A barrage of negative reviews on Yelp and Google have followed allegations on different subreddits that a guest tattoo artist recently produced a Nazi tattoo at the local Body Graphics Tattoo shop, with the client posting it on his own social media saying it wasn’t hateful.
We contacted the tattoo shop today and were told we should call back Tuesday when the owner would be back in town, and that it should be the owner responding to the allegations.
Recent one star google reviews for the shop include one by Molly Radford indicating “No nazis in this town.”
On Yelp, several days ago a reviewer going by Marshall W. with elite status there from Sparks wrote:
“Got my 3rd tattoo (and first actual professional ink) done here years ago as an anniversary gift. It was flash dragon piece on my back, it was cheap and wasn't done all that well but I liked it well enough as when I wear tank tops, it kinda looks like I have wings sticking out. Now the son of the owner runs the place and apparently he allowed a guest artist to come in and do a Nazi tattoo in their shop. There used to be a time when asking for this kind of thing would get you tossed out of a shop at a minimum and artists would be blackballed from the scene. Totally unacceptable, Jesse.”
The about business page on Yelp, social media and on the shop’s website identify Body Graphics Tattoo as the oldest tattoo shop in Nevada, opened in 1976 by Guy Martynuik, the son of legendary tattoo artist Pat Martynuik known as Picture Machine, who tattooed Janis Joplin, Cher, Hunter S. Thompson and others. It’s indicated Body Graphics Tattoo is now run by Guy’s son Jesse Martynuik.
On the Reno subreddit, several posts about this were deleted by moderators in recent days, causing uproar among some, but the latest by a local who goes by the name KRNVnews4 (despite having no affiliation to the tv channel),titled “Tattoo shops to support” with a screenshot of the Nazi tattoo has stayed up for now.
“I like this one and I think the other mods will be ok with leaving it up. As OP says, it's not a shit post, isn't just shaming the shop/ encouraging review bombing and is trying to support other shops in town that have higher standards for what work they allow to be done within their walls,” one of their moderators who goes by Norillim wrote.
“Every shop in town has the right to choose what artistic decisions they make, but I also think locals have the right to know if their money is going to fund a shop and artists that don't align with their moral values,” the Reno Reddit post by the user who goes by KRNVnews4 indicates.
“Tattoos can cost upward of hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars, and multiple hours over many sessions. I do not want a hand capable of drawing a swastika on a client to put anything on my body, and I don't think I'm the only one in this community that feels the same.”
Our Town Reno reporting, August 2025