After Hours Tattoo – Initial Investigation

After Hours Tattoo Studios
December 11, 2021
Mars, PA
 
Investigation

 

The small town of Mars, PA, has a long and prosperous history in the north of Pittsburgh as a thriving suburb. However, there seems to be a darker side, one that has been covered up and attempted to be erased from history. There are numerous accounts of missing pieces in the documented historical books of the small town, leaving some to speculate where all of those years went. The locals have told of horrific incidents and certain groups that have been heavily associated with the area, but the current residents and government entities do not want outsiders to know about them. The legends and lore are just that, tales of dread and despair, without any written documentation.
In the heart of the town lies a strip of small businesses which include the After Hours Tattoo Studio and the Social Club Barber Shop, both owned by the same man; John. Aside from the mysterious history of Mars, there is not much known about this particular location. Aside from the familiarity of its settling and development of the town, mainly attributed to the railroad station. The area itself started as the town of Overbrook in 1877 thanks to the stop on the rail line. As the area grew, and the rail line expanded, this town of Overbrook was the second stop with this name, truly confusing passengers and postal workers alike. In 1882, the town changed its name to Mars. There were two rumors as to the unusual naming of the town; the first due to the founder’s namesake of Samuel Marshall and his last names’ abbreviation. The second is due to Samuel’s wifes’ intense interest in astrology and her draw to the red planet. As the town grew, so did its residents and businesses.

 

Over time, the town evolved, moving on from the old train station making it expendable and ultimately turning it into more of a museum of sorts. The current clientele and businesses reflect a younger crowd and showing the proof of this is the lasting ventures of both the tattoo shop and barbershop, both of which have been in existence and booming for over ten years. The success here has brought in other businesses like the print shop and bakeries, all of which tie together in the small town’s new evolution. John, and his faithful employees, have even brought in extensive business thanks in no small part to the annual event of the Mars Rumble Car Show, which brings in both new businesses and patrons to the town.

 

 

With the lengthy but hidden history, the town of Mars also brings with it some odd tales and tragedies, which ultimately seem to lead to some strange otherworldly anomalies. There seem to be some well-known stories, mainly stemming from the railroad station but affecting the entire town. The first is that of a traveling migrant worker who paused at the train station one extremely cold night. It’s unknown why he stopped here but this miscalculation led to him freezing to death overnight. The train station also has a tale of a stray cat which they took in and treated like the entire town’s mascot. They nicknamed it Chessie and the furry friend found a home inside the train station until he one day just disappeared. It was unknown what happened to Chessie until the town finally razed the old train station and excavated the ground around it revealing a mummified cat resembling this former unofficial Mars mascot. In more recent times, above the tattoo shop for that matter, there was an accidental overdose that led to a man passing away and not being found until many days after this tragedy.
Seemingly manifesting from these past losses, there appear to be many more stories of the supernatural that quickly spread throughout the town. Chessie has come back to continue to wonder about the town as a phantom cat, being seen, heard, and felt in almost every building in Mars. A tall, dark shadow figure has been seen lurking throughout the dark corners of the town. This mass has been attributed to the hobo who froze to death but, more recently, a medium who has felt this entity has claimed that there exist two separate shadow figures here. The first is that of an older gentleman who passed away on the stoop of the tattoo shop, the other is a darker spirit and possibly one that has never been human in the past. She also claimed that the mirrors in the hallway and one of the rooms, as well as the previous door currently nonexistent, all act as portals for the dead.

 

Employees and the owner of these two shops have told us stories and their claims of odd shadows moving about the buildings as well as malfunctioning electronics from time to time. The owner’s daughter even heard an “Shh” in her ear, and checked with her father to make sure she wasn’t losing her mind; he heard it as well.

 

This was a unique start to an investigation as we joined the podcast “Bald and Bonkers” before we managed to even set up any equipment. Throughout this conversation, we experienced electronic issues and some oddities taking place which can be corroborated through the podcast’s hosts Chris and Dakota, their viewers who chimed in via the chat room, and John, the owner of the tattoo shop. We had two K2 meters set up, one in front of us, and one behind us. The one to our front spiked at its highest recording multiple times and the one behind us physically fell over as if being pushed. We heard some knocking noises coming from the window sill like someone was trying to get our attention, anticipating why we were there in the first place. Most intriguing, the front door burst open at one point as well, right in front of all of our eyes. We double-checked to make sure it was closed completely, which it was; this event never occurred any other time to us. If the knocking is combined with the door swinging open, maybe it was someone knocking from the outside then bursting through the door. As our podcast concluded, we gathered some further guidance pointing where to investigate heavily – namely the basement.

