Stanimir Stoychev - Spiro

About Me

I was born in a small Bulgarian town called Chirpan. This is where I live and this is where my tattoo studio is located. I don't say “work”, because tattoos are not a job for me, but a hobby and a passion. I have been tattooing since 1995. Then I made my first tattoo on a friend in the hostel in Stara Zagora where he was studying. And so it all began.

I've been through all kinds of stages since then, including a moment when I decided to give up, but it was very short-lived. After that I haven't stopped, I can even say that if I don't tattoo for more than a week, I go into a kind of withdrawal (I have some kind of addiction to tattoos).

Joking aside. In 2005 I opened my studio in Chirpan and everything got a professional look because until then I was working a bit underground, at home or at people's houses. It was also my first time to do tattoos outside the country. I think a big change in how I look at tattoos happened in 2009 when I went to a studio in Prague. We were there together with Teodor from Stara Zagora, a friend and colleague whom I have known since 1994, whom I respect immensely and from whom I learned a lot about tattooing in the beginning.

Back then he was the guy who gave me his professional tattoo machine so I could get one made for myself. It was also the first coil tattoo machine (Spalding and Roger) that I got my hands on. Until then, I had only tattooed with a handmade electric motor rotor and a guitar string. Well, in Prague I also met Zhivko Baichev, a Bulgarian tattoo artist who still inspires me with his work. In the years since, I have tattooed in Austria, Germany, Cyprus, and Switzerland and have been invited as a guest artist in other countries in Europe and beyond.

In 2013 I was invited to the Nadelwerk studio in Austria as a guest tattoo artist and since then I have been going there several times a year. It's also the studio where my biggest growth as a person and artist happened. I had the pleasure and honour of tattooing and gaining experience with some of the best artists in the world. There I also discovered my passion for colorful tattoos. I have attended almost all Bulgarian and many international tattoo festivals and events as a participant and visitor. I have been fortunate to win many awards in competitions with outstanding artists.

Bulgaria Tattoo Expo is one of the events I don't miss. I have been involved in it since its very beginning. In 2023, I was invited and participated in the Lyon Tattoo Convention in France and the Elite Tattoo Convention in Cologne, Germany. Two events that bring together some of the best artists in the world to showcase their tattooing skills. In 2023, I was also a jury at the Skopje Tattoo Show.

I have attended many tattoo workshops, as well as holding one organized by the Bulgaria Tattoo Expo team together with my friend and colleague Lyudmil Vassilev. I am always ready to share my experience and knowledge with colleagues who are willing to develop. For me, there is no competition between us, for me they are friends and acquaintances with whom we inspire and grow together.

Book your tattoo appointment with Spiro via email: spiro_tattoo@abv.bg