I owe sailors of yesteryear for some of my favorite sayings… “three sheets to the wind”, “loose cannon”, etc. And now I also have sailors to thank for some of my favorite (and newly discovered) traditions.
Life on an ever-changing sea can be tumultuous, leaving those devoted to ocean dwelling a persistent preoccupation with the “winds of fate.” Good luck is needed. Bad luck must be avoided.
Tattoos have long been associated with seafaring men but have made a mainstream crossover in recent generations.
Friday the 13th marks a holiday for some and a day of caution for others but now it also means a celebration for many who choose to invest in some good luck.
Phoenix’s own Love and Hate Tattoo transforms Friday the 13th into an offering of good luck for their customers while earning some good luck for their artists. Every Friday the 13th is cause for celebration because the shop offers $13 tattoos of the number 13. A tip of $7 is customary and earns the artist a little luck of their own to walk away from the day with. Between the $13 tattoo and $7 tip, the grand total for customers is a not-whopping twenty bucks! If you don’t know, ask anyone with a tattoo and they’ll tell you what a deal this is.
Other tattoo parlors make a similar offer on this special day but Love and Hate houses some of the state’s best tattoo artists and designers. Visitors can select one of the many 13 designs provided by the shop for the holiday. I was tempted by a butterfly design sporting the 13 on its wings and a cupcake topped by the number shaped into candles.
Keri Donahey has decided on a ghost design for her new 13 tattoo. Already she has participated in the tradition before and today will mark her 3rd 13. She patiently waited for Meg McNiel, one of Love and Hate’s amazingly talented artists, to add the new ink.
Dale Vaughn “always observed the holiday,” referring to Friday the 13th and this will be the second time he’s marked the occasion with a 13 tattoo.
Love and Hate fills to the brim for the occasion. Customers share hang out while waiting for their artist to etch their 13 and earn their luck.
Owner Danny Ross is entrenched with folks eager for ink. He’ll occasionally bust out the barbeque for folks on the 13th because the event takes on a festival community feel down at Love and Hate. It’s a great time to meet new people and show off the tattoos you already have along with the new ones.
Take luck into your own hands on the next Friday the 13th at Love and Hate and get your own lucky 13 tat. Or stop by beforehand if you’re looking for new ink and check out some of the Valley’s best artists that keep shop with Danny at Love and Hate.
Keri Donahey looking slightly anixous as Meg begins her tattoo.
Owner Danny Ross hard at work.
Fernando, Ian, Steven, and Fred waiting for their turn.
Keri showed us a couple of her tattoos like the one above also by Meg McNiel and a tat from a previous Friday the 13th.
