Scottsdale, Ariz. – Scottsdale tattoo shop EZ Tattoo is marking Black Friday 2011 by giving away a free tattoo worth $250 to one Black Friday shopper. All Valley residents have to do to win is bring in a Black Friday shopping receipt.

The Scottsdale tattoo shop will give away the free tattoo to one random person who registers at EZ Tattoo on Saturday, November 26, with a receipt from Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. To be eligible to win the $250 tattoo, each shopper must by 18 years old, have a receipt dated November 25, 2011 and be willing to provide their name and email address for registration purposes.

The lucky winner will receive a free tattoo valued at $250 from EZ Tattoo, which will accept entries from noon to 11 p.m. on November 26. The winner will be announced on the company’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/eztattooarizona) at 5 p.m. on November 27. The tattoo shop will also award prizes to second, third and fourth place. In all, more than $400 in tattoos will be given away.

“Black Friday is hard work and at the end of the day, you’ve gotten gifts for everyone but yourself,” said Myron Larrabee, owner of EZ Tattoo. “This year we’d like to help change that.”

The winners of the contest will be in capable hands. EZ Tattoo employs some of the best tattoo artists in Phoenix, Larrabee said. His shop’s tattoo artists are skilled in delivering tattoos that exceed their customers expectations.

“Our clients frequently pay us the best compliment a tattoo artist can receive – a referral to their friends,” Larrabee said.

EZ Tattoo and Body Piercing is located at 909 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale. For more information or to schedule an appointment with an artist, please call (480) 941-8720 or visit www.ez-tattoo.com.

To get the latest news on EZ Tattoo and Body Piercing, follow the Scottsdale tattoo shop on Twitter at www.twitter.com/eztattoo and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eztattooarizona.

About EZ Tattoo
EZ Tattoo is Scottsdale’s oldest and most respected tattoo shop. Also specializing in body piercing, Scottsdale tattoo shop EZ Tattoo offers innovative and professional service in a clean, safe and state-of-the-art studio. Owned and operated by longtime Arizona entrepreneur Myron Larrabee, EZ Tattoo is conveniently located one mile west of Loop 101 at 909 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale. For more information, please visit www.ez-tattoo.com.

Scottsdale, Ariz. – Scottsdale tattoo shop EZ Tattoo is offering gift givers a little perk this holiday season.

The Scottsdale tattoo shop is offering a $5 gift certificate to holiday shoppers for every $25 gift certificate purchased. The promotion runs from Black Friday, Nov. 25 to Christmas Eve, Dec. 24.

Known for being the oldest and most respected tattoo shop in Scottsdale, EZ Tattoo Owner Myron Larrabee is offering the special gift as a way to reward holiday shoppers for considering EZ Tattoo.

“The holiday season means the gift-giving season has arrived,” Larrabee said. “But why not reward yourself at the same time? With our gift certificate promotion, you can give the gift of a future tattoo or piercing and receive one yourself.”

The gift certificate promotion coincides with EZ Tattoo’s Black Friday drawing, where Valley shoppers can bring a Black Friday receipt to EZ Tattoo on Saturday, November 26, to enter for a chance at a free tattoo valued at $250. The winner will be announced on EZ Tattoo’s Facebook page on November 27. The EZ Tattoo Facebook page is located at www.facebook.com/eztattooarizona.

The winner of the contest will be in capable hands. EZ Tattoo employs some of the best tattoo artists in Phoenix, Larrabee said. His shop’s tattoo artists are skilled in delivering tattoos that exceed their customers’ expectations.

“Our clients frequently pay us the best compliment a tattoo artist can receive – a referral to their friends,” Larrabee said.

EZ Tattoo and Body Piercing is located at 909 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale. For more information or to schedule an appointment with an artist, please call (480) 941-8720 or visit www.ez-tattoo.com.

To get the latest news on EZ Tattoo and Body Piercing, follow the Scottsdale tattoo shop on Twitter at www.twitter.com/eztattoo and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eztattooarizona.

About EZ Tattoo
EZ Tattoo is Scottsdale’s oldest and most respected tattoo shop. Also specializing in body piercing, Scottsdale tattoo shop EZ Tattoo offers innovative and professional service in a clean, safe and state-of-the-art studio. Owned and operated by longtime Arizona entrepreneur Myron Larrabee, EZ Tattoo is conveniently located one mile west of Loop 101 at 909 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale. For more information, please visit www.ez-tattoo.com.

Scottsdale, Ariz. – Thinking about getting a tattoo? Don’t know where to start or who to trust? EZ Tattoo, Scottsdale’s oldest tattoo shop, has some tattoo tips for helping you choose the right tattoo artist.

“The No. 1 thing any person considering a tattoo should care about is the reputation and cleanliness of the tattoo shop,” said EZ Tattoo owner Myron Larrabee. “A shop with a good reputation in the industry and the discipline to keep its shop clean tells you a lot about the artists that work there.”

