Do you have a unique Bay Area tattoo? Share a photo and your story with Peter Hartlaub at phartlaub@sfchronicle.com.

There are many ways to show your Bay Area pride in a tattoo. A 49ers or Raiders logo and “S.F.” lettering are common. The more adventurous might commit to Candlestick Park or Sutro Tower on their arm, leg or back.

But the reigning champion when it comes to proving local loyalty in ink is Bay Area resident Bobby Feehan. She commissioned an early 1900s image of Sutro Baths on her bicep, a tribute to an iconic Lands End bath house built by Adolph Sutro in 1896.

The incredibly detailed tattoo made the rounds on Twitter a few weeks ago, and with some sleuthing help from social media followers, we tracked down the key parties to get the story behind the tattoo.

The artist is Brücius von Xylander, who works out of the Mission District and specializes in blackwork and detailed linework. His website www.bruciustattoo.com is like visiting a museum.

“I switched from being fine artist at the age of 45, and I was pretty jaded from the fine arts scene, so I gave (tattooing) a shot,” says von Xylander. “I was a little reluctant, but it turned out to be fantastic. I can take advantage of all the mediums I studied and apply them, including customer service.”

Back to Gallery Lost S.F. landmark Sutro Baths memorialized as tattoo 2 1 of 2 Photo: Peter Hartlaub, The Chronicle 2 of 2 Photo: Peter Hartlaub, The Chronicle



He plans to open his own tattoo studio, Black Serum, later this year.

Feehan became fascinated with Sutro Baths because she’s an avid swimmer. She and von Xylander researched Sutro Baths extensively, using aspects from several images for the tattoo. Among the historically accurate highlights are a man hanging on rings near a pool, and swimmers with handlebar mustaches. (She has a tattoo of a Nikon camera, also by von Xylander, representing her appreciation of photography.)

The artist says local symbols and icons are common client requests, from horticulture to architecture. In addition to Sutro Baths, von Xylander once created a Victorian house.

“I did an entire Victorian home on my client’s arm, and we went inside,” he says. “We showed rooms and stairs. That was super interesting.”

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicle’s pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub