wes is a pro. so happy with my tattoo. he took my design and elevated it - placed it right where i…read morewanted it - perfection.

My daughter & I walked in on a whim on a random Tues evening with not much time before closing. We…read moreknew we were taking a chance on the timing but had simple, small, tattoos in mind. Wes was very kind & courteous to this tattoo novice lending his professional advice with my design & placement. I appreciate that he stayed to do both mine and my daughter's tattoo. I felt very comfortable and relaxed during my visit. When I am ready for that next level tattoo I'll be back.

Once you have time to look back on tattoo experiences, they often are not what they once were…read more After getting this tattoo fixed by another artist, I see how average it was back when I got it done here.

Tattoo , Morgan was amazing. Would definitely go back and would recommend…read more Atmosphere was inviting, everyone was extremely nice and very professional.

I had a wonderful experience here! My boyfriend and I were visiting and decided to get a tattoo and…read morepiercing. His tattoo came out so awesome! Our artist Lacy was so sweet we recommend him 100%!!

I don't like my first tattoo done there! Very disappointed. It's like done by a 5 years old kid…read more I hope to find someone who can fix!! I have to wait for several weeks to fix the bad tattoo. I'm sooo embarrassing to show and post on IG and FB till it's fix!

All of the artists here are individually talented and kind people. Isaac is about 50 years ahead of…read morehis time and has the skills to back it up.

Preface: whenever I'm unhappy enough with service to leave a less than stellar review, I take a day…read moreor two to figure out if I'm just frustrated, or the service/experience was legitimately bad enough to warrant that review. I'm super glad I did in this case, since a friend pointed out something I hadn't realized. I came in based on excessive amazing reviews of both tattoos and piercings. I went in initially on Saturday evening spur of the moment, but was told the piercer had just left for the night and wouldn't be back till Tuesday. That's what I get for not making an appointment or calling ahead, but like I said, spur of the moment. They told me she'd (Karina) be back Tuesday. I figured if they're referring to a single piercer, then she presumably has experience with this piecing and decided to come back Tuesday. So I went back on Tuesday. I called ahead but didn't get a response. To their credit, I got a call back after I went in 20-30 minutes later and they had been packed when I came in. I guess Karina is the only piercer that does the bridge piercing, so after she cleaned up, I came back and she prepped my face for the piercing. Maybe she could tell by looking that I had the anatomy for the bridge? Idk. Then she put the marker on my face and let me check the placement and had me lay back. She didn't even offer to let me see the piercing first, I had to ask. She was intending to use a curved barbell, despite many other piercers advocating the straight one to avoid changes in tension, to prevent gravity from pulling the curve downward and making the claim of reduced tension redundant, and mitigating rejection risk. I believe the piercers that I've followed online, blogs, Instagram, and tiktok. I don't think I can do research and know more than a trained professional, so I read what the professionals said. When I asked for a straight barbell, she seemed frustrated and claimed she didn't even have any straight barbell options despite having a full container of barbells labeled as such and insisted that she's been piercing for 19 years. (Idk their gauges but it was definitely unbelievable considering the boxes were labeled "straight barbells") I'm not trying to negate her experience, but I felt very judged for both wanting to know and having an opinion on what went into my body. If I want to mitigate rejection risk, why should that option be judged? This is a piercing I'd like to keep. It wasn't until I called my second option for the piercing and was asked a few questions and told the pricing that I realized none of that had been discussed at West End Tattoo & Piercing. I even had to volunteer my medication list as described in the paperwork, since no one asked. I wasn't told their pricing before she intended to pierce me. I don't know what the tattoo process is like here, since I've never been for that, and I definitely verified the other location pierces with straight barbells. Lesson learned. I will say everyone was friendly and welcoming until I questioned the piercing jewellery, and the decorations are awesome, but I won't be back, even for a tattoo. Added after reflection: omg, no one spoke to me before any expected piercing about after care, possible migration/rejection, other risks like scaring, etc. I hadn't initially recognized that lack due to my own research following other piercers, but recognizing it now is terrifying. 2* because they were very welcoming when I walked in, and willing to squeeze me in without an appointment.

I got a tattoo here from a truly incredible visiting artist, Harmony Furman, who I hope will be…read moreback at this studio when she moves to RVA....bc it is amazing! All the artists and clients for that matter were awesome--so friendly and warm and excited to see everyone's work. I love that it's a woman-owned studio and further, Katie the owner is so talented and lovely. The studio is smaller so you can see a ton of art on the walls, which I loved since it distracted me from my tattoo. ALSO: there is amazing food and drinks within walking distance. Halal Munchies is next door which is perfect pre-tattoo food, then there is TT's boba shop a little further down. I'd never been to either and they were perfect. I can't wait to come back here for my next tattoo!

Super nice crew all around! Vivian is a true Gem! She's super talented! Book with her, you won't…read moreregret it!

I called to speak to them about my piercing and asked if I could stop in to meet with their…read morepiercer, Melissa. They asked what time I wanted to stop by and said they'd see me then. Melissa took me back to her piercing station, took her time to listen to what I wanted to do, (increase the gauge of my nostril piercing), and my concerns. She took the time to speak to me about my options and her recommendations. She then went ahead and took the time to stretch my piercing and place a new ring in there. It was totally painless, I didn't even get any tears. She even recommended a website for me to order the next larger size to bring in with me in three weeks so she can move me up to that size next. I am just blown away by her professionalism and care. If you were thinking of getting pierced, I have no qualms recommending her.

