Tattoo's scare the life out of me. I've made many stupid mistakes in my life, some of which have…read moredone some fairly permanent damage. I change my mind as often as I change my underwear, so a tattoo has never been something I've wanted to have done. Tattoos vary; they can make you look like a sailor or a princess. I don't want to look like either and have never seen or thought of something that I would want emblazoned across my body. My girlfriend has tattoos and on women I find tattoo's very sexy. I like the way they emphasise and compliment certain parts of the body. We came into Gun Ho to get my girlfriends spine tattooed; she wanted a Latin message written vertically down her back. The tattooist told her that this would be a very painful procedure, but he was willing to do it so we went ahead. The service was professional and the tattoo came in at a competitive price. The staff were friendly and understanding and if I ever manage to muster the strength to get one done I will be sure to come here again.

Birmingham is lucky enough to have four or five top class tattoo shops and Gung Ho is one of them…read more Opening only five or six years ago, Gung Ho has been busy from the word go, with founding artists Rich Pearson and Helen Brown bringing a good enough reputation to ensure the shop would have customers immediately. Pretty quickly national tattoo magazines were doing features on the shop, and the shop apprentice Lewis was eventually encouraged to start doing small tattoos, allowing "walk ins" (ie tattoos that do not need booking in advance) to become available. The obvious criticism some will make of Gung Ho is that it's expensive, and there is often a waiting list to get work from the more well known artists that work at the shop . However, if any form of art is worth paying a lot of money for, then surely tattooing is as the piece is going to be with you for the rest of your life. The same logic applies to the waiting list too - if it's going to be with you for ever, you might as well wait a few months if it's going to be with you for ever. This is definitely a place for serious tattoo collectors.

splash of ink Fantastic the best tattooist in the whole of the midlands,…read moreI.ve never had a tat before when i went into to the shop i was made to feel welcome from as soon as steped into the door ,carl's fantastic the teams great you just want on to keep going back like me i.ve been back five times now and told my friends to go ok man all the best dave the rave

Though i have never been inked here, i have a tattooist working on me and its best to stick to one,…read moresome of the work i've seen coming from here is the best i've seen come out of Birmingham and i have no doubt the rest of the team are amazing. I mainly see Mikes work and his attention to detail is amazing, if you pop in request a selection of his work to look at and see what i mean. I've heard there can be quite a waiting list here and it'll be worth it, trust me.

Fab place to get your tattoo done its very professional and the parlour itself is super clean and…read morethe decor amazing. Staff are very friendly and will help you in anyway they can.

Dawnii is awesome. Super friendly and welcoming, with a warm personality that puts you right at…read moreease. There's no air of pretension about her, and her work is brilliant - so vibrant and full of colour! My other half had a full sleeve done by Dawnii - started when she was still working at Modern Body Art, but finished once she moved into her own place. Painted Lady has a very different feel to MBA - homely, and quirky with ornate walls and taxidermy and curiosities abound on shelves and hung on walls, but just as hygienic and clean as MBA is. If you manage to get an appointment with her, you won't be disappointed in her work.. and if you're going with a friend to have some work done, she has a really intriguing range of books on shelves dotted around the space that you can browse whilst she decorates the person you're with!

Painted Lady Tattoo is the brainchild of tattoo artist extraodinaire Dawnii Fontana. Dawnii founded…read morePLT and runs the studio in between tattooing in her trademark feminine, old school style both at PLT and conventions. Great as Dawnii's work is, it is also extremely difficult to get hold of - apparently she opens her books twice a year and within a day has bookings for the next six months. However, other tattooists do work at the shop, all providing great work. For instance,Clare Goldilox works there, who is well known for her hand poked and machine tattoos that focus on natural forms in all their glory, and a regular flow of guest artists from all over the country make appearances at the shop. The decor is pleasingly eccentric, with a busy look taking in taxidermy, antiques and many of Dawnii's artworks which fits the uniquenss of the tattoos. Put simply, whether tattooed by Dawnii or one of the other tattooists that work at the shop, you'll get a great tattoo. With rumours of a second studio in the works, these painted ladies will be in business for a very long time to come.

