About our history

Hot Rod Bettie's in West Salem was established in May 2003. It was actually the 2nd HRB.The original vision and goal was to do awesome tattoos in a fun and positive environment. Although Hot Rod Bettie's has gone through a few transitions over the past 22 years, our goals remain the same. In 2005 we added our tattoo school in an effort to help others obtain their goals of becoming a tattoo artist. In 2010, we added The Bettie Bus, a full service mobile tattoo facility. All of our facilities are licensed through the Oregon Health Licensing Agency and our school is licensed and registered through the Oregon Department of Education. We have a versatile, knowledgeable, and professional crew of artists who are capable of just about any tattoo style, including portraiture and cosmetic tattooing. We have a huge affinity for all things traditional, vintage, and retro-inspired. We adore pin-up art from the 40's and 50's (especially Bettie Page, Hot Rod Bettie's namesake). We appreciate old cars, (especially the rusty kind) and many of our artists are into automobile collecting, restoration and racing. Our tattoo artists are also artists in many other mediums. Some of us are well versed in fine art, some paint murals, many of us dabble in photography and portrait drawing. Some of us are painters of folk art. Some specialize in lettering or sign painting. Some of us are musically inclined (and some of us think we are!) Although our talents extend into many other arenas, we would probably all agree that tattooing is our first love.