Nik Lucas

Tucked away in Culver City, the city known for its film and TV production, which also features a buzzing dining and nightlife scene, which includes globally inspired eateries, gastropubs, and cozy cocktail bars, lies a tattoo shop. But this is not your ordinary tattoo shop. It's much more. This shop from the outside is very unassuming. There's a modest sign that claims the space on the second floor of a strip mall. There's several spaces for parking right in front of the shop which made it easy. If you know L.A., you know this is a major benefit. BTW, it’s free parking. Also, a huge win. Once you walk in, you immediately get the feel that this is not your ordinary tattoo shop. There's no grungy aesthetic with walls covered with tat samples. The space is an open layout and has lots of natural light. The design is very chic modern and speaks to that of being a creative space. And exceptionally clean. Like hospital kind of clean. When you get there, you will be greeted immediately by your artist as they are all, not just super talented, but very professional. My artist was Nik. He's the world’s greatest Trash Polka artist. Check out his IG after you read this www.instagram.com/nlucastattoo. You will not be disappointed. He's great at many styles and is a genius and a master at his craft. But before I share my experience at the shop, let’s go back to when I first contacted Nik. It was at the top of 2023 when I decided I was getting a Trash Polka style tattoo, but I knew from talking to others that had that style inked on them, that you must be very selective on the artist. There's many that try and many that fail at delivering a true Trash Polka tat. If you're not familiar with that style, google it first then come back to this. I began to do some research on tattoo artists and one name kept coming up. This name popped up on sites that review highly acclaimed artists. Sites like tattoocloud.com, tattooswizard.com, and inkppl.com, which show him with the most reviews and a solid 5-star rating. At this point, I knew I had found my artist. It was just a matter of getting a hold of him and booking my session. I booked my session through inkppl.com but there's several places that you can find his booking link, like IG. He responded back via email right away to schedule a preliminary video consultation. Nik was super down to earth. Very humble and amazingly easy to talk to. There's no sign of arrogance or ego. Just a genius of a tattoo artist that understands that we are talking about art and not just another tattoo. I liked when he said that we have to care about the process because this is something that will last even after I pass. He's not wrong. I scheduled my session. Now back to the time of my first session. When I got to the shop, Nik and I took some time to not only talk about my tattoo but also to get familiar with each other. It wasn't his first rodeo. In fact, the way he conducted everything was evidence of years and years of experience. At the same time, he treated me like I was his only client. Nik walked me through his process but made it clear that we are going to create what I envision but with his guidance. Nik combines tradition with technology. We used his iPad and a picture of my arm to create several versions of what I wanted. It didn't take long. Again, a sign of genius. Before we began, we filled out the necessary forms, and discussed pricing. They are very transparent and are open to discussing budgets. They will work with you but keep in mind, Pope Julius II didn't ask Michael for a discount when he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. If you have made it in their shop, you know you are working with extraordinarily talented people. Don't be cheap. Once we got all the formalities out of the way, Nik got to work, and work he did. We took two sessions to complete the artwork on my arm. It's everything that I wanted. There's a lot of hidden meaning behind that art, that of which only Nik and I will ever know. He didn't just put ink on my arm. He made a friend in me.