo gun is that buzzy knife/​pen thing most parlours use, a hand-​done tattoo is done with a needle. I don’t know anyone apart from Adam at Into You who hand-​does in Brighton, so there’s a good starting point: it is the better way to get tattooed. The design is clearer and more detailed, and the process is less aggressive to your skin; I really recommend it. It costs more and takes quite a bit longer, but the result is enviably good. Add to that that Adam is a great guy, and happy to go over designs and modifications and the like, and you see why I can’t imagine getting tattooed anywhere else again!
If you want other, regular gun work, the guys and girls in there seem to be great and know their stuff. Most parlours you hear a mixture of good and bad about: I’ve only ever heard praise for Into You.
So, if you fancy some work done, I can’t recommend Into You enough. Apart from the great skill you’re paying for, Into You is also well-​staffed, in an easily accessible, central location, pleasantly decorated yet still clean, and offers a wide variety of books and other tattoo bits and pieces. Truly the best place in Brighton to get tattooed, and well worth the increase in price from some of the cheap-​o places.

I have a confession to make: I’ve never been tattooed at Into You.
I have however, been tattooed by several different artists at their sister shop in New York — New York Adorned. I have lots of friends that have been inked at Into You too and all raved about it. An off-​shoot of the London branch in Clerkenwell, the Brighton branch is a tiny one a stones throw from the sea-​front.
Artists include Into You head honcho Alex Binnie, Jason Mosseri, Jim Macair, Adam Sage, Paula Converse and Woody. They offer everything from individual tattoos to full sleeves and body suits. Every artist has a different style — which you can see in their look books in the shop — but together they cover all the bases from tribal and Americana to Japanese tattoos.
If you’re not quite sure what you want, they also sell books, tees and jewellery — all of which are significantly cheaper, less painful and have a shorter lifespan than a bad /​impulsive tattoo!