If you have the itch to celebrate your expression, come here! Mert was my artist and wow! Is he amazing!!! He'll do more than what you ask of him. You may have the perfect image for him, but he'll make it perfect on perfect, throwing in a shadow here, some blending there, and cool convos all-around. 13 years experience and an evil following to prove it. Thank you Mert!!! read more

Went in for an appointment and was nicely approached by a guy that said he was not the artist but would make sure she understood my asks. The tattoo was $800 for lettering that took two hours!!! (Pick shows only 1/4) Lady was nice, good English (she was Turkish), but the lettering was slanted and not where I wanted it so she redid the placement. She said that she would do little tweeks (i asked for) along the way, like pulling down one of the letters a tiny bit. Nope Some letter connect, some don't, thin lines, thick lines...im ok with it b/c I wanted it so bad. She was doing a tattoo before and one after and had someone waiting for her, because this first guy was the owner and hanging out with a buddy while she did all the work. I saw her take a 15 min dinner break standing up, before I was in her chair. She gets 20% commission folks. Don't do it. I felt bad for her and snuck her a tip, so he couldn't get it. I have friends in the business, and the people would take 60%max and that was for an apprenticeship. It's a f@#king shame. read more

Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio - Strong enough to get over it, but still... - Tattoo Near Me - Berkeley, California

I chose this shop based on their online portfolio and the claims made during my consultation. I was quoted $2,000 and was told their artists were among the most well-known in the Bay Area. I trusted that price reflected experience and quality. However, I was assigned an artist who was not listed on their website or portfolio, and I was not informed beforehand that this would be the case. As this was only my second tattoo, I trusted the process and did not realize the gap in experience until seeing the final result. The finished tattoo does not match the level of work shown on their site or Google images. Had I known the artist's experience level in advance, I would have made a different decision. Transparency matters, especially for permanent body work. I hope the shop improves communication so future clients can make fully informed choices. read more

Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio - Tattoo Near Me - Berkeley, California

I came in to get my seamless gold hoops reclosed on my ears as I had to take them off unexpectedly for a medical scan. The piercer seemed confident and said there was some difficulty as I had distorted them. He closed them in a completely innapropriate manner that frankly ruined them. I wish he had just told me he didnt know how to use this jewelry or that it was already beyond repair rather than just forcing it onto my ear and overlapping the ends. He was nice and used sanitary equipment but I would not come here again for this service. Shop overall was clean and professional if a bit corporate Edit: I went to a different shop today to fix the botch job cleopatra did and they were horrified. My ear is all inflamed and I had to pay to get them to fix the horrific job cleopatra did. Do not come here for any piercing services they have no idea what they are doing read more

I SHOULD NOT have gotten tattooed here! I have never been so overcharged for a tattoo before! The man that designed the tattoo basically did clip art, then passed me off to a different artist that barely spoke english and had to google what a rainbow was. There was one red flag after another but i was so excited to get tatted that i overlooked it all. I really regret going here for my tattoo read more

Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio - They charged me $550 for this - Tattoo Near Me - Berkeley, California

Their marketing on Facebook is fantastic, but after making an appt. and being texted several times reminding me of the appt. I showed up 30 minutes before my scheduled time to know one in the shop. It was open and a few people standing around, but wasn't greeted and waited for someone to approach me. Finally a woman came over to me and asked me what I wanted. I told her I wanted a tattoo and had an appt. for a consultation. She had no idea who I was... No greeting, no introduction, just ok, and walked over and got an iPad and asked what I wanted. I showed her a picture/image of my idea. She created an image and we chatted for a few minutes. I have no idea who she was and after our consultation I was shocked by the quote. Twice as much as other studios. I said I'd have to "think" about it. Her lack of professionalism was a big turn off, and i have no idea who she was or if she was actually a tattoo artist or who she was... don't recommend. read more

went to the shop yesterday. They would not give me a quote showing the tattoo I wanted. When I got there the designer was talking me into something she was able to do and not what I wanted. She obviously didn't know how to design it other than from a template on line. The minimalist tattoo she came up with would be $600. Crazy!!! I went to a different shop in Berkeley and got exactly what I wanted for half the price. I didn't like the way I was treated. A designer created a design which was not what I asked for and she could not recreate from the photo I showed her. read more

Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio - The tattoo I actually wanted that I got at another shop - Tattoo Near Me - Berkeley, California

I had been coming across an artist at this location for a while on social media & was interested in a coverup piece I wanted for over a decade. I originally booked an appointment before Christmas to find out the artist wasn't in the country. They were able to rebook me on Christmas eve which actually landed on my birthday so it was a great gift to myself. I originally spoke with Rino & he helped me come to a decision for what we could get done that day. He sketched out something I could see myself being finally happy with. He was blunt, realistic and very nice about the reality of a cover up. When I had met with the artist I was interested in (Yunus) he asked me a few questions in specific about what I envisioned & if I had any other white ink tattoos. I explained this would be my only white ink tattoo which is why I was hesitant but wanted him as an artist considering that's what caught my attention from his work. The piece came out so gorgeous I'm extremely happy with the results. The shop was extremely clean & a positive atmosphere which I appreciate. The ONLY negative thing I have to say is how they handle booking the appointments. Whoever runs their social media should be more communicative with the shop. I plan to book again next month so I'm really hoping I don't have this problem next visit. Sorry it took so long to write review I needed to see how it healed plus I wasn't able to have anyone take healed photos but will try to leave updated photos. These photos are of the same night 12/24. When I'm able to get updated photos I'll repost them since this was the night of. Yunus is a very gifted amazing artist, highly recommend this shop! read more

Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio - Tattoo Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

I went here a few days ago and had a terrible experience. I've been here once before and had an alright visit. I was just getting some jewelry changed out, not a piercing. But honestly, the vibes in the space were not great then, and when I went back, it was the same energy again. After agreeing on where the piercer placed the dot, she immediately came at my face with the needle. I was so confused about what was happening. I asked if they use one standard type of jewelry for all new piercings, and she said yes. I usually go to Zebra and have always had good experiences there. They take the time to explain the process, ask questions beforehand, and make you feel comfortable and safe. I did not feel that at all here. Then she said, "Oh, I didn't realize your other two piercings were flatbacks," which showed she hadn't checked what kind of jewelry I already had in my nose. I also realized she was removing my other piercings without explaining that she was going to do so. Overall, the experience felt unwelcoming and unsafe because of how carelessly the piercer interacted with me. It's been a few days now, and the piercing looks weird, like it's sinking into my nose. I think she might have made the hole too big because it just doesn't feel or look right. I'm going to another piercer to get it checked out and hoping it doesn't get infected and heals alright. Either way, I really hope they can be more attentive and cautious when working with customers because you're dealing with someone's body. read more

My teen daughters and I wanted to get a few ear piercings. I was really nervous because it was cartilage piercings and read so many horror stories. Walking into the parlor, you automatically notice how friendly and clean the establishment is. I've never met so many friendly people before at a tattoo parlor. Our piercer Diana was such an adorable and calming presence. She answered all the questions we had with a smile on her face. She even showed us her piercings and told us stories about them. She never rushed us and put up with our nerves. After each piercing, she gave us high fives and told us how brave we were. Such an amazing bonding experience with my daughters! Will definitely come back and recommend this location to everyone! read more

Wish I could give 0 stars but I can't . Worse experience ever and didn't even get to get service . I called in to see if they were open and was told that the piercer would be done taking people by 8pm . So I took a uber to make it there by 7:40. There was no host when I arrived and I saw the tablet displayed for an agreement wavier so I decided to take my time to sign it and save time, and the host shows up which I found out was the piercer and after she was done on a personal phone call, I explained to her I was the caller and by that time it was 7:50 and she told me it was too late to "fit me in" and there was nothing she could do. I asked her to please take my information out of the system because I'm not from the area but she told me she couldn't delete my personal information and that she had things to do at the end of the day I feel like this business doesn't care about their customers and aren't willing to accommodate when they are in the wrong. I hope you don't have to experience this type of hospitality because it's the worst! read more