Tattoo safety is important to Larrabee and his artists. For instance, Scottsdale tattoo shop EZ Tattoo is one of the only tattoo shops in Phoenix that performs spore tests every two weeks on its equipment. The shop sends the samples it gets from its autoclave machine (an instrument used to sterilize equipment) to an independent lab regularly, ensuring that all equipment is sterile and your tattoo experience is a safe one.

EZ Tattoo promotes safe tattoo work by utilizing stainless steel wherever it can (stainless steel is much easier to clean and sterilize) and employs separate “clean” and “dirty” rooms for its equipment, removing the risk of cross-contamination.

“A clean shop is a sterile shop,” Larrabee said. “We know that cleaning a shop twice a day ensures the safest possible environment for our customers and for tattoo safety.”

Artist Portfolios
The next thing anyone considering a tattoo should concern themselves with are the portfolios of the artists at the shop.

“An artist’s portfolio is his or her resume,” said James Minor, a tattoo artist at EZ Tattoo. “You can find out a lot about the artist from their previous work.”

Iron Dan, a 30-year tattoo artist who works at EZ Tattoo in Scottsdale, agrees.

“Portfolios are everything,” he said. “You want to look at everything. Photos of outline work, in-progress tattoos that are shaded and tattoos that are finished.

“You’re not necessarily going to see the design that you like in an artist’s portfolio,” Iron Dan said. “But what you are going to see is whether or not the artist can apply the tattoo properly. Do the tattoos have solid line work, solid color and proper depth?”

Color vs. Black Tattoos
Iron Dan says it’s also important to look for a variety of work – both color and black tattoo work.

“The molecular structure of color is different,” he said. “It’s heavier so it’s more of a process to work it into the skin. You want to see that your artist can pull off color tattoos as well as he can black tattoos.”

But perhaps most importantly, you should feel comfortable with the shop you’re in and the artist who will do the work.

“Everybody has different styles,” said Ivan Rials of EZ Tattoo. “Ultimately you want somebody who’s going to put down good, clean, solid work. Something that can last a lifetime.”

EZ Tattoo and Body Piercing is located at 909 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale. For more information or to schedule an appointment with an artist, please call (480) 941-8720 or visit www.ez-tattoo.com.

To get the latest news on EZ Tattoo and Body Piercing, follow the Scottsdale tattoo shop  on Twitter at www.twitter.com/eztattoo and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eztattooarizona.

About EZ Tattoo
EZ Tattoo is Scottsdale’s oldest and most respected tattoo shop. Also specializing in body piercing, Scottsdale tattoo shop EZ Tattoo offers innovative and professional service in
a clean, safe and state-of-the-art studio. Owned and operated by longtime Arizona entrepreneur Myron Larrabee, EZ Tattoo is conveniently located one mile west of Loop 101 at 909 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale. For more information, please visit www.ez-tattoo.com.

EZ Tattoo, Scottsdale’s oldest tattoo shop, is pleased to announce the addition of Hector Salazar to the staff. Here’s Hector’s bio and make sure you check out his work here.

Hector Salazar
Ever since he was a teenager, Hector Salazar has been exposed to the world of tattoos and art. Born in California but raised in Arizona, Hector has been fascinated with the overall tattoo culture. “I got my hands on my first tattoo magazine during high school and I’ve been hooked ever since.” His interest never took a backseat as he pursued tattooing right after high school and in 2001 he began formalizing his career by completing his apprenticeship under Skylar Feigel.

With more than 8 years of experience working in professional tattoo shops throughout Arizona, Hector has tattooed thousands of designs. Hector is a multifaceted artist and works with his clients’ needs to include custom work, portraits, cover ups, lettering and every variety of designs. He is also proud to say he specializes in black and grey and color realism.

Hector has earned his reputation as delivering outstanding work with a smile. Hector believes “this is an important aspect of tattooing” that has enabled him to work with clients from all over the world. Hector works with only one rule in mind. “Customer service is a priority.”

“Allowing my clients to feel comfortable and to demonstrate they can expect excellent quality work is key.” As of September, 2011 he has been working for EZ Tattoo, and is very excited to be a part of such a “wonderful team.”

For Hector, this milestone is a combination of hard work and dedication and whose effects are entirely reflected on his clients work. For him, working at EZ Tattoo is a blessing and regarding his career, “As far as tattooing goes, it is my life.”

EZ Tattoo and Body Piercing is located at 909 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale. For more information or to schedule an appointment with an artist, please call (480) 941-8720 or visit www.ez-tattoo.com.

To get the latest news on EZ Tattoo and Body Piercing, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/eztattoo or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eztattooarizona.

About EZ Tattoo
EZ Tattoo is Scottsdale’s oldest and most respected tattoo shop. Also specializing in body piercing, Scottsdale tattoo shop EZ Tattoo offers innovative and professional service in a clean, safe and state-of-the-art studio. Owned and operated by longtime Arizona entrepreneur Myron Larrabee, EZ Tattoo is conveniently located one mile west of Loop 101 at 909 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale. For more information, please visit www.ez-tattoo.com.