Excellent tattoo shop. Ana was an excellent artist. Tattoo looks great and they were able to fit is…read morein. Thank you!

Went here for my first tattoo during a solo trip to Edinburgh. Rob was amazing and super friendly,…read morehe is very light handed with the tattoo gun. I went for one of this flash designs and it came out great. Would go again and would recommend.

How do you choose an tattoo artist? - That fully depends on why you want a tattoo, what design you…read moreare looking for and what quality you are after. For my previous ones I had a design ready and just wanted the tattooist to copy it. Now I wanted a custom shoulder / back piece and I wanted it with incredible details. I contacted Black Orbit through Facebook with some of my inspired ideas and their response was great. They looked at my ideas and recommended the best artist they have that could create a design out of that: this was Darren. I sent him my wish list, descriptions, pictures and photos of my desired features for this tattoo. He created some rough designs based on that and together we came to a wonderful, detailed and, most importantly, workable tattoo. I had several visits going over the design and to meet up with Darren. He is a very capable artist and looking over his portfolio, incredibly suited for my wishes. Just yesterday I have been getting the first outline on my shoulder and back. It is a big one. Better still, the detail is outstanding. If I had any doubts, these were gone after applying his skilled artistry work on my body. Don't kid yourself that a tattoo is relatively painless, it is not. The way Darren works is to calm you and offer you breaks. Letting you to see the results at different stages. He explains the process very well. People do react differently to the process. I knew what to expect and prepared myself for it, but it was still quite painful. I had several breaks, only a few minutes though, as I was explained, do not take too long on breaks in between otherwise my built up of endorphins and the moment would be gone. He works thorough. For this piece he supplied me a set price. Thus no clock-watching and a more relaxed body (or 'canvas') to work with. The place itself is tidy and very clean and they operate in an hygienic environment. They have got their designs on their computer and with a bit of photoshop they are able to customise to make things more personal. Their prices range from cheap small pre drawn stock designs about £20 - £60 to the more pricy large custom design pieces around £400 - Prices vary depending on the tattoo and placement of course. So far I have been very pleased with the service and skills they offer and will update this review once my full tattoo is done. *Edit* - I have just learned that Darren (my Tattooist) is looking to get his own studio. So he will not be available at Black Orbit. But they have other artists available.

Me and my partner both came here to get tattoos. All the staff made us feel very confident that…read morethey are very experienced and are all about making the tattoo look the best. Didn't seam to be the case as my partners picture came out with squint lines and colouring was bad. Mine was script and wasn't even the same font they showed me just before hand. Haven't dared gone back to get it sorted. Actually got told mine would need laser off if I wanted it the way it was meant to be!! Told this by about 5 different professionals who have never heard of this company that claims to have been there for so many years. Don't chance it people! On your skin forever

Came in here with my guy who was getting a tattoo done. The shop itself was a little on the cold…read moreside as it was quite a blustery winter day, but I kept my coat on and I was toasty. There is art all over the place giving those who come in loads of ideas on what sort of tattoo to get if you have no idea what to get. The staff are all really chatty and make anyone who walk in feel like they belong. Chat is open to anyone listening and it's fun to chime in with things to add to conversation. My guy said where he was getting his tattoo done was quite chilly as well, but they had space heaters around to help keep him warm. Great wee shop in Edinburgh if you're looking for some great art work!

9 of us walked in, 2 of us for tattoos. They were very accommodating for a crew of that size - only…read more2 buying. Offered us coffee from an amazing shoppe next door, were extremely personal, professional, talented, and everything you'd hope for in a tattoo artist. Walking out they even offered to meet up for a pint later in the evening. Good people in this shoppe.

very stylish tattoo place that's very cartoon-oriental themed, if you're into that (which I am) the…read morewoman tattooist is professional and lovely at the same time and does some fantastic masterpieces. Being very skilled in all aspects from the actual procedure to the background of the art being permanently etched onto your skin. A wonderfully unique place that if you've got the balls to get sometime truly beautiful done this is the place for you! Located in the middle of town it's not hard to find but perhaps a little bit difficult to park outside of. If you've got an appointment then all good but you can just walk of the street, not that you should do something that whimsical.

