Talk about making a mark: Two years after opening a storefront on Main Street, The Secret Garden Tattoo + Cosmetic Studio nabbed Best Tattoo Studio honors from Evansville Living readers in the 2026 Best of Evansville contest. (Find more winners in the September/October feature story.)
To mark the occasion, Evansville Living asked The Secret Garden owner Rosalie Coston and fellow artist Hannah Evelyn Jones to design illustrations of some of this year’s winners; the resulting flash sheet of their work is featured on the cover.
Coston, a Fairfield, Illinois, native, started The Secret Garden as a private studio in November 2021. Esthetician services expanded, and three months after Jones, an Evansville native, joined operations, Coston opened her shop on Main Street. “I want people to walk in for the first time and feel any nervousness melt away,” Coston says. “I’m so proud that between Hannah, myself, and lots of backend help from my husband, we’ve accomplished that and more. The Secret Garden is wholly unique and blows my original dream right out of the water. We have created a space that is professional, art-forward, inviting, and just truly joyful.”
Here, the duo shares their favorite designs to tattoo and what sets their shop apart.
Answers condensed and edited for clarity.
Rosalie, why did you decide to open your own cosmetic and tattoo studio?
Coston: There were no other eco-friendly tattoo shops in town, and I looked around and saw so much waste. Obviously, in this type of environment, pretty much everything has to be single-use, so it’s understandable, but I really wanted to try to find ways to minimize the impact. Thanks to some wonderful suppliers — shout out to Good Judy and their entire community — we can proudly say that we have accomplished a tremendous reduction in waste by using as many things as we can that are either landfill-biodegradable or are sustainably sourced/produced/shipped. As far as the environment of the actual shop … I wanted a space that felt fresh and feminine, somewhere that would be comfortable and soothing and inviting to people from all walks of life.
What do you want clients to feel when they walk in?
Coston: I want them to feel confident in their decision to come to us by seeing that it is a very clean, professional space. And I want them to feel valued, comfortable, and supported throughout their experience. We’ve got cozy little spaces all over the shop, plants in every corner, chill music, it smells fantastic (largely thanks to having The Well and Emerald Design right next door), and the vibe immediately hits you as soon as the door opens. We also invite input from our clients! You want to see various sizes of the design? No problem. You want to move the stencil? You got it. We send a preview of the design to our clients in advance so they know exactly what’s going on their body before they arrive. We communicate every step of the process so nothing is a surprise, and we welcome feedback and will make adjustments to ensure every client absolutely loves their tattoo.
You’ve made inclusive a big priority in your business model.
Coston: I think it’s easier to make a space that’s inclusive than it is to make one that’s exclusive. I could break down how we’ve worked to make sure our pricing stays accessible or the communities we’ve supported, but ultimately, what we’ve done is intentional to not be a space where people feel unwelcome.
Jones: Rosalie brought me in with the intention of growing a community-focused studio with an emphasis on being friendly to women, LGBTQ+ folks, and anyone looking for a relaxed and understanding environment to get tattooed. I immediately gravitated to her vision and love how we push each other as artists and as service providers. Our mutual desire to put care, craftsmanship, and progress at the top of our priorities is an absolute dream work environment that allows us to do our best work for ourselves and our clients.
Let’s talk about tattooing. What styles do you consider your specialties?
Jones: My background is in fine art, with my degree in Studio Art from University of Southern Indiana with a focus in painting and printmaking. I think that shines through my work, and my focus lies in color, painterly details, and illustrative designs that tell a story. If you want something that looks like a museum painting on your skin, I’m your gal.
Coston: Like Hannah, I too love doing lady faces, but where she is the queen of making it look like a literal painting or piece of fine art, I live for those classic, traditional-style faces. And pin-up tattoos, especially when it’s a tattoo with tattoos! Nothing gets me more stoked than when someone wants a tattoo of a lady who has tattoos.
What designs are your favorites to ink?
Jones: I grew up constantly drawing faces, and I still find such joy in the life you can bring to them. Plus nothing is more classic than a pretty lady face tattoo!
Coston: I love doing bold, colorful, neo-traditional pieces. Anything that feels like a traditional motif but with a feminine spin is right up my alley. I also do a lot of delicate, fineline pieces and absolutely love getting to work on things that are very intricate and require absolute focus and a tedious attention to detail.
What do you enjoy most about interacting with clients?
Coston: I just love getting to meet people and hear their stories. It’s so fun when someone is coming in for their first tattoo and getting to watch them go from being nervous to realizing it’s nowhere near as scary as they thought it would be and ultimately being psyched to book their next appointment! Or when a group of friends come in and want to get tattoos together, it’s so much fun getting to be a part of this really special experience with them. At this point in my career, I have a lot of regular clients and feel like I’m just getting to hang out with my friends. My clients truly are just the most wonderful people, and they bring me all these fun projects to work on.
Share one thing you want readers to know about loving their skin.
Coston: They deserve to. Every single person deserves to love their skin. I’ve personally experienced how transformational it is to put a piece of art on a part of my body that I wasn’t proud of. It is amazing to go from feeling like hiding to feeling like showing off. There’s no one way to do it, there’s no age limit, and there’s no “correct” body type that should ever be a barrier to loving your skin.
