I got my first tattoo three months ago…read more It was a dare. Really. I mean, I've always wanted to have a tattoo, but I was always afraid of the pain. And the needles. And the blood. My friend and I first went to the place on a Saturday morning. We knocked and waited for someone to open the door. Some guy then told us that we would have to set an appointment if we wanted our tattoos done in the morning. It was Monday and our appointment was set. I was panicking and needed to calm my nerves. The tattoo artist, Marlon Capuno, was still on his way to the shop. So while my friend was busy talking to some guy who was drawing our tattoos, I went out to have a smoke. Thirty minutes later, my friend told me it was time to get inked. I noticed right away that the place was clean. Marlon wore gloves and showed me the new needles he was going to use. He was very professional and confident,but didn't brag about those he inked before. Getting the tattoo wasn't that painful. I only got a small star. Marlon reminded me to keep breathing and not to panic. My friend got her tattoo and almost passed out from the pain. Marlon had her lie down for a few minutes. I guess there's nothing these tattoo artists can do to ease the pain. You just gotta toughen up. Am I going back for more? Of course. And I'm getting a bigger one. And yes, I'll still have Marlon ink me.

I got my tattoo done at Vice Tattoo on Jan/20/18. A little background, I got a tattoo of a cobra…read morewith "SWIFT*DEADLY" above it when I was young and in the US Marines, seemed like a good idea at the time. 5 years later I am thinking that I don't want that on my arm anymore, 15 years after that I had a red line put through it and had "SLOW*SARCASTIC" tattooed about it. Funny change but looked stupid so started thinking about a cover up tattoo. I spoke to artists over the years but while here in Philippines I decided it was time to go for it. I looked at on-line reviews of artists in the Manila area and saw that Marlon at Vice Tattoo was listed in the top 5 of most of them. I sent him an email with my current tattoo and a picture of an image that I liked. Marlon asked me to come in for measurements. I went to his shop and he told me that he could do it but it would be larger than I described in my email. I asked Marlon to prepare a drawing that would be the actual size. Marlon asked for a p2000 deposit but I was not convinced that I wanted to do it and offered p700 which he accepted. My cover tattoo would be a US Marine Corps image (EGA) with American flag background which I knew he was not familiar with so I was very clear on my instructions. The first couple images that he emailed me were not correct which was partially my fault. The US flag was the wrong direction for the right arm and North and South America were inverted on the globe. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable about him understanding my request due to his less than perfect English skills. Hey this is the Philippines and Tagalog is the national language so I really cannot complain. My sweetie is Filipina who translated my instructions and we got the image banged out in no time. It is a good idea to take someone that speaks Tagalog with you. Marlon may understand just fine but don't just expect him to understand precise details in English. Marlon asked that I bring my lady with me when I got the tattoo so he could speak with her and make sure that it is perfect for me. I got the big dark colored tattoo on my arm now and it is healing. I am anxious to see it once it is healed so that I can make a 100% observation and opinion but for now I am happy with it. Looking over other reviews I see there are mixed opinions. One person said that he uses a heavy hand and fast strokes. This is true, he had the gun cranked up and it was painful. Not enough pain that I wanted to quit but it was uncomfortable. Big tattoos are going to require some patience and tolerance. Also he was about an hour late for the appointment but during that time his apprentice worked hard at creating the overlay of the image and even had to redraw a couple times to get it to my requirements. When Marlon arrived the overlay had been transferred to my arm. I could see in the mirror the size and layout of the tattoo. We discussed the cost of the tattoo and he quoted me p10,000 and did not increase the price after I asked to add on some letters under the tattoo. I feel that the price was reasonable but keep in mind too that I had my lady with me discussing all of this so was not just a foreigner in the shop. Although I saw it in another review, I cannot even speculate whether or not he charges foreigners extra but I will guess that he does not do that. Now he did charge me p900 for three small packages of lotion. That was way overpriced but I paid it. Not going to argue over $18.00. Take a tube of triple antibiotic ointment with you from your country if you plan to get a tattoo in the Philippines, it is like $4.00 USD and you are not going to find it in a Manila pharmacy. At least I did not see it here. I was impressed with Marlon's awards, achievements and also the appreciation letters for being at judge a various tattoo competitions. Marlon has several books with pictures of his past work. These are good for determining his skills. A tattoo is going to be on your body forever (unless you get a cover tattoo like me) so do your research and don't make a fast decisions. I am happy with the work Marlon did. He did most of the work free hand from the drawing and was able to change the overall look so that I was not stealing someone else's tattoo. I would recommend Vice Tattoo to anyone and will honestly say that it was a good experience and I am happy with my tattoo.

