This is the second time I've gotten pierced by Salvatore, and the experience at Old School is always great. I got my double helix yesterday and he was super helpful about answering all my questions, etc. The whole place has a very professional but friendly vibe, and a great selection of jewelry, too! read more

Youngest kid got their ears pierced by Salvatore (sp?) and everything from beginning to end (making the reservation, arriving a minute or two late, selecting jewelry, actual piercing process, and aftercare explanations) was STELLAR! Highly recommend! Pricing was more than reasonable, considering it's not that mall shop, read: actually sterile! with more than professional, trained staff! If any add'l work is done, we'll be returning! read more

This was my second time into Old School for ear cartilage piercings. The first time was literally a day or two before the world shut down by Coriander and they did a great job! I haven't had my jewelry changed out because well, the world happened but I'm sure if I brought in my records I could still get a piercing change. This time I came in for Jupiter as I had heard they did great work, even as an apprentice. I went in knowing I wanted some part of my other ear pierced and they were so patient with this country girl looking Mom/Mimi and her whims. Ultimately I went with a suggestion and LOVE IT!!! I've had minimal pain and it was quick, short and nearly pain free the whole time. I can't recommend them enough! I'll be back for a ring change on my other lobe but for now I'm in love with the work! read more

Old School Tattoo - Completely different cartilage than I was thinking but I love it! - Tattoo Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Went here for the first and last time. The place was messy and unprofessional. Felt like it was being rushed. Artist nicked me with the needle and there was a visible line outside my tattoo. Overpriced for what I got. Piercing wise- my friend went in for a facial piercing and the piercer was also super unprofessional. They put it in the wrong way several times which took 15 minutes while she sat there in pain. C tier experience. Just because we had a bad experience does not mean this place is awful. Everyone was nice to us and the bird ducky was cool. But yeah never going back here, there's much nicer places in Bellingham to get a walk in piercing/tattoo. read more

I got my nipples pierced here and honestly had a great experience with my piercer. The problem was that a tattoo artist pushed past my boyfriend(who was blocking anyone from seeing me shirtless) just to look me up and down while asking the piercer a question. It was super weird and I felt so violated read more

Michael has tattooed almost every person in my family. He's the only person we go to for tats. Thanks for my tat Michael! read more

Old School Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

I was not warned of the risks of being pierced with a hoop instead of a stud as a second lobe piercing. I raised concern about the healing process and was told it's basically the same as a stud and that some people even prefer hoops. All my friends were confused why they would pierce me with hoops and that was the first I learned it wasn't common because it has so many more risks. Bump didn't go away until after I swapped it out for a stud, which I had to wait until the piercing was healed enough to actually do, causing a prolonged and painful healing process. It's partially my fault for not doing enough research but I expected the professional to voice concerns read more

The service was good. Walked in and got my earlobes pierced. I got home and read the aftercare pamphlet and it states a small bump is a keloid. Completely inaccurate and now I regret getting pierced there. Just took my piercings out because they clearly aren't reputable and the pamphlet made me nervous. read more

I got my rose tattoo done here by Yaz and it's just incredible. It's a lot larger than I was expecting but I'm super happy with it. It costed a bit but it was worth it. Yaz is pretty great and I trust her to do my work. I will hopefully be getting an old tattoo fixed there soon. I went in not long ago to get a new ear piercing and the guy helped me with all of my questions about the different ones and about the Daith and if it really works for migraine relief. He was very friendly and helpful, he answered all of my questions and then some. The shop is pretty small but it's great. The art work on the walls is all incredible and fun to look at/study/analyze. The artists are friendly and eager to help. They also like to hear your stories about what the piece they're doing means to you. I would very much recommend this place to anyone serious about getting some work done. read more

Old School Tattoo - Rainbow rose done by Yaz - Tattoo Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

I went here to get a nose piercing. I waited 45 min because another artist said they thought the piercer had time to do it or at least schedule. As I sat their waiting I was looking around and started to notice the facility didn't appear very clean. There was some trash on the floor and the Boba Fett sculpture appeared to be dusty. When their piercer came out finally he was very rude. He defensively stated that he didn't have time and was ready to yell at whomever said he did. He didn't offer to try to schedule me he just kept saying how full he was. I said no worries and left. I didn't want to get pierced in a facility that didn't appear very clean anyway. read more

