Mano Santa Tattoos, a woman-owned tattoo shop, opens in Fort Myers

Mano Santa Tattoos is the newest tattoo studio in Fort Myers, offering an immersive tattoo experience to clients. The shop is woman-owned and women-staffed.

The shop had its grand opening in late November.

The name Mano Santa, which means “hand of a saint” or “sacred hand,” aligns with much of the shop’s spiritual aesthetic and practices.

Upon entering, you are met with walls covered with vibrant artwork painted by the tattoo artists who work there, including a set of eyes and a pair of Dobermanns.

Past the entrance and to the left of the reception desk is a spacey octagon-shaped room topped with a wooden dome. This is where artists’ stations are set up to do tattoos.

The building’s unique setup is due to its original use as an adult daycare for people with disabilities.

Kimberly Lopez, also known as Lopi, is the owner. She has been tattooing since 2017 and is originally from Miami.

Lopez said she wanted to create a unique and safe space where people can “have fun and be yourself and be as wacky as you want to be … as far as the workspace for the women that work here and the people that come and get tattooed. Like, if you’ve ever walked into other tattoo shops, sometimes it’s a little intimidating.”

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She said she wanted the shop to feel cozy and homey.

If you look around, you will see couches, colorful artwork and an overall serene environment.

The shop offers a safe space to the artists, clients and the LGBTQ+ community, which includes the staff.

Lopez hopes to bring the community together and help people who want to progress in their careers and change people’s lives.

“The power that comes with owning a shop like this is to create like a nonprofit as well for people who want to cover up tattoos that are like self-harm or because of drastic surgeries they’ve needed that left them with scars that they just want to cover, but yeah, pretty much creating a community where people can be successful and progress and be happy.”

Certain tattoos have rituals involved with them. Spirituality and art are interwoven in the shop.

One of her artists, Noreen Alam, was her apprentice and brings spirituality into her tattoo work.

“The tattoo she’s going to do on you has an intention and so much love in it, and it’s so cool. I feel like she really does change people’s lives through her magic because sometimes it spooks people, but it’s cool. The people who understand it are gonna really appreciate it, so I’m so proud of it,” Lopez said.

Looking around at her shop, Lopez said she feels proud of where she is today.

“I feel like I worked so hard to get to this point in my life. I was homeless at one point when I first ever started tattooing, and look at where I am now,” she said. “I really wanted this to be a reflection of who I am, and I’ve always practiced in my magic that I just want everybody that’s around me to grow abundant and really flourish, and that’s what I want this place to be a reflection of anybody who steps foot in here and works here and even gets a tattoo here, like their lives change for the better,” she said.

The shop plans to have a burlesque show, yoga classes, paint and sip nights, concerts and a fashion show in March.

They are also planning to host flash sale events for certain holidays, like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Friday the 13^th, next week with special $13 and $31 prices.

The address is 9681 Gladiolus Dr, Suite 205, Fort Myers, FL 33908.