The Aftercare Club

Empire Arts Gallery
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Visual Arts
  • Biweekly

Welcome to the clubhouse! Empire Arts Gallery was built to be a different kind of tattoo shop, and The Aftercare Club is our way of inviting you into the circle. We’re here to talk shop, art, and the heart behind it all. This is the podcast version of hanging out with us after the doors are locked; a look at how we’re building a community that feels like home. You’re always welcome here. Pull up a chair and get cozy!

Episodes

  1. Aug 7

    No Dumb Questions

    Welcome back to the clubhouse, pookies! This week, we’re getting into the stuff tattoo clients are really wondering about. From whether tattoos hurt more on your period to the unpredictable world of tattooing over scars and stretch marks, we’re talking pain, healing, numbing cream, body image, and the surprisingly therapeutic parts of getting tattooed. We also get into the importance of speaking up when you don’t love a design, what good client-artist communication actually looks like, tipping etiquette, shop culture, and what happens when an artist decides a client relationship just isn’t working. Then we pull back the curtain on apprenticeships, self-taught tattooing, bloodborne pathogen safety, and the complicated history and future of the tattoo industry. Basically, we’re answering the questions you might be too nervous to ask, sharing our experiences, and giving you a peek behind the curtain of life inside a tattoo shop. AND we have a brand new intro song!! Huge thank you to friends of the podcast Ford Kent, Thomas Barnwell and Ian Deaton for making it for us. It’s AMAZING, we’re obsessed, and it makes us feel very official. Hosted by Jessica Doodles Featuring this week: Christine, Jessi, Sara, Death Nurse, Ero, and special guest Sean M. Connect With Us: AftercareClubPodcast@gmail.com EmpireArtsGallery.com (and don't you dare forget that "S") Atlanta, GA Open daily 11am to 7pm

  2. Jun 3

    Opening the Vault

    Welcome back to the clubhouse, pookies! This week the crew gets deeply personal about the healing power of tattooing, sharing beautiful stories on bodily autonomy, overcoming severe eczema trauma, and breaking through cultural stereotypes. Wrap it all up with the official launch of our new listener-driven segment, "The Vault," and a rapid-fire round of our current obsessions (including a massive TV spoiler you might want to cover your ears for), and you’ve got the ultimate tattoo shop hangout. Grab a snack, get hydrated, and slide into our DMs @the_aftercare_club or email us at aftercareclubpodcast@gmail.com to join the club! Hosted by Jessica Doodles Featuring this week: Christine, Emma, Madison, and Tiffany Connect With Us: AftercareClubPodcast@gmail.com EmpireArtsGallery.com (and don't you dare forget that "S") Atlanta, GA Open daily 11am to 7pm

  3. May 4

    Gands, Glizzies, and Getting to Know Us (Part 2 of the Pilot)

    Now that you’ve met us, we settle in a bit more and really get into it. We talk about how we all found each other, what it’s like building a space that actually feels safe and creative, and why Empire exists in the first place. There’s a lot about shop culture, the art scene in Atlanta, and what it means to try and do things differently. Of course, it doesn’t stay serious for long. We go through all the names we almost gave the podcast, get fully sidetracked, and somehow end up at “and I'm liquid bread!!” There are a lot of side stories, a lot of tangents, and moments that feel exactly like being in the room with us. Which may or may not be a good thing. H'yuck. And yes, gands and glizzies do make another appearance. You’ll understand when you get there. Or you won’t, and that’s okay! Hosted by Jessica Doodles Featuring this week: Brandi Smart, Sara Slick, Ero Chimerine, Ryan Nicely, and Christine Lu Connect With Us AftercareClubPodcast@gmail.com EmpireArtsGallery.com (and don’t you dare forget that “S”) Atlanta, GA Open daily 11am to 7pm

  4. May 4

    Pilot Episode: We Have No Idea What We’re Doing (Welcome to The Aftercare Club)

    Welcome to the clubhouse, baby! This is our pilot, so you’re catching us in real time, figuring it out, laughing a lot, and getting comfortable on the mic. We get into what “aftercare” means to us beyond just tattoos, but not before going completely off the rails. There are chaotic icebreakers (including what food we would be), an introduction to “gands,” and the very real experience of casting our hands in plaster for an upcoming show, which somehow turns into a full conversation about sweaty hard-boiled eggs. Somewhere in all of that, we land on what this podcast actually is. It’s about trust, care, and staying connected with people even after they leave the chair. It’s a little unhinged, a little all over the place, and very much a first hang. We’re really glad you’re here! Hosted by Jessica Doodles Featuring this week: Brandi Smart, Sara Slick, Ero Chimerine, Ryan Nicely, and Christine Lu Connect With Us AftercareClubPodcast@gmail.com EmpireArtsGallery.com (and don’t you dare forget that “S”) Atlanta, GA Open daily 11am to 7pm

  • 4 Episodes

About

Welcome to the clubhouse! Empire Arts Gallery was built to be a different kind of tattoo shop, and The Aftercare Club is our way of inviting you into the circle. We’re here to talk shop, art, and the heart behind it all. This is the podcast version of hanging out with us after the doors are locked; a look at how we’re building a community that feels like home. You’re always welcome here. Pull up a chair and get cozy!

Information

  • Creator
    Empire Arts Gallery
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Empire Arts Gallery
  • Show Website
    The Aftercare Club