Tattoos and Piercing -- Graphic Art in Denver's Baker District

[a short article i wrote for the Denver section of Examiner.com almost two years ago]

On December 5th, 2008, I witnessed a glorious spectacle in Denver’s Baker District.  The event occurred at "Tattoos and Piercing", Baker's premier tattoo and graphic art parlor.  The spectacle was a First Friday art show hosted by Santiago and Yay-Yo, a father and son duo, and catered to a packed audience.  The patrons were almost uniformly dressed, in reds, blacks, or grays, representing their street affiliations. It was a relatively peaceful gathering, nonetheless, but also a lively one. The catering included free beer and food and a hanging lady who dangled by hooks inserted into the skin around her knee caps for nearly a half an hour.  That’s right, I said free beer!

While the spectacle raged on and nearly 300 people watched from every angle, several patrons were getting graphics burned into their flesh in the form of tattoos.  Custom graphic tees, mural style graffiti, and a wide range of art work by the shop resident artists were sold to dozens.  As the resident disc jockeys spun Spanish and Mexican infused hip-hop tunes, the party billowed out into the streets and set the tone on that Friday night for all residents of Baker walking to and from other music and bar venues.

I had a chance to interview Santiago, father to Yay-Yo, the shop’s owner and this First Friday host.  “There’s gonna be a hanging tonight,” Santiago said in a quiet, subdued voice.  He offered me some beer and disappeared.  The man, all clad in black, worried me at first as to who was going to be hung until I saw a woman dressed in a black shirt and black jean shorts get hoisted to the ceiling on hooks through her knees and swung in a 10 foot arc.  Where else can you go for such a spectacle? “Tattoos and Piercing” on the first Friday of every month, and nowhere else.

Hysteria - Denver's Premier Sex Boutique

In Denver there is only one independently owned sex shop, called Hysteria. Hysteria is a progressive, feminist owned and operated boutique. Its owner, Elizabeth Hauptman, has created a non-judgmental environment that fosters sexual openness where its customers can easily find information and products that may seem taboo elsewhere. These customers also enjoy a well-lit, well decorated and clean in-store atmosphere that "you can visit without feeling like you have to wash your hands after you leave!"

Additionally, the owner of Hysteria is proud to offer her patrons something that only one other sex shop in the United States can offer in addition to the traditional array of books, DVDs, and safe sex supplies. Hysteria offers progressive erotic accessories that utilize medical grade non-porous materials which will not transmits a sexually transmitted disease. Most people do not realize the risk they run using erotic accessories that are made with porous materials---the risk is high. Do not take that risk.

Visit the Baker neighborhood in Denver. Stop at 114 S. Broadway, Denver CO 80209, call 303-733-3373 or visit the website ---especially if you intend to keep well by the shop's motto "The pursuit of pleasure for its own sake."

"Sweet heart like candy"

Sweet heart like candy
Hard shell soft core all day long
Melts eventually

Melting snow in Denver
Sweet dew rising meets the day
Candy glowing sun

Hard shells castana
Roasted slowly by good hands
Shared by sharing lips