Getting a Tattoo in Riga

I was so impressed by my visit to the Russian Baths that I decided to get something to remember this place and time forever. Namely, to get a tattoo. I already have several tattoos on my arm, and sketches of some of them were thought up and drawn by my friends. So this time I also asked a friend to draw one for me – a small birch branch.

Basement workshop

For several days I tried to find a suitable salon and artist, taking recommendations from others in Riga. And finally, I found the perfect place. It’s located on the same street as Liden & Denz, and you can find more details about them on their Instagram. Straight after my Russian language lessons, I headed to the salon. It’s in a basement, just around the corner from a bookstore. Inside the salon the walls are plastered with drawings and sketches. After a short wait, a man who introduced himself as Alexander came out to me and said that he was my artist. At first I thought it was a mistake, because they had told me earlier on that I would have someone called Sasha. I completely forgot that this is a nickname of the name Alexander. Good thing my Russian teacher didn’t hear that! Sasha took my sketch, clarified some details with me and then went to print the drawing on special paper. I was getting quite excited. A few minutes later, he invited me into the main room.

Birch branch

In the hall of the tattoo parlour several artists were working at once and the tattoo machines were buzzing loudly. Sasha transferred the drawing to my arm and asked me to look in the mirror and check it before we proceeded. It was perfect, and we got to work. We chatted while he prepared the ink, and it turned out that he speaks English quite well because he lived in Nottingham for a while. While I was lying on the chair, Sasha tattooed my skin and told me about what his life was like there. The whole process took only about ten minutes. He invited me to the mirror again. To say that I was delighted would be an understatement! The branch looked exactly as I had imagined, and the whole thing went very quickly and didn’t hurt at all.

Finally, Sasha sealed the tattoo with a special film. He then gave me some recommendations on care for the next few days and weeks. This tattoo will always remind me of the special time I spent in Riga, my experience at the Russian Bath and the people I met in this city.

Izzy, currently studying Russian at Liden and Denz Riga.

Thumbnail picture taken from Rīgas Tinte.