In the heart of Leeds, the dome of the historic Corn Exchange shines proudly across the streets.
Red, nestled on the balcony of the Corn Exchange, boasts artists Lucy O’Connell, Ruth Rollin, and Sarah Terry, to name but a few.
Ascending the stairs to the balcony, the knot in my stomach unravelled when I turned to look across the interior of the Corn Exchange.
The 100th time I had seen it, but it never fails to impress.
I entered Red excited, yet apprehensive. My first tattoo; was my mother really right? Maybe I was making a terrible mistake.
Upon my arrival, I spoke to Red’s receptionist, Vicki. My apprehension shrank immediately under her sunny demeanour.
I filled out the paperwork I was given and waited to meet my tattooist.
Lucy O’Connell, an artist I have admired for years, was going to leave a piece of her work on me forever.
They say you should never meet your heroes, so I was afraid Lucy might not live up to my expectations. I could not have been more wrong.
Far from the intimidating stereotype of a tattoo artist, Lucy was friendly and funny and chatted to me at length with her endearing West Yorkshire accent.
Her level of dedication to my piece was admirable. Once she had applied the stencil to my body, Lucy ensured me that she was happy to make any changes to the design, and carefully altered a tiny area I was concerned about.
Throughout being tattooed, Lucy continued to hold engaging conversation with me and my provider of moral support, Alice. As a team they distracted me from the pain, with some help from Lucy’s Boston terrier Austin.
I could not have been more delighted with my experience at Red. As a whole, the business is friendly, well-run and exquisitely presented, not to mention the charming location.
I would recommend Red and the artists that tattoo there to anyone looking to acquire an everlasting work of art.