Friday the 13th tattoo specials are as American as Sailor Jerry, and Friday the 13th tattoos have carved out a similarly reverent place in tattoo history. Tattoo historians credit artist Oliver Peck with “creating” this tattoo holiday, citing his 1996 24-hour tattoo party, where he tattooed as many “13” tattoos as possible. (If we hadn’t been children at the time, we so would have attended that party.) Even Peck acknowledges he was not the first to celebrate Friday the 13th as a tattoo holiday, and the aforementioned legend of American Traditional tattooing, Sailor Jerry, is credited with popularizing tattoos that turned “13” from a sailor’s fear to a sailor’s defiant good luck charm, a la the evil eye, with his “Lucky 13” series of flash. Long gone are the days of paying $13 for a quick flash tattoo and tipping $7 for luck, but the tradition has stayed, evolving with the times. We spoke to a few tattoo artists about Friday the 13th tattoo specials and their thoughts.
Jay’e Jones, owner of Strata Tattoo Lab in Yucca Valley, California, sees Friday the 13th tattoo specials as a way to “celebrate [the] craft and show appreciation to [the tattoo] community.” She acknowledges that prices have gone up to keep up with the cost of supplies, but she seeks other ways to keep it fun and accessible for clients in her shop. Of the popularity and the hard work involved for artists, she says that after the 1990s, the event “took off like a rocket (for the customers, the Apollo; for tattoo artists who just worked 12-24+ hours, it’s more like the Challenger).” Because, despite how many tattoo artists love doing Friday the 13th specials, it is sometimes called the “Black Friday of tattoo culture,” where artists work harder and longer to accommodate demand, lobbies are often packed with veteran tattoo collectors alongside first-timers, and there might be a fist fight or two breaking out while people wait for hours. (Or, if you’re like our Senior Editor Nicole, you will get there before 10am, put your name on a list, go to a series of coffee shops to wait, and not get tattooed until after 7pm, at which point you decide you will never again get a Friday the 13th tattoo. Sorry, Renee.)
That celebration of tattoo culture is what drives a lot of artists who participate. Devon Robbins, an American-style tattooer at Crystal Skin Tattoo and Art Studio in Vernal, Utah, says he feels that Friday the 13th tattoo specials “are an opportunity to show people what makes traditional tattooing and the culture of it so special.” He acknowledges that current trends are more about customs and lots of people now say, “I would never pick something off the wall,” but flash events encourage people to “pick a design and live with it.” For Robbins, there is something special about seeing a client “realize that the tattoo they are getting is a rendition of a Zeis design or something Percy Waters made nearly a hundred years ago, and that they’re continuing a tradition … It’s just so cool.”
The history of the lucky 13 tattoo is one of turning tradition on its head and taking comfort in defiance. So what of the artists who aren’t joining in on the long, hard day of tattooing in the name of keeping tradition alive? Elisabeth Emperyan from Black Velvet Body Art Studio in Sandusky, Ohio, has a few reasons to sit out the tradition. For one, she tends to be booked up and working those days and says, “If I have the option to do bigger or longer-term pieces, I will always choose those.” The other reason? At the new, inverted price of $31 that a lot of studios charge, artists aren’t making any money after supplies, and at $80-100, “it doesn’t really feel like it’s fun, Friday the 13th flash anymore.” Though she does acknowledge that $100 tattoos are a rarity these days, she raises a good point. With the cost of simply setting up a tattoo going up, is the Friday the 13th tattoo special at risk?
As a tattoo collector with a whole section of my leg set aside for Friday the 13th flash, I sure hope not. I’ve been getting tattooed long enough that I even got one of those legendary $13 flash pieces (though it’s now covered by custom work), and aside from my Friday the 13th tattoo specials, I haven’t paid $80-100 for a tattoo in at least 15 years. Devon Robbins said, Friday the 13th “gives people an excuse to just get a tattoo,” and that’s a part of the culture at risk of dying with the rising costs of operation. It’s a great excuse to get back to that old familiar feeling of just wanting a tattoo, hanging around the shop, and walking out with something new, cool, and cheap on your body forever!
If you’re planning on hitting up your local shop for their Friday the 13th tattoo special, keep these tips from Jay’e Jones in mind:
“Arrive early, sign in, bring snacks, wear comfortable clothing, and have the patience of a Saint…. It goes a hell of a long way. And if you enjoy the experience, remember that tipping your artist is never expected, but always appreciated! After all, these marathon tattoo days exist for one simple reason … to celebrate the people who make tattoo culture what it is.” Our advice? Go at least once! Get the tattoo, tip your artist, drink a lot of water, and grab the last Tickle Me Elmo and Princess Diana Beanie Babies off the shelves while you’re there. Those are safe investments for the future.
