Friday the 13ths are among the busiest days of the year for tattoo artists. Why people want to get inked on a day synonymous with bad luck.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Friday of the 13th is often considered unlucky, but not in the world of tattoos. It’s become a tradition for shops to offer cheap tats on this day. Here’s Colorado Public Radio’s Stina Sieg.
STINA SIEG, BYLINE: Some people call it the Black Friday of tattoos. On Friday the 13th, back in September, customers camped out for hours at First Street Tattoo Parlor in Grand Junction, Colorado.
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SIEG: At noon, Lindsay Felsone (ph) greets the first wave of folks rushing in with what’s basically a tattoo menu.
LINDSAY FELSONE: So, these are all of our options for the day, and…
SIEG: She gestures to sheets with hundreds of simple images – a smiling candy corn, a turnip, a raccoon in a tattered clown outfit.
EVAN LINKO: Oh, my gosh. I don’t know. I got to take my time with it.
SIEG: After careful consideration, Evan Linko (ph) settles on…
LINKO: Felix the Cat, and he is sleeping in a hammock.
SIEG: Linko’s a Felix fan, even has a custom painting of him. But that’s not the same as wearing the black and white cartoon cat on his calf forever.
TOBIAS PELTIER: All right, Evan, you ready?
LINKO: Yeah.
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SIEG: David Lane says all across the country, people make these snap and permanent decisions every Friday the 13th.
DAVID LANE: And it’s one of these that’s probably more like a folklore history than one that we can actually track down.
SIEG: Lane, the very tattooed assistant professor of criminal science at Illinois State University, wrote a book on the industry. He says, Friday the 13th brings people together.
LANE: Isn’t that the community that we keep complaining is disappearing? People showing up to physical spaces and spending money and being around their neighbors.
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SIEG: Back at First Street Tattoo Parlor, Evan Linko will have a brand-new tattoo…
LINKO: Oh.
SIEG: …In a moment.
LINKO: Oh, I need a second there. That’s pretty brutal.
SIEG: Every one of his tattoos tells a story of who he was and is – from the sign language tribute to his late mom, to the word nothing added during a nihilist phase. Felix the Cat is just the latest snapshot.
LINKO: Oh, it looks so cool. I love the Zs. I love that he’s snoring.
SIEG: Artist and shop owner Tobias Peltier is settling into a tattoo ultramarathon.
PELTIER: Nobody’s leaving without a tattoo. (Laughter) Everybody in line is leaving with a tattoo.
SIEG: He kept tattooing until nearly 4 a.m. There’s only one Friday the 13th next year, but three in 2026.
For NPR News, I’m Stina Sieg.
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