A heady, therapeutic aroma fills the air as I enter Zulu Tattoo in Los Angeles. The atmosphere is at once warm and calming, as is the greeting by Khani-Jo, who operates the front half of the space as a clothing and gifts boutique. The incence. The tribal music wafting in the background. It all makes for a very relaxing encounter – before the tattooing ever begins.

After finishing with a customer, Roni Zulu walks over with a warm smile – and a striking face tattoo. “This is a Moko,” he explained. “I had to design it, and then have it approved by some Maoris I knew in New Zealand, to make sure it (wasn’t)... disrespectful in any way.”

How is Zulu different from other parlors? He, along with Khani-Jo and fellow artist, Lantz aim to deliver an exotically immersive and – most importantly – spiritually healthy tattooing experience.

“I always wanted a place that broke down the tattoo parlor stereotype,” Zulu explained. “It should be a positive experience. Similar to the way Tahitian, Samoan tribes would do them in their tribal settings.” Small wonder, that, as a youngster, he was “fascinated and glued to... the primal reality” of shows like National Geographic and Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom.”

So it’s ironic that his first tattoo experience came via an almost clichéd path – rock music. “I was in a band back then,” Zulu said. “Friends who were all tattooed musicians kept bugging me to start tattooing. One day they came by with a tattoo kit and that was the start of it.”

A self-taught artist (“I had to teach myself since I couldn’t find an apprenticeship. There were no black tattoo artists back then,” recalled Zulu), he first opened shop four years ago and he found the “biker” stereotype hard to dispel.

“Even though tattooing started with indigenous tribes... it was a business that some biker types only wanted their people doing,” said Zulu, recounting threats of physical violence and bombings. “(I told) them, ‘Look at my style and look at yours. There is no threat from me to take away any business from you.’ Eventually they went away.”

His efforts to change the old order have been praised by the tattoo world at large. This includes a January 1998 cover story for “International Tattoo Art” magazine – the first African-American tattooist to grace its cover. “It was huge, a big step for me. A big honor,” he recalled. Plus, his celebrity
clientele now includes luminaries such as Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson and Bruce Willis.

The result? He’s booked for up to a year. So he only takes those who are spiritually ready for his work, not those who want one because “a buddy got a tattoo.” As he put it, “I have nothing against the tattoo of Mickey Mouse holding a can of beer. But there are hundreds of people who will do that. I won’t.”

What he will do, though, is give you a 100% unique and spiritually appropriate tattoo. “We never do the same tattoo or duplicate them,” he explained. “Once your custom drawing is finished, the drawings, and even the sketches are thrown away for good.”

His generosity doesn’t end at the spiritual level. Zulu raises money for charities via “Zulu Lounge” parties, complete with raffles for free tattooing services.

“I came from a very poor family, and I know what it’s like to have nothing,” Zulu said. “My tattoo career has blessed me with the financial ability to give back to my community and to help those less fortunate than myself.”

Zulu Tattoo photos by Mike Cavanaugh