"Tattoos mark spirit as much as skin," says Leona Herod. A former firefighter and arts educator, Leona found her life's passion when her brother inked her first tattoo in 1992. Over the past fifteen years, she founded and operated two tattoo studios: the first in Queretaro, Mexico and the second in Guerneville, California.

Renown in Mexico for her tattoo tours, Leona journeyed through small towns from the Yucatan to the Pacific; she practiced her skills (along with AIDS education) in palapa huts, art festivals, bars, colleges, and carnivals.

The study of ancient rituals and pre-Hispanic art inspire Leona's encanto with tribal markings and hieroglyphs, but she admits to being a total tattoo slut/priestess - meaning she'll have a damn good time imprinting any art or vision you want.

Today Leona is stoked to make a nest behind the iron gate on Guerrero, and says tattooing in the cozy, woman-centric environs of Black and Blue "feels like heaven."