A busy shop , and the reason is Mick and Anita give a great service…read more Not the most expensive , but definately the best artists in this area. There is nobody in the Tamworth area can touch either of them for the quality of their work. They give good advice and care about their customers. My wife has hd a full back tatto, and now is part way through a sleeve by Anita, she would never consider letting anyone else tattoo her.

Educated artists! They understand not only the latest technique's or fashion's, but they delve into…read morethe culture and history of your tattoo. I've always had 17th Century Japanese tattoo's, which they've taken great pleasure and enthusiasm ensuring it is correct and the best for my shape and my pocket! right down to finer details, such as kimono print, colours, context and so forth.. All in all, 5 stars for service, education/information, care and consideration & high quality workmanship. Don't know about you, but I have these tattoo's for life, I want to trust the person I'm going to!

Simple story, this place butchered me…read more 2007, tattoo to the left of my stomach (sore area) an apprentice did the worst job you can imagine, but not only that he was dragging the needle across my skin causing me to bleed a lot more than need be. the tattoo its self had to be finished by someone else at another studio because i never wanted to step foot in there again, the back room where the tattooing was done was small and by far the worst studio i've ever been in. Though this was years ago and standards may of changed now (i really hope they have) i can't let that slide. JUST LIKE YOU LET THAT NEEDLE SLIDE ACROSS MY STOMCH. Amateur. Anyway i'm still hearing bad things about that studio even to this day si theres a million better places around so just avoid this one.

I think this place is one of the best locally simple because iv never had a problem with anything ,…read moreI mean I'm to young for tattoos but iv had 3 piercings from here and I haven't had a single problem my dad has has 4 tattoos from here and he wants more , he says he wouldn't go anywhere else my mom has had one and my grandad and they haven't had a problem, the lads there are nice , they are helpful and just genuine but I would recommend black art studios to anyone :) x

Is this the best collective of tattoo artists in town? I first heard about Spear Studio through a…read morefriend who lives in Cannock. News of good tattooists travels far. When Jeni decided that she had her mind set on getting a tattoo of a bass clef and a treble clef, (these are the music signs that you see at the start of sheet music), joined together to make a heart, (ahhh) I recommended Spear. Jeni took a look at some example tattoos to gauge the skill, and she was impressed. So on a Saturday morning we went to Spear for Jeni's pre-booked appointment. (Not before some relaxants in the form of a couple of beers over the road at The Kings Head, mind). The decor is modern and informal, and it felt like we had entered a friend's flat. As someone who has had a tattoo before I winced in painful memeory when I head the buzzing of the needle start. No such pain for Jeni, mind. After half an hour the fine, clean, black lines were completed. Looking good! Then the tattooist took Jeni through after-care procedures and gave her a leaflet on looking after her tattoo, and invited Jeni to call her if she had any questions. A high level of skilled art, a stylish studio, and personal service mean that I'd recommended Spear Studio to anyone. N.B-I've advise you to book your session; although you can drop in on the chance that an artist is free, they are often booked well in advance.

Owned by tattooist Leah Moule and her husband with the tattooed face, Spud, Spear tattoo definitely…read morebelong to Birmingham's tattoo elite. Leah Moule's bold and colourful style has earned her work much praise and media coverage, including several multi page features in tattoo magazines. There two other tattooists at Spear Tattoo, both of which are female and have unique styles. It's important to note that custom work is preferred at Spear Tattoo so those looking for a more "standard" tattoo might want to look elsewhere. A recent addition to Spear Tattoo is the Karma Clinic which offers laser tattoo removal and branding services. I can't comment on these services as I know nothing about them. However, if the quality of these services are as good as the tattoos on offer you will have nothing to worry about.