A Family Affair: Tahiti Felix and the Legacy of Master Tattoo

Some tattoo shops are more than places of business. They become gathering places, classrooms, family traditions and living records of the people who helped shape the craft. Tahiti Felix’s Master Tattoo & Museum in San Diego is one of those rare places.

Established in 1949 by Felix Lynch—better known throughout the tattoo world as “Tahiti Felix”—Master Tattoo is recognized as San Diego’s oldest operating tattoo parlor and one of the longest-running tattoo shops on the West Coast. Its walls, equipment and generations of artists tell a story that reaches far beyond a single storefront.

The Journey That Created “Tahiti Felix”

Felix Lynch was born and raised in the American Midwest, but his life changed when he traveled aboard a merchant ship to Polynesia as a young man. After arriving in Tahiti, Felix became captivated by the islands, their people and their way of life.

He learned the local language and married a Tahitian woman named Nui. His connection to Tahiti became such an important part of his identity that the nickname “Tahiti Felix” remained with him for the rest of his life.

When Felix returned to Southern California, he began learning the tattoo trade from Lawrence Lee “Mac” McKeever. McKeever was an established West Coast tattoo artist who operated on The Pike in Long Beach and apprenticed Felix during the 1930s.

The Pike was a waterfront amusement district filled with arcades, sideshows, bars and tattoo parlors. Its proximity to the port made it a major destination for sailors, servicemen and travelers looking to bring home a permanent reminder of their time at sea. For aspiring tattooers, it was also one of the busiest places in America to study the trade.

Working in that environment gave Felix experience with the bold, readable imagery now associated with traditional American tattooing. Eagles, ships, anchors, roses, pinups, hearts and military emblems had to be applied efficiently and designed to remain recognizable for a lifetime.

From San Pedro to San Diego

Felix reportedly opened a shop in San Pedro in 1948 before moving south the following year. In the summer of 1949, he established Master Tattoo at 317 F Street in downtown San Diego.

The location placed him only a few blocks from the waterfront. San Diego’s strong naval and military presence provided the shop with a steady stream of sailors, Marines and travelers passing through the city.

For many servicemen, getting tattooed was part of marking an important event: completing training, crossing an ocean, joining a unit, visiting a foreign port or remembering someone waiting at home. Shops like Master Tattoo helped create the visual language through which those experiences were recorded.

Felix worked at Master Tattoo until his retirement in 1979. During those decades, the shop developed a reputation for bold traditional work and became an important part of San Diego’s tattoo culture.

The Artists of Master Tattoo

Master Tattoo’s legacy was built not only by Felix but also by the artists who worked alongside him. The shop became home to a talented group of tattooers who added their own artwork, flash and stories to its history.

One of the best-known was “Lefty Al” Miller, a Hawaiian tattoo artist who began tattooing at a young age. Before working in San Diego, Miller tattooed in Hawaii and San Francisco. He eventually joined Felix at Master Tattoo, where his work became part of the shop’s lasting visual identity.

Another memorable figure was “Tiger Bob” Martinson, whose nickname reportedly came from a large tiger head tattooed on his chest by Lefty Al. Martinson worked at Master Tattoo during the shop’s earlier decades and contributed numerous designs and acetate stencils.

Artists such as these did more than tattoo customers. They painted flash, cut stencils, repaired machines, traded designs and passed practical knowledge from one tattooer to another. Much of tattooing’s history was preserved through this kind of direct exchange rather than through formal schools or written textbooks.

A Tattoo Shop That Became a Museum

Part of what makes Master Tattoo especially important is the amount of history that has remained connected to the shop.

Original tattoo flash still hangs on the walls, while vintage tattoo machines and artifacts dating back to the 1940s are displayed throughout the space. Rather than separating the old equipment and artwork from the working shop, Master Tattoo allows that history to remain surrounded by active tattooing.

Current owner and artist Gil Taimana has described the shop as a time capsule for people interested in classic tattooing. The preserved artwork and equipment allow visitors to see how traditional designs, tools and working methods were passed down through generations.

This makes Master Tattoo both a functioning tattoo parlor and an informal museum. Customers can receive a new tattoo while surrounded by objects created and used by tattooers decades earlier.

Keeping the Business in the Family

Felix also passed the tattoo trade to his sons, Maurice and Hiro Lynch. Both followed their father into tattooing and carried the family’s connection to Tahitian culture into their work and personal lives.

Today, Master Tattoo is operated by Gil Taimana, whose sister married Felix’s son, “Tahiti Maurice” Lynch. Taimana entered the family business after serving in the Navy and apprenticed at Master Tattoo before building a tattooing career spanning more than three decades.

He became the shop’s third owner, preserving its family connection while continuing the bold, traditional style for which Master Tattoo became known.

Over the years, Master Tattoo has operated from several San Diego locations. Its current shop at 924 Fifth Avenue is reportedly its seventh location, but the artwork, equipment and family stories carried from one address to the next have kept it connected to the original shop Felix opened in 1949.

Since Tahiti Gil moved to Florida in 2023 he's brought on a couple partners to help him keep the shop running for another 77 years. Fellow tattoo custodians / tattooers Dave Brobick @daveoneshot (apprenticed under Henry Goldfield) and Joe Paul @joeyptattoos both own shops in the Bay Area. 

More Than a Storefront

The story of Master Tattoo demonstrates how easily tattoo history can disappear when a shop closes, a family collection is divided or old equipment is treated as obsolete.

Hand-painted flash can be thrown away. Photographs can lose their names and dates. Machines can become separated from the artists who built or used them. Without people actively preserving those connections, an important part of tattoo history can be lost within a single generation.

Master Tattoo has survived because its history remained useful and meaningful to the people continuing the business. The shop’s older designs are still tattooed, its stories are still shared and its artifacts remain connected to an active tattoo community.

That continued use is what makes it a living piece of tattoo history rather than simply a collection of old objects.

One Family-Owned Tradition Honoring Another

Master Tattoo’s story strongly connects with the mission of Lucky’s Tattoo Museum. Lucky Supply and the museum are also family owned and operated, with the Whitlock family working to preserve tattoo machines, artwork, photographs, documents and stories that might otherwise be forgotten.

For both families, preserving tattoo history is not only about remembering famous names. It is about recognizing the shops, artists, builders and relatives who kept tattooing alive by passing their knowledge to the next generation.

During our visit to Tahiti Felix’s Master Tattoo & Museum, we had the opportunity to experience that history where it continues to live and work today.

Watch footage from our visit on Instagram at @lstattoomuseum.

Learn more about the shop by visiting Tahiti Felix’s Master Tattoo & Museum.