I finally get to finish my elbow done after a while and P&P tattoo (BGC) and Aw the artist made it…read morehappened for me, shout out to Aw for I'm very satisfied of the outcome, I definitely recommend to check him out or P&P itself if you're looking for some ink done especially if you're visiting and hesitant , don't search no further just hit them up (email or call) Liezel answer right back Ty P&P

Great tattoo shop. I didn't really have an appointment, but was able to get two tattoos after a…read morelittle wait. Aw did my tattoos and I couldn't be happier with them. Thank you!! :)

You know what they say about getting a tattoo -- it's a huge commitment, it requires a lot of…read moremental preparation and strength of will, etc etc. Yes, to all of that. You're basically altering the biggest organ you've got, so yes. So apart from all the mental preparation that YOU have to do for yourself, one of the biggest things you have to work on is finding the right shop to get your ink. A quick checklist would look something like -- What are their sterilization procedures and equipment? Who are the artists in that shop? What is their reputation in the tattoo world? (Yes, that tells you a lot.) How much does a tattoo cost per inch? And so on. When i was getting ready to get my second tattoo, I didn't automatically go to the one that made my first -- his schedule was always full. I wanted to go somewhere where the artist/s can take their time and really work on your design and make you feel at ease (because they are, too!). So i went through that checklist again, and decided on Republic Tattoo in San Juan. They were very easy to talk to from my first inquiry, had a good reputation, and were very helpful about translating my friend's design for me on to something that would work well as a tattoo. The inking went off without a hitch -- except for the small matter of me forgetting to NOT be hungry before the session and almost blacking out from combined hypoglycemia and pain, and they had to get me a can of soda to chug right away to bring my blood sugar levels back up (thanks for recognizing the signs, guys! Haha.). Everything was clean (they had ultrasonic cleaners, dry heat sterilizers, and autoclave machines!), the artist had a good, steady, light hand -- and banter! -- going. All in all it was a great, memorable experience -- which is exactly what getting a tattoo should be, pain and blood and all. PS. Not that it should matter more than safety and skill, but their artists are award-winning vets with their own specializations in style. Don't forget to ask them about it :)

I got my first tattoo in Republic Tattoo about 5 years ago and I still remember it clearly. I still…read moreremember what I ate for dinner with my friends before we all headed to the place to get our tattoos (FYI it was steak, home-cooked by one of my awesome friends). I still remember what I was wearing that night (because the ink that oozed out of my fresh tattoo hours later ruined that shirt). I still remember getting a small order of salami from the Santi's downstairs. I remember walking into the tattoo studio with my mind fixed on the design that I wanted to get . I remember the first plunge of the needle that pierced my back. I remember the lights going out in the place, and the building's security guard came running to announce that there was a street-wide blackout. Of all the days that the street's main electric transformer would mysteriously stop working, it had to be on the night when I got my first ever tattoo. Weirdly enough, I don't even remember the name of my artist. I just remember his strokes to be very deliberate and consistent, and it was such a therapeutic and nice sensation that I got hooked on getting inked from that day on. I would wait another 2 years to get my next tattoo, but that great first-time experience really made a good impression on me. (In case you're wondering, no, I'm not showing you the tattoo that I got. I didn't know what I was thinking. I was 19 and stupid.)

Of course I'm the first person to review this place. Haha. I wish more people in Manila had tattoos…read morejust cause they're so attractive... but then again, wouldn't it be boring to have everyone look exactly the same? I'm confusing myself. I employed the services of Gene Testa back in 2009. I was in my senior year of college, 23 years old, and I had my sights set on getting inked. I asked around for recommendations, and Gene Testa's name kept coming up. So one holiday, I asked a good friend to accompany me to Robinson's Galleria so I could get my design of choice permanently etched onto my body for all of time. And that's exactly what happened. One of Gene's artists named Sam worked on me and I have to say that it was very painful. Imagine the sensation of several machinated needles piercing through your skin simultaneously. I had to constantly ask him to stop and take a breather. Thank goodness my friend was there to hold my hand through it! Nonetheless, I was happy with the job done though it's a shame they didn't have smaller needles on hand as I wanted a smaller version of the design.

If you've ever had a wish to wake up looking perfect and not having to spend an hour in front of…read morethe mirror for make up prep, then the place to go would be Annie's. She does amazing permanent make up. She can tattoo your eyebrows and eyelids and even your lips. I didn't even know that you could tattoo on lipstick. Aside from that, she can also do blepharoplasty, a minor surgery with the primary purpose of creating a double eyelid. Needless to say, you have to go through a modicum of pain in order to get your perfect face. I'm kidding. It's not a modicum of pain. It's a whole world of pain. Getting your eyes tattooed is one of the single most painful experiences I've ever had in my life and I have very high pain tolerance. After that though, it's awesome - except for the fact that you have to do it again in 10 years. I still haven't decided whether I want to go through it again. All I can say is OMFG, but Annie really does great work. She'll make sure that the shape of the eyeliner will enhance your already beautiful eyes. You're going to be in great hands.

I want to start with The Bead Shop offering piercing services, yes they do but only the basic ones…read moreand if you're a kid or they think you're not legal yet then you need adult consent. It was fairly different several years back because you could go as far as piercing your cartilage but I guess since that type is really hard to heal and maintain, they stuck with the lobe. Speaking of which, they have more stud options at TBD, they have different designs and sizes too, they also have rings for different piercings. For example, I have a tragus pierce I got from a different shop and I've been to a lot of places but the rings I get tarnish easily which is not good for a healing wound then I just checked 'em out and they had some. Up to now it's still the same ring, granted I clean it about twice a week because I'm a germaphobe but it's still shinny! TBD also sells a lot of cool bracelets, necklace, etc. Lots of great finds here! You should check 'em out and also the awesome possum piercing ring choices -I don't know what to call 'em.