You never know where you will end up when you get lost! I was on my way up to the countryside of beautiful Upstate New York for a weekend at my uncle’s home when we took a wrong turn and ended up in a town called Baldwinsville. I’ve never heard of it either, but it’s within spitting distance of Syracuse and apparently has a population of over 7,000. It was a very nice little town with this amazingly large tattoo studio smack dab in the middle of it. That was the last place I expected to see in this Norman Rockwell looking town, and I had to see what this place was all about. Thankfully, we were running early.
The shop was called Tymeless Tattoo & Piercing, and this place was massive for a small shop. When you walk in, you walk right into the action. It’s an open floor with open tattoo stations. The ceilings are high and the place looked spotless! This might’ve been the cleanest shop that I’ve seen on the Eastern seaboard. As far as presentation goes, I was instantly impressed. There’s a waiting room when you first walk in with leather couches for your comfort. And with the buzzing in the air and the smell of that soap, you really get that itch to get some ink.
As we admired the artwork on the walls, one of the artists came over and introduced himself as the owner. His name was Kyle Proia. Kyle’s been tattooing for well over eight years and he told me that he actually did his apprenticeship right out of high school, and opened Tymeless back in May 2009. Kyle is currently housing two other artists, including himself, James Coldiron, and Sir Eric Wilcox. He also has a piercer named Ricky Minor.
When I asked Kyle what it was that drew people to Tymeless, he told me that he and his artists are committed and dedicated to offer their customers superior and quality tattoos, and piercings for that matter, in a safe, sterile, and enjoyable hospital-like environment. He also added that the shop only uses single-use disposable needles. There was a huge emphasis on disposable! Kyle went on to say, “My shop prides itself on creative collaboration from its versatile and imaginative artists.” He urges future clientele to walk in and take a look at their portfolios, which can also be found online. All consultations with their highly skilled artists are free.
Kyle told me that he’ll never turn away a walk-in customer, but appointments are preferred. When I asked how his shop stays so busy being in the middle of nowhere, he told me that his clientele is loyal and they tell their friends and their friends tell their friends, and he said, “Not to mention, the artwork speaks volumes!” When I asked about the age policy for Tymeless, it seemed pretty similar to most shops. You have to be 18 with a written consent form for tattooing. For piercing, you must be 16 years or older to get your belly button, ear lobes, and cartilage pierced with parental consent. The parent also must be present, and both child and parent must have their ID and a government issued document with their age on it. For nipples, genitals, and dermal anchors, you must be 18 years or older, and there are absolutely no exceptions for this procedure because of health reasons.
Tymeless Tattoo & Piercing actually offers something that I’ve never seen before in any tattoo shop that I’ve visited, and that’s Tooth Gems! Tooth Gems have been a huge fad over in Europe, and it’s finally crossed the pond onto our shores. According to their website, Tooth Gems are a temporary, non-invasive solution to body modification that last up to 18 months. Tymeless offers Tooth Gems to anyone 14 years and older (though anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian). How is that for something new?
Tymeless Tattoo & Piercing is open Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., with midnight weekend hours by appointment only! You can stop down and see this massive shop if you’re around Baldwinsville or simply lost in that area. They’re located at 36 Oswego Street and you can visit them online by logging onto tymelesstattoo.com. If you’d like to call for an appointment, call (315) 635-5481. Trust me, this shop will blow your mind!
Well, I’m off to check out my next tattoo spot! Who knows what state it will be in! If you have a tattoo shop that you want to suggest, please e-mail me the name of the place and whom I should ask for at tim@theaquarian.com