I have spent quite a while looking for the perfect tattoo artist and I've finally found him! Jesse at Old School Tattoo did a perfect job on my tattoo. Throughout the 3 hours I was highly entertained by our conversation and it went by very fast. The price was reasonable and worth it. I'll absolutely be back for further tattoos. Jesse's the man! read more

Old School Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

So far, my ink and my tattoo artist are amazing! Like all people looking for a great barber or hair stylist, you want to see their work! A girl whose had ink done by Jesse L. Was the one who sold me to getting work done by him. I was able to see meet him when another friend of mine got her tattoo done by the owner and tattoo artist. The staff was incredibly nice and super professional. The parlor is clean and you see them pull out all the sanitized tools. I had my first appointment with Jesse and he placed a sentimental piece on my foot. I immediately scheduled my next session for the start of my sleeve. LOVE the piece he just finished last week. My crowned chameleon in orchids. Enough of my experiences. These guys and gals are highly recommended, experienced and way chill! read more

My experiences with this place have been good. I've been out of the area for a couple years, so take that for what it is worth. The two piercings I've had done at Old School were my tongue and a rook. My tongue piercing was flawless (done by Jenovia- I don't believe she works there anymore though...) even though I was shaky and nervous. It was as painful as I thought it might be but with Jenovia's care instructions, it healed marvelously. She was very honest about the piercing drawbacks (such as teeth getting chipped). She also had no problems with my friends accompanying me (there were five of us altogether in a fairly small room). My rook piercing (an interesting piercing... hard to describe where it is on the ear) also went well. I can't remember the name of the guy that did it but he also did fine. He gave me excellent care instructions allowing my ear to heal marvelously, allowed my boyfriend to offer moral support by being there, and was extremely professional. As I have said, I only have experiences with the piercing staff but they did an excellent job with mine and I would return for their services. read more

Old School Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Just had the pleasure of having Salvatore pierce my septum. He walked me through the whole process, was extraordinarily patient with my 8000 questions, was professional and super clean and did a great job. I appreciate him tolerating my awkward flirting with him (I don't get out much) and not rolling his eyes when I attempted to make probably the worst jokes ever. He made the whole process quick and smooth and I've already recommended him to a dozen people for any piercings they might desire. Thanks Salvatore! read more

Had two great experiences here this year, in addition to a good one back in 2010. Two piercings and one tattoo. Best shop in town for compassionate care with piercings, hands down. read more

I know people who have had good experiences here, so I wouldn't want to completely knock this place (mostly the good experiences have been with tattoos) but I know people who also have utterly nightmarish piercing stories of such gross incompetence that I would never consider getting a piercing here myself. I would just ask around to make sure the individual artist you are working with has a good reputation, because some good things come out of Old School, and others not so good. Oh, and if the jewelry you're being pierced with has the threads on the outside of the part that goes through your skin, it's ripping up your skin as it does so - this is NOT approved by the Association of Professional Piercers. I think they have both internally and externally threaded jewelry there, so take care. read more

Old school did a great job. Seemed more painful than last time getting my helix pierced but I'm sure it wasn't due to the piercer. I LOVED that I got to watch the set up process. Keep sending home the brochures! Really impressed with those. read more

My friend and I showed up here on a Saturday night hoping for a walk-in appointment. We waited less than 15 minutes and they were totally happy to get right to work with us. The guy who took care of us was talkative and did his best to accommodate what we were looking for. He was very thorough with the care process, offered free touch-ups, and often checked to make sure we were satisfied with the progress. I definitely plan to go back, and I'd absolutely recommend their shop to friends. read more

Got my nose pierced here by Salvatore, a bump formed after a month, it wouldn't go away for a month and ultimately I took it out. I went to three different piercing shops and they all told me my piercing was done at a bad angle (not perpendicular) which caused the bump, and that my starter jewelry was cheap and probably has nickel in it. I switched to a high quality stud, but it did not change the fact that my piercing was done incorrectly and the bump would not go away. Wish I could have enjoyed my piercing for longer, but I'll have to wait a few months for the bump and piercing to heal before getting it repierced at different shop. Sal was nice and friendly, but I'd recommend going to a more reputable piercing shop. read more

