The owner Mel and coworker Mo in front of the studio
Hello and Happy Thursday!
“It is important to live your dream. Never ever give up. Keep moving forward.” – Mel
I love tattoos and I consider myself as a heavily tattooed woman/mother. Yep, other mothers look at me sometimes like “Whaaaaat!! How can she do that? And she has a child!” Well, my child is totally comfortably with whatever I have on my skin and he actually does not care. All he says is, “Mommy has tattoos, cool!” If he ever decides, after he is 18 years-old to get a tattoo, I won’t mind. Simple and open-minded as that. I have been to many tattoo stores in my life to get artwork done. However, there is only one tattoo store I love to go to and trust – Stick to your Skin Tattoo owned by my long time friend Melanie Feist. If you want to get a tattoo but you are not sure where to go or what to get, read on and afterwards make an appointment with Mel or Mo.
Stick to your Skin Tattoo puts you at ease when you enter the studio. There is no pretense, it is just plain art; traditional style tattoo art at the walls that makes you comfortable. Also a bunch of books and Mel and Mo’s portfolios to look through and see what artwork they have done and maybe what style of tattoo you would like to get. And as I made myself comfortable to take some pictures and sat down in a comfortable chair in the street-level front room/reception area, I heard a light buzzing from the room next door. Mel tattoos; I cannot miss this opportunity to take a couple of shots.
Melanie Feist, 34 years-old, is the owner of Stick to Your Skin Tattoo in Coburg and has been a tattoo artist for a decade. Stick to Your Skin Tattoo is already her second tattoo store she opened three years ago. Drawing, sketching, painting, especially Disney when she was younger, were always her passion. When it comes to her background, she always worked in artistic surroundings and started tattooing professionally after her son was born. She worked in a tattoo store to learn tattoo-art by drawing and practicing but slowly she realized that she just has it all down and was ready to open her own store. Now that she is a professional and store owner for several years she knows what to look for before hiring a tattoo artist to work in her studio. When Mo entered her store one year ago, she knew that he has talent. “You just know when looking at a portfolio if a person has talent or not. After he showed me some sketches, painting and artwork, he tattooed a piece on my leg and I knew, he is the one. He just got the special something. ” Mel and Mo work together at Stick to Your Skin Tattoo, everyone has their own area to tattoo and she says that “he is someone who does not go on my nerves like most people after a while. He just does amazing work and we get along.”
Three years ago Stick to Your Skin Tattoo opened its doors and is known for its steady clientele, professionalism, ideas and uniqueness. With two tattoo artist working, the shop can handle a diverse set of techniques and styles. If you look through the portfolios you will find a plethora of traditional artwork that is just breathtaking. Mel and Mo are open to its clientele – open to their wishes and desires. They both work with their customers to get the best tattoos done. Mel stated that her work has gotten a lot better over the years and that she never stops learning new techniques to make the tattoos better and to improve. She also mentioned that Mo tells her what type of tattoos work really well and others that need a bit more work which helps Mel immensely. “He is a good critic,” Mel said. Both just work great together – a unique, special team at Stick to Your Skin Tattoo.
Mel and Mo are easy-going, approachable and great people. As I sat down to ask Mel a bunch of questions for this post and to chat, her tattoo machine was gliding along Mo’s calf. Mel was in control the entire time and Mo was at ease in one way or another. “Many clients come in and ask if it hurts to get a tattoo,” Mel said. “Well, certain areas hurt more than others but it is all good. You want the tattoo done and look forward to it so much that most forget about the pain. We have our techniques to make it as comfortable as possible for our clients, ” she further stated.
The tattoo studio is very clean and the artists work efficiently. You feel a comfortable vibe that you, as a client, are understood and respected as soon as you walk into the studio. Both artists work with you to make any tattoo you would like to get happen. “When you talk to a client you get this initial connection that just gets more intimate when you tattoo somebody for a couple of hours. You really get to know the person when talking to them, ” Mel says while the tattoo machine buzzes. Good tattoos take a considerable time to be prepared which will all be explained to the client in consolation. It is important to Mel, that the tattoo the client wants works for her, as well as for the client. There needs to be some common ground. Every tattoo is unique. Mel and Mo told me to make sure what you want to get tattooed – it will be on your skin most likely forever. Also verify what your two Chinese symbols stand for, before getting them tattooed. Does it mean “Peace and Freedom” or more “Chicken sweet & sour”? Do your research before and then meet with Mel or Mo before committing yourself to wear something for the rest of our life. “Trust is important,” says Mel who is inspired by the Tattoo Artist Shio Zaragoza and the Artist Salvador Dali. Otherwise, life inspires her. “There is so much amazing stuff happening out there, every single day. We just have to open our eyes and see. Tattooing means freedom to me, self-realization as well as creativity. I usually carry a notebook with and when I see something amazing out there, I put it down – sketching or in words, “she says, smiling, while she finishes Mo’s tattoo. 
Both artists have their respected areas of expertise. Mel loves to tattoo with colors, but she is also specialized in black and grey tattoos. Old school, comic-style, just ask them when you have a consultation. “Color tattoos are just a lot of fun to do, ” Mel stated. It usually works through a word-of-mouth reputation if a tattoo studio is good and if the work the artists do is awesome. This is the old-fashioned way. However, what Mel and Mo dislike about the tattoo world are hate among tattoo studios and artists. There is a lot of jealous and no sympathy for other artists and their studios. Some tattoo artists go even so far as badmouthing other studios – or spreading negative feedback. I never knew this. I always thought tattoo artists stick together, learn from each other and whatnot. But I guess, you better Stick to Your Skin and get a Tattoo with Mel and Mo. You won’t be disappointed. Great artwork guaranteed. This post can also be found on TripAdvisor. Enjoy!
Stick to Your Skin Tattoo
Kleine Johannisgasse 9, 96450 Coburg
Opening hours: Monday to Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8.30 am to 2-3 pm or with special appointment
Call: +49151 58804875
Stick to Your Skin Tattoo on Facebook and Instagram
