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By Christine Graf
After more than a decade spent working at the Dead Presidents Lounge in Albany, tattoo artist Krystal Ingram has opened her own studio in Ballston Lake.
Sans Souci Tattoo is located at 318 Ruhle Road South, just off Exit 11 of the Northway.
According to Ingram, she became interested in tattoos after her uncle got one when she was ten years old.
“I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life. I became super fascinated by tattoos and the whole culture surrounding them. My parents were completely not into tattoos at all, and I think that’s what made me want to be a part of it even more.”
A graduate of Albany High School, Ingram received a B.F.A. in print making from SUNY New Paltz in 2011. Two weeks after graduating, she began working as an apprentice to a tattoo artist at the Dead Presidents Lounge. After two years as an apprentice, she began building her own client base.
“I always felt like I wanted something that I could call my own, and I wanted to build a community that I could call my own as well,” she said. “I also knew that it was a good idea from a business perspective. I don’t have a retirement plan, so I need to invest wisely.”
The property at 318 Ruhle Road went on the market at the same time that Ingram and her husband, Jake, were looking for an investment property. A former youth pastor, Jake is the owner of Round Lake Remodeling. His company specializes in kitchen and bathroom remodeling. After driving by the property, Jake realized he had found the perfect spot for the tattoo studio.
They purchased the 5,000-square-foot, two-story mixed-use building at the end of July. A former pediatrician’s office, it features office space on the first floor and two apartments on the second floor.
Ingram chose the name for her studio in part to honor local history. The Sans Souci Hotel, once one of the largest hotels in the United States, operated in Ballston Spa during the 1800s.
“San souci also means ‘without worries,’ and I feel like that’s a nod to the carefree attitude that really pushed tattooing forward—the kind of anti-culture artists and rebels that made tattooing what it is today,” she said. “That’s what got me into tattooing, and it’s what I want my shop to be about. I feel like being true to yourself and true to following your path is really important.”
Since opening in July, Ingram said the studio has generated a lot of interest.
“Once I put my sign up out front a few weeks after we opened, I had so much traffic just from the neighborhood. And that’s what I want—I want people from the neighborhood to come in and feel like my shop is approachable.”
It is out of a desire to build community that Ingram plans to host future events that are designed to give back the local community. She also plans to bring on additional tattoo artists in the future.
When it comes to her work, Ingram draws on her fine arts training when designing custom tattoos. She also works from drawings that her clients provide.
San Souci Tattoo is open Wednesday and Thursday noon to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Appointments can be made by calling 518-289-5333.