Welcome And What Wicked Goddess Is

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I am Rachael Mantha. I own Wicked Goddess Body Art. Um, and we have two different studios in Fairfax County and the city of Alexandria, so we're just a tattoo and piercing studio kinda designed for women and, I guess, mostly women working, but also just the community at large and just being a safe space for clients to come and be comfy. Yeah. I love that, and I can't wait to learn more Take us back to the beginning. What first drew you into the world of body art and piercing, and what ultimately inspired you to open up Wicked Goddess Body Art? Yeah. Uh, it was kind of a happy accident initially. I mean, like all coming of age kids, I was interested in shiny things and piercings and tattoos, and I started collecting pretty much the second I turned 18 and could sign for myself. I did not have the parents

From First Piercings To Owner

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that were super down with tattoos and piercings at the time. Um, and, you know, I was s- I was young. I was 18. I was in college. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, holding down, like, three different jobs, and, um, my piercer was like, "Hey, I think you should probably try this out. I think you'd be good at it. I think it's something that you might be interested or like doing." And so I did my apprenticeship back then, and I kind of considered leaving after, you know, I finished up college and stuff like that, 'cause, you know, like society tells you, it's like you should be transitioning into, like, a real person job. Um, and then after college, I just never left. I stuck with it. I loved it. I thought it was something that really suited me and my personality and, like, what I wanted to do and how to interact with my community. And so, you know, a few years down the line after the shutdown of COVID and the birth of my first child, I had an awakening that, uh, this was something I could do. This is something I felt like I could do well and do maybe even better than some of my, um, you know, peers. And so I did. I, I just kind of jumped in and built Wicked from the ground up in a totally different sort of style that what our industry was kind of in... you know, gifted with, I should say. Um, and, you know, it just, it went really well. People loved it. Our community loved it. Um, I think even, you know, my coworkers, employees, and stuff, like, they wind up loving it, and it became such a really great, safe space for not only, like, us women in the industry, but, like, community members participating as our clients. And so then we opened up the second location last year. Congratulations. And yeah, it was, pff, like zero to 500 in the matter of just a few years- Wow 'cause we are technically only three and a half years old, so very new still. That's awesome. Mm-hmm. Yeah, and it's interesting how COVID, like, it closed a lot of doors, but then people ended up, you know, finding new opportunities- Yeah through those closed doors. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. And so you've been in the industry for a while, and you've seen it evolve firsthand. What experiences helped you kind of shape your vision for building a studio that operates differently from a lot of the traditional shops? Um, I think it was kind of a multitude of things. I think the more you kind of immerse yourself in this industry as, like, a service provider, whether that be on the tattoo or the piercing side, and, like, you make friends that are in the industry, and you talk, and you see, like, what everybody's experiences were.

Fixing Shop Culture With Benefits

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And, you know, there aren't a whole lot of people that are in the industry that got here comfortably, safely, without kind of being abused in one way or another. Mm-hmm. Um, and seeing everybody start that way in an industry that should be so fun and so pure and so creative, um, and, like, helping people and collaborative, it, it felt like I don't know, like, not a good way of from the ashes, you know what I mean? Like, we kind of put each other through the muck of it only to then maybe kind of come out on the other side. And I watched a lot of people start their apprenticeships hopeful and, like, end in failure or end in just not wanting to be a part of it anymore because it was so dark and so hard. Um, and I think a mix of that, of like wanting to change how people get into the industry and change what, like, that apprenticeship to, you know, service provider looks like. Um, and also having this moment after COVID when I'm sitting in my house with my newborn on maternity leave going, "I can't afford to take a maternity leave." You know? I mean, I didn't have paid time off. There was no retirement. There was... There, there weren't any, like, benefits to being in the industry other than just how much I loved working it, you know? And so I was like, I felt like for a industry that I was investing so much of my time and my life and my energy into, there wasn't really any investing back. Uh, and so I wanted to make sure that Wicked did that, right? Was that there was this space, this like, you know, fun little artistic studio that took care of and nurtured our newcomers that, like, had this sort of fun, collaborative, paid apprenticeship approach, you know? And that ultimately once you were there, once you kind of made it and you were doing your tattoos and piercings and stuff, that you were provided for and you were invested in for, you know, your future, for paid maternity leave, for time off, for, you know, retirement plans, for everything that you wanted to do. The company and the studio and collaboratively us as a group reinvested in each other in that way. Um, and it's been really cool. I mean, just seeing everybody flourish in ways that I don't think we initially even anticipated has been really beautiful, and I think it's just like there's some safety and foundation, and there's some safety and security, and it makes you more creative to feel like you can reach out on a limb, you know? Mm-hmm. Ugh. Yeah. And I love that you're able to provide a safe space for, you know, artists to come and do their thing, because I feel like a lot of times a... It's sad how a bad experience will kind of take us away from what we love to do. Mm-hmm. Um, so yeah. I think you're doing a really great job at that. Um, when you founded Wicked Goddess, what were some of the core values and principles you knew you wanted your business to be built around? I, I say this gently because we have amazing boy-shaped crew, um, but I wanted women first, you know? I wanted to kind of create a space where women in the industry had a really great, awesome work environment that protected them in all the facets. Um, and, you know, we have ex- we have since expanded

