booking info
my booking form can be found here. please read the whole thing! my books are always open and i will reply to emails & forms within a week. be prepared to pay a $50 deposit which will go towards the final tattoo cost. my current rate is $150/hour, and my minimum is also $150. i offer discounts for BIPOC, trans folks, sex workers, and disabled folks. for discounted work we can decide on a price before the tattoo, so there are no surprises. i want my work to always stay accessible, please include your budget if necessary in the form and i will do my best to make it work!
about the artist
armpitfreak is me, mel thibodeau. i’m a queer, non-binary tattooer & artist. my journey to tattooing has been slow, but i am so grateful to be here. i also work in soft sculpture, painting, installation and drawing, some of these things can be seen here. i graduated with a BFA from emily carr university in 2014, worked in a gay sex shop for 5 years, dabbled in hand poke tattoos during many of these years, but finally committed to tattooing and learning to use a machine in may of 2019. i am still new, and always learning! and i will tell you if i am not able to do a tattoo or if i have less experience in a certain area.
about the studio
i currently work from a private studio, which is located on unceded Indigenous lands belonging to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations, also known as ‘vancouver, canada’. there is one step down after the gate into the studio, it is close to bus transit. i share the space with one other artist, but due to covid we are working on different days.
other things to note!
- i offer free colour tests! if you are unsure of how a colour will look/heal on your skin tone, we can do tiny dots or lines in any colour you want to see.
- i also offer free touchups, forever and always!
- your comfort and safety are a huge priority for me! feel free to ask any and all questions, before, during and after the tattoo. if something is upsetting or distressing to you during the tattoo, please tell me!
- i am trying to use as many biodegradable products as possible! I currently use biodegradable gloves, barrier film, and razors. i still have some regular plastic disposables to go through but i want to minimize my environmental impact as much as i can--there is a huge amount of waste in tattooing!