I got a tattoo here today from Malvi and it was an incredible experience! First, the space and the staff are great. Just good vibes all around! The waiting room and reception area is dark and moody, while the studio is bright and roomy. There was music playing but tons of great artists at work, and it felt like a quirky brain trust in the best way. Working with Malvi was a dream. We communicated online beforehand and she is super professional and sweet. She gave me a price estimate and really put a lot of thought into what I wanted. Once I got there, she reviewed the details and then went and drew a sketch. In just 30 minutes she had a beautiful design created! She then printed the design out in multiple sizes so I could see what size I wanted best. I loved that she came prepared with options because I always feel bad asking for more. Once it was time to start, she had several outlines ready so again I felt comfortable asking for small changes. She was really thoughtful and careful with the placement. The set up was also very clean and thoroughly prepared. Malvi was very gentle during the tattooing process and gave me lots of space to ask for breaks and stretches. It was incredible watching her tattoo- she is a master! The end result was the most gorgeous tattoo I have out of four. She was very clear with the aftercare and how to contact her about touch ups. I feel like she is here for me through the healing process. If you're considering where to get your next tattoo, Cry Baby and Malvi are excellent options! read more

Had such a positive and great experience at Cry Baby! I came here for my first tattoo with Gabbi and not only was her design and line work beautiful, but she was incredible professional and so sweet. We talked prior to my appointment on what I wanted and then day of, she went through a few different designs to find what was best for me. She walked me through and clearly explained every step to make sure I was incredibly comfortable and happy. The studio was so clean, cute, and had a great vibe as well. I would absolutely recommend this studio and Gabbi - she was so wonderful and I love my tattoo so much! I will absolutely be booking another! read more

Squeaky clean studio. Covid protocol includes wearing a mask, washing hands upon arrival and completing covid online questionnaire before arrival. I have had 3 appts and have been impressed every time with the professionalism and skill in this shop. I have only worked with Simba and not only is she amazingly talented, she is also incredibly kind, thoughtful and patient. She designed my clematis flowers and the placement and wrapping is perfect. Simba also designed my little Nessie and had no problem altering the thiccness on the spot. Make sure to build in time to find parking if driving in...at least 15 mins to circle for a spot. Just a reminder that tattoos are a luxury not a necessity and tattoo artist are people. Be nice to people. read more

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I love the whole staff, but Dr Z is an actual genius. He's a highly trained artist. He had a vision to become a tattoo artist when he was a teenager, went to school for it, and mastered his craft. My partner and I have come to him with ideas, and he has shaped them, and captured exactly what I was trying to envision. We've asked him for work in multiple styles, and everything he's done has been beautiful. I've been to four other studios, but I've stuck with Z and Cry Baby for six tattoos. See pictures!! read more

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I was dropped off here so I thankfully didn't have to worry about parking. This studio is very good about practicing safe measures with COVID-19, they required my vaccine card and masks. I got a last-minute flash tattoo from Clea through replying to an instagram story of hers. I had a great experience in getting the tattoo and it was pretty quick. I would say it's a little complicated finding the studio, but they give clear instructions on how to. Overall, good experience! read more

Cry Baby Studios - Tattoo from Clea! - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Very pleased with my tattoo. Nice staff and cool studio. Make sure you have cash and are aware they don't take walk ins.

Their work and talent seems amazing! No question about that and it had me really excited to be a first time client at Cry Baby. Unfortunately, the customer service angle was lacking in my experience. I was ghosted by the studio and artist after being told someone would be in touch. That's despite following up again twice over a 2 month period - one of those times at the request of the artist who posted on Instagram about prioritizing folks whose emails were missed before if they re-upped their request. My final follow up was 1/18. I got no responses or further explanation as of this review's date (1/30). Disappointed! read more

I got the best tattoo here from Simba! Very clean and professional atmosphere. The process of booking an appointment was also very organized. Highly recommend and can't wait to get my next tattoo here. read more

Cry Baby Studios - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I got my first tattoo here by Dr. Z. The entire process was a breeze. I came in with a rough sketch and we talked through what was important for my tattoo and what to expect when I came in to get it done. He answered all my questions and took lots of notes to make sure he understood my vision. On the day of, Z presented me with two ideas; we re-worked some aspects of the design right there based on my feedback. The tattooing process was a lot easier than I expected; it went by pretty fast and the pain level was way more manageable than I anticipated. The tattoo came out fantastic; just what I wanted. Kudos to Z for making me feel incredibly at ease and producing a design even better than I hoped. Definitely will be coming back for more. read more

i've sat through over 25 tattoos, but the 2 tattoos i got from angela (@noranseck on insta) were the best of my life. not only was angela's art and design amazing, but she also has the most insane mind and understanding of tattoos on the body- how they'll warp, how your mind will pick them up in the corner of your eye, how things look on various skin tones, how they play with any other tattoos you might have. she's so patient and kind- she even repositioned a tattoo over 10 times for me (even though we settled on her original suggestion). to top it all off, angela is just so much fun to chat with while getting tattooed! i'm saving every penny to see her again :) i would say the only bad thing overall was that somebody left a poop in the shop's toilet without flushing, but that's not worth knocking down their score. read more

I had an appointment with one of the artists (Terrence). He was very responsive until he received my deposit on November 30th. The morning of my appointment he cancelled (which is fine) and never rescheduled. He has not responded to my emails about rescheduling so I proceeded to ask for a refund on my deposit. And to no surprise...still no response. I don't recommend this place if this artist is of any indication of the way this place is ran. It seems like their way of doing things is taking your deposit and cancelling just like with the previous reviewer's unfortunate experience. read more

