In the tattoo industry, where competition for client attention grows with each season, it’s rare to find not just a beautiful space, but one that wins reader polls. This is exactly what happened with The Secret Garden Tattoo + Cosmetic Studio in Evansville: two years after opening its storefront on Main Street, the studio’s team took home the title of Best Tattoo Studio in the 2026 Best of Evansville contest, held by Evansville Living magazine. To celebrate this event, Rosalie Coston and Hannah Evelyn Jones created illustrations for the cover of the September-October issue, and we took a look behind the scenes of their work and talked about what makes their practice special.
Rosalie Coston, a native of Fairfield, Illinois, launched The Secret Garden as a private studio back in November 2021. As demand grew, aesthetic services were added, and three months after Hannah Evelyn Jones, a local from Evansville itself, joined the team, the Main Street shop doors opened to everyone. The artists themselves emphasize that the goal was to make the first visit anxiety-relieving rather than anxiety-inducing. “I want someone to walk through the door for the first time and feel the tension melt away,” says Coston. According to her, together with her husband, who handles the back office, they managed to turn their initial dream into a place where professionalism coexists with joy.
Ecology as Part of the Brand, Not a Marketing Ploy
One of the most notable markers of the studio is its conscious approach to waste. In the tattoo environment, almost everything consumable is disposable, and this is an objective reality of sanitary standards. But Coston decided to minimize her carbon footprint by relying on suppliers like Good Judy and their communities. According to her, the studio uses a maximum of landfill-biodegradable or sustainably produced and delivered materials. For tattoo culture, this is an important signal: sustainability is ceasing to be a niche slogan and becoming a working standard for those who want to stand out.
The atmosphere of the studio is also thought out to the smallest detail: cozy corners, plants in every corner, calm music, a pleasant aroma (partly thanks to the neighboring The Well and Emerald Design). Clients receive a preview of the sketch in advance, can change the size and position of the stencil, and feedback is welcomed at every stage. Such a service scenario lowers the barrier to entry for newcomers and increases the loyalty of regulars.
Two Styles, One Philosophy
Hannah Evelyn Jones comes from a fine art background: she has a degree in Studio Art from the University of Southern Indiana with a specialization in painting and printmaking. This is evident in her work – the color, painterly detail, and illustrative subjects that tell a story. In short, it’s a “museum painting on skin.” Rosalie Coston, on the other hand, leans towards classic lady faces in a traditional style, pin-up motifs, and especially “tattoo on tattoo” – images of girls with their own tattoos. Both artists love lady faces, but they do them differently: Hannah leans towards painting, Rosalie towards the traditional school.
Coston’s arsenal also includes neo-traditional vibrant works with a feminine accent and delicate fineline, where absolute concentration and attention to detail are crucial. For a reader choosing a studio, this is convenient: in one place, you can find both a large colorful design and a fine line.
Inclusivity as a Business Model
The team openly states that it is easier to build an inclusive space than an exclusive one. Rosalie brought Hannah with the idea of developing a community-oriented studio, friendly to women, LGBTQ+, and anyone seeking a relaxed environment. Affordable pricing and support for local communities are part of a deliberate strategy, not an accident. In the context of tattoo culture, this is particularly valuable: the industry has historically been associated with certain subcultures, and a conscious shift towards openness expands the audience without losing authenticity.
Expert View: Why Such Studios Win
What makes The Secret Garden stand out in 2026 is a combination of three factors. First: service transparency (previews, feedback, clear process). Second: environmental responsibility, which is increasingly becoming a criterion for choice for the younger audience. Third: a clear division of styles within one team, allowing for coverage of different requests without loss of quality. Reader poll awards like Best of Evansville are not just trophies: they are social proof that in the local tattoo market works better than any advertising.
Coston’s stance on body positivity is also worth noting: according to her, everyone deserves to love their skin, and a tattoo can be a tool for transformation – from wanting to hide a part of the body to wanting to show it. In tattoo culture, this is one of the key narratives of recent years, and studios that speak about it openly build trust faster than those that rely solely on technique.
Photos of Rosalie Coston and Hannah Evelyn Jones were taken by Set Free Photography. The material is based on interviews with the artists for the cover of Evansville Living.