If you want to spend the day with the family in the Ken Caryl area applying new body art, Alternative Arts Tattoo would be the place you would probably end up. Not only is it the one tattoo shop in the Ken Caryl area, but customers seem to come back for more.

"Most of the business we get is about 80 percent repeat," said Greg Fritts (known as " Fritz" to customers), owner of Alternative Arts Tattoos.

Fritts opened the Ken Caryl shop about 2 1/2 years ago, after moving it from Aurora to cut down on is commute time from Conifer. The shop, located at 11614 W. Belleview Ave., was redesigned in November of 2006.

"We've warmed the place up to feature more of our art," Fritts said. "Each artist also has his own drawing booth (for tattoo design)."

One wall in the lobby of the store features the art of some of the tattoo designs. The store also has a room in the back for Fritts' wife, Sabrina, where she performs holistic healing techniques on customers.

One thing Fritts has moved away from is the typical "scary" image of a tattoo shop. "I wanted to get out of inner-city tattooing," he said. "It can be scary. My shop is not an old-sailors-uncle's tattoo shop, it's a legitimate business with good people."

The tattoo shop also offers family days on Wednesdays.

"Wednesdays are typically our slowest day," Fritts said, which is why they started family day.

Fritts also said they get a fair amount of families. "Typically mom will get a tattoo and a daughter will get a piercing."

Sept. 11, 2006 brought in the biggest family the shop has ever seen. "My manicurist, Shannon Schoch, brought in her visiting family from California and Texas. Seven members of her family, the Hoffman's, got the same Celtic design in different sizes, colors and locations to commemorate her brother leaving for his Iraq duty. Her dad, stepmom, sisters, brother, daughter and nephew were all tattooed," said Sabrina.

According to the shop's Web site, alternativeartstattoo.com, the family day deal is one family member can get a tattoo at full price, the second member 20 percent off and a third family member can get 25 percent off. One free piercing is then included at a $40 value.

Sabrina said clients have to be 18 years old to get a tattoo. "We do offer parental consent piercings for ages 14 to 17, and we do a lot of minor piercings."

Sabrina said navels are what they pierce the most, but lately nostril piercings have become extremely popular.

Another unique aspect of the shop is the custom design of most of the tattoos. Customers can bring in their own unique designs or ideas for tattoos. "We'll draw it on you or draw it for you," said tattoo artist Cory Lee or " Rain" as he is best known to his customers.

Fritts said he doesn't give out too much advice on what customers should pick for their tattoos. "People seem intimidated when you offer them advice. I will say something if I think their idea is overdone. I tell them to picture themselves with it when they are 70 years old. I try to keep people from making mistakes. Tattoos are not easily removed."

Fritts said the weirdest tattoo he had ever done on someone was a fictional creature made out of household appliances. The person getting tattooed was an author and had made up the creature for a story. "His nose was a blender, the body was made up of a clothes washer and he had baseball bats for ears."

Lee said good tattoos start out at about $100 at the shop. "You get what you pay for," Lee said. "Cheap tattoos are not good. You need pay attention to who you get it from."

One customer, Lauren Grey, of North Carolina, walked into the shop with a tattoo she needed darkened. She was visiting her friend, Julie Neel, of Littleton.

Neel, who has received tattoos from the shop,suggested Grey come to the shop for a touch-up. Grey was happy with the touch-up job by Lee.