Women-First Values And Client Comfort

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into not only a solo women crew, but it was really important when we first started that I wanted to make sure that, you know, women came first. Um, I also wanted to kind of put in all the protections that I was never really, you know, given. So making sure that all these benefits were possible, and we kind of built them up over the years as we've seen kind of more success and had, like, more coworkers and stuff come in and join the crew because, you know, it... those sort of benefits, if you're not, like, a big corporation, very much are collaborative, right? Everybody kinda works in to put money into the pot to make it possible. Um, and so every year we've added a new benefit that we didn't have the previous year, and, um, making sure that for those... So last year for the first time, um, two of our employees had babies, and so they went on maternity leave. And for the first time ever, there was paid maternity leave for Wicked. And it was really cool, p- like, giving that opportunity to, um, you know, my coworkers and especially in a time where I didn't have it for any of my kids. And I'm happy to do it for other people, you know, in spite of not being given that myself and I, that's kind of why I've done it, you know? Um, and also just like kind of creating this sort of space for our clients where when you walk in, it's comfortable, it's inviting, it's open, it's, um, you know, collaborative. Like, you could come in and have a consult with an artist and feel like you're being heard and feel like your art ideas are being represented the way you want them to. And then you just have like a really great experience start to finish, you know? I mean, most of our kind of big s- quote, unquote, "reviews" and like hot topics are just that it's such a great environment. You know, the people are really great and like the im- the experience is really fun, and you know, shiny things and tattoo things are beautiful as well. Like, really great artists and technical piercers. Um, but you know, everybody enjoys their time when they're in studio. It doesn't feel like they're kind of going into a dark space where you have to like walk down an alleyway to get there. Um, we're very bright and unassuming. I love that you're able to create that, um, like a comfortable space for your clients because it, I feel like it's so important, especially with like tattoos where you're gonna be sitting for hours. Yeah. It's important to feel comfortable and then like- Yeah getting a piercing, you know, someone doing work on your body, it's so important to feel comfortable. Mm-hmm. Yeah. There's such like an innate intimacy when it comes to working on bodies, you know, in general, but it's really cool, I think, to be a positive memory. You know, 'cause people always ask like, "Oh, where'd you get your tattoo?" or, "What happened? What's the story behind it?" And you don't want somebody to be like, "Oh yeah, I got this tattoo and it was such a terrible experience." Like, you're not talking about the art anymore. Mm-hmm. You're talking about the experience you had. Right. But when it's a good experience, you're like, "Oh, thanks. Like this is what it means. This is what it's for. This is... Oh, and by the way, it was one of the best experiences ever." It's like it- Right kind of puts your body and your experience first again. Yeah. Even though like obviously the experience is still important, you know? But- Mm-hmm I don't know. I'm biased. Yeah. 'Cause people will remember like how you made them feel. Yeah. And then they'll like base their whole experience on, you know, how they felt. Exactly. The emotion tied. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Mm-hmm. Looking back, what are some of the biggest lessons that you've learned as a business owner and leader? Interpersonal communication and conflict resolution is huge. Um, and I think that goes not just for, for everybody. For anybody you interact with in the small business world, you have to be willing to be wrong sometimes, to be willing to listen to people,

