It’s the final blog now! (Of 2025)
We finally reach the last month of 2025 here at 7th Circle Tattoo & Piercing and like many I just had the annual shock of ‘It's December already?’ as I write this blog. But for us at 7th Circle it's been a busy year with many ups and some downs, as we close into the festive season. This month I want to cover some of the moments from 2025 from us and what's in store for 2026 for our studio.
Although it feels like I’ve been writing blogs for 7th Circle for years, it has indeed only been nine months. I started in March this year when Kevin approached me about this little side role for the studio and I don’t think I’ve ever committed to something so quickly in my life. There are many benefits to doing this blog for me but most of them have to do with being more involved in the studio life. Although I am quite creatively talented I never really focused on drawing, no more than doodling so to still have the opportunity to be involved in the gang and not be committed to the tattoo lifestyle is a good balance and a great opportunity. Being on board I think the blog has allowed the studio to show more of a personal representation that doesn't follow the modern social media trends of dancing for the camera (something that would be impossible to get Kevin and Bogdan to do). The interviews have allowed anyone who's really interested in getting to know the artists well to have the opportunity to hear their stories. The blog was something Kevin wanted for the studio for a while but was stretched a bit too thin alongside tattooing so it feels good to have completed what was set to be 2025's new year resolution.
Now we’re done talking about me we can discuss the rest of the studio and what else has happened. After years of running the shop as a dynamic duo, Kevin and Bogdan agreed 2025 was the year to expand the team, bringing in not one but two new team members. Ken joined the team as Kevin's apprentice, affectionately referring to his master as Sifu. Ken has joined the team and been a great addition often being found working on his Ipad drawing and doodling. His goal is covering lots of different types of art and references but he has a personal interest in traditional Japanese and other asian tattoo styles so it will be interesting to see how his journey progresses, which we can touch base with him about as he starts tattooing on practice skin in the coming months. So with four of us in the shop, myself a bit rarer than the other three, there's a really good energy with a lot of storytelling, laughter and banter you expect from a good tattoo shop, often with the customer included.
So here at 7th Circle Tattoo & Piercing, you may have understood from certain points I’ve made that we don't really fit into the reels world, the tweeting sphere, the social media mania. We like to do things our own way, and in doing so we opted to go for a fully fledged playable virtual tour of the shop and a complete FAQ where you can check prices for piercing and ask questions about aftercare from an avatar of Kevin and Bogdan themselves. Now you may be thinking, virtual tours like VR… but that sounds a bit too techy for you guys? No, wrong, it's 8 bit, because we’re cool and old. You should check it out, it's really funny and very informative. You can even check the prices for the parking meter outside.
Talking of being just a bit different, 7th Circle Tattoo & Piercing put out some new fully completed Japanese Tebori pieces, something Kevin's been wanting to do for a while, but as we discussed in his interview, finding the people can be hard. Opting to be the first piece he’d done in a while we freehanded a sick spirit tattoo, much to the envy of my brother who then went on to get a full Raijin (Japanese God) tattoo on his bicep in Tebori. Then in envy I signed up for a full Tebori sleeve which I’ve had stencilled in at this point; and that is how tattoos work people! It's all tattoo jealousy. So in 2026 you will see a lot more posts about Tebori and if you’re interested, check out my blog post about it or come on down and sign yourself up!
Now what is a studio if you don't talk about the artists who turn on the lights each day, so a personal triumph of Kevin's this year has been slightly shifting his focus from tattooing and more to traditional art and painting. After having found success at a gallery position in July with some of his nature paintings (The goose he painted is really good) he's been on a bit of a painting rampage, even painting myself in a portrait ironically throwing a shoe in the air for the age old phrase ‘waiting for the other shoe to drop’.
So it was foretold, so it shall be…the shop sign and shutter got damaged during a storm recently and the guys got locked out of the shop and it had to be removed so they’re currently in the process of getting a new sign for the shop. But I suppose for things to go wrong it could have been worse and I’m sure a new facelift for the shop front wouldn't be the worst outcome. Aside from the shutter, this year has been a positive time for 7th Circle with the studio finding success in ways that we defined successful; expanding the team, better representation through the blog and new creative challenges for all members. We hope we can carry the positivity through to the new year and continue pushing ourselves as a studio
Now it wouldn’t be a December blog post if I didn’t remind everyone that we do have gift cards and vouchers available during the coming festive period and they make excellent gifts for anyone considering a tattoo or piercing any time soon. They are available in digital and physical versions and can be purchased both online and in person at the studio.
Thank you to everyone who has been tattooed and pierced, or even supported us by liking, commenting on or sharing content from 7th Circle Tattooing & Piercing Studio. We appreciate all of our customers and friends and look forward to seeing you in 2026!
(The studio is open until December 20th, It's just a wrap for me on the blog. I’ll see you in January 2026)
