Lit Fuse Tattoo

Marco Hernandez. He’s awesome.
Marco came recommended by a friend who’s husband is a tattoo artist in NYC… Quite possibly the best recommendation I’ve received for anything. I started consulting with Marco via Instagram and eventually gave him pictures of things I liked from which he designed my tattoo. I couldn’t be happier with the process of setting up the appointment (which wasn’t really an appointment… Just a casual drop in on a specified day) to consulting about the design and placement to the actual tattooing. Marco was not at a loss for keeping a conversation going which really made the 2 hours fly by. The price… So reasonably priced. I was really surprised at the cost of the work. I was truly expecting to pay more!
The shop is really clean. Marco’s space is immaculate. Overall I’m super impressed with the overall experience and would highly recommend Marco.

My friend came to visit me so I thought it would be a good time to talk her into getting her first tattoo. I had heard good things about Lit Fuse — so we figured we try them first. We stopped into lit fuse asking questions about appointments and how much it was gonna run and all that, the girl at the front counter was very informative and friendly and scheduled us for the next day (which was great at such sort notice). We got scheduled appointments with Curtis. He was very comfortable and friendly and did an AMAZING job. He made my friend I feel very comfortable. I’m very glad we chose Lit Fuse and got tattooed by Curtis. ALL AROUND GREAT EXPERIENCE AND TATTOO WORK! THANKS LIT FUSE!

I got a traveling artist. I thought the line work was just wonky because how swollen I was but it’s just really bad. He didn’t listen to me in where I wanted it to be shaded and did the opposite. This is a memorial piece that means a lot to me and was very disappointed in the horrible work. The artist himself was very full of himself but otherwise nice.

I really wish that I could be writing a better review for this place, as it has a wonderful reputation and puts out a lot of great tattoo work. Unfortunately, I had a very negative experience here. A friend and I booked an appointment with Curtis in advance to ensure a specific day for our appointment (she was moving far away shortly). When we arrived on the day of, Curtis was nowhere to be found and we were unable to reach him. A couple of hours later, he called the shop and said that he had just woken up. There was another artist working there who, after a while, said «well, since Curtis isn’t picking up, I can tattoo you guys I guess.» I didn’t even learn his name until later on when I called the shop looking for him and had to describe his appearance to the shop girl.
When it was my turn to get tattooed, the artist refused to use the sketch that I had made as reference, and instead insisted on using an online image of a similar tattoo to draw it out. Every change to the drawing that I requested seemed like a huge nuisance, and eventually I stopped asking for changes because I was too flustered to figure it out. In the end, I was left with a tattoo that was done efficiently and with decent technique, but looks unfinished. I walked out of the shop feeling defeated and disappointed, when I should have felt elated.
The artist said that if there was anything that needed to be added or touched up, it would be included in the price of the tattoo – later on, when I called to take him up on it he went back on his promise, saying that he only would do it for free if it was a correction of his own error. Overall, this artist and shop in general exhibited very little value for the customer and the vulnerable position that they are in. I’m very disappointed with my experience, because Lit Fuse has a great reputation and there are some very talented artists there (both of the artists I met included!) I would love to be able to give them my business in the future, but when it comes to something as sensitive as a tattoo, this kind of behavior is just not going to fly.

FYI: ALL OF THE FIVE STAR REVIEWS ARE FILTERED. WTF Unilocal.
I tried to go in here when I first moved to Olympia. It was winter and I was bundled up. A bored-​looking girl was working behind the counter and I said I wanted to make an appointment. She looked at me and said, «Do you HAVE any tattoos?» I walked out. I don’t need to prove if I’m already inked or not to give you money! I didn’t think about them for awhile until a co-​worker got a beautiful mermaid from Stacey, who I hear is now gone for good. I decided to go in and give it another try. No more girl, just a bunch of dudes who were really friendly. I ended up making an appointment for a few days later with Jorge and putting down a $ 40 deposit. I brought him a book with an illustration I wanted done and he quoted me $ 100. A bargain. He did an amazing job, was clean and professional and just as good as the guys at Picture Machine in SF where I used to go (BECAUSE I HAVE OTHER TATTOOS, OKAY!?). I hope the negative experiences on here are in the past and that they keep rocking for other people. I’ll be back as soon as I get more cash!

My experience was terrible! I had just moved to the Northwest and they gave me a terrible impression of tattoo artists here. They were just way to busy at the front desk looking cool to even try to be helpful and then muttered and grunted over who would tattoo me. Someone finally agreed, although the strong man hesitation left me wondering if my skin was tougher than an alligators. Apparently not, because his heavy hand led to parts of my tattoo pusing and oozing about 24 hours later. He refused to use the color I preferred in the wings because «black looks best and navy might look strange» And to top it off he is extremely rude and dismissive it was an all around bad experience. Maybe Im spoiled but other tattoo artists at least humor my fancy and try to create a good experience. Curtis James isn’t a terrible artist and he is skilled with blending color into fade, but he is absolutely terrible at reading people and their skin.

Hands down, best tattoo shop in Olympia. If you want clean, talented and well versed artists, this is the place for you. Most of my own work has been done here and I couldnt be happier. My tattoos have all come out bright, brilliant and better than I could’ve hoped for. I always have a good time with the staff and am very comfortable there. I highly suggest going here for your next tattoo. You wont find a better shop.

I had Stacey do two pieces for me. One was a large cover piece. Both are incredible. I have had other artists comment on the Garuda she did, which is the cover tatt… they are all amazed at her work.
The Maori piece she did for me is incredible as well.
Simply brilliant. I now live in Vancouver, but will be heading back here for my next piece.

Wow I was just extremely spontanous last week and decided I needed another tattoo. I was so blessed when I walked into Lit Fuse and got Stacy as my artist. I have a # of tattoes for various artists. and I dont think ill let anyone else touch my body again. Not only is she gifted as an artist she’s a great chick!

I have been here twice for tattoo work. My tattoo artist Sarah has done all my work (I’m currently on tattoo number four) and she was operating out of there the last time I went. This place definitely has its share of Sailor Jerry stuff but you can also get super-​realistic, utterly beautiful tats. I don’t know anything about the other shops around Olympia but these guys don’t mess around and offer great work. Afterwards, get a cup of tea next door to calm the stress of having a needle jabbed into you a couple thousand times.