I came in on Monday at about 830. I asked if I would be able to get a walk in appointment that night. My artist, Ramsey, said it wouldn't be a problem. I came in with a girlfriend who also wanted to get a tattoo. We came back around 915 and asked if we could both get tattooed, knowing that it would be time crunched because they close at 10. Ramsey said that they could do it! I know most places would rather just ask you to come back then stay open. I showed Ramsey a picture of what I wanted and he did a FANTASTIC job drawing it up. He tweaked it just the way I had hoped and it turned out awesome. The tattoo itself didn't take long, and he was gentle! I LOVE my tattoo. The shading and highlighting he did just makes it that much more amazing. He also didn't charge me an arm and a leg. :) I would definitely recommend this place! And check out Ramsey's work, he's a badass. read more

Yasmine did my tattoo, turned out super good. Environment was clean, quiet (I was the only one getting work done) and friendly. With Yasmine I had to do a $40 deposit for the appointment and she seemed pretty booked up. So if you are interested in her I would say call too book up early. read more

I have been getting tattooed there for the last year and a half and now have over 110 hours in two large pieces. Every artist I have met there has been friendly, professional, clean, conscientious, and very, very talented. My artist is Ramsey, and he has managed to take the ideas from my head and make them even better on my skin. I can't speak to the piercing staff, as I have had no piercings there, but all the staff I have talked to has been great. I'm guessing the bad reviews are probably based on older staff. For those complaining about the cost, the hourly tattoo cost is $100, which I believe is the cheapest in Bellingham right now. That's really not relevant, as the cost should be the *last* thing you look at when it comes to tattoos. The shop is well maintained, they follow all the current procedures when it comes to sterilization and contamination concerns, and they do great work. I can't speak about the other shops in town, but I would highly recommend Old School. read more

Nice enough but a "I think I'll just charge you $165" for two words and twenty minutes I probably won't be back

I have been to Yasmine two times now for tattoos. She's professional, honest, sanitary and fun to visit with. I would highly recommend her. Both my tattoos are perfect and I couldn't be happier! Thanks Yasmine ! Can't wait for my next visit to Old School. read more

Old School Tattoo - My Snow White thigh piece! Perfect Snow White .. - Tattoo Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Over the 6 years that I have been going to Old School I have consistently seen amazing tattoos come out. There have been times where customer service was shitty, and for a while, if I hadn't already been going here for so long I would stop, but things have really changed. Corey the piercer will probably be the first person you see, he is quiet but he does a hell of a job. You can tell that piercing is a passion for him, and he cares about the shop. As far as tattoos go, Steve has over 20 years experience, and is a natural at what he does. I have been most impressed by Paul, Mikel K, and Ramsey as well. They all have true talent, and this shop deserves a better reputation. Edited to add- Steve is no longer the owner, Paul is. And Corey the piercer is gone and I know nothing about the new girl. read more

The only reason I can justify going back to this shop is because Paul is awesome! He has done great work for both myself & hubby. He was highly recommended by a friend of mine, which is lucky because the chick at the front desk was soooo rude and full of herself. She proceeded to call a friend and discuss a bunch of drama going on in her oh so sad life, which as a potential new client I definitely didn't need to hear. She was extremely rude & made it almost impossible to make an appointment. In any other situation I would have walked out for sure! But I waited until I could talk to Paul directly. Totally worth the wait, Paul is great & will follow him & his work anywhere! His personality completely won us over as soon as we talked, he is wonderful with his clients. Best work I have found in Bham. You might find better customer service else where, (meaning the front desk) but ink is permanent & Paul has left the most positive lasting impression on us! I highly recommended Paul! read more

Salvatore did piercings for my daughter and I and he was fabulous! Very professional and good at his art. We are going back for more soon!

I live in Oregon and was headed to Bellingham to visit family, and at the recommendation of my brother I got tattooed at Old School (he stated all the other shops in town have bad reputations, which I though strange considering he doesn't have any tattoos himself). I have received 2 tattoos from the artist Ramsey. On my second one I let him have a bit of "creative control" over the colors, and I am very please I did! I get SO many compliments! ^_^ I gave him a general idea of what I wanted and after 2 edited drawings he drew up EXACTLY what I wanted! While he was rather serious, he did a great job, very professional! Everyone who works there seems very friendly. BTW I am neither 18, nor have flower tattoos! ^_~ read more

Sal pierced my nose and it was great! Painless, quick and clean. I wish they had gold though! Bummer! read more

Old School Tattoo - Looking good! - Tattoo Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Sal was amazing with our seven-year-old daughter, piercing her ears! Took a lot of time to mark the perfect spot. Very patient with her.