 

 

We got a quick tour after this of each room and their stories, along with John’s personal stories and feelings. As we went through the rooms, we set up some stationary cameras and noted spots we wanted to focus on during our evening. But truthfully, we all (John included) wanted to get moving with the investigation as strange activities had already begun. During the night, John did join us (most of the time), beginning the investigation around 8:00 PM lasting until about midnight. We set three stationary cameras around the properties (One in the barbershop basement, one in the hallway, and one in John’s room) and, even though it wasn’t a very big location, we did utilize the majority of our tools and devices. This long list includes three recorders, two K2 meters, one SB7 Spirit Box, one FLIR thermal imaging camera, one Phasma Box, one SLS camera, one IR light, one Ovilus, four hotel bells, one Rempod, and three flashlights. We did not use our light-up cat balls, pendulum, laser grid pen, or handheld cameras. At the same time, we did not go live as we wanted to rush in with everything going on around us.

 

The evidence combined with our personal experiences from our time spent inside both the old brick façade tattoo shop and stone basement of the barbershop led us to believe and conclude that there is a decisive amount of paranormal anomalies. Allowing us to state that there are numerous energies seemingly, having the ability to cross planes, and enter through different buildings on their own accord. We managed to capture numerous moments of verbal communication via both the Phasma Box and Spirit Box, seemingly a few answers to yes/no questions thanks to our flashlights, and light oddities through the stationary cameras. Intriguingly, during our time investigating the main waiting area and hallway, we captured what appeared to be multiple figures through the SLS camera.

 

We managed to piece together some evidence and experiences to figure out that there seems to be a young girl hiding in the barbershop basement, possibly making her way outside behind the combination of buildings. She seems to be welcoming, but also confused. We are unsure if she does not realize she has passed away or if she just doesn’t know where to go from here. We do believe that she was killed back in the town’s dark days where certain ethnicities were tortured and hung throughout the area. We did not manage to capture a name but with a “Hello,” flashlight activity, and thermal images of a shorter, timid figure which we believe she hid in the darkness. She also seemed to try to get our attention outback by moving in the darkness, activating motion lights, and tossing rocks, possibly in the location where she was killed. Circling back to our basement data, we also feel as though there was darkness down there as we captured shuffling and footsteps which almost sounded as though we were being forced back away from them. We also heard a clear and concise whistling sound which may have been this darkness mocking us and even taking human form to show us that it could do as it wanted; show itself or not; make itself known or not; interact or not. In this area, we did capture the name ‘George’ and even though we’re not sure whom this relates to, we are aware that they are at least intelligent at this point. This darkness seemed to follow us throughout our investigation so it seemingly has free reign around the entire area as it sees fit. We noticed a few moments where shadows lurked in corners, turning Rempods and our motion-activated light on / off. We had even caught a figure inside the tattoo shop appearing in the SLS camera as a tall, lingering humanoid. One particular moment that captured our attention was as it stood still in the SLS camera, interacting with John, making him feel warm in this spot all while turning the flashlight on below him. This disappears on the SLS camera while the flashlight is turned off just as our stationary camera captured a light anomaly streak into the room in the hall.

 

 

Inside the shop, we also recorded, on numerous accounts, pleas of telling us to leave and others completely different giving us a welcome. As if relating to the legend of Chessie, we recorded what appeared to be a clear and concise ‘Meow’ as if a cat was present. As we left recorders and cameras inside as we ventured elsewhere, we captured a slew of activity from clicks and bangs as if things were being moved around to footsteps and even a doorknob turning and the door creaking open.

 

After completing our analysis and a full review of the evidence we gathered from our paranormal investigation in the After Hours Tattoo Shop and the basement of the Social Club Barber Shop, we have attached our culmination of recordings, videos, still photographs, and thermal images which led us to our conclusion of paranormal activity being captured in both locations. We include our entire evening’s transcripts and any pieces of evidence that we feel hold significant value to both ourselves and the businesses. Throughout this analysis, we include a quick synopsis of each occasion so you can get a feel for our personal experience and the energy we felt in that particular moment. We hope to hear some of your thoughts as you listen to the recordings, watch the video, and read through each explanation we supplied throughout our evening.

