Hot Stuff Tattoo has a huge sign on their front door that explicitly says: "We Welcome ALL…read moreAbilities & Disabilities... EVERYONE." Unfortunately, this turns out to be performative marketing rather than store policy. I came in with three friends/family to get flash tattoos, but I was denied service because I brought my legitimate, trained service dog. I was told I could not enter or that my medical service animal had to be left in the lobby, separated from me. When questioned, the management blamed local sanitation and "DHEC." Under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), federal law preempts state health department regulations regarding service dogs. Tattoo shops are clean environments, not sterile operating rooms, and service animals are legally protected to accompany their handlers in client areas. Separating a service dog from their handler or turning them away denies essential medical access. It is incredibly humiliating to be publicly turned away--taking three paying clients out the door with me--from a shop that literally posts "Welcome All Disabilities" on its entrance. If you claim to welcome people of all abilities on your front door, you need to follow federal civil rights laws inside

BEWARE: Permanent scarring and severe infections…read more I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience permanently altered my body and warrants warning others. Background: This was my first time in a tattoo shop in nearly ten years. I came in seeking blast-overs to cover older work. Evan Evol assured me he was capable of doing extensive blast-overs, and believing I might not find another artist willing to take on the project, I agreed. I paid approximately $1,200 for the first two blast-overs on either arm and another 1,200 for the third. Medical complications: Both tattoos became severely infected, requiring treatment at urgent care and a course of antibiotics. At the time, I assumed the infections were my fault. Evan instructed me to keep the tattoos wrapped in plastic for 48 hours, changing the wrap periodically. I have since been informed by another licensed tattoo shop that this practice can create a breeding ground for bacteria. Further damage: About a month ago, I returned for a small blast-over, again believing Evan was my only option. Instead of addressing the specific area discussed, he tattooed over existing professional work in a way that was stylistically incoherent and destructive. The result is chaotic and permanently damaging. For a second session on the same tattoo, Evan tattooed over skin that had not fully healed. He was extremely heavy-handed and used what appeared to be a liner needle for solid black work, resulting in extensive scarring from shoulder to elbow. This tattoo also became infected--despite my following his aftercare instructions exactly. I am now out an additional $1,200 and left with significant scar tissue. Professional assessment: An experienced tattoo professional has informed me that: * I am irreparably scarred as a result of this work * Even a full corrective blackout on my upper arm will not fully conceal the scarring Shop response: I contacted the shop privately requesting a refund so I could pursue corrective work elsewhere. Instead, the owner, Danny Reed, accused me of extortion simply for requesting my money back. Danny offered to "fix" the work himself, despite specializing in traditional color tattoos rather than heavy blackwork. I declined. He insisted that I come into the shop to resolve the issue, which I refused because: 1. His emails became increasingly accusatory 2. I was uncomfortable meeting in person and losing the paper trail of written communication I have since reported the shop to the state regarding the infections and scarring and am continuing medical follow-up. Impact: This experience has been physically, financially, and psychologically traumatic. I spent over $2,400, will need to spend thousands more on corrective work, and will live with the consequences for months--if not permanently. It has significantly impacted my ability to feel safe and comfortable in my own skin. Additionally, the shop environment was deeply uncomfortable. I heard staff use the word "mongoloid." I was blamed for poor healing, despite medical evidence to the contrary. As a woman with PTSD, I struggled to verbalize my discomfort, and my concerns were minimized rather than respected. Final note: I did not want to make this public. However, Hot Stuff Tattoo has refused to take accountability or offer a reasonable resolution. If you are looking for a reputable tattoo shop in Asheville, I strongly recommend going elsewhere.

DO NOT recommend! I went there for a simple nose piercing and he said he would be able to do it…read more First he pierced it with a straight bar instead of L shaped. Then he didn't pierce it all the way through. The ring would not stay in. it kept falling out. he was shaking while trying to pierce it through. then a few days later the nose ring fell out and now i just have to go get it done again.

I had gone here before for help switching out a nose hoop with the stud, and the piercer was…read morefriendly and helped me out for $5. The next time I went, he had raised the price to $10 and told me about some other jewelry options. I was open to trying a different kind of hoop. The next 15 minutes were painful, confusing, and awkward as the piercer tried to make jokes. I have had my piercing for 14 years and it has never given me a problem. When this piercer was trying to change the jewelry out, it began to bleed and be extremely painful. He had to use a taper to get the hoop in (after wearing a smaller stud, this is normal, though it has never bled or hurt before) and it really felt like my nose was being repierced. At the end of the whole painful ordeal, he told me to treat it like a new piercing. It is still sore and uncomfortable and I feel frustrated that I had to pay for this incredibly uncomfortable experience. He didn't apologize or explain why this might have been happening. There are so many piercing studios around Asheville-go to another one!!

