Contents of Post
One of the things we do when we travel is getting a tattoo in the countries we visit. Those tattoos are either the most traditional method and/or style possible or working with the artist to find something relevant to them as an artist and as a citizen of the country that they are from. So when I spent time in Croatia, Lobster Tattoo was the clear choice when it came to traditional.
Why Was Lobster Tattoo the Clear Choice?
Most people don’t know about the tattooing traditions derived from southern Croatia and Bulgaria. When I say most people I am also including those from Croatia themselves. When doing my research on the traditional methods and styles from the area I was only able to find 2 people who did them.
The first, Melissa of Melrose Studio, does both the style and method (stick and poke). Unfortunately, she is located in Paris and does most of her tattooing out of her shop there.
The second is George of Lobster Tattoo in Split, Croatia. George specializes in the American traditional style that boasts of thick lines and beautiful artwork. It was that specialization and his love of tattooing and tattooing history that most likely brought him to become the go-to guy within Croatia for Traditional Croatian tattoos.
And boy does he ever do them justice!
When I asked around Croatia about traditional tattoos people either said they had no idea if there was anyone who still did those or pointed at Split. When I got to Split and asked around there everyone pointed to one person. George at Lobster Tattoo.
Lobster Tattoo
Lobster Tattoo is located just off the center of Split at Plinarska Ul. 1. It is owned by a gentleman from Cyprus named George, It is a smaller shop run by George himself and one other tattoo artist, a young Croatian man named Leo.
Both artists specialize in the American traditional style and are both incredibly talented and versatile in the types of styles they can do. The shop is fairly busy, primarily taking walk-in appointments instead of bookings.
Both George and Leo charge per piece instead of per hour with a minimum cost of 500 Kuna (~67 Euro or 78 USD). Prices go up depending on size, time and supplies used for the tattoo.
The Good
After walking around in the hot Croatian sun just stepping into the conveniently located shop is a blessing. They have a single air conditioning unit that keeps the entirety of the shop at a cool 20- 24 degrees celsius (68-75 Fahrenheit). So after sweating all day, your clothes sticking to your body, stepping into the shop and having the cool air surround you is heavenly.
George and Leo are incredibly accommodating. During tattoo breaks, both artists will share cigarettes if needed, if they go grab a snack or drink next door they offer to get their customers something and follow through! To the extent that someone dropped off food after they had already eaten and they offered it to the person that they were tattooing at the time.
The atmosphere that has been created by George and Leo is splendid. The level of cleanliness is superb so unlike some places I’ve walked into you feel comfortable about the fact you’re going to getting stabbed with a needle over and over. While tattooing they play music either over internet radio or a classy old-fashioned turntable sitting in the corner and chat jovially with each other and their customers.
They are both very talented artists with fairly light hands. The standard tattoo pain will be lessened due to their skill and hand weight when tattooing.
The Bad
There was very little bad when it came to Lobster Tattoo, but not nothing. Lobster Tattoo is busy. More so some days than others, but overall super busy. This can cause missing out on getting a tattoo during your trip.
This is mainly since, for the most part, the artists don’t schedule appointments in the traditional manner. All of their appointments are by walk-in and if they don’t have the time they will give you a rough day and time to come back. If you show up at the designated time and date and they are busy this can cause things to be pushed back.
The Ugly
Between the 3 separate days that I spent there, I only found one thing I would consider ugly. As far as ugly goes it wasn’t even bad!
The ugly of Lobster Tattoo is the fact that the small bathroom doesn’t really lock or have a proper light. It’s a small bathroom under the stairs with a lamp to light the room. There is a little hook that can maybe be manipulated to go in the handle of the sliding door to keep it locked.
It’s an easy fix. If they put one of those little loops on the door that the hook can go in then there will no longer be an ugly. Knowing George he probably has done so since I mentioned it while there.
My Review
Lobster Tattoo is probably among the top 5 tattoo shops I’ve been to thus far. It was remarkably clean and had an amazing atmosphere. George and Leo are both incredibly welcoming and make you want to stick around to chat even when you aren’t getting tattooed. They were incredibly accommodating, allowing me to stick around to get photos and videos of them tattooing as long as I had permission from those getting tattooed.
George knows his craft. With the traditional Croatian Tattoo, he was able to give the history surrounding it as well as the history around the American Traditional style. A man that takes pride in his work and strives to be better, George’s lines are phenomenal. With my hand tattoo, he took his time, knowing when to take needed breaks and how much pressure to use. He managed to complete my hand tattoo with minimal pain and no bleeding.
George’s aftercare instructions were straightforward and easy to follow. Being right on the coast he stresses not going into the water after and tries to make sure people don’t get their tattoos until a day or two before they leave so they don’t miss out.
Ratings:
The various experiences I’ve had have brought me to creating this rating system.
Location:
Cleanliness:
Bathroom:
Explained in the “Ugly” section.
Friendliness and Professionalism:
Some points are lost due to not having a proper booking system.
Atmosphere:
Talent in specialization:
Versatility in styles:
From what I saw they are willing to do other styles, but prefer not to.
Pain management:
Heavy-Light Handedness:
Aftercare instructions:
Overall Rating:
Lobster Tattoo in Split, Croatia is a tattoo studio that we highly recommend. Especially if you love the thick lines of the traditional styles. Whether you get tattooed by George or Leo you can’t go wrong.
If you happen to get a tattoo at Lobster Tattoo or anywhere else and want to show off feel free to send a picture to tattoos@nomadicinscriptions. You might even get featured on our Instagram and/or site!
Let us know if you want to go to Split to get a tattoo from George or Leo in the comments below. If so, what would you get?
Until next time travel authentically, travel nomadically, and let the world leave its inscriptions on you as you do on it.