 

As always, you have been warned, some of this is not for the faint of heart and can be slightly explicit:

 

Pre Investigation / Podcast

 

We walked through the area quite quickly to get an idea of each location and John’s experiences but had to be cognizant of our time frame as we planned on joining Chris and Dakota from their podcast, “Bald and Bonkers” as we were on site. We even brought John in to describe the location a little bit before we got into some of our more intriguing evidence to share with the duo. Seemingly during our entire time online with these guys, we had some strange occurrences surrounding us. The majority of these incidents occurred before we went live. As we discussed a brief history of the building and some tragedies and local legends, which have been said to plague the area with negativity and a poor reputation, a pair of strange knocks were heard, seeming to bang on the storefront glass from outside. As we ventured outside to grab some of our equipment, two of the three of us remained inside to continue our discussion with the Bald and Bonkers guys. Only moments later, the front door burst open right in front of our eyes! It appeared as though this presence was with us throughout our time while on the podcast, from K2 meter activity to more knocks. Some viewers also noticed our faces being blurred out and darkness appearing around us. Each time Chris or Dakota seemed to have some type of hint as to who or what was with us, they too would freeze up or blur out.
As soon as the podcast ended, we received some further information and readings from the sensitive guys of “Bald and Bonkers,” sending us toward the Basement and outside near the Parking Lot. Both of these tips ultimately paid off, but at this point, we wanted to dive right into the activity using the guidance we received.

 

Photos:

 

• The picture here is that of the K2 meter spiking all the way up to red as we discussed some of our findings with Bald and Bonkers.

 

 

Basement – Social Hour Barber Shop

 

Much like that of the entire area, there is not much historically documented regarding this location. Many employees do not like to venture down here on their own and have heard strange noises and felt as though they are being watched from afar. However, since we were unable to gain access to the basement below the tattoo shop, we figured to trust our gut and venture outside two doors down and attempt to proceed to this basement area. Even though this basement does not have the dirt floors or stone-clad walls we were expecting, this dark area, mainly used for utilities and storage, gave us some odd and unnerving feelings.

 

As we began with only two out of three of us down here, we heard some strange knocking noises, heavy breathing, and even footsteps off in the corners of the basement. As we replayed this recording and attempted to debunk these noises, we were rejoined by John and almost immediately the three of us heard an odd phantom voice echoing from the front of the building as if a young girl were confused or scared saying, “Hey!” Unfortunately, we did not have any devices running to record or capture this. We then attempted to make contact with this seemingly young girl, but as we did so, we captured what was one of the more interesting and intriguing EVP’s we may have ever captured on a recorder. After we heard some strange noises followed by footsteps, paired with Dan feeling an odd sensation of being drawn to a cold spot and seeing a pair of figures via the FLIR thermal camera, we recorded a clear and concise whistling. We attempted to follow this and find out its origin, being drawn upstairs, outside, and next door to try to track this down, but to no avail. We heard this continued whistling outside and even once more when we returned to the basement. During this return, we utilized our Spirit Box and recorded what sounded like the name, “George” followed by a plea of, “Stay.” After some minor communication here we heard whistling being repeated, leading us to a more dreadful feeling of being surrounded by those similar phantom footsteps. This ultimately led to John leaving the area with this sense of foreboding. As we made our exit, we heard one last cry of, “Help me,” through the Spirit Box.

 

Photos:

 

• We captured a few moments of when the cold-spotted figures appeared through the FLIR thermal camera.

 

 

• There was also a moment captured of the K2 meter jumping after we asked if anyone was with us.

 

 

Recorder 1 – EVP:

 

 

• There was an odd knocking noise repeated at 1:55 and 2:46.
• Moments later, at about 2:50, there was a heavy breathing recorded.
• Footsteps were heard at 3:58 before we paused our devices to listen back.

 

Recorder 2 – EVP:

 

 

• Before we began this recording, we all heard a young girl shout out, “Hey!”
• There was then a metal clanking, almost like chains, at 0:04.
• Footsteps followed this noise at 0:34 just before we felt odd sensations then captured a FLIR thermal image of a pair of figures around 1:18.

 

Recorder 3 – EVP:

 

 

• The whistling was recorded at 0:03 and we attempted to track it.

 

Recorder 4 – EVP:

 

 

• During this timeframe, the whistling drew us up out of the basement and outside as we heard the whistling again at 0:05 then footsteps on the stairs at 0:45.

 

Recorder 5 – Spirit Box:

 

 

• Upon returning to the basement and using our Spirit Box, we recorded the name “George” at 0:03.
• A cry for us to, “Stay,” was captured at 0:50 followed by the whistling heard once more at 1:18.

 

Recorder 6 – Spirit Box:

 

 

• As we explained that we are not there to hurt or harm them, we heard a greeting of, “Hello,” at 0:07 just as the K2 meter jumped at 0:15.
• Another banging sound was then recorded at 0:21.