I don't like leaving bad reviews, especially for a local business/artist. So let me say first that…read morethis isn't a review for Rebecca (the artist) as a person or her work, but rather Pure Steam as a business. The Tl;dr is that if you want a small walk-in tattoo, then I'm sure you're fine, but if you want something larger or more complex, I would recommend going somewhere else. And I strongly advise against paying the deposit until it's actually due. There is only one artist in the studio and it's clear that time management is not her strength. The very first appointment I had with Rebecca, she waited until I was on the way to tell me she was running behind and wanted to push back our appointment by an hour. Not a big deal. I get there at the new time and ended up waiting another hour for her to finish up the previous client. Frustrating, but not a huge deal. Once we finally got to talk about the tattoo I was wanting, she seemed very nice professional. She told me that the design should take about 2 weeks and that a $150 fee would be due once the design was completed. She seemed nice and I got a good vibe from her so I went ahead and paid early. Two weeks later I haven't heard a word from her, no consulting about design, no updates, nothing. I reached out and just asked for an update and got a single line. "Still working on it. Hopefully done soon." Again, no pictures of the design, no questions about any aspect of the design. I assume at this point that she's almost done and will message me in the following days. It isn't until over a month after our initial meeting that I finally message her saying that I've decided to go with a different artist, and that I'd like a *partial* refund on my deposit. To which she responds with basically "oh hey, I was JUST about to message you." In total fairness, she does have a sign in her lobby saying no refunds on deposits. And had it been a simple instance that I just didn't like the design, or found another artist I liked better, that would be a different matter. However, at no point in any of this did she send so much as a single message updating me on the design. She took my deposit money, showed no evidence of work, and then acted surprised when I was frustrated after she more than doubled the ETA she gave me without any updates on the design. Again, as a person she seemed quite nice. However, as a business the time management here is abysmal and with Asheville having as many artists as it does, I would recommend going elsewhere. Literally ANY amount of communication would have prevented this, but even after explaining my frustrations I was not shown any evidence of the design, and all I got for my trouble/money was a couple of snarky emails.

Becca did such an amazing job on my tattoo I cannot wait to come back down and get another one this…read moreis the first tattoo that didn't bleed it is so clean and the detail is astonishing I'm so happy I was introduced to her by a friend

The tattoo experience I had at Heron Mark was incredible. Anthony did an absolutely amazing job-…read morelistened to what I was looking for, sketched a few ideas, and made the whole experience extremely enjoyable. I was passing through Asheville with some friends and just walked in. He was super accommodating and I couldn't be happier with the final product! It's healed beautifully over the past 5 months.

Kitty is the best. She first did a tattoo for me while she was in California. I recently flew out…read moreto Asheville to get another tattoo from her. Kitty does everything she can to make sure you get the tattoo that you want. She is meticulous about the design and placement. She works fast with beautiful results. She is professional and always friendly. I highly recommend her!

My friend and I got tattoos here while visiting Asheville recently. The guys in the shop were cool…read moreand were thankfully able to get us an appointment on short notice. The studio was clean and there was plenty of parking out front. Our artist was nice and patient. He did a great job on both of our tattoos! I'd recommend Unification to others.

My friends and I were looking for a shop to tattoo all three of us one after another. We walked in…read moreto Unification and were warmly welcomed by, who I later found out, was Horton. We spent a few hours getting tattooed in a friendly and laid back atmosphere (an atmosphere that's hard to come by in tattoo shops, in my opinion) in great company. All three of us are beyond pleased with our finished tattoos. I'll be back for my next tattoo! Thank you Horton Unification Tattoo

I love this place. I've had 3 tattoos done here by Kris and he is amazing! They are very…read moreprofessional and patient. The artwork is phenomenal. Excellent work!

My husband decided that after 62 years, he was ready to get a tattoo. We were vacationing in…read moreAsheville and checked out some tattoo places on Yelp and were impressed by the reviews of Victory Blvd Tattoo. It was down the street from where we were having coffee, so we decided to stop in and we were quickly greeted and welcomed... there had been a cancellation so they were able to get started right away. They were very nice and they have lots of sample artwork on the walls that look great. We're very pleased with everything from start to finish... Josie Owings was our artist and she did an amazing job. It was her first Fleur-de-lis, and she was so on point with everything...to perfection! Josie's fun with an awesome energy and has some good stories to tell. She's a local girl and the only second generation tattoo artist in Asheville. If you're in the area and you're ready for a tat, I highly recommend you stop in and see Josie at Victory Blvd Tattoo.

Dont go to Josie she does her own thing! Doesnt follow the pic...im stuck with this tattoo foreverread more

They did such an amazing job I got two tattoos in one session they did amazing there funny and…read morewelcoming

first of all - christopher wilkins is amazing! i was on a girls trip and the three of us came in…read morelast minute to see if we could get some tattoos. he did all three of us, and he did a stellar job. the staff was awesome and their jewelry is beautiful. i'm beyond impressed, i would definitely recommend checking this place out! and ask for christopher!!