Red Wing Tattoo

Thank you Dalya for the chill and awesome tattoo sessions. We got matching Valentine’s tattoos. It was my husband’s first time. The shop was very clean and comfortable. Great artist and great vibes. Will be back!

First thing first, there was an emergency with the artist we wanted to get a flash event tattoo from. We respect that and understand things happen. Here’s what we didn’t understand:

Several hours after waiting in our rightful place in line for a flash event I get told, “I’m gonna be 150% real with you, your names shouldn’t have even been written down, I told him not to write them down.”

We were told we were in group 2 outside, okay, cool, a couple hours wait, that’s expected for a flash event. A lot of people in line outside behind us went in to sign up for a different date and time. We were the only two people still waiting outside. After seeing there were spots inside to wait, we went inside only to find out people in front of us had added more people to their group which I don’t think is fair since we had been waiting outside before shop open and their friends just cut the line. A couple times I asked for an expected time only to be told a vague answer. They let us leave to eat and come back to wait in our spot in line. After waiting inside for several more hours, I asked again for an expected time slot and gave them my phone number to call us when we could come back. I called 2 hours later to ask for an update after not receiving one and got the above quote, that we shouldn’t have even been put down.

Here is our issue: Why write my number down if you knew we weren’t going to get in? Why let us wait for hours if you knew we weren’t going to get in? Why keep telling us a vague answer instead of being upfront at the beginning? We still wanted the tattoo and we’re willing to wait. Our time felt so disrespected.

We were offered another day after i received a call 30 min later from someone else in the shop who was very kind, saying there was an emergency with the artists daughter. I respected that upfront answer and honesty so much. But after being strung along for our entire Sunday and being lied to by omission (before the emergency came up, again—we understand that!) we decided not to.

Point blank, we would’ve rather been turned away when they knew we weren’t able to get us in than have had to wait with expectation. We respect the artists time and personal lives and don’t view them as “machines.” All we wanted was better communication.

Edit after the reply from the owner:

Thank you for your response.
Im glad that y’all appreciated that we followed the rules & that there was an issue with people flooding the lobby and not knowing who was with who/where in the line.

Casey was very kind in the shop when our names were put down and on the phone when we were informed of the emergency. I have no issues with him or the emergency, and like you said, things happen. I understand your point but our point was not about the emergency that came up at all, it was about the communication.

For the vague answers regarding time, if it was calculated by the number of people in front of us and the larger estimate of time, say 45 min-1 hour per person, that could’ve given us the estimate we were asking for.

In other flash events we’ve been to, people in line will be handed a ticket with a time slot or a number, so clients can come back at that time or wait for an update on social or through text that their ticket number is next. Tickets are only handed out for the first however many # of people as to not overbook the artists’ time for the day. Maybe this could help in future events for efficiency, no one cutting in line, and less room for confusion or miscommunication by either party.

I hope that our experience can help for future flash event coordination to keep from people cutting in and other clients feeling cheated by those not following the rules, as well as giving people a sense that their spot is secure, as we felt that it wasn’t, because we didn’t have a clear answer for time and then were told our names never should’ve been put down (BEFORE the emergency). It just sucks.

Y’all have dope artists and art or we wouldn’t have come at all! I genuinely wish the best for y’all and again appreciate the response.

Amazing service! Everyone there was so nice, welcoming, and I had great conversations with them. I would definitely recommend getting your tattoo from Redwing Tattoo. They were professional, clean and went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable.

Went for a flash event, arrived an hour early and there was maybe 2 groups ahead of us. after the first group went in 5 minutes after opening, more expensive tattoos for artists apparently not participating in the flash were being peddled outside, as well as different piercings to "pass the time". I should've left at this point.

After we waited outside for an hour we asked if we could at least wait inside. We got our names on a waitlist and kept waiting. Every few hours we would ask what the expected time was only to be told "a hot minute" every time. While waiting in the lobby there were children running around, popping balloons, and shouting. I can't imagine this is a great environment for the artist or the canvas.

After waiting for 6 hours we were told we could go home and wait to receive a call. Almost 3 hours after that we called in for an update to be told "your names should've never been written down, maybe we can get to you in 2 hours" This news after waiting for 9 hours already, and being strung along all day.

After that we receive a call saying there was an emergency with the only participating artist, and our appointment could not be fulfilled.

The artists seem great, but I would never recommend coming here for a flash event. One of the most unprofessional and poorly managed experiences I've ever had in my life. Being told no at the beginning would've been leagues better, at least I wouldn't have wasted a Sunday in a tattoo parlor.

Edit: we waited from 11am-8pm, this is a 9 hour period of time. I am not putting any blame on any artist, I am blaming the poor management and communication of the situation. If it was known that we "shouldn't have been on the list" at 1230 when we stepped inside, why was this information never given to us, not even a warning. We weren't looking to get a tattoo from zephyrs flash though they are a great artist, and I'm sure the price difference is valid. The artists aren't machines, but if the capacity was known from the beginning it should've been communicated. I hope the artists emergency is taken care of and everything is okay, this was never contested in my review.

And don't worry I wasn't planning on returning.

Absolutely amazing people! Love the service for tattoos and piercings! Quality over quantity is definitely something I strive to find and I can’t explain what an amazing and safe space this is!

Great work, very professional and nice. Great communication. Dalyla did a great job on a couple new tattoos today. Will go back again.

Zephyr might be part magic. They fixed an old tattoo and made it into a magical new glittery masterpiece. Best tattoo artist in Winona 💜🌈

I cant say enough about how great this place is. Jr. does amazing work and he is super professional. I have had a few sessions here and they definitely make you feel comfortable and welcome every time you come by. They have fair prices, and great work to back it up too. I will for sure be going back soon to get more work done!

Whether you are getting tattoos from Zeph, or piercings from Casey, you will absolutely enjoy your experience! I live an hour away but will always make the drive to come to this shop! The shop is comfortable and the artists are excited to be apart of your body art experience! Highly recommend!!

Casey is an expert at what he does and is very informative before beginning a piercing. He answered all my questions thoroughly and made for a super relaxed experience!