Aaron Y.

Honolulu, HI

There comes a time in your life when you start to crave quality.  For me, that happened in my late 20s.  No longer do I really want that medium Big Mac meal when the urge to eat junk food strikes,  now I crave a Kobe beef burger and sweet potato fries.  

I will speak mostly for myself, but also in very general terms because a lot of my friends with tattoos will agree:  Most of the tattoos that I would have gotten in my early 20s would have been a lesson in long-term regret.  I didn't really know myself, and I didn't consider the future back then.  The bottom line is:  I would have a lot of really silly stuff all over my body if I'd let myself get inked back then (case in point, this dude I know with "all alone" tattooed on his back.  no, really.).  Also, back then I would have gone somewhere cheaper and far more mediocre.  Thank god I kept my tattooing to a minimum earlier in life.

After a lot of thought, consideration, and research, I decided to have Lucky over at Soul Signature sleeve my right arm.  He's done work for a lot of friends, and his work always stands out.  He specializes in new school tribal and Japanese-style iconography.  His lines, shading, sense of composition, and style are unique enough to be recognizably his, but classic enough to show elements of the original aesthetic that created the styles of tattoing he practices.  I went for a traditional Japanese 3/4 sleeve, with wind bars and a chest plate.  I basically gave Lucky a few themes, some rough design references, and let him do his thing, an artist like Lucky does best when you give him loose guidelines and let him come up with your piece on his own.  I'm several sittings and about 16 hours in, and so far I've been nothing but impressed by the quality of his work.  Even grandma loves it (well she isn't as mad as I thought she'd be).

Soul Signature itself is a comfortable, clean space.  The guys are all characters but in that good, funny kind of way.  Everyone cares about the quality of their work and the ethic I see there really pays off in the kind of ink this shop slings.

When you're ready to have a real piece of art on your body, this is the place to go.  One of the best shops on the island IMO.