Had my first tattoo with Charlotte on Tuesday and I feel it probably won't be my last with her…read more She is absolutely lovely and immediately put me at ease when I met her for my consultation. You would think with six tattoos under my belt I'd be fine rolling into any tattoo shop but I still find some quite intimidating. I found out about this shop and Charlotte through a friend who is currently getting a big piece done and was very impressed with her work. I've see too many bad tattoos in this city and it's made me very wary about picking tattoo shops. Charlotte only does custom work and is open by appointment only. Still waiting for my tattoo to heal completely but absolutely love it and would highly recommend Charlotte if you're looking to get inked!

Ahh! I'm so happy with the the tattoo Kalipso gave me! It's perfect, and she's a delight…read more Can't recommend enough; I really got the sense that this was a clean establishment that valued their art and quality. I was quite comfortable while getting inked, and everyone was very friendly.

The piercers are all extremely rude and unhelpful, all unhappy to help and are very unwelcoming…read morethey don't make me feel safe in a piercing shop. Studio XII is far better and way friendlier

I have been thinking quite a lot recently about getting a tattoo and so I have been asking around…read moreabout which tattoo studio would be best and Red, Hot and Blue Tattoo was the firm favourite. Several of my friends have had tattoos done here and have raved about the tattoo artists working here, and so this is definitely the place I am going to get mine done. Situated in the Tollcross area of Edinburgh, Red, Hot and Blue Tattoo is just a short walk from the city centre and so it is a convenient place to reach. They have a really great studio inside which shows hundred of different tattoo designs, all of them beautifully drawn. I visited this store just to see what kind of designs they do and I completely fell in love with a butterfly design of theirs which I am certain is the one I am going to get - it is gorgeous! The staff here were all lovely and one woman look the time to talk me through the tattoo process and she made me feel really at ease and so I am going to make an appointment with her to get it done. The prices for tattoos at Red, Hot and Blue are really reasonable and it would be difficult to find a tattoo place in Edinburgh which was as cheap and performed such great work.

Sadly, I can't give a full first-hand experience of this place, but that's just because, as of yet,…read moreI am untattoed. But I can say, from first-hand experience, that their work is brilliant. Two friends of mine got their tattoos there and they are really beautiful. And they didn't have any horror stories, either. Their skin didn't flake off or turn green. Their skin stayed exactly the colour it should've, minus the ink, of course. I think tattoo-parlours mainly get their rep from word-of-mouth. So, this mouth says that Red Hot + Blue Tattoo is good to go. And the eyes attached to this head which has this mouth has seen the beautiful artwork they've produced. One of my friends got a stylized owl tattooed on her upper thigh, while my other friend had a feather he'd drawn himself (with a fountain pen) tattooed in brown ink (first for me there: I'd never seen a brown tattoo before). So, if you've decided that your skin's become quite boring and want to revamp it with some very permanent artwork, then give this place a chance.

If you are looking for a tattoo in Edinburgh, this is the place to go. The quality of of artwork is…read moreexceptional, head and shoulders above most other places. The resident artist Bradley George has been in the business for a while and his experience shows. Specialising in Rockabilly and traditional tattoos, his candy skulls are exceptional, as are his roses. I have a particular penchant for black white and red tattoos and his colour mixes work really well, with good quality ink meaning that the detail stays longer and doesn't fade as much as normal. Due to the fact that they do not do piercings they can specialise in tattoos and this focus definitely shows. As well as the resident artists they are one of the few tattoo studios to have international pulling power, with some of the artists from Miami Ink having made guest appearances. Whilst maybe not as good as some of the top studios in London, Love Hate Tattoo is noticeably cheaper and is one of the places you will definitely not regret getting a tattoo from.

Officially would not go anywhere else in Edinburgh. There…read morewas a long wait, maybe four weeks, but it was worth every single day of waiting. I love my tattoo and I now have a place I want to go back to and tell everyone about. Chad Chesko, who tattoos me back home - I will forever use him as the bar. J was swinging on the bar. J was tightrope walking the bar. J locked his bike on the bar. J leaned against the bar and made a phone call. J knew this bar, and he kept the level at the bar. In addition to that, he talked me through my rib tattoo in as little pain as it could have possibly been (which is still a lot, honestly). He has an adorable Spanish accent which made for fun tattoo conversation. "You alright?" "Yep" (huge breath, grit teeth) "Ok so I'm doing the top part now" "Ok." (huge breath, bite lip, cry secretly) The outline that he did of a map for me was so detailed, thin and accurate, he should probably draw maps for a living (on the side of course).