The Tattoo Minister of Times Square: No Demons, No Potter, Just Ink (and Maybe a Prayer)

 

 

“Clean your skin like you’d clean your soul” — this might as well be the unofficial slogan of Tommy Houlihan, a tattoo artist in the heart of Manhattan who’s as much about redemption as he is about ink.

Located on the third floor above the chaos of Times Square, Houlihan’s shop isn’t your average tattoo parlor. It’s part-studio, part-mission — a one-man ministry where tattoos must pass a moral checkpoint before they touch the skin.

 

 

So, what’s this place?

Think of it as a Catholic tattoo chapel, complete with holy medals, Gregorian chants, and a firm “no” to anything that smells of sin.

Tommy sees himself as a middleman between flesh and faith. His rule? No demons, no sexy stuff, and absolutely no Harry Potter. (Yes, he said that.)

 

 

Off the menu:

• Upside-down crosses
• Ouija boards
• Angel numbers
• Pin-up Virgin Marys
• Anime girls with horns and tails
• And yes — the entire Hogwarts franchise, which Houlihan calls “straight-up satanic”

Want a butterfly? Totally fine — just not fluttering across your pelvis.

 

 

How did this all start?

Tommy started tattooing in 1989, back when it was still underground in NYC. His own body was once covered in “violent, dark” tattoos — including a graphic scene from Alien. But three years ago, everything changed.

After meeting a man who claimed to be a former satanic “high wizard” turned Catholic convert, Tommy had his own spiritual reboot. Now he hands out tiny Catholic medals to everyone who walks in the door. “It helps,” he says.

 

 

What’s inside the shop?

Imagine a mashup of a tattoo studio, a church gift shop, and a monastery’s playlist:

• Rosary beads on the counter
• Gregorian chanting on the speakers
• Designs include NYC apples, angels, saints, and Bible quotes

Ask for a devil on your neck? You’ll get a medal and a kind “absolutely not.”

 

 

Who comes in?

Mostly tourists. “I want a little apple on my wrist,” or “Give me a Manhattan skyline.” But occasionally, the requests go dark — or spicy. One woman wanted Betty Boop with horns and a tail on her hip.

Tommy refused:

“You’re literally trying to sexualize a demon. That’s sinful. I’m not doing it.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t fight back. He thinks the medal helped. Or maybe it was his conviction.

 

 

But what about his own tattoos?

He’s not shy about his past. “I’ve been there,” he says. “Dark stuff, graphic stuff — it’s all covered now.”
Now he wants to be the alternative to the dark, edgy stereotype of the tattoo world.

 

 

The bottom line?

Yes, it sounds like a plot twist from a dark comedy: “Exorcisms & Ink: One Man’s Fight for Pure Tattoos.”
But Tommy means every word. He believes ink can heal — and even save.

So if you’re in New York and want more than a design, maybe a little spiritual upgrade with your tattoo — you know where to go.

P.S. We’re curating a gallery of “Sanctified Tattoos” — think angels, Latin quotes, and everything Tommy would bless with holy water.

Just leave the wands and broomsticks at home.