A new tattoo studio with a gothic twist has opened its doors in Carlisle.
The Cult, based on Grey Street, officially opened its doors on Monday and is being run by studio manager Natalie Bell and experienced tattooist Callum Powe, both from the city.
Opening a studio has always been a dream of Callum’s, and Natalie – one of Callum’s long-term clients – said deciding to work together was a no-brainer.
She said: “I was seeing Callum for my own tattoos and we built up quite a good relationship over about two or three years.
“Basically it started with me getting a bit itchy for a new project as I have a house that I renovated and rent, so we combined efforts and crossed that with Callum’s vision to be able to have his own studio and our own homely tattoo space.
“I don’t tattoo myself, it’s something I’m just really interested in, I’ll just be behind the scenes. But it’s really exciting for all of us.
“We started in the new year, so from finding the space to going through planning, licencing and decorating, it’s been a five month journey and everyone is chomping at the bit to get going.
“Ultimately it’s been Callum’s dream to have his own space and make his own mark and between us I think we’ve really achieved that. I can’t wait to see what comes over the next few months.”
Callum, who has been tattooing for 10 years and is known for his stunning horror-inspired tattoos, will be joined by two other permanent artists in the studio – Jess Graham and Nina Birschel.
Jess specialises in fine line tattoos, heavy blackwork and neo-traditional and has been tattooing for four years while Nina is working as the studio’s apprentice, under the guidance of Callum.
Nina has been tattooing for four months and is currently developing her style – but loves to work in blackwork, dark ornamental and gothic styles.
She will also be providing her intricate and unique nail artist services – NiNailz – in the studio.
Natalie added: “Everyone is slightly different with their preferred styles, but I think everyone does prefer to work in black rather than colour.
“We all love anything dark and cultish, which is part of the inspiration behind our name.”
Natalie said that the team have also put their own stamp on the studio and have decorated it under a gothic and horror-inspired theme.
She added: “A lot of the inspiration behind our name came from a post Callum did on social media around Christmas time.
“He was talking about getting everyone booked in and said ‘there’s a place for everyone’ so we thought The Cult would be ideal.
“We don’t want it to be just another studio people call into, we want people to know there’s friendly vibrant faces here and that we’re a place for them to come and have a good experience and a chat.
“We also want to be able to offer different things, so we’ve got a fund in the studio for if someone is coming in for a special occasion we’ve got a bit of discretion where we can do something unique and style the studio up ready for that person.
“But the whole point of our cult is that there’s a place here for everyone.”
You can find out more about The Cult on their Instagram, by clicking here.
