Black Bee Tattoo 802 East 29th Avenue, Spokane, WA 99203

"Lucy was going to be doing a full coverup on me. I am glad that the old piece is totally covered but i will be having another artist finish it because Lucy is too heavy handed. For my tattoo only about 1/3rd or less of it is on top of the scars of the old tattoo, but every moment of it felt like she was scraping my skin off with a serated knife. I have about 30 tattoos and i have NEVER felt pain like this before from a tattoo, even on my neck and wrist bone. The tattoo was supposed to be 2 sessions & she quoted about 6-8 hours altogether. Shes already spent 10 hours on it & charges hourly, and wanted me to come back for another 4 hour session. But it honestly would have been done sfter the 2nd session if she had colored the body of the dragon. instead while tattooing an area i couldn't see in the chair, she added a huge dark background that was not in the design photos or something we agreed on. I wish she would have finished the coloring on the actual piece and then asked me if i wanted to come back to do a background. never had this issue before, but lesson learned to be explicit when consulting if you do not want a background, even if its not drawn in the design. I feel grateful that the old piece is covered ( i've had many artists say it could never be covered without a blackout) but i'm at the point where i get anxiety for each appointment because i know the pain will be unbearable, its like going to the dentist in the little shop of horrors. The pain from her tattooing is worse than anything i've ever felt. I honestly wouldn't let her tattoo on me anymore even if SHE was PAYING ME. A tattoo should never be unbearable if an artist is well versed in their craft. I feel tricked into feeling like i have to buy more hours of work from her because she spent 4 hours on the background i never wanted. I understand stuff happens but she rescheduled my first appointment because she was having a computer problem, and i tried to be understanding, but it made it so i had to reschedule again because my appoved time off of work was used up, and i can only get time off if i have pto. She did offer me a 100$ credit towards my tattoo for rescheduling. My 3rd session (which it should have been done in 2 if she had colored the piece instead of adding a background) she tried to reschedule as well because 'she had to stay at home all day to wait for the plumber', which gave me time to think that maybe i should find a less heavy handed artist. And she offered me a 100$ credit again but i politely told her to keep the deposit and not worry about refunds or credits becsuse she is too heavy handed, so i don't want to come back to her. But then later i saw she posted on her story on facebook 3 hours before my appointment was going to be that she was just driving around goofing off in her car, so i don't appreciate the dishonesty. The art is not bad. The design (other than the background) was all what i wanted and agreed upon. But i don't want to give any more time or money to an artist that is pushing their machine way harder than they need to be. I have even had apprentices tattoo me the first time they picked up a machine and it did not hurt like this at all. This is how far we got after 10 EXCRUCIATING hours of hell. i would not reccomend anyone getting tattoo's from someone with such a heavy hand. @ slave to the needle in seattle the professional who did my tattoo felt like they were drawing on me with a marker, and is still my most vibrant tattoo. So don't fall for the 'you have to push hard to get it in there' trick. Again shes not a bad person or artist but i'd rather see a more reputable artist The consultation for this was over a year ago & it has been this long in the making. At the original consultation i asked if i should schedule all my appointments now so we can do them with decent timing, and she advised me there was no need. But we really should have gone that route if she wanted to be the one to finish it. A year of anxiety over the pain, and stress from the rescheduling is just too much for me."

"Update! Well I got the lines done for my first ever tattoo and I have to say it turned out AMAZING! I love her small quiet shop and the privacy of it. She has a great bedside manner and the artwork she performed is beautiful!! Thank you so much Lucy!! I went for a consultation and Lucy was amazing! She is very patient and friendly. Her creativity put me at ease as I am not artistically inclined and I love how she was able to understand what changes I wanted and add her own ideas to make concepts even better! A wonderful experience and I canNot wait to see what she comes up with!!!"

"I just had my consultation, and Lucy was wonderful. She really listened and understood exactly what I was going for. Can't wait for my tattoo! In my experience women-owned tattoo shops are warmer, friendlier, and more artistic, and Black Bee is no exception. Don't hesitate to make an appointment to see Lucy."

"I have wanted to get tattooed by Lucy for many years and last spring I traveled from Montana to Spokane to finally have her tattoo a beautiful piece of art. From the consultation and conception of what I had envisioned Lucy was very attentive and creative in creating a gorgeous design that accentuated the curve of my thigh with perfect placement. Lucy’s studio was professional and had a charm personal to her with personal accents of her artwork decorating her private, clean and comfortable studio. I have had two other tattoos done previously and my comfort levels with Lucy were something I hadn’t experienced before. She made sure I was comfortable and I was able to pump breast milk when I needed during breaks in our long session. Lucy was wonderful conversationalist while doing precise and beautiful line work. I had the best experience and was in awe at the passion and knowledge she has of her artistry. My tattoo healed in such an incredible way and continues to be as vibrant as the first week I had it done. It has been almost a year since I have gotten my most gorgeous and meaningful tattoo yet. If you have made it to the end of this lengthy review congratulations! And don’t hesitate to book your next tattoo with Lucy she is truly wonderful!"

"Lucy is incredibly talented and very professional. I feel so comfortable in her studio. She has done both of my sleeves and has exceeded my expectations with both. I will continue to get my other pieces from her. Her good energy and laugh is so contagious. I swear I learn something new every time I talk to her. She plays good music and tries to make you as comfortable as possible. Her apprentice Kai is also very sweet and fun to talk to. I highly recommend Black Bee Tattoos."