Artist 01 / 05
Since 2010
Dana Whitlock
Owner. Custom blackwork, neo-traditional and cover-ups
- Blackwork
- Neo-traditional
- Cover-ups
$200 an hour Booking from mid-November
The studio
Built around the drawing.
Dana Whitlock opened Violet Line in 2015, on the second floor of an old textile mill in Olneyville, after ten years in other people's shops.
Why a violet line?
Every tattoo starts the same way: a stencil, pressed onto your skin in violet ink. It's the moment you see the piece on your body for the first time, and the last moment anything can change.
We named the studio after that moment because it's where trust happens. We take our time with it. You check the placement in the mirror, we move it until it's right, and only then does the machine come out.
Today the studio has four tattoo artists and a full-time piercer, each with their own lane, sharing one calendar and one set of rules.
- 4
- private tattoo stations with curtains
- 1
- separate piercing room
- 18+
- every client, every time, with ID
- 2015
- the year we opened in the mill
What we hold to
Four promises.
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The drawing matters as much as the needle
Every custom piece is drawn for one body and one spot. Sundays and Mondays are drawing days, so the work isn't rushed between sessions.
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Rules you can read before you come
Age and ID, deposits, minimums, cancellations and touch-ups are printed on this site, in full, the same for every artist.
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Clean you can check
Needles opened in front of you, barrier film you can see, and an autoclave log anyone can read at the front desk.
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The studio, not only the artist
One consult form, one calendar, one portfolio on our own site. If an artist isn't right for your idea, we'll walk you to the one who is.
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Single-use needles
Every needle is a sealed, sterile, single-use cartridge, opened in front of you and dropped in a sharps container when we finish. Never reused, never "cleaned".
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Fresh ink, every time
Ink is poured into single-use caps for each client. What is left over goes in the trash, never back in the bottle.
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Barrier film
The machine, cord, bottles and chair are wrapped in plastic barrier film that is replaced for every client.
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Glove changes
Nitrile gloves, changed every time an artist touches anything outside the clean setup, like a phone, a pen or a light.
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Real disinfection
Stations are wiped with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant and left wet for the full contact time on the label. Not a quick spray.
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Sterilized steel
Piercing tools and any reusable steel are scrubbed, then run through our autoclave. It is spore-tested every month and the log sits at the front desk.
The team
Five people, one book.
- Artist 02 / 05 Since 2019
Teo Marchetti
Fine line, single needle and small script
- Fine line
- Single needle
- Script
$170 an hour Openings most weeks
- Artist 03 / 05 Since 2015
Imani Rhodes
Color realism, color botanicals and pet portraits
- Color realism
- Color botanical
- Black and grey realism
$190 an hour Waitlist for sleeves, small pieces from December
- Artist 04 / 05 Since 2017
Rafa Quintero
American traditional, bold color and walk-in flash
- American traditional
- Bold color
- Flash
$170 an hour Walk-ins Thursdays, custom from November
- Artist 05 / 05 Since 2018
Jules Avery
Piercer. Ear projects, cartilage, nostril and septum
- Ear projects
- Cartilage
- Nostril and septum
From $40 per piercing Lobe walk-ins when the room is free
Come see the studio.
Book a free consult in person and we'll show you around: the stations, the piercing room and the autoclave log.