It’s Friday the 13th. A day marked for some as an unlucky one, there’s one way that you can mark the day on your body. Permanently, and in ink. Friday the 13th is like black Friday for Tattoo Shops around the country, and the shops on Fourth Avenue in Tucson are no exception to this trend.
Tattoo shops are known to offer a flash sheet of limited options of tattoos that are available one day only, for a discounted price. Most shop minimums are over $50, so the discounted price is very attractive to people looking to add to their tattoo collection but don’t want to spend too much. That’s why you might see long lines of people standing around Fourth Avenue’s multiple tattoo parlors today.
Tattoo shop’s flash sheet of offerings are usually made available on the day itself, and are only available for one day at that price. Most tattoos available have the number 13 worked into them somehow and will be about the size of a silver dollar. You also will typically see an appropriately spooky theme—black cats, blood, coffins, or a hockey mask. In Tucson, you can bet a cactus or desert theme will also be present.
But where did this tradition come from? With a bit of research, you can trace the trend back to sailors. According to Vice.com, “…sailors—historically enthusiastic about etching ink into their bodies—were a key reason people started getting “13” tattoos. It’s interesting why. Because the number has always been considered bad luck, he says, sailors would get “13” tattooed as an antidote, to keep bad luck away. “Bad luck would come your way, it would see the number 13, see that bad luck is already there, and it would pass on by,” he says.”
Here are a few tattoo parlors on Fourth Avenue that are participating in the Friday the 13th tradition:
Black Rose Tattooers
Red Sky Studio
4 Forty 4 tattoo
pharaohs horses
If you’re looking to get a tattoo today, contact the shops directly for more information.