I'm sure the tattoo artists here are amazing -- if you can even schedule an appointment. Scheduling with Shilo was an absolute nightmare. As per usual protocol, I scheduled my appointment months in advance. We agreed on a date and Shilo texted me that it would be at 5pm. A day before the appointment, she texted me to confirm as well as instructions for how to go to the studio. She did not mention the time of the appointment in her confirmation text; just the date and place. On the day of the appointment, I texted 15 minutes ahead of time to say that I was on almost there. She claimed that my appointment was at 4pm, not 5, and said we needed to reschedule. I replied with a screenshot to prove that she told me that my appointment was indeed at 5pm. All she said was that was an "unfortunate typo" and that we will have to reschedule. Uh, what? A typo? It's not difficult to schedule something via email as well as text to confirm the time and date so that "unfortunate typos" such as this don't happen. Also, if a client is an HOUR late, it isn't that difficult to send a quick text asking if they are on their way. Although rescheduling was an option, due to the pandemic as well as protests and other events that have been happening in D.C., it is not the safest place to be, nor is it very easy to access the city. Even though I live close to D.C., a typical 45-60 minute drive can take up to 3 hours lately, especially on a weekend which is the only time that I am available. If I were from a different state or country visiting to get a tattoo, especially in the age of COVID-19, rescheduling would be nearly impossible, let alone an even bigger time commitment. I have had tattoos done abroad in the United Kingdom and in Canada that I have had scheduled months in advance to get done while on vacation, and I have never ever had a "typo" interfere with getting my tattoo done. Therefore, I find that it was extremely inconsiderate and unprofessional that an appointment scheduled months in advance had an incorrect time sent to the client, and was not spotted nor fixed until it was far too late. Further, a deposit was required to schedule the tattoo appointment. That's fine and normal, but I asked for a refund of the deposit since I don't have the time to reschedule this tattoo for a different weekend, as I will not be living in this area anymore. I would be fine with a response saying that the deposit is nonrefundable or something along those lines, but I didn't even get the courtesy of a response. Absolutely unbelievable. I don't recommend this place at all if you actually want to get your tattoo done and scheduled correctly. read more

Had an appointment with Terrance and he had to cancel the day before. No problem, things come up. But then I saw some other reviews on Yelp about Terrence doing the same thing and then ghosting customers when they asked about their deposit. This gave me a bad vibe so I told Terrance I was going to hold off on rescheduling and asked for my deposit back since it was there only to hold my booking and I no longer had an appointment on the books. He told me it was no problem and he'd refund my $300 deposit right away. Days go by so I reached out again. Again, Terrence said he'd get right on it. No deposit was refunded. I pinged him again and he said he was having issues with his bank but would send me the deposit right away when it was resolved. Surprise, it never was. It'd be one thing if he just told me the deposit was non-refundable, but he told me three separate times it was going to be refunded and just ended up pocketing my $300. Judging by some other reviews here, him doing this doesn't look uncommon. Save yourself the heartache (and hundreds of dollars) and take your business elsewhere. read more

I got a tattoo done by dolphin about 2 years ago while he was still in Los Angeles! so sad he left to the east coast, so if you have the opportunity to visit, please take advantage! He was so helpful when scheduling my appointment and already had various stencil sizes ready for me when I arrived! Super professional and overall cool artist who made me feel super comfortable throughout the process! Was a pleasure to meet him and get one of his drawings tattooed on me! Now healed n settled in, I am still so in love with it! read more

Cry Baby Studios - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Finishing up a rib piece with Chris now--my second tattoo from him. It's amazing, way better than I ever imagined. My experience with the staff at Cry Baby is always awesome. Everyone is incredibly friendly and talented (Dr. Z also did a piece on my arm that I love), the prices are great, and the entire logistical part is professional with a personal touch. From the initial consult to getting your tattoo done, if you have any questions or concerns, Cry Baby will take care of you. This is the coolest shop in the city with some of the best artists in the city. Go there to get some ink ASAP. Oh, and bonus points for having solid COVID safety protocols. read more

I got a tattoo from Chris in December 2020. Despite COVID protocols he and Shilo (front office) were extremely communicative throughout the process. We had a consult on what I wanted to get and he did a wonderful job listening to my ideas and also putting his own creative spin on the tattoo. He ended up drawing 2 difference versions of the tattoo for me to choose on the day of my appt. I felt very safe during the appt and am really happy with the outcome of my piece. Thanks so much Chris!! read more

Cry Baby Studios - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I had a 'no artist preference' & got scheduled with Dr Z. I am so glad I did. I haven't got tattooed in almost 3 years & I have extremely sensitive/reactive skin. It barely hurt at all, no redness somehow, and it's healing nicely. I explained the concept I wanted & he executed it perfectly. He's definitely going to be my sole artist now. As for the studio, there is temperature checks & all the Covid screening online AND at the door. In DuPont circle if you don't already know any parking spots, just take the train & walk 5 minutes, it does not take 3 hours to get there. read more

This is my second time coming to this shop! Honestly! Tattoo was phenomenal but the process and having an ongoing conversation with Chris made the experience I am making my third appointment today! Cheers read more

Simba did a tattoo for me, well my first tattoo for me and it was a great experience. This was a while back but her work is amazing. I get compliments on her work so often. Can't wait to sit in her chair again read more

Everyone who works here is amazingly talented, down to Earth and really passionate about providing great art to everyone. I had a large project completed by Simba over the course of several visits and every time I went it was professional, clean and welcoming. What is really great about Cry Baby is the versatility of the artists. They are open to any and all ideas and work thoughtfully with clients to capture every detail possible. Scheduling was easy and painless, despite what others have said about the process. These artists are in high demand because they don't have strict, expensive requirements like most studios in D.C. I've recommended them to anyone who asks about my tattoos. I know people who've already booked/ been tattooed and echo my same experiences. read more