Leadership Lessons In Communication

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and to correct if you've made a wrong path decision, you know? And I think especially in small business where you're managing everything, you know, you- there's not a whole lot of delegation outside of, "Oh, hey, can you help me do this? Can you do this? Can..." You know. And so you have to kind of be quite the operator, you know, have your hands in like 16 different pies, and realize that sometimes while you're over here dealing with one thing, you might have made a mistake over here. And just kind of having that moment of like, "All right, humble correction. My bad." Um, and just getting back on track. And so, and a lot of that also is tied with being able to talk to people about those sorts of things. You know, be like, "Hey, you know, I didn't make the right decision with this client," or, "I didn't consider you in my decision for, you know, painting the walls." Or even the little things along the way where you're like, "Oh, shit, I didn't realize you had a client that morning, and I just busted in to restock the counters." And you're like, "Oof." You know? Um, and like how to teach those things to other people is incredibly hard. I think when you work in the service industry where you're so interpersonally required to get through every interaction socially, uh, it's not an easy thing to teach. And so there's, there's some guidance along the way. There's some like pinpoints where you, especially I feel like as like the leader of it, have to show people how to work their way through things and also guide them conversationally, right? You have to like not only monkey see, monkey do it, but also be able to talk about those things along the way. Right. Yep. Interesting. Mm-hmm. Yeah, people skills are so important, especially when you're, you know, you're dealing with a lot of people, and then a lot of different kinds of people, different personalities. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's true, 'cause, you know, it's not just, like, who you think you're going to attract in business. I mean, 'cause it's everybody, right? Like, you never know who might be interested in the kind of personality that you offer, the kind of brand that you have. And I think the beautiful thing is, like, we don't touch one specific group, you know? We have a little bit of everybody coming from all different faces of the world, and if you're not, you know, open to just being guided in the experience of what it means to be one-on-one with somebody... 'Cause, you know, when the room is lit, and the doors are closed, and it's just you and your client, you have to kind of adapt to what they're comfortable with and what they want- Right and it's their expectation. I, I always say I'm just a shaman of the experience. You know, I'm just here to, like, guide you to the outcome that you want and, you know, also sort of lead the ship in a way for the business, too, and that's my, that's my whole goal- Yeah is just to get everybody where they want to be and to, like, better the experience, better the, you know, goals, better the everything. Mm-hmm. Yeah, awesome. And then for someone who has never stepped foot into a professional piercing or tattoo studio, what would you want them to know about the experience? Right. I, I think there's kind of a few- Things to look out for, things to, like, avoid, you know? Um, Virginia's really cool because we are heavily licensed, you know? So when you walk in, you should be able to kinda see these studios repping that, right? Where they're like, "Hey, this is

What To Expect In A Studio

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our business license. This is our health code. This is each of our individual licenses," you know? And for a state that is so heavy on regulation, it's also really easy to look all that up, you know? So, like, just kind of preparing yourself ahead of time to be like, "All right. Am I going into, like, a well-licensed and safe studio? Like, are they, if it's piercing-related, like APP members? Do you know they have, like, environmental criteria that they're meeting?" Um, and you know, from there, once you kinda do a little bit of due diligence, when you go in, it shouldn't feel Like you're on a conveyor belt where you start here and you're going through your paperwork and you're talking to somebody and they may or may not talk you into X, Y, or Z or whatever the jewelry is, and you sign your life away. You go in and you get your piercing and you get out and you don't even know who was there, right? You don't have any names, you don't have any personalities. Like, you don't want it to feel... You want it to be sterile but not feel sterile, you know? Like Oh, that's a good catch. Have like a, have a good balance. You wanna see some personality and you wanna like make sure that, you know, you're heard. And I think, too, um, I, I teach this a lot to, you know, like my apprentices along the way, but there's kind of this little thing that I always talk about when it comes to like aftercare. And I do kind of equate a lot of, you know, sort of body modification world to having like these ties with things like, you know, like couples therapy or relationship counseling, right? Where it's such an intimate experience to offer your body to somebody else to make those modifications to then get it back, you know? And so I think it's important to treat some of those with some ties. But it's like after you've, after you've been impaled, is your piercer making sure you're okay? Like checking in, you know, seeing how you feel, if you like it. You know, do they also check their work to make sure it looks good? If it doesn't, if they've made a mistake, are they willing to talk about that or correct it? You know, and same thing on the tattoo side, right? It's like if you, you know, have your stencil on and, you know, you're looking in the mirror, does your artist go, "Do you like it there? Do you wanna see it somewhere else? Do you want it moved?" You know, like where they're checking in and making sure that like you are, you know, enthusiastically consenting every step of the way, right? Where it's like it's your body and you get to decide how that looks and what happens and where it goes and how colorful to make it. And I think most of the time in really good experiences, it's up to the service provider to notice when your body language changes and when that consent or when that like enthusiastic yes turns into a mediocre maybe. And it's up to them to be like, "Hey, I notice that you're not quite as excited as you were when we walked in." What's that about? Where are we going? How do you want us to change the design? Do you like the color? Do you- is there something we need to modify before this is something permanent? You know, and that should be along the way. You should feel like you're being taken care of like a shaman. Uh, just guided through where you don't, like, if you have to speak up, you feel comfortable. Yeah. But you n- don't necessarily need to. You know, they should be checking in to make sure. Right. So walking you through the steps, like every step of the way. Yeah. Something like that. And kind of tying into that, there are still a lot of misconceptions surrounding tattoos, piercings, and body art. What are some of the biggest ones you help yourself finding people, or you find yourself helping people move beyond? Um, I think, I mean, some of the f- like, cute old school things are right, like how much piercing aftercare has changed or, you know, how tattoo fading and tattoo styles have changed. And you kind of see, you're like, "Oh,

