“To die; to sleep; to sleep; perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub; for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil.” With the name a reference to one of the most famous stanzas in Hamlet, and one of the most entrancing and transportive bands in British pop history, This Mortal Coil is clearly more than your average tattoo studio. A large, private, predominantly appointment-only operation (although there are occasional walk-in slots), the work here is thoughtful, personal, meaningful, and thoroughly captivating. A place to come for body art for the thinking person.
Owned by Dan Hancock, a multi award-winning artist, and run by the esteemed shop manager, Alina Kondrashova-Askew, in total there are six full-time tattooists alongside the two at the top, and most have at least a decade of experience in the art of inking. These are Gaz Farmer, Katherine Parkes, Arran Knott, Samantha Beedie, Harvey Ink, Liala Thornton, and Keri Vacant. Guest artists are also drafted on a regular basis, either for one-off sessions or more residency-style stints in the studio, and between all this talent there’s very little they can’t do for customers – from traditional Japanese to blackwork, realism, coverups and reworks.
With health and safety a priority, This Mortal Coil also offers a range of other services, including ear piercing and tooth gem fittings, cementing 17 Stamford New Road in Altrincham as a destination for body art lovers in the truest sense of the term body art. Away from the idea of people-as-canvas, merchandise is on sale, too. A range of spectacular prints showcase various styles which have been created by the artists, and elsewhere there are some striking t-shirts, hoodies, baseball caps, and more up for grabs, all of which are bound to make a unique and lasting impression.