 

Recorder 7 – Spirit Box:

 

 

• Before hearing more voices here, the K2 meter jumped twice after we reiterated that we are not there to harm them and again after we explained that we just want to speak with them.
• We asked if they feel safe with us, and if so, if they could light the K2 meter to let us know. At 0:17, we heard, “You,” as if responding to only one of us.
• The K2 meter jumped at 0:37 after we asked if they felt safe with both of us.
• After we explained that we just wanted to speak with them, we heard, “I’ll let her,” at 1:04 as if the elder spirit was going to allow the younger spirit to speak with us.
• We asked if they could repeat that, at 1:13, the K2 meter flashed once more as if responding yes, they could repeat it.

 

Recorder 8 – Spirit Box:

 

 

• We turned our light on so we could easily record the K2 meter activity, but they seem to stop responding at that. So, in turn, we asked if they wanted us to turn the flashlight off. At 0:04 the K2 meter jumped on as if telling us they wanted us to turn the light off.
• Around 0:14, we felt cold spots, but as we attempted to turn the FLIR thermal light on, it failed to activate as if something were disrupting it.
• The cold seemed to move and the K2 meter jumped to life once more at about 0:33.
• We felt the cold spot move toward the front of the building and just felt a feeling of negativity toward the front once more near the 0:40 mark.
• As we continued to listen to the Spirit Box, we captured what sounded like, “Holy,” at 0:54.

 

Recorder 9 – Spirit Box:

 

 

• We then captured “You,” at 0:03 and we explained that we could hear them if they spoke into the (Spirit) box. At 0:50, we then heard, “Here?” as if they were questioning the box.

 

Recorder 10 – Spirit Box:

 

 

• We began wrapping up and explained that we appreciated what they’ve done by speaking with us, and at 0:08, we were asked if we were “Done?”
• After explaining that they were allowed to follow us to the next building, we heard a cry for, “Help me,” at 0:54, although we did not hear this at the time, only on the recording later.

 

Video – Stationary:

 

• We left a stationary camera in this area as we proceeded elsewhere, and it did seem to capture some movement all throughout the night, but as we went to view it and analyze what we captured, there was no data attached to any of the files.

 

Front Room – After Hours Tattoo Studio

 

While this is a more modern iteration of what once stood, this tattoo shop stands on an old stone foundation, which was more than likely part of the original structure that would have seen the rise of Mars. It’s no doubt that what once stood on this foundation has been long since replaced and more than likely seen numerous changes over time. What currently stands in an entryway and waiting area right inside the storefront, all decorated by the owner’s hand, which leads down a hallway clad with mirrors and opens to two separate tattooing rooms; John’s straight ahead and Eryn’s to the right.

 

This area has been reported to produce footsteps and other strange noises. Some visitors have managed to hear phantom voices and even see shadows peering in from outside and moving quickly and with purpose from wall to wall. A medium who visited and spent some time on the property believed that this area acts as a portal and holds an entity that passes back and forth. In the front of the building, it passed as if he was the older gentleman who expired away on the front stoop of the building – or is this the negative energy that lurks in the darkness and preys on pure energy?

 

In the waiting room behind the desk, a large Coca-Cola logo sits, which at one time led to another door. This supposedly opened the neighboring property. It has long since been closed up but was pinpointed by the “Bald and Bonkers” duo as a location where a shadow moved in and out. This shadow just peers in through the no-longer-visible door. This was an amazing pick-up in its own right, but when these guys noticed a shadow hovering over and behind our trio, John began feeling a stabbing pain in his side and the K2 meter behind us was pushed over. Some time was spent in the opposing building, so we returned here with three recorders to thoroughly capture our communication sessions here. The flashlight revealed many yes/no answers to our questions. The Phasma Box helped us prove that there was an intelligent spirit here telling us that they were in fact here, and have been for a long time. This voice repeated both Dan and John’s names back to them after introducing themselves as well. During our time here, we witnessed a figure in our SLS camera all the while interacting with the flashlight and John simultaneously. Our devices also picked up a slew of otherworldly noises that we could not trace or debunk as we were outside the shop. There were plenty of footsteps and breathing moments, but the most intriguing is where there was a knocking at the window, then the creak of a doorknob, and then the door squealing as if opening. This moment was very reminiscent of the moment we experienced right before the podcast began showing that this was not a one-time incident.

 

Photos:

 

• We had a moment where we captured a video still of a time the flashlight activated as we asked yes/no questions.

