Studio 42 Tattoo Parlor

Maddy is an amazing woman who works her magic. No only is she talented but she’s very professional and definitely wants you to be happy with your peice.

«Oh my god!!! It looks amazing!!» is the phrase I hear most often when I show people my tattoos, both done by Beau McCoy of Studio 42 Tattoo Parlor in Sacramento. I spent about two years following Beau’s online portfolio and checking out other artists in the area, before I finally worked up the nerve to email and request an in person consultation — mostly because I’m finicky about my tattoo artist, and I don’t think I ‘fit’ the typical clientele of a tattoo shop. Beau was wonderful — very friendly, and open to my ideas — despite my «cute» ideas not being similar in style to the incredible black and grey work and photo realism tattoos (among others) that adorned his portfolio. He gave me some feedback on my ideas and made suggestions on how to make my idea into a stronger tattoo, quoted me a price, I left a nominal deposit as a first time client, and was booked for a few weeks later. It was that easy. I’m sure it’s that easy at a lot of places, but for as nervous as I was, I was pleasantly surprised.
I showed up well fed, hydrated and a few minutes early for my appointment. I was shown the sketch, approved the design, and was in the chair before I knew it. Beau was great at making me feel comfortable, and checked on me frequently throughout the process to make sure I was doing okay. Three and a half hours later, I left with an amazing custom tattoo. I stopped at my local Target to pick up the recommended aftercare items, and immediately received compliments from strangers on my fresh tattoo. I made sure to follow my aftercare instructions to a «T», washing and moisturizing as instructed, and two weeks later I had an awesomely healed tattoo.
A year and a half later, I was ready for my next piece — again, I’d wanted to go with something cute but bold, and brought in my reference material to Beau. The process was even easier than the first time I had met with him — we talked placement, concept, discussed recommended changes, and I was out the door and booked for a few weeks later. I just completed the second tattoo with Beau this last Wednesday and I’m beyond thrilled at how it turned out. Maddy, the other artist at Studio 42 came in to check on the progress of my tattoo and was a lot of fun to talk with while I was in the chair. I really appreciated how easygoing everyone was, and that I wasn’t in one of those ‘bro’ tattoo shops where you’re made to feel out of place if you’re not the stereotypical client.
If you’re looking for tattoo shop with a relaxed vibe and high quality, professional artists, I highly recommend Studio 42. Currently this shop has two artists, Beau and Miss Maddy. Swing by their instagram pages for pictures of their art and tattoo work, or stop by the location on 12^th Street — Maddy and Beau are both awesome people, and I think you’ll like them as much as I do.
Also — street parking around the corner, is metered — takes quarters during the week until 6pm. I think there’s garage parking nearby, but I personally didn’t bother. There’s also public transit that stops across the street, if that’s your thing.

So I had been putting off getting a tattoo for about 20 years. And before you start saying the words «midlife crisis» lemme just add that this was on my bucket list and I realized life is short. Does that mean I’m going through a midlife crisis?
But I digress. I noticed a beautiful tattoo on a waitress at Blackbird one day and she gave me the number to Beau McCoy. Having made an appointment I ventured to the studio and met up with Beau. Might I add that he is also a fine artist? It certainly helps with the aesthetic aspect of getting a tattoo.
I felt safe there, Beau’s a cool guy. We made an appointment and I brought in numerous designs of the fancy tailed goldfish I wanted. Same design I wanted 20 years ago, but at that time I was living overseas and was a bit skittish about getting hepatitis so I put it off. Later I did some research and found out from a feng shui perspective that goldfish symbolize wealth — call it coincidence but my net worth has definitely increased since getting it, LOL.
I brought a friend for moral support, and yes, tattoos do hurt. I think where I got it didn’t help. Let’s just say since I work in a professional environment, I didn’t want anything showing. And if you ask me where I got my tattoo, I’ll politely smile and tell you «at Studio 42.»
Love the colors, love the design, he also had Pandora playing some of my favorite tunes mellow electronica/​trip hop/​down tempo. Music always helps.
Would I go back? Definitely. But at this stage in my tattoo experimentation phase, I’m one and done.