I had been wanting a new tattoo for a while. I had an idea in my head for about 2 years but haven’t gotten around to doing it. Soon after we moved to Tavira, I saw a shop while walking through town and took a picture of the name. However, I quickly forgot about it (thanks ADHD), and did not see the sign again because it wasn’t a street I normally walk on. I started looking up tattoo artists all over the Algarve and I remembered the door. I searched through a ton of pics on my phone, finally found it, and looked up the instagram. Instantly, I realized the artist was perfect. She did such clean lines and her work was stunning. Her profile also said she studied at the Lisbon University of Fine Arts. I sent her a message with my idea and set up an appointment!

Sofia was instantly very nice on messages. She sent over a sketch with my idea and we went back and forth for a few days getting it perfect. I loved it and was so excited to get it done. 

I went in for my appointment and was greeted with the biggest smile. Sofia is so beyond sweet and welcoming. I felt instantly at ease with her, which is very important when someone is about to draw on your skin with needles. We talked about her art and she showed me the pictures she had done on her wall. They were so good, I thought they were photographs, but nope, she had done them all! She also had figurines all around her shop that she had also created. 

We got the stencil in place and she made sure I was happy with the placement and the size. She made sure we looked at it from different angles and moved my arm differently to make sure I would like it no matter what direction my arm was facing. Once we got it set she had me get comfortable on the bed and made sure I was good and ready to begin. 

During the tattooing she constantly made sure I was ok and comfortable. My husband was there to hold my hand. They both like video games so they talked about that the whole time. It was great because I could listen to them and ignore the little pain I was experiencing. She finished it pretty quickly. I was so excited to see the final piece. It was PERFECT! I was so in love and it came out exactly how I wanted it. 

Sofia went over all the after-care information with me. We took pics and she made sure I was completely happy with it. She even messaged me a couple days after to see how I was doing and to see how the healing was coming along. 

If you are in the Algarve or ever travel here and want a tattoo, I HIGHLY recommend Sofia. She is so nice and such a talented artist. I’m already thinking of what my next piece will be. Make sure to follow her on Instagram @sofiabasiliotattoos

My Tattoo:

My tattoo is very meaningful to me. Each symbol represents loved ones that I have lost. 

The top symbol is the logo from my Grandfathers company. 

The tree represents my other Grandfather who worked for the forest service.

The angel wings are for my step-sister Roberta who was the sweetest human on the planet and was taken far too soon

The tulip represents my Grandmother because she always had beautiful tulips growing in her garden. 

Check out my instagram for my reel all about it @vegas.to.portugal