Sailor’s Cross Tattoo and Gallery

Waaay overdue — I got my first tattoo with Bear back in January, and it was a perfect ‘first’ experience. He and the rest of the staff are true artists, professionals, and genuinely great people.
Let me preface this by saying that I like to research the shit out of everything I find interesting. So when I decided it was finally time to get my first piece of art, I wanted it to be in Nola (not a local, but a fan) and I started digging HARD. Luckily, a mutual friend on Facebook happened to share a link to Sailor’s Cross and their newly opened Freret St location. Their work both in the shop and in the community sold me.
Basics:
I contacted Bear about 4 – 5 months before my trip, and we corresponded over the next few weeks. He was just as thrilled as I was to be doing my first ink, and was really open-​minded to my ideas. I drew up a sketch of my design, and in turn he made it his own with beautiful coloring & detail.
The day of the appointment also happened to be the same day I was flying back to DC, so he was very flexible about timing. I got there before the shop opened, and another artist (Mecca I think) let me in early to wait. Bear showed up soon after and we got started. The tattoo was on my ribs and he gave me a good run down of what to expect. My boyfriend was also allowed to sit with me, which I know can be unusual for some shops depending on the artist. In all, the piece took about 1 hour 45 minutes, with plenty of time to get to the airport afterward. Before I left, he gave me a super helpful printout card with clean up & post-​care tips and even offered to hail me a cab. I left in lots of pain, but feeling very lucky to have his work.
Overall, the ink has held up nicely. Bear recommended Aquafor for daily ‘moisturizer’ and it’s working great. The shop itself is simple but welcoming, with featured art from local artists. The entire staff was so welcoming and you can tell they love what their doing. Pricing was unbelievably fair based on my research and advice from others. I would travel here again in a heartbeat to get more art. Thank you Sailor’s Cross!

When you are getting something permanently painted on your body you need to feel good about the artist doing it. I did a lot of research before settling on Sailor’s Cross; I read a lot of reviews of local artists, checked out Instagram portfolios and stopped in a few shops to talk to the artists. I settled on Sailor’s Cross because their work was excellent, their shop was clean, and they were NICE! They obviously care very much about their business and their customers. They were genuinely interested in taking my ideas and turning it into a piece of artwork and the care they took to hear what I wanted made me completely trust that I made the right decision.
I’ve enough tattoos by now to know what to expect from most tattoo artists. They can be snobby, impatient assholes who aren’t at all interested in what you’d like in a tattoo. Which is exactly what I found when walking into a couple other tattoo shops in New Orleans. I’m fine with a little attitude so I went ahead and settled on an artist who I thought would do a decent job, but I ended up walking away because he had no interest in hearing what I wanted and I got the feeling that his lack of interest was going to lead to a real shitty tattoo. Total assholes.
When I went into Sailor’s Cross I met the owners Bear and Mecca and they made me feel welcome AS IF THEY ACTUALLY WANTED MY BUSINESS. I told them my idea and Bear was immediately interested in doing it, was excited about my idea and bounced his ideas off me until we nailed down the final design. He really took his time with me to make sure I got exactly what I wanted.
He did excellent work, I healed up quick, and people stop me all the time to compliment my tattoo and ask where I got it.
I now have 3 tattoos done by Bear and I’m planning on Mecca doing my next one. If they keep running their shop like they have been I’m gonna run out of space!

This review is for Rachel, the sweetest tattoo artist I ever did meet!
I met Rachel during Unilocal’s Passport to The Boulevard and loved her watercolor illustrations. When I found out she was able to master the watercolor technique on skin, I was enamored.
I had wanted a watercolor rendition of mermaid scales for a really long time now, and had looked up various artists across the country, pinned numerous images to my Pinterest, and yearned for the day I could actually get this tattoo… While I’m no stranger to the needle, my one and only tattoo to-​date was a fleur-​de-​lis I had consciously inked with my mom and sister on my left rib cage. Still love it, and have no qualms with being a branded member of the FDL mafia but I wanted another one and Rachel Ulm provided that wonderful opportunity.
I’m very picky, and worried that I’d be constantly asking Rachel to change her sketch, but on the first try she had nailed the composition. I asked for some changes, and some more color options and she suggested that the day of my appt we make those decisions. While incredibly scary for me to finalize details on the same day, I was committed to this decision and went in!
Rachel had recently moved to this new shop that specializes in custom tattoos. Their location keeps the drunks just looking for a name in Old English or a Chinese symbol out since it’s on a more neighborhood-​oriented street. Rachel’s illustrations were pinned to her side of the shop, reminding me that she had the skills I was looking for.
We discussed some new colors, size, placement, and were able to make decisive moves to place the «blueprint». I checked it in the mirror and requested it be moved a tad over which she was more than happy to do. She asked if I would like a partition since this tattoo was higher on my ribcage, but I was fine with out it but I appreciate that they respect the privacy of their clients.
In terms of sanitation, I felt secure with the measures taken in regards to my prep, Rachel preparing her supplies, and the space I was tattooed in. The process took 2 hours and about 20 minutes, which of the last 20 was when I was reaching my pain tolerance. Rachel talked to me nearly the whole time about whatever, and continually checked if I was comfortable. I personally chose to power-​thru with no breaks. It was funny in the last 20 minutes, Rachel said, «this is the part you probably don’t like me anymore.» I tried not to laugh since I was worried it might affect the work she was doing, but she really was incredibly sweet, understanding and easy to work with throughout the entire process.
She explained how I should take care of my tattoo over the coming weeks. It’s been about 2.5 weeks and I had no issues whatsoever with it. I will be heading back so she can see it and snap a pic. I’m truly in love with it! A picture of it may or may not end up on the Unilocal page, we’ll see. Best Christmas present I’ve ever bought for myself.

Great people and a friendly atmosphere. I’m sure they will do well. I know I’m a happy camper.

Dropped in and got a tattoo with Mecca. Wasn’t too sure what I wanted but Mecca was very patient and helped me realize what I wanted. Talented artists, friendly atmosphere, I’m thinking of going again.

Amazing shop with quality artists! Mecca and Bear are true professionals! They (the artists) feel more like family than your average run of the mill tattoo shop. Highly recommend :)