Came in to get my nose re-pierced and ended up getting a tattoo as well. I told them what I was wanting, they showed me a sketch and I loved it. I wanted the birth flowers of my daughters. Diego was my artist and he killed it. It has been a while since I had gotten tatted and I was nervous but he made it where he talked me and made sure I was okay. He was pretty awesome, definitely coming back for my next tattoo! Hit him up for your next tattoo, his IG is @diegoalbanes_art read more

Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio - Tattoo Near Me - Berkeley, California

LOVED everything about my experience today! Reno, the design expert, helped me figure out what would look best on my shoulder and Jeremiah, the tattoo artist was beyond amazing. He was professional and impeccable with hygiene, soooo artistically talented- and he had the softest touch, I barely felt anything. So happy we found you guys, highly recommend 10/10. Vibe was great and very easy to find parking. Will def be back. read more

Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio - Tattoo Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

I got my tattoo last night. It's very fresh and we will have to see how it heals but so far 5 stars. If you look at my yelp you know I rarely review businesses. However this was a very efficient process. This is the tattoo spot you got to if you have concept and reference point. I air dropped my references worked with the artist to create the design. They answered all of my questions. The tattoo is located on my inner arm so it was painful however the artist was quick and efficient and supportive. I wish I would've got his name cause he was a good tattooist you could tell he has been doing this work for awhile. The pricing was fair cause I was paying for the efficiency the skill level of the artist. And probably even under what I should've paid given the detail... once I have a healed pic I'll post it. The only small detail I'll give you is bring cash if you don't want to pay 4% card fee but eh price of not carrying cash or asking the right question. read more

Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio - Fresh tattoo. Try to upload a healer picture - Tattoo Near Me - Berkeley, California

My mom, son and I went to get matching tattoos. My mom and son's turned out nicely but it was very simple, small and merely a line tattoo. My son and I got matching tattoos as well and the artist got the color wrong on my son's. I was very disappointed. It was easy. Just a small orange flag and she made his red. The color was very important. He trusted the artist and the process and once done, it was too late to fix. read more

Excellent service, clean and welcoming studio, and most importantly, amazing quality tattoos. The manager, Anas was very friendly and helped throughout the process! Their pricing was a bit on the higher side, but their customer experience and tattoo quality totally justify it. I will definitely be back for my next tattoo read more

Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio - Tattoo Near Me - Berkeley, California

The studio was very beautiful and clean and it was a super friendly environment. Star was my piercer she was so sweet. She did my nipple piercings and I love them so much! The placement was perfect and the whole process was quick and not too painful! read more

I am very impressed with this shop. I had the pleasure of receiving a last-minute walk-in tattoo from a visiting international artist who specializes in realism. The consultation and Curation and session were all completed in two hours! And then I had swift piercing with a lovely lady named Star. Location is prime and the interior design is clean, welcoming, and chic I will definitely be visiting for another service in the future. What a fun and successful experience!! XoxoxO read more

I was a walk in a few weeks ago and was able to be seen right away. I came in to get a piecing and was paired with Star, who is an amazing human. The place was laid back and very clean. Starr took the time to make sure the location matched with another piercing I have. Thank you again, and I will definitely be back and have recommended the place to a few friends who are looking to get more piercings. read more

Got the first of two pieces. Fantastic. Both are based on Shawn Coss artwork, and dude nailed it. Professional. Polished. Most of all? The tattoo is INSANELY good. Yes, the prices are high. But you know what they say: a good tattoo ain't cheap (and a cheap tattoo ain't good). Next up: the ribs. Which are going to hurt more, but I have no doubt it'll be totally worth it. read more

Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio - Based on Shawn Coss's depiction of panic disorder from his book "It's All in Your Head." - Tattoo Near Me - Berkeley, California

Can't speak to the experience of actually getting a tattoo here because after giving 2 months notice for 2 1-hour appointments, telling them one of us was coming from out of state, offering to make a deposit, and describing the type of art we would want, noone was there until 10 mins after our scheduled time to even open the studio. Once they looked me up I was told I was booked for Design Consultation appointments and they couldn't fit us in! What? Do people often come from out of state to 'discuss' art for an hour with a friend and pay for 2 consultations? Ridiculous. Found another local shop that took good care of us same day. Bottom line, make sure you are 200% clear if you book here. read more