I just recently got my first tattoo done, and I spent a good amount of time going from shop to shop in Bellingham to talk to artists. Old School was the only place that answered my questions and made me feel welcome, even though I said I was just looking around. After getting recommended to work with Lee by more than a couple people, I decided there was no reason not to go here. I had a pretty simple design worked out. Lee fixed all the flaws in it while still keeping it true to my original design. He was extremely patient with me and my boyfriend who came with me, and made jokes to help put us at ease. I picked a pretty painful place for my first tattoo, but Lee did an amazing job at making me feel relaxed and comfortable the entire time. I would definitely recommend him to others. read more

I just got my nose pierced here, and Salvatore was AMAZING. He took so much time to make sure that I liked the placement, I have another nose piercing, so he took the time to make them symmetrical. My friend and I went together, and she was allowed in the room and held my hand! Will go back for my next piercing need! read more

I came to Old School Tattoo to get a small stick n poke covered up. This being my very first real tattoo, and my stick n poke being very messy, I was nervous that they would not be able to cover it up neatly, but I came in with complete, naive faith that the artist would do their best to make it look good. Unfortunately, this was not the case: when I first sat down with the artist, she drew lines over the stick n poke and immediately picked up the tattoo gun without asking for my input. I had to stop her to ask her to slow down, and redraw the lines. I would also like to mention that the artist never introduced herself or asked me for my name before jumping into the tattooing, which made it all feel very rushed, and made me feel uneasy about putting my body in her hands. I made it very clear what I wanted: straight, clean, even lines over the not so straight nor clean nor even existing lines. I completely trusted her as a professional. I ended up with straight lines, but uneven angles that matched those of the original stick n poke, rather than remedied the shape of the stick n poke. The haste in which she worked, along with her somewhat standoffish demeanor, made me feel unvalued. I truly did not feel like she was receptive to my input, which proves to be very inappropriate for a tattoo artist. I understand that not everyone is chatty, or overtly friendly, but tattoo artists have a responsibility to make the customer feel comfortable, assured, and their input acknowledged. After all their job is one of much gravity. I also must mention that I payed an 80$ flat rate for this tattoo smaller than a dime, done in less than five minutes. I understand how the flat rate works, but with the tattoo that I came away with it seems ridiculous. I truly believe that I could've made my stick n poke look better by going over it myself with my own India ink and needle. All this being said, the artist that tattooed me, Yaz, has beautiful drawings showcased in the parlor, and I have no doubts about her expertise. From the photos I've seen, her bigger tattoos look very good. Everything was very sterile, and I had no concerns about the actual tattooing process. read more

Unbelievable! What was suppose to be a fun, right of passage turned into major bummer! I brought my daughter in for a nose piercing, got a lukewarm welcome and was told it would be about 20 min wait-the guy that does piercings was with another client. Ok, we wait for 40 min. We stood up when it was our turn and was told at that time we needed ID for both of us, 'because we could be two strangers walking in together off the street'. I can understand this, usually the parent's ID is enough, but we said we'd go get her ID and come back. And this is where I wasn't thinking...my daughter grabbed her school ID and we went back to the shop. Waited some more. It was our turn, and we gave the man our ID's, and he said hers wouldn't work, it needed to be a state/gov issue ID. At NO point in the previous interactions did he clarify the type of identification needed--I would have clearly complied and gotten her passport. And this is the worst part, he raised his voice patronizing me that he absolutely said it had to be a state/gov ID. And then repeated himself. The vibe there is not a comfortable one if you lack multiple tattoos and piercings. So disappoint to have had this interaction. read more

