Joseph Haefs

If you were to run into tattooer Joseph Haefs at a convention, you might assume that he specialized in a style that would match his rough and tough exterior. However, don’t be fooled by his bulging muscles and intimidating face ink—this Vegas tattooer actually prefers inking delicate and feminine designs on an almost exclusively female client base. That’s right, Haefs is the Hefner of the tattoo industry when it comes to forming artistic bonds with beautiful women, and he has no plans to give up his girly genre any time soon. Take a peek into the mind of Sin City's most notorious ink-slinging ladies’ man, and while you’re at it, you might as well get into character by reading this interview with your shirt off. Don’t worry, we’ll let Haefs explain the rest.

- Devon Preston

How did you get into tattooing?

In about 2001 my first wife was stripping her way through college and was making a lot of money but she didn’t want me to work. I would drop her off at work and then I would go buy marijuana from my tattoo artist on Las Vegas boulevard. I used to start hanging out at the shop and I fell in love with it right away. The owner was like, “Wow, you work great with people! Do you want to work tomorrow?” And I was like, “Are you going to pay me?” He said he’d think about it and then my buddy called saying that they wanted me to work. So I became a counter guy and then I went in one day on my day off and the owner asked me if I wanted to tattoo. They threw me to the wolves. I used to resent not originally being a custom artist—doing big, beautiful pieces—but now I appreciate it, because all those bangers and all of those walkins made me be able to deal with people and the stress.

When did you transition from a street shop artist to a custom artist?