FROG LOUNGE'S CULTURE OF COMFORT

At home in the top-end of Newcastle upon Tyne’s beloved Ouseburn Valley, the private tattoo studio Frog Lounge is nestled amongst a plethora of local businesses in the city’s Hoult’s Yard. Established in August 2022 by Amy Watson (@ratpokes), the all women-led studio is centred around a shared trust between artist and client, with the aim of creating an atmosphere of comfort and kindness through a dedication to forming a safe space. Home to a variety of tattoo artists who work within the hand-poked and silent-machine techniques, the studio has quickly become a tattoo hub for women, queer clients and anyone who is looking for a studio that offers a modern and forward-thinking approach to building a community. With seven artists - Ratpokes, High Hopes Tattoo, Stinky Pinky Pokes, Daisy Pokes, Sour Stabs, Sylph Sigils and alwaysalwaysalways - Frog Lounge delivers a varied array of styles centred around a core principle of mutual respect, non-judgement, and acceptance.

“There are plenty of lovely tattoo studios in Newcastle, but having anxiety myself, I know how scary they can be for people. As a tattoo artist, I struggled to work in a lot of studios because of my anxiety – and because they’re not as safe or as comfortable as I’d like them to be, personally. Making Frog Lounge a safe space wasn’t really an option – it had to be a safe space for myself, as well as my customers,” says founder Amy. “There’s a lot of private studios throughout the UK, like ours, that are really good places for people who traditionally didn’t feel comfortable to go and get tattooed. Queer people, neurodivergent people, anybody really! It’s a counterpoint to the masculine, scary, dark tattoo studios with pin-ups on the walls. It definitely opens up tattooing for a lot more people having safe spaces like this.” This openness and attitude of acceptance is key to Frog Lounge’s outlook, with the attitudes reflecting the artist’s desire to create a space that doesn’t proliferate or continue the industry’s previous failures. “[Creating a space where] all bodies are welcome means a lot to me, as I have a few chronic illnesses, so I find it hard to go into studios and get tattooed,” says Kayleigh (high.hopes.tattoo), “as soon as people walk in here, which is such a welcoming space, it takes that pressure off them. The fact that the environment is chill, helps people with anxiety, helps other disabled people as they know that they are going to be going into a place where they won’t be dismissed or uncomfortable.” 

Focussed on creating a calm and relaxing environment, the artists who operate out of Frog Lounge have collectively looked to ensure that clients are at ease throughout the entire process – from the first moment they step into the studio and positioning the design to the actual tattooing experience. “I love seeing people surprised at how comfortable they are here, and how nice the space is – it’s a space for all types of different people. Eighty percent of the people I tattoo are women or queer,” says Daisy (daisy.pokes). Celebrating diversity and encouraging a climate of acceptance, understanding and care is central to Frog Lounge’s outlook, and it’s clear that the feeling is shared amongst all seven of the artists who work from the studio. Further solidifying this desire to strive for complete ease, Ella (stinkypinkypokes) says, “I’d always wanted to work in a comfortable and safe environment for both the artist and the clients, because I’ve been tattooed a lot and have experienced some of the less welcoming and intimidating places. I wanted to work somewhere that was the opposite to that, especially somewhere that was ran collectively by women.”

Approaching a year of being open, Frog Lounge has built a community of like-minded individuals who are key to continuing the ethical and ideological approach the studio celebrates. “Our clients are a part of our community, so we want them to leave feeling empowered by their experience here,” says Taya (sylph.sigils), “something that is often forgotten is that you are marking someone’s body forever, so there is an incredible power dynamic there. It’s about recognising that our clients have so much trust in us, so we have to ensure we are maintaining that degree of trust.” Whilst a physically painful experience, getting tattooed is a fundamentally intimate process, especially when centred around hand-poked techniques, which typically take longer than machine-based tattooing. Key to further ensuring comfort and ease throughout the process is safeguarding clients and asking for consent at every step. “Consent is such an important thing as this is something that is going to be on their bodies forever. I’ve had bad experiences with artists that don’t check in every step of the way, and I’ve ended up coming out with a tattoo I’m not happy with and I know how traumatic that can be, and how it can affect your self-confidence,” comments Amy, “tattoos are meant to be things that build your confidence up – you get a lot of customers who say that that they didn’t like a certain area of their body but now they have a tattoo there they love it and they want to show it off.”

Having expanded throughout the past year, Frog Lounge is building out its community of tattoo artists. Starting in January this year, Tash (alwaysalwaysalways__) is the studio’s first apprentice; “when I was introduced to everyone at Frog Lounge, I immediately felt like it was the right place for me. It’s important to live in alignment with your values, so it’s a privilege that I work in a field where I can do that.” Commenting on her experience coming into the studio, Tash’s perspective further echoes the values at the core of Frog Lounge, “It all stems from how we talk to people and the relationships we have with each other establishes it as a really relaxed and friendly environment. You can come expressing yourself however you want to, and there is a big emphasis on consent. A lot of work goes into maintaining the space and cultivating a calm and tranquil atmosphere. The combination of the setting with how we connect with like-minded people is really important.”