Didn't get a tattoo there went in for consultation and that made me want to wait for my tattoo. Person doing the drawing and coloring gave no opinion on shading or colors. He was not listening or Understanding my request. My artwork looked kind of ugly so I left without getting a tattoo or scheduling one read more

HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE I paid 500 dollars for this "water color" tattoo. As you can see in the pictures tagged, the tattoo came out absolutely nothing like the template that was given to me. Genuinely I have never seen such a bad tattoo I cried all the way home. It looks like a child drew on me. I don't know how you can look at someone in the eye after mauling their body like this and say that it looks good. I can't believe that they said they can do this tattoo for me when CLEARLY they cannot. Now I'll have to spend over a grand removing this monstrosity... don't get fooled by the nice atmosphere of the tattoo parlor or their website. This is supposed to be my country's national flower that represents my heritage and history. I'm so distraught.. no wonder they gave me 5 pages worth of liability waivers. Seriously be careful and don't make the mistake I made. Update: The owner personally contacted me and has communicated with me throughout the whole process of getting it fixed/ touched up. He did it free of charge with a really great tattoo artist. It definitely looks much better though the previous neon green and strong line work inside the flowers r still not completely covered. The shop vibe and workers r really cool but I would advice to still be extra sure that you know that the tattoo artist can do what u want bc the company's website and instagram doesn't seem a 100% accurate to some artists they have. read more

See all

I went to get piercings put back in. The piercer did not clean my ear or the jewelry before inserting. She also pierced over a blood bubble that had formed. I now have an infection and the jewelry just came through the front of the piercing and got stuck in my cartilage. Lastly, she had acrylic nails so she couldn't grip anything with gloves on and was struggling with tools (it took a long time to get the jewelry in). Very dissatisfied and also they charged me $50 for an after care spray that another piercer said could've caused the irritation. Stay away for piercings! read more

Got my first navel piercing with Star! She guided me through the process and answered all of my questions. I felt very comfortable and safe. Process was fast and easy. Will come back again for other piercings in the future. Thank you, Star! You are so sweet read more

By far the best tattoo experience I've ever been to, I've got multiple tattoos and this place tops them all, super friendly amazing artists HUGO is the man. Do not go anywhere else read more

The artist who did my tattoo was Jose and he did an amazing job. He was very gently, patient and kind. The tattoo was absolutely beautiful. He was very detailed and took his time to make sure everything was perfect. The artist who helped design my tattoo was also very patient and made sure it looked exactly how I wanted it. Very clean place and great customer service. Highly recommend . read more

Came in to get my nose repierced when this shop opened up! Upon arrival I was greeted at the front desk; she was very kind, informative and helpful! The vibe inside felt great - after taking a seat and filling out the waiver I was greeted by the piercer who was awesome. She answered all my questions and I felt very comfortable repiercing my nose - I was a little cautious going in as I knew I had some scar tissue build up. Thanks to her all my worries were put to ease and the piercing experience was great! The pricing for the jewelry and piercing was very affordable. I was very happy with the piercing and my experience from entering to exiting! Would highly recommend this place to all my friends and anyone in the area looking for a piercing or even tattoo pieces. This will be my go to spot and can't wait to get some more down the road! read more

Great experience ! Star was amazing piercing jewelry change looks so fire super considerate of my concerns too!

I went in to see if they could remove my tragus piercing, my first red flag should've been that the piercer did not what that was. I had to point it out, there was someone standing with the piercer, I said hello and she just looked at me like I was crazy. The piercer was unable to remove my jewelry and walked away to grab someone else without saying anything to me. This lady came out and just started pulling on my jewelry without saying anything. She then started yelling at me asking me who did the piercing, i told her and she just said she didn't have the tools to take it out. I understand that removing a piercing you didn't do must not be great, but they could of turned me away and I couldn't have cared. The attitude of everyone that helped me was really rude and unwelcoming. I would not recommend this place to anyone. Save your time and go to industrial or zebra down the street. read more

