Customers become canvas for Tiger Tattoo owner

In his youth, Walt Dailey envisioned becoming a doctor.

“It only appealed to me because they make a lot of money and have respect,” he acknowledged.

Dailey eventually joined the Navy and was assigned to the medical corps.

“I even got letters of recommendation for medical school from several doctors,” he recalled.

But while working as a corpsman in a hospital at Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, Dailey discovered he “wasn’t very fond of sick people.”

“I did like all the tattoos I saw, though. Not only on Marines, but on their dependents. Interesting stuff – vibrant.”

So he started hanging out at San Diego tattoo parlors, watching and learning.

Upon leaving the Navy in the mid-’70s, Dailey temporarily teamed up with another tattoo enthusiast and launched a career that has spanned almost four decades and taken him all over the world.

Artists typically specialize. Dailey favors animals and natural history, a predilection reflected in the exotic animal skulls on display at Tiger Tattoo, 825 W. Garland Ave.

During a recent interview, Dailey discussed the evolution of tattooing, why people get them, and the latest trends.

S-R: Where did you grow up?

Dailey: North Idaho.

S-R: When did you get your first tattoo?

Dailey: Just before I got out of the Navy. It was a rose and the words “memento mori” (Latin for “remember (that you have) to die,” a reflection on mortality).

S-R: Who taught you tattooing?

Dailey: Usually it’s a mentor-student thing. In my case, I worked with a guy who had a shop here, but we both entered the field about the same time and helped each other.

S-R: What was the first tattoo you did?

Dailey: I tattooed a frog on my own leg to see how the needles and colors worked. Next, I tattooed a big house fly on a friend’s chest.

S-R: Were you nervous?

Dailey: Of course. It’s an intimate situation. You’re making holes in a person and leaving an indelible mark.

S-R: How did your career evolve?

Dailey: I opened Spokane Tattoo when my mentor, who was in the Air Force, was transferred to California. Then I moved to another shop and named it Tiger Tattoo, because I thought I wanted to have more than one shop, and tiger is a good brand name – a powerful, recognizable figure.

S-R: What were the early years like?

Dailey: Lean, because only a select group of people was getting tattooed.

S-R: Which group?

Dailey: Kind of marginal to society.

S-R: Such as?

Dailey: Just marginal to society.

S-R: When did tattoos segue from rebellious to routine?

Dailey: Ten or 15 years ago. People in the entertainment industry started getting tattoos, then fans emulated celebrities, which led to more tattoos being seen. Now it’s the norm. In fact, young people are almost marginal to society if they don’t have a tattoo.

S-R: What countries have the best tattoo artists?

Dailey: For realism, I’d say Russia and Italy. But the explosion of tattooing has attracted excellent artists everywhere. When I got into this, there was a traditional flavor that didn’t have much to do with art. Today the artistry is amazing.

S-R: Did the recession impact your business?

Dailey: Not really. When you don’t have much money, there’s a tendency to spend it on something fun, just so you feel better about everything.

S-R: Do movies influence customer tastes?

Dailey: Oh, sure. One of the main characters in the (1996 crime/vampire) movie “From Dusk Till Dawn” had a tribal tattoo from his cuff all the way up to the back of his ear. That created a huge demand for both tribal tattoos and neck tattoos.

S-R: Is there a busiest time of year?

Dailey: It’s busiest when people have extra money, which is tax-return time.

S-R: How many hours a week do you work?

Dailey: The shop is open seven days a week from noon to 7. I’m here Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

S-R: What do you like most about your job?

Dailey: There’s no heavy lifting. And I’ve been able to travel the world attending tattoo conventions where artists share stories and photos.

S-R: What do you like least?

Dailey: Finding the compromise between what clients want and what I’d like to do. It’s a mistake for clients to try to micromanage the process. Our job is to help them make good decisions.

S-R: Are there occupational hazards?

Dailey: Besides the obvious one – carpal tunnel – you’re sitting in weird, twisted positions for hours, so most tattooists have knee problems, back problems, organ problems. And because we work late, not many people in this business have good dietary habits.

S-R: Are tattoo parlors regulated?

Dailey: Yes, for hygienic quality. The state occasionally drops in to monitor how we keep the needles, the autoclave – general cleanliness.

S-R: What distinguishes you from other local tattoo artists?

Dailey: Longevity, mainly. And customers who want animals often come to me. There was a time when I got clients from Canada, Oregon and the coast. But now every little podunk town has a shop, so there’s no reason to travel.

S-R: Is getting tattooed painful?

Dailey: It’s uncomfortable, but I don’t know if “painful” is the right word.

S-R: Do you ever turn people away?

Dailey: If they have a wild idea that I know isn’t going to serve them or me in the future, I will.

S-R: How about if they’re drunk?

Dailey: Most people I work on have had a drink or two. But if you’re drunk, I won’t work on you, because I find drunks unpleasant to be around.

S-R: How much do tattoos cost?

Dailey: We charge $125 an hour, which sounds like I should own a bank. But while we’re waiting for customers, we don’t make anything.

S-R: Do some customers get tattooed on a dare?

Dailey: Sure. And I charge them extra. If someone bet them 100 bucks they wouldn’t get “Mom” tattooed on their butt cheek, I should get some of that money.

S-R: Do you ever suggest someone reconsider whether they really want a certain tattoo?

Dailey: Yes. For instance, if a young girl is going to get something real dark, I might say, “Maybe you’re having a bad day, and won’t want that next week.”

S-R: Is there any part of the body you haven’t tattooed?

Dailey: I haven’t tattooed faces.

S-R: Are clients sometimes uncomfortable about baring their private parts?

Dailey: Occasionally. But we keep it fairly modest. I buy T-shirts in bulk and cut out where I’m doing the tattoo. If it’s a big tattoo, we put screens up to make customers comfortable.

S-R: Why do people get tattoos in places they can’t see?

Dailey: Most tattoos are for other people to see.

S-R: Do people ever express remorse about, say, a tattoo of a former lover’s name?

Dailey: A lot of times the reason people get names tattooed is because the relationship is crumbling anyway – it’s a last-ditch effort – and of course they’re going to be sorry. But we cover it up with something, and it’s gone.

S-R: What are some current trends?

Dailey: Words and phrases are big – script and poetry rather than representational art.

S-R: Tastes change. Tattoos don’t.

Dailey: Right. But when something goes out of style, it becomes a memento. It’s like having a nice, old travel trunk covered with stickers from hotels and airports. Decades later you can look at those sticker and say, “Yeah, I was there.”