 

 

• There were a few different photos of the figure captured in the SLS camera, including one of them lighting up the flashlight and then moving away from it leaving the camera and turning the flashlight off.

 

 

• Another moment was when a figure stood behind the front desk right near the old door moments after it set off the Rempod.

 

 

Recorder 1 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• As we began talking about who was with us and even knocking on the window, at 0:01, we recorded, “Outside,” as if in reference to what we were talking about moments before.
• We then discussed if the dark moments in the past had any association with the KKK, and we captured, “Uh, yeah,” almost like this was obvious at 0:38.
• After asking one another where we were going from there, we heard what sounded like, “There’s a debate,” at 1:09 likely in relation to this possible association.
• As we spotted the light turn on, we heard, “Spin,” at 1:20 like they were motioning toward the lights.

 

Recorder 2 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• After we heard this previous command, we asked quite plainly if they wanted us to spin around and we captured “In the dark,” at 0:18.
• At 0:30, the phrase, “Try,” was heard, seemingly telling us to look for them.
• We then repeated the question asking if anyone is associated with the KKK then recorded, “Unforgiven,” at 0:38 followed by an odd phrase of, “Says it was me,” at 0:41. This seemed to tie together as if under false pretenses.
• However, on the flip side of that sentiment, we then heard, “There’s more of us,” at 0:45.
• Following this we asked how many there are, to which we heard, “Eight of us,” at 0:52 as if we were hearing a direct answer.
• This was followed by a tapping noise to which we commented asking what that noise was, and in turn, we heard a deep laughter at about 1:17.
• We then heard a command of, “Listen,” at 1:21 then a calm but strong voice stating, “I am here,” at 1:25.

 

Recorder 3 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• Strangely enough, at 0:05, we captured the phrase, “His testimony,” as if referencing the false claims we discussed earlier.
• We were then told to, “Just leave,” quite clearly and concisely at 0:10.
• Instead of following their command, we asked if they were the same spirit who was with us at the barber shop, and at 0:26, the flashlight turned on in the hallway, then the motion light flickered on at 0:45 from Eryn’s room.

 

Recorder 4 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• The flashlight flickered weakly at 0:05 followed by us spotting a figure in the SLS camera right next to John in the hallway around 0:20.
• Even more light was forced through the flashlight at 0:27 as if someone was moving even closer to it.

 

Recorder 5 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• Only 0:18 into this moment, both the SLS figure and the flashlight turned off as if whatever was standing in this spot moved away.
• Once again, we were informed to, “Listen,” at 0:40 followed by, “Grieving,” at 0:41.
• As we discussed trying to debunk the figure in the SLS by attempting to map the shirts it was standing in front of, we heard, “Yeah, it isn’t,” at 0:46 as if answering us.
• We were then told, “Up there,” at 0:57 after we spotted some shadows moving up the wall.
• Unsure of the description of this shadow, they were seemingly as confused as well, as we captured, “Might be Jeremiah,” at 0:59.

 

Recorder 6 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• At 0:10, after we bluntly asked if they died in this building, we recorded, “I did,” followed by, “Out back,” at 0:13 as if telling us they died behind the building, perhaps in the former tree that stood where the parking lot currently resides.
• Right after this response, the flashlight jumped on at 0:23 just as the light in Eryn’s room turned on at 0:49.

 

Recorder 7 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• There was a figure spotted in the SLS camera at 0:05 and some strange noise captured at 0:13.
• “I believe,” was heard at 0:28 right after hearing, “Yes,” at 0:38 after asking if they could turn the light off.

 

Recorder 8 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• John’s name was then heard, not only once but twice here, at 0:01 and again at 0:11.
• An odd word of, “Therapy,” was captured at 0:29 followed by seemingly a question of, “Light?” at 0:59.

 

Recorder 9 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• We asked if there was anyone with us, referencing the motion lights going off, and we recorded a laughter at 0:04.
• After we asked one another if that was indeed a laugh that we heard, there was even more laughter at 0:08 followed by an odd jingling type noise at 0:24.

 

Recorder 10 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• We walked up and down the hallway to attempt and re-capture the figure in the SLS camera and surprisingly heard, “Right here,” at 0:03 and reiterated with, “I’m right here,” at 0:11.
• There were footsteps then recorded at 0:33 as if they were approaching us.
• While we continued to look for them, we heard the phrase, “There’s two of us,” at 1:10.

 

Recorder 11 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• We explained that we could hear them if they spoke into the Phasma Box, and at 0:03, we recorded a question asking about the box with, “What’s this?”
• As if they were just uninterested, we heard a soft, almost disappointed sounding voice tell us, “Please go,” at 0:22 followed by the flashlight turning on at 0:34.

