About Circus Tattoo & Body Piercings

Welcome to Circus Tattoo and Body Piercings, the best timeless tattoo and body piercing shop in the heart of Laconia, NH. We specialize in various styles of tattoo work and professional body piercing.

In a competitive market populated with many great tattoo artists and body piercers, we are proud to be one of Laconia’s premier multicultural tattoo shops and piercing parlors located in the real heart of New Hampshire.

We select our veteran tattoo and piercing artists for skill and good character. We can create custom artwork or bring your best tattoo designs to life. The camaraderie we all carry in the shop is why we are THE FREAK SHOW! It's all fun and games til someone changes the tunes on Alexa!

Every customer receives a personalized evaluation of their tattoo or body piercing needs. Every experience, every tattoo, and every piercing is a work of art and a treasured memory of a great experience. We have both male and female tattoo artists and body piercers.

A few helpful tips for first-time customers:

Need help on deciding what tattoo to get?
What to expect on your first piercing visit?
How to select the right artist to work on your concept?
How much will my new tattoo or piercing cost me?
I need help to cover up an old tattoo, can you help?
Not all good concepts make great tattoos. How do I decide?
Aftercare tips for your new tattoo.
Aftercare tips for your new piercings.
All questions our experts can answer for you so just call.

Historic Freaks

Four-Legged Lady Myrtle Corbin

Myrtle Corbin, the Four-Legged Girl from Texas, was a dipygus. She was born with a severe congenital deformity of conjoined twinning that caused her to have two separate pelvises and a smaller set of movable inner legs.

When she was just a month old, her father began showing her to curious neighbors for a dime. Eventually, she attracted the attention of P.T. Barnum and began performing when she was 13. She later traveled with the Ringling Bros. and at a freak show at Coney Island.

By the time she was 18, she had made enough money to retire. She went on to marry and have five children. Supposedly, three were born from one “orifice” and two from the other.

Lionel the Lion-Faced Man

Cristian Ramos was born in Poland in 1891. He was covered in thick, long hair, likely due to a rare condition called hypertrichosis. His mother witnessed his father mauled by a lion while pregnant, which she believed caused his abnormal hair growth. She thought he was an abomination, giving him up at age 4 to a man named Sedlmayer, who exhibited him around Europe.

Lionel came to the US in 1901 and began appearing with the Barnum and Bailey circus, then at Coney Island when he moved to New York. He retired in the late 1920s and moved back to Germany, where he died of a heart attack in 1932.

Isaac Sprague the Living Skeleton

Isaac W. Sprague was born in 1841. He had a completely normal childhood, until he inexplicably began losing weight at the age of 12. He became a circus freak in 1865, performing in the sideshow as “the Living Skeleton” or “the Original Thin Man.” P.T. Barnum hired him to perform at his American Museum. After the building burned down, Sprague toured the country.

He died in Chicago of asphyxia in 1887, weighing only 43 pounds.

Circus Facts & Freaks

Did you know…

The origin of the modern circus has been attributed to Philip Astley. He was a cavalry officer who set up the first modern amphitheater. He displayed horses doing tricks, then added acrobatics and bands to perform.

The term “circus” originated from the Latin language meaning circle or ring. It was coined by Astley’s rival, Charles Dibdin. Charles opened The Royal Circus in London in 1772.

Now you know!