I read about this earlier today.
I agree, I doubt that she's telling the truth. I have a large tattoo down my back, and the very first thing they did (after looking over it and quoting a price) was apply a stencil so that I could make sure it was exactly where I wanted it.
Beyond that, what was she on to fall asleep? You're not supposed to have sedatives or alcohol in your system while getting tattooed. I've heard of exactly one case of someone actually falling asleep while being tattooed, and that job took hours; I'm sure it happens sometimes, but it's definitely not common. You can feel tattoo work being done; I imagine (although I can't say for sure, of course), that the face would hurt more than some other areas of the body. Everyone has a different pain tolerance level, but she said she woke up in pain, so obviously hers isn't Superman's. Besides, I doubt that tat took more than an hour; what did she do, sit down and immediately fall asleep? It doesn't sound right.
Plus, the tattoo artist has someone who verifies his story. She doesn't.
I strongly suspect however that he's paying half her costs so that his business doesn't come out looking bad. Tattoo shops need better reviews in general than, say, your grocery store, because that's supposed to be permanent. You don't want a badly done tattoo, or one that you didn't ask for.
I doubt three little stars would have cost her 55. The price is low in general for that many stars, but if it's not the pricest place to begin with, that would be why.
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"Nothing worth having is easy."
Three years!