 

Recorder 12 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• After a few more moments of the flashlight jumping and K2 meter spiking, we recorded a forceful voice telling us to give them, “Attention,” at 0:07 and, “Right now,” at 0:14.
• We heard these words and told them they have our attention right this moment and now is their chance to speak to us. At 0:33, we captured a surprised question of, “For real?”

 

Recorder 13 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• We discussed feeling a man, a woman, and a child prior to this recording, the flashlight turned on.
• The Ovilus then produced the name, “Debbie,” and the claim of, “Mores,” both at 0:05.
• As he was previously speaking, and showing an intelligent being, we captured Dan’s name spoken back to us at 0:37 then the Ovilus gave us, “Miss,” and, “Near,” at 1:12.
• The flashlight jumped on at 1:27 just as we heard a strange and inaudible voice at 1:28.

 

Recorder 14 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• We asked if we’re speaking with the one who has been seen sticking their head through the wall, and as if we were the crazy ones, we heard, “You people,” at 0:09 completed with, “Weird,” at 0:11.
• After we asked if they could come in with us, we heard a confused voice honestly exclaim that, “I don’t know,” at 0:19.

 

Recorder 15 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• There was a strange train whistle heard here, twice, at 0:04 and 0:14.

 

Recorder 16 – Phasma Box:

 

 

• A cat’s Meow was captured here at 0:08 as if it was a cat playing with our flashlight.

 

Recorder 16 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• As we ventured to the barber shop, we left a recorder go and relatively untouched, we captured some unnerving sounds. The first occurred at 0:03 with a simple clicking.

 

Recorder 17 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• Occurring about three minutes later, beginning at 0:03, a pounding noise could be heard.
• There were a few sounds of footsteps as if someone were pacing back and forth at 0:29, 0:42, 0:53, and finally 1:06.

 

Recorder 18 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• That similar clicking sound was captured again here at 0:03 followed by another shuffling noise as if someone were dragging their feet at 0:40.

 

Recorder 19 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• Only a few minutes had passed but more clicking was heard at 0:01 then a pounding noise at 0:59, then finally what sounded like the door knob squealing at 1:08, this was all reminiscent to the moment before the podcast seemingly if someone was knocking on the window then entering the building.

 

Recorder 20 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• Another pair of clicking (0:03) followed by a pounding (0:37) was once again captured.

 

Recorder 21 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• Clicking noises continued at 0:02 and 0:41.

 

Recorder 22 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• A knock was recorded here at 0:05.

 

Recorder 23 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• The apparent sound of something being thrown or pushed quickly occurred here at about 0:03.

 

Recorder 24 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• There were a slew of knocks at 0:03, 0:12, 0:25, 0:36, 0:47, and finally at 1:01.

 

Recorder 25 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• A few minutes later we heard this knocking repeated at 0:05.

 

Recorder 26  – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• Another clicking sound was captured at 0:02 here.

 

Recorder 27 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• This clicking sound was repeated here at 0:05.

 

Recorder 28 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• One of the more intriguing moments during our empty room recording occurred with a combination of sounds which seemed eerily familiar as if someone was walking out of the building starting with footsteps at 0:03 and 0:05 followed by a clicking as if a door knob was turning at 0:14.

 

Recorder 29 – EVP (Inside Shop as We were at Social Club Barber Shop):

 

 

• Finally, before we returned here, there was a pair of clicks at 0:02 and 0:20.

 

Video 1 – Stationary:

 

• At about 0:03, the flashlight, which was previously alerted, was seen turning off.

 

 

Video 2 – Stationary:

 

• That same flashlight was seen turning on at 0:06.

 

 

Video 3 – Stationary:

 

• Once more, the flashlight was seen shutting off at 0:02.

 

 

Video 4 – Stationary:

 

• There was an odd picture distortion here at 0:03 as if showing a different area altogether.
  There was an odd light anomaly captured at 0:04.

 

 

Video 5 – Stationary:

 

• The light could be spotted turning on once again at 0:09.

 

 

Video 6 – Stationary:

 

• This flashlight was then seen turning off at 0:03.

 

 

Parking Lot (Rear of After Hours Tattoo Studio)

 

The simple paved parking lot is situated directly behind the tattoo studio. This area was supposed, at one point in the past, to be full of trees and overgrown shrubbery. This description would have been accurate up until the 1970s when the town updated the majority of its storefronts which included parking lots for guests and employees alike.

