Local tattoo artist opens ‘clean’ parlor in Edgewood

A Tacoma man is changing the perception of tattoo parlors after he opened a drug-free studio in Edgewood.

Joel Rios took up tattoos in 2019, but his love for the medium extended to when he was a kid in Venezuela.

“I always loved art,” Rios said. “I didn’t like school that much. I liked drawing a lot. I saw my friends doing tattoos and I wanted to do that. I wanted to be a tattoo artist.”

Rios came to the United States and became a citizen as a young man. He said he had always dreamed of living here.

“I always wanted to be in the United States. I have always loved the language. I always loved the movies. I was like ‘What would it be like to live there?’” Rios said. “It was one of my dreams.”

After owning a cleaning company for 18 years, he decided to start working in tattoo shops around Tacoma, but he didn’t feel like he fit into the culture found at many parlors.

“I’ve never done drugs or anything like that in my life. In a lot of tattoo shops, that’s normal for them, to do those things,” Rios said. “That was the kind of thing that bothered me. The smells.”

He decided he wanted to open a tattoo shop different from ones he had previously worked at. He wanted a clean, drug free place for people to get beautiful tattoos.

“I’ve got kids,” Rios said. “It’s like a family-friendly tattoo shop, drug free. So a lot of people I tattoo are CPS workers, law enforcement and people who work with the city. They know me and know how I am.”

Rios said he also has had old clients who have followed him to the new location, but he said they come into his shop clean.

“They do respect the environment, which is kind of cool,” Rios said. “I guess they love my art and still want to get a tattoo with me, but they know my standards.”

Rios said many of the tattoo shops he has worked in did not allow minors, but he wanted his tattoo shop to be a welcoming environment for all ages.

“I know there are a lot of parents that don’t have childcare, they don’t have anyone to take care of their kids, and their kids are well behaved,” Rios said. “I have a little room where there’s snacks and TVs and there kids can be there with my kids and play.”

Cleanliness is important to Rios and he said many clients joke that his shop looks more like a clinic than a tattoo parlor.

“It looks more like a clinic,” Rios said. “I’m a clean freak type of guy. I want to make sure everything smells good, sweep, mop and everything sterilized.”

He said because of his high standards, he is the only tattoo artist at his shop with his wife apprenticing with him. He said he occasionally will have two of his close friends help out during the busy season of people getting their tax returns.

“For me, I really care about people and about the impression you are taking with you, not just the art,” Rios said. “I want to make sure you feel like this was an amazing experience for you before you leave.”

Rios said something else that is important to him is to see how his tattoos heal. He said he has people come back in to get their tattoos retouched because he cares about how the final product looks. He said he likes the idea of placing his art on someone and having them carry it forever.

Rios said he has a variety of styles in his work, but he loves to do vibrant and imaginative tattoos.

“I like surrealism. I like color,” Rios said.

After he opened in April 2023, Rios said he questioned if he had made the right decision opening his own shop

“The first year was slow,” Rios said. “As we get into the second year, people start coming back to get more tattoos. That’s really cool. It’s working, slowly, but surely.”

Joel Rios Tattoos is located at 2908 Meridian Ave. E., #108, in Edgewood. Rios takes tattoo bookings through Instagram or by phone at 206-499-6537.