I've gotten several great tattoos from Woody in the past and always appreciated his skill and professionalism. Unfortunately, my most recent experience in March 2023 changed everything. I drove five hours for this appointment, only to be told an hour beforehand that I needed to come to his house instead of the shop -- no explanation, no prior notice. When I arrived, I was directed to a bedroom in someone else's house. It felt uncomfortable, but since I had trusted him before, I went along with it. He hadn't drawn up the design yet (despite it being a large, detailed piece), and after three hours, he had me sit in awkward, painful positions because he "didn't want to get the tattoo bed out." During the session, the conversation turned disturbingly inappropriate -- he bragged about hooking up with clients, talked explicitly about anal sex, and even shared a story about doing it in the room we were in. He also stated that he refuses to tattoo men because he finds them gross, which felt like a major red flag. He appeared to be under the influence -- red nose, constant sniffing, dilated pupils -- and what should've been a 4-hour session dragged into 9. After all that, over half of the tattoo fell out and had to be completely redone by another artist. I've been hesitant to speak up, but I feel a responsibility to warn others. I hope no one else ends up in a similarly unsafe and unprofessional situation. read more

Well here I am again! This is my 4th tattoo with Stefan. I trust him completely to make my tattoo ideas come to life! He has a keen eye and an endless supply of talent. He is professional and practices great cleanliness in his work. You can not go wrong choosing him as your artist. He will let you know what will work or needs more thought with your ideas. He will make sure you're happy before the process begins. Happy inking!! read more

Black Cat Tattoo Shop - The best tattoo shop around! - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos , California

Every time I have a tattoo idea Stefan is so helpful and trustworthy in the process! On my arm specifically he's previously done a lot of individual tattoos and when i wanted to put a big ol branch close to them and a bird plant thing between them on the other side, he was so kind in making sure the art I wanted could fit exactly around them. He's done a lot of pieces for me and is very kind and thorough. He's also super fast?? Really nice shop, very clean and lots of wall art to look at which is nice because i don't usually talk much during tattoo appointments. So the wall art is a good distraction lol. Never a bad experience here :) read more

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My son and I scheduled a tattoo appointment for noon on Sunday December 18th with Woody. We waited 4 months for an opening in Woody's schedule. We drove an hour each from different locations to meet with him and have matching tattoos symbolizing important family history. He never showed up. We called, texted, emailed and contacted him by his preferred methods on Instagram. We still have not heard from him. Not to reschedule, not to apologize for wasting 4 months of waiting and not scheduling with someone else, and wasting our Sunday when we could have been with our families. Don't bother with this irresponsible artist no matter the purported quality of his work. read more

Stefan has done a couple of my tattoos now and every time he has put extra time in making sure everything is perfect and right for me. He is supper talented and a pleasure to work with. Thanks again, Stefan! The shop plays great music and welcoming atmosphere. From what I've seen Woodrow's work is amazing too and he is super nice. Would highly recommend Black Cat and the crew! Cheers! read more

Black Cat Tattoo Shop - Kali by Stefan. - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos , California

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Professional and respectful conduct, clean environment and highly knowledgeable about their line of trade. I worked with Woodrow and I have nothing but positive words to describe him. I gave him some images of artwork and explained my tattoo idea and inspiration, and he recreated a design so beautifully. I'm beyond grateful for finding Woodrow, as he has blessed me with a daily reminder of God's grace and mercy. read more

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Black Cat tattoo is great! Stefan is an excellent artist. He has a keen eye and helps guide you with decision making in designing the perfect tattoo. The shop is clean and professional and plays good music. Highly recommend Black Cat for anyone who wants a beautiful tattoo! read more

Stefan was awesome and he really did an incredible job! I love my tatoo and enjoyed my experience. He was knowledgeable and was willing to talk to me about every concern I had. Thanks again!!! read more

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My friend and I got tattoos today and we love them!! Such an easy and enjoyable process. Was able to get very precise line work and exactly what we wanted. Loved being a part of the design process and would definitely recommend :) read more

Black Cat Tattoo Shop - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos , California

My friend and I had gone to the shop for a walk in appointment super excited to get a tattoo for my birthday. We had Adrian who was acting really weird when we got there and sort of dozing off like he forgot what he was doing during the tattoos. He also changed his shirt right in front of us because he thought he looked weird. When we got there we asked if he was able to do fine line when we were showing him our ideas and seemed to get offended and said yes, but they are not fine line whatsoever. And he was super aggressive with my friend while doing her tattoo. It was him, my friend, his friend and I in the shop and his friend had to leave somewhere and he offered us to give his friend a ride and we immediately turned it down. The experience was overall very weird and I don't recommend him at all. read more

Excellent experience, there is a good reason there is such a long wait time. Woody is meticulous and highly detailed, a true artist. I look forward to more body art from Black Cat. read more

I would have loved to get tattooed by their artist tell I got completely ignored. Honestly havent had this bad of customer service in a long time. Artist set an appointment then did not reply. Showed to the appointment to find everything locked and get no response (after calling an texting) waited and hour in the parking lot . Then later that night was told like there was never a said date and had to be reminded. After trying to reschedule I was completely ignored. Very bad business if the artist did not want to do the work then should have said so from the get go not get all the info and make a plan to meet then ignore the client!!!! Very disappointed as I wanted this artist for several years but will not pay for someone that treats their customers like they don't exist especially when going for a sleeve. read more

I've gone to Stefan twice and both times I've been blown away with his work. He's extremely patient, well educated and a good conversationalist. I've flipped flopped with my design over and over again just to see other options. He gladly showed me and explained how they would look but I always go back to his original drawings. They're just that good. He has a truly remarkable eye for placement, shading, colors and linework. Definitely coming back. read more

Awesome shop. Clean, comfortable and welcoming. Gerald was easy to work with and did a great job. Super happy with my tattoo. I will definitely be coming back again. read more

My boyfriend has come in to get five different tattoos here, everyone was very professional and the shop is really clean. I had a consoltation and am going to be getting a tattoo done at the shop, I'll update with my experience and the picture after I get it done read more

I have been getting tattooed by Woody for years. He is amazing at what he does and will ALWAYS make sure the tattoo you're getting is perfect. Woody is insanely talented and can bring to life just about anything that you could image, and then some. I can't thank him enough for all of the beautiful artwork he has done on me! read more

Jesse is a great tattoo artist! I have two tattoos from him now and they are by far my favorite ones! He has a great style of tattooing and I always feel comfortable when he is doing them. read more

Black Cat Tattoo Shop - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos , California

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Jesse did my tattoo and it's exactly what I envisioned. He's an amazing artist, makes sure you get EXACTLY what you want, and is just really fucking great at what he does. Check out more of his work at jesseiris_tattoo if you're considering getting something done by him. read more

I have been getting tattoos from Jesse over the past 8 years. I absolutely love them all. Jesse is always very patient and dedicated to making sure that I am getting exactly the tattoo that I desire and is meticulously careful with the placement and all aspects of the tattoo. I feel that Jesse takes great pride in his work and the experience of his clients. He is patient, kind, thoughtful and an extremely talented artist. I am also very impressed by how clean the shop is. I highly recommend Jesse Iris at Black Cat Tattoo. I have also seen some of his cover up and scar covers he has done on friends of mine, it is amazing!! read more