I'm not one to write many reviews, and especially not a low rating one but I can't not tell people about this place. And if you read my review and don't believe me, near the bottom of the Yelp page there's a button you can click to look at reviews that are not recommended and there's a few with similar experiences. They just aren't recommended because they don't write reviews often. Got a set of piercings done here by the dude who pierces about a year ago, I think there's only one. They've almost completely healed and I've had no problems with that. I do have a problem with a tattoo I got done there. The entire experience was kind of unpleasant but I went along anyway because I was hoping for the best but I've learned my lesson now. No this was not my first tattoo, I've had plenty of beautiful ones done. So here was my experience, I call and a woman answers the phone and I ask for when the owner will be available for a tattoo and she pretty much says its so far away just book with me. So I was like um okay I guess I will. So I booked an appointment and came in. I just wanted a simple heart tattoo on the side of my finger. She convinced me to get it on the top so it'll last longer. She made me feel extremely stupid for wanting it on the side and now I regret not sticking to what I want. She warned me that they fade which is fine. But once my tattoo healed it looked like it had aged 5-10 years anyway. It's my newest tattoo and it looks way old than any of the others. The ink didn't stay in some spots and it was uneven. I can handle the ink not staying but when I went in to show her she literally laughed at me and said that's what happens and wouldn't fix it. She finally said she could but it would be a complete waste of time. I've seen plenty of nearly perfect healed finger tattoos (in person) so I was really disappointed when she reacted that way. My biggest issue is that she was just very rude throughout the entire experience. And had an "I told you so" attitude when I went in to have it fixed. I've been to other tattoo artists to look at my finger since she was not interested in helping me and they've agreed that it could have been done better or fixed. So I'll be going to get it fixed somewhere else very soon. I don't know if her heart wasn't into it that day because it was a small tattoo but that's definitely never the attitude to have because I ended up with a shitty tattoo on my finger of all places. Confused with as to why this shop has pretty high ratings. Maybe the other artists are better. If you've made it this far, my advice would be to be very careful about this place and I will never be going back. read more

I got some work done by Paul in 2016 and wanted to wait until it was done to write a review. I see that other reviewers didn't have the best experience, but I came here because I saw another tattoo he did that was the exact style I wanted. Paul listened to what I wanted from the get-go and drew up an original design that was exactly what I had in mind. He was understanding when I wanted to reschedule the shading due to it being summer. He was always personable and fun to talk to while he worked, which is important when you're stuck with someone for almost 5 hours. His prices are absolutely reasonable for the work being done, as well. While other reviewers didn't have the best customer service experience, mine was great, and I came here for the quality of the work anyway, not the front-of-house experience. I would highly recommend Old School (Paul especially) to anyone who is looking for work. Which I do often, as people are constantly commenting on or asking where I got my forearm piece done. read more

Old School Tattoo - By Paul - Tattoo Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Great place!! My first impression was a bit standoffish....I have to say that given the chance they really seem to warm up. Jesse Lafarge did my tat was a memorial piece and it came out beautiful....the detail in the lil footprints came out just right! He did a watercolor butterfly for my daughter....thanks for a good time...the only thing to keep in mind is that they dont really do tribal....and I mean tattooing of traditiinal American indian clan pieces at least thats what they told my son when I sent him over for a clan piece....I didnt understand but appreciate their honesty rather then have a tat thats screwed up right...only reason they lost a star...I would go again for other type pieces read more

I first visited Old School for my nose piercing. The piercing didn't go quite as planned, but Salvador was absolutely amazing and made sure nothing got too out of control. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to pierce my nose. I just recently visited the shop again, this time for my second tattoo with Yaz. I walked in and told her what I wanted, and she whipped up the perfect picture before getting started. She is a super talented artist, with experience. This is the one place I'll be going when I want more tattoos or piercings in the future. All around good stuff. read more

Usually the front tattoo guys are standoff ish and have terrible customer service, and the piercing people are nice. Tonight, I got the opposite. I wanted a second opinion about a piercing I got somewhere else and the girl working in the back was SO lame I won't be back. She barely looked up from her computer the whole time (to the point where I had to make sure I needed to talk to her, even though she was behind the counter) was pretty condescending and really didn't want to help me at all. I really don't want to give my business to someone who obviously could care less. read more

I could not believe my ears when the artist told me I owed him $100 for an hour of shading in a 5"x4" sunset on my shoulder. I have been all over the world and have never had to pay an outrageous price like that unless I was in a big city with artists with much more talent and experience. I have to give it 2 stars only because it was pretty clean in there. My recommendation would be to save your money and go to Seattle or Vancouver for ANY work you need to get touched up or done. read more