 

Rumor has it, and thanks to some help and direction from the “Bald and Bonkers” guys, the area was the location of some dark and despicable deeds. In the distant past, those formerly standing trees were used as a tragic and pathetic attempt at power when some people were unceremoniously hanged by the neck until death numerous times. These events left a scar on the area so deep that the energy has since remained and even resurfaced from time to time. It’s rumored that cries and pleas for help from an unknown entity, possibly a young woman who was hanged and killed here, had given her last breath.

 

As we ventured out here, the temperature had significantly dropped and we were unable to spend a long period in this spot. However, with the time we were able to spend here, we captured some strange banging noises above us ultimately leading to what appeared to be a rock thrown or kicked in the nearby alleyway activating the motion detector light in the area. After we powered up the Spirit Box we asked if they kicked a rock and wanted to speak with us. We did capture a concise response of, “No,” but in turn, did hear, “That’s me,” response after we asked if they were back in this area and the ones who were particularly hanged here.

 

Photos:

 

• There was nothing out of the ordinary captured here.

 

 

Recorder 1 – EVP:

 

 

• There was a strange bump heard twice at 2:21 and 2:50, almost as if someone were pounding or walking up above us.
• We could be heard reacting to the motion light in the alleyway turning on here around 3:42, even though no one was in this spot with us.

 

Recorder 2 – Spirit Box:

 

 

• We started by asking if anyone was with us, particularly if someone was hanged back here before the parking lot was paved. At 0:09, “That’s me,” was captured as if directly responding to us.
• After asking what happened to them, we heard a confused, “What?” 0:28 as if we confused them with the question since we previously got our answer.

 

Recorder 3 – Spirit Box:

 

 

• There was a rock heard here as it was kicked or thrown, around 0:05, and turned the alleyway motion light on once more.
• We directly asked if something was being thrown at us and heard, “No,” at 0:50.

 

Once we completed a full review of our evidence recorded from our overnight paranormal investigation of the After Hours Tattoo Studio and Social Club Barbershop, albeit short-lived and only in the basement here. We have been able to confidently conclude that both of these locations, situated in the heart of the historic town of Mars, PA, is a hub for unique energies and intelligent hauntings. We captured a unique combination of evidence via still images, SLS camera photographs, recordings, and video captures. These all lead us to a sincere and finite determination that we gathered a noteworthy amount of ethereal experiences.

 

In theory, if you combine the tragedy of the town with the urban legends, there is no doubt that this slew of energy has created such an extreme variety of impact on the atmosphere that the locations seem to leave an imprint on not only one building, but seemingly the entire town. The claims that the tattoo shop holds a portal of sorts seem to hold truth and value as numerous spirits are said to appear and disappear at random and various locations and times. We seemed to experience this in the form of SLS camera figures and even verbal communication, not to mention the Rempod being alerted where the portal is said to exist; at a former door that no longer exists. Other entities tend to return to these locations via strong emotional ties to both the buildings and areas thanks in no small part to the unfortunate and tragic events that occurred here which include overdoses, hangings, and natural causes on the property just to name a few of the significant and documented incidents. There appear to be numerous strong intelligent spirits who want to communicate verbally and physically. There is also the appearance of some entities which hide in dark spaces and only come out to speak and interact when they are “allowed” when their overseers are accepting and willing to “let” them.

 

Almost immediately upon our arrival, right before we began our podcast with “Bald and Bonkers,” we experienced some strange phenomena that we later found out had indeed occurred in the past. There were a few strange knocking sounds followed by the door swinging open as if someone were announcing their arrival. The knocks have been heard by some, but the door opening on its own was definitely a new progression. This led to quite a bit of anomaly apparitions we experienced all throughout our time spent on the podcast including the K2 meters spiking on numerous occasions to actually falling over as if pushed, to strange shadows moving in and out of walls as if they didn’t even exist and even lurking being the three of us who sat huddled on the couch.

 

 

 

We wasted little time setting up our stationary cameras and diving into the investigation beginning first with our intrigue of the basement. After getting situated in the neighboring basement of the Social Club Barbershop, we ran some simple EVP communication sessions and seemed to ease the tensions there as we all heard a clear welcoming of “Hello” as if from a young girl. Unfortunately, we did not record this, however, this began to open things up as we captured an odd whistling. We were unable to trace this and some slightly terrifying moments of seemingly being closed in on by some otherworldly entities. This moment began with simple footsteps and shuffling echoing from opposite corners of the room leading to us capturing some FLIR thermal images of two figures; one shorter, possibly younger, and one taller, possibly older, almost watching over them. However, these harmless occurrences felt as though they changed almost abruptly to irritability and a feeling of dread as the footsteps grew nearer and practically all around us, closing in on us. This was too much for John, and understandably so, which led to him heading up out of the basement. We attempted a little more communication via K2 meter and Spirit Box, and even though we did capture some activity here, it seemed as though we were simply pushing our luck until we captured the whistling once more which ultimately drew us back upstairs, outside, back into the tattoo studio.