Initially I didn't have a very good experience after miscommunication over the tattoo design, but…read moreafter the fact, my artist did reach out to let me know I had been overcharged. He returned what I had been overcharged, which I find very honest of the studio, despite my first review.

I got a beautiful mountain scape dot work piece done by Ben (which he essentially hand drew…read morehimself). I told him loosely what I wanted, showed him a picture [tattoo] of it, and he said he never copies directly someone else's tattoo so it would be original. I'd heard enough great things about his work that I said, "ok Ben, I trust you". And it turned out flawlessly. Fair prices, precision detail.. definitely recommend. 4 stars instead of 5 because a $100 minimum is a bit steep if someone wanted to get a tiny touch up or dime sized design with no detail.

This is my second tattoo from Ben Around Tattoos, but my first with Ben. Ben free-handed the…read moreartwork on my hand, and it was perfect. The image that I selected was too large for me hand, but Ben improvised, and it was perfect. It has been a week since my tattoo, and it is healing perfectly. There are several spots that need some minor touch-ups, but I am completely satisfied. If Yelp allows me to post an image of my sugar skull, I will. If you're in the area, and you're thinking about a tattoo, stop.in and see Ben, you won't regret it.

This place is my go to shop! I've gotten multiple tattoos from different artists at this shop and…read moreI've loved every one of them. The quality work is great. They were also very informative on aftercare which I really appreciated as I got my first tattoo here. The vibe of the shop is great tons of super cool artwork along the walls. Also the artists each have their own private room which makes you feel more at ease. Scheduling was super easy and hassle free. Definitely would recommend this place great quality work at good prices.

So very happy with my Capricorn fairy. Cat is professional, calm, and an amazing artist. She took…read moremy idea, and discussed the differences between an arm piece and a half-sleeve. I told her what my personality was, and she came up with a design that fits me perfectly.

My best friend and I went in for matching tattoos. They had a serious personal meaning and we…read morewanted to get it exactly right. The staff was really friendly and helpful. No one judged any ideas we had and they made sure to remind us that we should not take this decision lightly. If we didn't feel absolutely happy with the sketches he would keep drawing them for us to see and we could always leave no harm done. I appreciated that they weren't pushy about how we should do it or just to decide something. The artist spent a good half hour revising the sketch with us. In the end we found the perfect artwork adjusted slightly for each of our taste and ended the day with our matching reminders. Highly recommend this place for artist who care about you and share their knowledge and experience regarding the design you want.

Late reviewing this, but it's stuck with me... Years ago I had an appointment for a tattoo that I'd…read moreput a deposit on. I was on my way to the appointment and called to let them know I was running late after leaving work early. They told me I'd need to reschedule because they had computer issues and lost all their appointments so my artist was currently working on someone else. I never got my tattoo or my money back.

I had a wonderful experience here and I would highly recommend!! I'm honestly shocked there are no…read morereviews yet!! To set the stage, a friend and I were visiting another friend who lives in Charlottesville for a BRIEF weekend (literally 24 hours from Sat-Sun). We spontaneously decided that we all wanted to get additional ear piercings at 5pm on Saturday. We searched Yelp for options, and unfortunately (after calling several places) were not able to make appointments on such short notice. Until about 1pm on Sunday!!! We had been looking on Yelp mostly, but saw that Spitfire had positive reviews on Google. We called and were able to make appointments for that afternoon (an hour later)!! This place is relatively new (I believe they just opened in February), and the place is spacious, sparkling clean, and comfortable (with really nice couches in the waiting area and individual rooms fully equipped with materials)! My friends and I received our piercings from Ariel, who was incredible! Two of us just got a second set of piercings on the lobes, while my third friend received a cartilage piercing. Once we selected our earrings, Ariel carefully consulted our ears and discussed with us where we'd like the additional piercing(s). We were so impressed by Ariel's expertise, commitment to clean and sterile technique, and ability to put us all at ease by walking us through the entire process. We also received detailed and helpful instructions about proper healing and care. This is my first time getting a piercing since I got my first set at age 14, and it was such a fabulous experience! The staff were all so responsive, friendly, and welcoming (both as they made our appointments and in-person). It's clear that they all have a ton of experience in piercings/tattooing. They've also done an amazing job setting up their space. I'm writing this review a week out and my new piercings look great and are healing so well. We're so glad that they were able to accommodate us in our 11th hour attempt to get piercings before our weekend ended!! **Aside from obviously being very sanitary for piercing reasons, they were also very COVID-safe!!**

I had a small tattoo done by Scott. I have him a picture and told hi my thoughts. He was like…read more"cool". I made an appointment and it was about 2 months out. Ugh. But when I got in, I was very pleased. The atmosphere is very chill. Great music and staff was extremely nice. Scott took me back and completed the tattoo quickly and accurately. It was everything k expected and have gotten more comments than any other tattoo. I thought about just making an appointment since they were a couple months out. I figure I'd get an idea by the time the time the appointment rolled around. You'll be very happy if you get work done here.