New tattoo and tea parlour opens in south Liverpool

A new tattoo and tea parlour has opened in south Liverpool, combining stunning body art with beautiful brews.

Tattooist Georgia Sharp always wanted to run her own studio and came up with the concept of The T Parlour to offer customers a unique experience.

She explains: “The idea started with the play on words around tea parlour and tattoo parlour, but also I’ve always worked in shops where we’ve offered clients teas and coffees.

“I’d never come across anywhere that combined the two, you usually have tattooists in barbers, hairdressers and beauty salons, so I thought it would be a unique selling point and actually make for a better experience.

“It can be so intimidating having a tattoo, especially for the first time, and I’ve worked in some places where it’s pretty scary, all gothic and horror.

“But there’s nothing intimidating about tea and everyone who walks in The T Parlour says how warm it is because it’s got a great feeling. Having tea makes you relax too and relaxing makes tattoos less painful, because heavy metal music will get your adrenaline going, make your blood pump more and it’ll hurt more.”

35-year-old Georgia moved to Liverpool in 2009 to study fine art after falling in love with the city when she came here to see a mate.

“I was studying costume design in Bournemouth and my best friend was a Scouser. I came to visit her and on the train home I texted my parents to say I was dropping out of uni and moving to Liverpool! 

“A year later I came to study fine art, with two years at Liverpool Community College and finishing my degree at Hope Uni, and I absolutely love it so much here.

“I had planned to teach art GCSE but by the time I graduated I already knew I wanted to get into tattooing.

“I met my husband in Liverpool and I got an apprenticeship, starting in Wrexham and then on Park Road. From there I’ve worked at a few different places and just tried to teach myself as much as I could.”

Georgia, who has two children – daughter Saffron, 9, and son Indigo who’s three – used her art background to develop her tattoo specialism.

“I was a painter and I used a lot of colour so I’d definitely class myself as a colour tattooist now – I know colour theory, I know how it behaves, and one of my strengths is my gradients and making things look smooth. 

“I also do a lot of illustration, line work, and mandalas but I’m honest with clients if I think there’s another artist who will do something better, like black and white realism or portraits, because I’ve been tattooing for nine years so know what my strengths are.”

Alongside Georgia herself, The T Parlour on Aigburth Road has two other full-time artists and a part-time skin scar specialist who also does nipple tattoos for women who’ve had mastectomies and other breast surgery.

It’s open for appointments daytimes from Tuesday to Sunday, although being on the main road near the Vale means they also get people popping in to book ahead.

Georgia says clients are already loving the atmosphere and the chance to have a loose leaf tea, blended by Wirral’s Tenacious Tea.

“I’ve had this idea for five or six years, I just needed to find the right place to do it. It’s got New York industrial loft vibes in the studio at the back, with lots of wood, bricks, plants, artwork and neon, and the front is like grandma’s house with nice chairs and the kettle always on!”

You can follow The T Parlour on Instagram here.

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