I came in for piercing services. The place was nice and clean, (and well lit!) and everyone was welcoming, friendly, and polite. Star was my piercer, and she was FANTASTIC! She discussed the cost upfront, suggested good jewelry (and why). Star explained what she was doing, was gentle, and checked on my comfort level. She gave me aftercare advice, and welcomed me back. I WILL be back. I especially appreciate not being pressured or upsold- she talked to me to understand what I wanted. THANKS, Star and thanks Cleopatra Ink Tattoo and piercing! read more

Waste of time don't go here had an appointment for 3pm for a tattoo consultation and they treated me like I was not even there I was on time for my appointment and just sat and waited for 20mins completely wasting my time I would suggest to go somewhere else for your tattoos this place is a total joke with their time management I had this appointment 3 days in advance the artist was just goofing around with someone else read more

Well, if you're looking to spend 4 hours in the ER on an antibiotic IV drip and then make another trip to to urgent care while out of state, because of a scary infection, then this place is great. Now, the tattoo ended up being a deal, because they refunded the cost. Think long and hard before going into this place. read more

This place is great! Everybody there was nice. Reno designed our tattoos, helped us with placement. He is awesome. Jeremiah did our tattoos. He is a really nice guy. He took care of us. The place is clean. Very meticulous. I recommend 100%. read more

Don't go!!! Run away! I made an appointment they never showed up. So unprofessional took two days to call me only offered me 5% on a tattoo. Boooooooo read more

Got my nostril pierced here. Star was great! I didn't have to wait at all and I was in and out pretty quick.

Terrible for tattoos. might be good for piercings idk. came in a couple weeks ago expecting to get a tattoo with my appointment just to be told that was just for a consultation but does not say that anywhere on their website or instagrams. they then proceeded to try to tell me it was going to be 800$ with a down payment of 120$ (palm sized tattoo barely 2 inches) after they told me that i left and went to the other tattoo shop down the street and they did it for 200$ total and it looks better than what this place had shown me. read more

Very weird place. I went to get a septum piercing today and the piercer showed up almost looking like she was hopped up on coke. She couldn't even get the end of the piercing to be screwed on because of how shaky her hands were. She also had me get up to put the end of the piercing on and she was very inappropriately shoving her body on legs. It was very weird but just glad I got my piercing done. Probably won't go back there read more

DUDE WHEN I TELL YOU THIS WAS PROBABLY THE BEST PIERCING EXPERIENCE I COULD HAVE HOPED FOR, I MEAN THAT. I got double and triple piercings done on both ears, and I had gotten my first one messed up by a piercer a few years ago, so Star (literally the coolest person I've ever met) checked the symmetry of my face and made sure that the alignment of each of the piercings matched the shape of my ear and the spacing was even in relation to my past piercings. When we first got there we were greeted and were led to chairs where we sat to fill out the preliminary forms which detailed all the information we needed about the services we would be having done in a straightforward way that was so efficient it only took a few minutes to fly through it. We were asked if we wanted coffee and got to chill while the station was prepped. The vibe was very modern with nice lighting which wasn't too florescent so it didn't feel like a doctors office and instead was inviting to help calm ay nerves, and the place just felt CLEAN. When igot the piercings done I was led into a separate room where they had a reclining chair to sit in, and sanitation was taken very seriously. Star talked me through everything that was going to happen, and made it so that it was a stable and relaxing environment which made the piercing process go much smoother than i have seen at other places. Not to mention that the jewelry is included in the price for the piercing and it is hypoallergenic and something like could probably wear for years in the future. She gave me a clear run down of aftercare and the do's and don'ts of taking care of piercings which was so thorough I didn't even have any questions afterwards. AND ITS CUTE TOO like what I got was stunning and can go with literally any outfit I wanted to pair it with. I fully understand why this place has such high ratings and given I go to UC Berkeley and live in the area, this is now going to be my go-to place. 100/10 recommend. read more

Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio - Fresh double and triple piercing with included; pink first lobe jewelry also able for purchase from the store. - Tattoo Near Me - Berkeley, California

I had a very great service and I love this place. One of the coolest place to check out in Berkeley when u thinking of tattoo