ritual tattoo specialist
MY service
I seek to make every client feel safe, at ease, and confident in my work. I strive to bring a queer, feminist, anti-racist, and decolonizing ethos to my tattooing practice. I believe all bodies are worthy of love, self-care, and adornment. You are safe with me.
I offer several tattooing methods: modern machine and handpoke tattooing, and historical tattooing. Any of these methods can be used in a ritual tattoo session.
Tattoo appointments are available in two locations. You can be tattooed in my private home studio in Oakland, a space created to cultivate privacy, intentional beauty, and ritual. I also see clients at Ritual Tattoo shop in Berkeley.
To book tattoo sessions or consultations, contact me directly or click the button for my booking calendar:
for COVID-19 SAFETY INFORMATION, Visit the Tattoo Preparation page
MODERN MACHINE TATTOOING
For everyday tattooing, I use quiet rotary machines with pre-sterilized commercial cartridge needles. You won’t experience the loud buzzing or “angry swarm of bees” sound you may be used to hearing in tattoo studios; instead the rotary machine produces a low whirring sound. Machine tattooing is ideal for precise, fine-line tattoos, as well as saturated color and smooth color blending. I use vegan, cruelty-free Eternal Ink tattoo inks for a full range of brilliant colors.
HANDPOKED TATTOOING
Handpoked tattooing offers a gentle, more meditative experience. Tattoos performed in this way take a little longer than machine work, and tend to have a more archaic, organic style with dotwork textures rather than seamlessly smooth shading. Clients say that while there is little difference in the degree of pain, the experience feels more relaxing since there is no “buzz” of machine vibration. Thus handpoked practices align very well with creating a tattoo in a ritualized space.
For handpoked tattoos, I offer two options: modern and historical. Modern handpoking uses commercial cartridge needles, just as in machine tattooing, in a variety of sizes and line weights. The full range of modern tattoo ink colors are also available.
HISTORICAL TATTOOING
For those who are drawn to ancestral ways, I also offer historical tattooing aligned with the practices of the ancients. My historical practice is based primarily on studies of ancient tattooing tools, techniques and materials identified from ancient Aegean, Thracian, Scythian/Sarmatian, and Egyptian cultures. Metal replica needles are fully heat-sterilized and stored in sealed sterilized packets so that hygiene is ensured. The pigments I use for historical tattoos are high-grade natural ochre minerals and carbon black, the same simple pigments that have been used safely in tattooing for millennia. These non-toxic pigment powders are sourced from reputable pigment suppliers and stored in a clean manner. Inks are mixed freshly from these pigments during the tattoo session using clean, non-toxic liquid media, and are not stored between sessions. Due to the use of natural pigments, ink colors are limited to black, natural ochre reds, yellows, and browns, and dark blue.
You can find me practicing historical tattooing at medieval reenactment events and festivals, and these sessions can also be requested at my home studio in Oakland.
TATTOOING AS RITUAL
Tattooing is an ancient art form that for many people represents not just adornment of the body, but a ritual art that allows us to bless ourselves and celebrate our bodies, and inscribe our stories into our skin. Receiving a tattoo can be initiatory, healing, and empowering, helping us to live more authentically and be sovereign in our bodies. Tattooing is a sacred art in so many cultures worldwide, and it was this sacredness that inspired me to become a ritual tattoo artist and seek to bring some of that sacredness and sense of ritual back into the modern tattoo industry. To me, ritual means an act infused with meaning which becomes a touchstone to remind us of what matters most, as our tattoos become indelible living artworks that enshrine stories, memories, intentions, and spells into our bodies.
You may be dropping by for something small and simple, or you may be contacting me to begin a more intensive work with a spiritual component. You may not be seeking to ritualize your tattoo at all, and that’s okay too. For those who do want ritual support within the tattooing process, I bring over 20 years experience as a trained priest and spirit-worker. We can work together in the design phase using intuition, spiritual guidance and divination to shape the design, and your tattoo can be performed within a sanctified, focused ritual space with appropriate prayer and invocation.
booking
For all custom tattoos, cover-ups, or to discuss your design ideas, please start by booking a free consultation. Consultations are conducted by phone or Zoom video chat, or in person at my studio.
If your tattoo is simple, or you have your own artwork and do not require design, you can book your tattoo appointment directly.
To book a consultation or tattoo appointment, please visit my booking page:
You may also contact us using this contact form for questions about tattooing:
cost & payment
$200
Hourly rate - Machine work
You are charged from the time we sit down to apply the tattoo design, excluding any breaks called by the artist. In most cases, I do not charge for design time – unless your tattoo requires an excessive amount of drawing time or requires a full redesign after completing artwork.
$180
Hourly rate - Handpoked & historical work
Handpoked tattooing is a little slower than machine work so I offer a small reduction in my hourly rate for this work.
$100
Flate rate for small pieces
Flate rate applies for small tattoos that take less than 30 minutes to tattoo.
$100
Non-refundable deposit
All bookings require a prepaid deposit before any design work begins. Deposits are non-refundable and count toward the cost of your tattoo. In case of needing to reschedule, unless it is due to COVID-19 safety, please allow at least 48 hours notice in order to keep your deposit; last-minute reschedule or cancellation may cause you to lose your deposit.
Payments
Cash + Square + PayPal + Venmo + Gift Cards
Deposits and payment for tattoos can be made in cash, or via credit or debit card using Square, PayPal or Venmo. When booking in our online booking system, you will be guided to enter card info for payment of deposits. You can also purchase gift cards on our booking site. We do not accept checks.
“I was so thrilled with the whole experience. Morpheus listened carefully to my answers and tailored the experience to fit my requirements. As such it became a really emotional, spiritual and moving experience that I will carry with me. I felt so comfortable in her presence… Also, her line work is INCREDIBLE. I have never seen a tattoo with such fine, detailed lines. I had my tattoo about three weeks ago, it is healing nicely, and I can't stop raving about Banshee Arts! Thank you so much, Morpheus!”
questions?
See our detailed Tattoo Information page for preparation, aftercare, COVID-19 safety information, and FAQs about tattooing.
“I went to Banshee Arts to get a devotional tattoo from Morpheus and I could not be happier. From initial consultation to the finished piece, she was thoughtful and professional. Her artistic skills are top notch, and she is well-steeped in her craft. She gets both the art and science of tattooing and you can trust your ideas and your skin to her… If you're looking for an art piece, a tattoo meaningful to you, or a devotional tattoo, this is THE place to go.”
— L. L. D.
Contact us to get started
Locations
Banshee Arts Home Studio
636 Santa Ray Avenue, Oakland CA 94610
Located off Lakeshore neighborhood. Street parking is free.
Ritual Tattoo berkeley
1563 Solano Avenue, Berkeley CA 94707
Located on the westbound side of Solano Avenue. Street parking is metered.