 

As we re-entered the tattoo studio, we had left a recorder inside just to capture anything that we possibly could while we were elsewhere. Unbeknownst to us at the moment, we recorded sounds of knocking, footsteps, and the door opening. All of which were eerily similar to those noises we heard before and during our time on the podcast. During our time here, the flashlight was very active with yes/no responses, however, the more we thought about this, combined with the meowing of a cat that we heard later on the recorder, this may have been attributed somewhat to a curious and playful feline. However, there were some specific moments when the flashlight lit up and a figure was captured in the SLS camera that made us believe that there was a combination of communication as well as the possibility that this cat, possibly Chessie, had been playing with the light. The most interesting moment with the flashlight session occurred when the flashlight turned on, Jon reached his hand out near it and the temperature changed. Almost simultaneously, a full figure was noticed in the SLS camera only to disappear just as the flashlight turned off. To add to the intrigue, after we reviewed our stationery cameras, a light anomaly was spotted moving away from the spot the figure stood in, moving toward Eryn’s room. The Phasma Box communication helped to prove that the entity here was indeed intelligent and could tell us whose shop it was, as John’s name was repeated twice, and who was speaking to them at a particular moment, repeating Dan’s name after he introduced himself. As we continued to communicate via the Phasma Box, we seemed to anger them as we brought up the former (possible) hangings and murders that occurred here but we were able to record that these spirits have been on the property and in the area for quite some tie and that they did not plan on leaving any time soon.

 

 

After we picked up some verbal communication inside, referencing out back and leaving that way so we took these hints and headed outside behind the building into the parking lot which was formally a stretch of green space lush with trees and shrubbery. As we spent some time back in this simple parking lot area, we recorded some strange knocks and bangs from above us then seemingly captured a rock being thrown at us, activating the motion light in the alleyway. We did receive some minimal verbal communication thanks in part to the Spirit Box where we captured a clear response to who threw the rock and who was with us in the area, as if trying to prove that they indeed were hanged here.

 

Based on a combination of our personal experiences, paired up with the After Hours Tattoo Studios owner’s (John) experiences, and the evidence we captured via our equipment, we can strongly place the claim that both the After Hours Tattoo Studio and the Social Club Barber Shop hold a strong and unique amount of energy inside each individually. Perhaps, also simply lie within a larger area that appears to hold strong energy in its own right in the old Main Street of Mars, PA. Throughout our evening, we encountered a slew of different intelligent energies and spirits. This can be seen and heard throughout the evidence we captured that night, and the activity appears to be quite active and the majority seemingly benign. Some of these more harmless entities seem to be scattered throughout such as the young girl in the basement of the barbershop with perhaps her family watching over her as well as a male spirit who gave us his name of George inside the tattoo parlor. Another one of these energies seems to be more curious than anything as we believe we encountered the well-known spirit of Chessie the cat inside the tattoo shop lighting up our flashlight and even giving us a verbal, “Meow,” at one point. However, there also is apparent secondary energy which is not so warm nor welcoming. This darker energy has also made similar appearances in the past, particularly when a medium previously visited as well as multiple times where sensitives visited the shop for their new tattoos. This darkness tends to hide and just peer out of black corners and even uses the mirrors in the hallway and Eryn’s room to bounce to and from different locations. We believe we captured a moment when this entity was moving in or out of Eryn’s room, in our stationary camera, as if just keeping an eye out where we were and what we were doing. This negative energy possibly followed us all evening and pushed us out of the basement after we got too close to the young girl as we heard its heavy footsteps and deep breathing as well as making all of us uncomfortable. Even as we ventured outside, this shadow may have followed us outside and, as we barely communicated with anyone back in the parking lot, we had rocks thrown at us as it moved above us and in the alleyway behind us.

 

 

We are aware of numerous claims of the theoretical explanations of the paranormal and their locations, in particular to buildings and property, but we believe that these hauntings exist due to more of a relationship that these energies have with the town as a whole due to both the unique and positive beginnings to the town. These areas, all owned and operated by very welcoming and open-minded individuals may play a large part in the reason these energies and spirit feel so comfortable and at home in both the After Hours Tattoo Studio and the Social Club Barber Shop.