Modern Myths Aftercare And Custom Work

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well, does this tattoo design absolutely need the biggest, boldest, dark, black outline?" Maybe not. You know, maybe we can put on something with a little bit thinner of a line weight and make it, like, gentler. Microrealism is possible, and how that heals does kind of apply to application and, you know, piercings. And, like, if you can imagine it, it can be done, asterisk. There's, like little things here and there that are so anatomically suited, but there's kind of, like, some fun loopholes if you're willing to be creative, you know? Um, but just making sure that, like, wherever you're guided down the path of tattoos and piercings is that, you know, it suits the placement or the anatomy, it suits your long-term goals. Make sure that, like, you know, it's in hopes and dreams somewhat permanent. Like, yes, there are removals for tattoos. You could take a piercing out, but you don't ever go into those experiences expecting to have them be taken away from you. Mm-hmm. Um, and so, you know, just kind of like seeing those changes. And I mean, even just in, like, the industries as a whole, you know, going from flashboards on the wall where you, like, went through these large books of flash, like tattoo flash, to pick out what you wanted. It's so much more custom now. It's so much more interpersonal on the design. You know, you're not walking into a Claire's, Piercing Pagoda, Rowan, whatever, you know, just assuming you're gonna get a gun piercing and hope to God it heals well with somebody that may or may not know what they're doing, you know? Yeah. Um, it's like there, there are people that specialize in these things and in these types of styles and designs and these piercings, and they really do want you to be successful. They really do want the healing and the aftercare and everything to go so well, and you don't have to choose the fast path. You can choose, like- Mm-hmm people that care about how you heal and what happens and, you know, are, are there through all of the bits and pieces, not just doing the service. Mm-hmm. You know? Yeah, I think it's, it's so important to, even with- all, like the information there is online, still going to a professional for that professional guidance is so important. Yes. And even when your professionals speak out- and they're telling you things, like there's still so much nuance, you know? Like, I can tell you all of the aftercare that's kind of standard to what you'd expect, and yet I might still find myself recommending something else to somebody who's like, "Hey, I have X, Y, or Z skin condition. I do X, Y, or Z," you know, "I have this sort of autoimmune," or, "I'm on this kind of medication." I'm like, "Oh, well, all of a sudden we have some modifications that we need to consider." You know, there's so much nuance. It's like even if you have the base guidelines, the skeleton if you will- Mm-hmm how we fill it out is so personal. Right. You know? 'Cause everyone's different. Mm-hmm. Everyone's body is different. Everybody's body needs different things. Yeah. Yeah. And then I wanted to ask about your annual Pride Flash Day event. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Yeah. It's tomorrow. Awesome. Uh, we're really stoked. Um, we usually pair up and do a charity event, and so, um, this year, like the last couple of years, we're teaming up with, uh, Safe Space Nova. And so our Alexandria studio is doing, you know, tattoo flash, which is kinda like pre-designed, pre-priced color versus black and gray. We usually do,

Pride Flash Day And Giving Back

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you know, all of like the pride colors. You can pick your own depending upon like whether you wanna rep the flag or just rep the rainbow. Um, and then we have like discounted piercings and that kind of stuff. And, you know, we every year I think get a little bit better, a little more efficient about managing the lines and getting people in and out. Um, and so I think this one's gonna be the best one yet, fingers crossed. Yeah. Usually our Pride Flash is one of our biggest events of the year. Um, we are all incredibly either in the rainbow or allies of the rainbow, and so we really just throw it down. We have a whole day of it. It's super, super fun. We dress up. You should dress up. Um, and just like come spend the day or even just a couple of hours 'cause- Yeah it's, it's really fun and it's a good community to be a part of. And, um, also just supporting like, you know, different programs for younger members of the community is really huge. Um- Mm-hmm and so just kinda keeping up to date with what, what the community is doing is- Yeah is really nice. Yeah. That's nice that you're able to do an event for the community. Mm-hmm. Yeah. You're also preparing to launch a more personalized jewelry curation experience. What inspired that idea and what can people expect from it? Yeah. Um, so mostly, I mean, we've, I think professional piercers have been doing curations for eons, but now that there's kind of like a trend associated with it where people are now, they know that piercers do that service, they're interested in it, and it's something you can participate in. But it's hard to do in traditional settings, right? Where you're at the front of a studio

