Hey, I'm Alissa.

I'm a tattooist and owner of Shade Tattoo Studio.

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Two years into my undergraduate degree, I felt I needed to make a change. I had high hopes of medical school but the workload needed for my degree left little room for creativity and art classes. 

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I took on an opportunity to apprentice at a local tattoo shop and never looked back.  I pushed myself to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology while also learning to tattoo.  After I graduated, I turned my focus entirely to my tattoo career and have been tattooing professionally since 2012.

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To further my trade, I pursued training in medical tattoo applications and completed Medical Tattoo Masterclass at Finishing Touches, UK.  During this intensive training, I was able to learn and perform innovative new procedures to address the medical needs of patients with breast surgeries, skin disorders, scarring and burns.  I found this new focus of my work challenging and very rewarding.   With this, I opened my own space in order to provide these services in a comfortable and accepting environment for all. 

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Alissa Waters

Owner/Tattooist