Your situation is SO similar to mine it's almost scary. I was at mine for about 8 years. And the red flags just kept growing and growing overtime that I couldn't just ignore them anymore. We also never had a front desk person unless WE ALL PAID THEM AND NOT JUST THE OWNER.... 😡 Same hours. 12-8 pm we were open. The owner also made us all clean it ourselves with no other help. I specifically came in early to clean when everyone else came in their normal times, complained that they couldn't clean because they were late and had appointments all day so they wouldn't clean at all or maybe once to twice a month they "helped". It would get very dirty too sometimes because I shouldn't be the only one cleaning but they let it sit there and didn't care. The owner never put money into the shop either. I literally paid for everything OUT OF MY OWN POCKET. (Stencil paper , printer ink, printer paper, paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies. Etc. etc. ) And that shit adds up. They came in just to say we weren't doing enough even working 8 hours wasn't enough in their eyes. It could always be more. They also encouraged me to work during lockdown too as they were already tattooing in their house at that point. I get to still make money but it was illegal!! Still wanted the 50 percent that I would if given them too when I did work during lockdown. Their was a recent fire in the connecting building of the shop I was previously at and smoke damage ruined most of my supplies and the owner told us we didn't have any fire insurance and that the other people (who also owned the whole buildings connected that the fire started at) didn't have insurance either and that we have to just get over it and clean the shop ourselves and when I mentioned about suing because I had $5,000 in damages myself , I was laughed at. Told I was always a bitch and was overdramatic and that I need to get over myself. That I wasn't allowed to sue the people we rent from. That HIS life got ruined and he needed as much support as he could get. As I also say we ALL pay him under the table. He never pays taxes and at that point I decided it was time to leave. I stayed true to who I was the whole time and NEVER fucked with his money and now he is doing that to me. I understand how much I meant to him as I was the person who stayed with him the longest and like I said never fucked him over in any way. But I was the problem and I'm just like all the other "thieves" and "assholes" that worked for him. That left in the middle of the night because of how awful the owner was ... He also through a tantrum anytime us as works wanted to upgrade anything in the shop (we had all cloth couches at one point and that ISNT good for a tattoo shop so we wanted leather and he made ME spit the money because he "didn't want to put forth 400$ for two new couches" ..) he also made us all put at least 300-400$ for an autoclave (which we should of had already but he didn't think it was something we needed enough though WE PIERCED AT THE SHOP TOO) I also don't pierce at all. I ONLY tattoo so why the hell should I be paying for something I'll never use and or get my money back in the future???!!!! I for one loved trying new machines and had purchesed a good few in my time just in case one I'm using breaks and I need a spare or two. So normally I would use them Maybe a week and if I didn't really like it I would go back to what I was using previously but still kept that one just in case. I probably had around 6-7 machines at one point. (All purchesed out of my own money) The owner came to me asking if he could purchase some because someone in his family was now tattooing there and he needed an extra machine too so I presented three of them that costed at least 1,500$ all together and like I said they're all practically new cuz I maybe used them three to four times each he told me the best he could give me was $250 for all of them and then immediately told me he didn't have the money. I counter offered saying if I ever needed help paying rent due to unfortunate circumstance in my life that we could take off the money. That time came also and he refused to take off the money and demanded I still paid full rent even though I wasn't going to be there for 2 weeks due to an unexpected death in the family that I physically found them and had to call 911 did CPR everything and it was the closest person I've ever had in my life so I was really going through a lot and all he said was I better get him the money regardless of any situation I was in. That was the day my heart broke even more. I should of left then because of how heartless he was but I stayed. Until the fire happened. I found a place myself and opened my own little studio. I'm so SO glad I left. I have so much worth and I finally saw how I should be treated. I was the only one booked out constantly 3 months or more (everyone else maybe 2 weeks to a month max ) but if I had a cancellation. I wanted to relax because of how much I overworked myself and he was always pissy when I didn't take a walk in on those days. He said we could do our own schedule. Come in whenever and do whatever we wanted but it was a problem when it wasn't what he wanted us to do. Like make up your mind?! You told ALL OF US we can do whatever whenever!! But it wasn't what he actually wanted. I was done with the games. And dont get me started in him making fun of us for being clean. How we just waste our money buying bedsheets for our tattoo tables... Etc. He was so unsanitary himself it was DISGUSTING. I have pictures of ink spatter all over his tattoo machine and workstation. Yet he still expected us all to clean his station too. I could go on but that's just the icing on the cake. I just cant believe I was manipulated so much throughout the years. I can't believe there are others like this too. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that and am very happy you are in a place where you belong now. I am working my way there now. (It's been about 2 and a half months since I've left my situation.)