Personalized Jewelry Curation Oasis

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and there's cases upon cases in front of you, and you're looking around and you're seeing all of the options going, "I don't know if I want, you know, CZ or white topaz or diamond," or, "I don't know if I want, you know, rose, yellow, two-tone, three-tone," whatever it is, you know? And So, and it's hard to do too when you're up in a front of a space where there's multiple clients, there's tattoo people, there's front of house, everybody's... There's phones answering. You're having a conversation, and no matter how you try to make that experience, you know, one-on-one, sometimes you, you get a couple of two or threes. Um, and so we've kind of created this space in our Alexandria location that is a closed, intimate room, and you get to be like, "Hey, Rachel, I am obsessed with all things yellow gold. I really love any kind of blue tone, but I mostly wanna keep my classics, you know, like white based or CZ based," right? And I get to go, "Okay. Well, these are all the different things I have. Here are some interesting things. I have a bunch of questions for you," where you and I just sit down and talk about, you know, whether or not you're flexible on gold tone, if you want to two-tone or not, if you have specific shades of blue that you're super into, and I'll show you some fun options of stone colors. Um, whether or not you like hoops or hanging designs, chains, charms, like movement in your piece. You know, what kind of, um, finishes you want. I mean, these days you can do hammered or, you know, Florentine finishes, high shine, a little bit of matte. I mean, everything. You name it, it's there. And I think just being able to sit down and show you all of the options, kind of like, you know, if you've ever done like anything... Like I, have I had my own house? No. Do I have hopes and dreams and watch HDTV? Yes. And you sit down, and they have all those tiles out, and you get to pick out the tile that you want, and you say, "Okay, does this fit the paint?" And you pick out all the paint that you want. And it's kind of like that, where, you know, as a professional, I'm coming to you in my studio, um, and I'm saying, "Hey, these are the things you like. This is what's possible. Let's real time show you what this looks like. Here are some ear models. Here are some real jewelry you can like, you know, experience and see in natural, normal lighting," so it's not like heightened or fancy. You get to see what it's gonna look like on your body. Say yes, say no. What if this, what if that? And we just create something just for you, for the holes you have and the holes you want, and, you know, kind of explore what that looks like. And if you want to get piercings that day, awesome. If you just wanna change everything out, get them all cleaned and shiny for event, awesome. But it's just kind of a really great space for us to collaborate and make you even more shiny, and do the things that you want to do, make sure it's cohesive. Do you want both ears to match? Do you not? Um, I'm excited obviously. We've been setting it up for a little bit and, like, putting our fun little, you know, like, comfy chairs in where you could cross your legs in a seat. Um, and just kind of create and play with shiny things and, like, just touch metal. Um, as somebody who is obsessed with that- Mm-hmm I think it's a great time. Yeah. I mean, that does sound really exciting. You know, being able to personalize that experience for someone and providing them with a safe space to do so. Yeah. Yeah. And I think, you know, it's, it's not usually, like, a, a step away. You know, usually, it kind of... I, I wanna create, like, a little oasis- Yeah where you get to step away from the chaos of the studio, of everybody else getting their work done, and take your time and pick what you want and decide if you want, you know, to do a whole lot or just a little. Mm-hmm. But it's time just for you, set aside one-on-one where we can be creative together. Right. Yeah. Cool, cool. And for anyone wanting to learn more about Wicked Goddess, follow your work, or book an appointment, where can they find you? So our Instagram is wkdgoddess, um, which sounds just like an FM radio station. Uh, and our website is wickedgoddessva.com. And so a lot of our portfolios are through Instagram, and then our booking, our scheduling, our tattoo request or conse- consultation requests, um, are all through the website.

How To Book And Wrap Up

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Okay, cool. So a bunch of different places to find you. And as we wrap up, is there anything that you'd like to add that I haven't touched on today? Ooh. I mean, honestly, I'm just... I think you should check out the girls. Um, there's just so much really great work. Um, and I work with just an amazing group of creatives on the tattoo and the piercing side, and they are all worth checking out, every single last one of them, and they're great people too. Yeah. Awesome. Thank you so much, Rachel, for joining me on the podcast and sharing your knowledge, passion, and inspiring story with us. Thank you. I wish you the very best in all that comes your way in the future. Until next time.