This was my review from my old account from May 2015 (when Marvin used to work here): I'm so glad phat buddha opened with great staff. I wanted to get my second tattoo and was not planning on going to pacific mall for it because I only knew about Chronic Ink Tattoos. The staff there honestly looked very mean and was just money-hungry. The second tattoo I wanted to get was a big piece. I needed a good artist for sure. Luckily I went to the second floor and happened to come across the little phat buddha shop (This was their first one in p-mall). I spoke with Marvin and he was so welcoming, genuine and down to earth. I wasn't sure about doing it here, but he still gave me some points on what to ask tattoo artists, etc. He drew my piece out first and anything I wanted to add/take away before we started was easily done by him. I took a long time of emailing back and forth to agree on the final tattoo, but Marvin was patient and kind. He never rushed or sounded annoyed or anything! Ever since then, I have only recommended Marvin to all my family/friend/strangers. Go here! You won't regret it. :) read more

This is a review for The Piercing Place, which shares the space with Phat Buddha Tattoos. It's on the SECOND FLOOR of Pacific Mall, at end of the Food Court! (You're welcome). We went for my daughter's ear piercing. We were helped by Jai (The Piercing Goddess!). Jai was very competent, sympathetic, and supportive. How it works: the piercing itself is free, but you gotta buy a minimum of CAD100 in jewelry. After shopping around online, I realized this price is pretty standard these days. I don't really want my daughter to get more piercings, but if she does, I'll be totally comfortable going back to The Piercing Place! read more

Good owner and management, but bad piercer!!! My friend and I went for a septum piercing together yesterday afternoon. Phat Buddha had a $35 piercing sale. We didn't get our piercer's name but he was a white guy, and the piercings were done improperly and poorly. We came back half an hour ago, and the owner was understanding and really quick to give us a refund and apology. Our septum piercing experience: 1. My friend asked whether he'll pierce low or high and he responded with that it's just a septum piercing it doesn't matter about placement 2. He did not explain the procedure to us beforehand 3. He didn't mark the placement 4. He didn't ask if we thought this was a good placement before piercing 5. He actually pierced me TWICE because he messed up the first time 6. When we voiced our concerns about the piercing being low, he said our septum looks low due to the large jewellery and us having small noses (trusting our piercer and not knowing better, we believed him, only for several people to say our piercings were not done right) read more

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Rude service and overcharges for their services. I called twice inquiring about piercing removal (I need help opening a cartilage and conch hoop), and I only called this place because it's very close to where I live. They failed to follow up with me both times after I called, even after leaving my name and number. I called back a 3rd time and the piercer was finally in, so I spoke to him and he was incredibly rude. The original people I spoke to on the phone told me that they don't actually have a piercing removal service, and that they would have to ask the piercer directly whether or not he will charge for that. I expected a $5 fee or maybe even free if they are feeling nice (the guy on the phone was the one who told me "we might not even charge for something like that"). I've had piercing removals done at Adrenaline Tattoos downtown and they charged me $5. The piercer said it would be $10 PER piercing removal... So $20 for something that would take you 10 seconds? No thanks. When I told him what the guy on the phone previously told me, he snaps at me and goes "well I'm the piercer and I'm not going to do things for free". Good for you. read more

Great place. A little small but very clean. Prices are reasonable and the people were friendly. Mike did a great job on my tattoos read more

I waited until my tattoo healed before writing a review. Now that it's fully healed, I am incredibly satisfied with the work that Rob did! I've gotten tons and tons of compliments (three roses on my forearm), and I never hesitate to tell people where I got it done. Initially, the roses were meant to go around some lettering I had gotten done years ago, but I asked Rob what he thought of just covering it up. At first, he was skeptical, but once he started working on the outline, the cover up ended up being the best possible option. Rob did such a great job that people can't even tell it's a cover up! Service was fantastic, and the wait times were short. I booked the appointment on a Sunday, got my first session done two Fridays after, and the second session was scheduled a week and a half later. I was feeling kind of sick during my second session, and Rob went and got me a hot chocolate -- talk about going above and beyond for your clients! Overall, I was extremely satisfied with the service, and of course with the tattoo. I would absolutely come back, especially now that I want a full sleeve! read more

Phat Buddha Elite Tattoos - Cover up done by Rob. - Tattoo Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Decided to pop by a tattoo shop to get a cartilage piercing. Although it was a bit of a wait for the piercer to arrive, I was shopping around the mall. When I returned for the piercing, it was quite a quick process. I was super nervous at first, but the tattooist and piercer made it a fun experience throughout. Compared to other tattoo shops while I was shopping around, this is definitely much cheaper for a cartilage piercing. read more

Very happy with the piece Marlon did for me. Great work. Came out better than I envisioned. Took his time with it. Highly recommended. read more

Phat Buddha Elite Tattoos - @tat2bymarlonm - Tattoo Near Me - Markham, Ontario

If I could give zero stars I would. Overpriced. If you go in groups to get the same tattoo done, they use the same needle. So keep a watchful eye, the guy used two needles for four people. That's so unsanitary. Wish I had proof so I could report his ass. I didn't notice until months after when my dumb friend told me (she did the tatt with me), my friend thought I knew. Don't go to this place read more

Got my third lobe piercing at Phat buddha located in Pacific mall, and had a pretty good experience. Came here at around 2-3PM and the place was pretty much empty except for a couple other people browsing around. Didn't get my piercers name but he was quite nice and the whole process was quick from start to finish. He sanitized the earrings and pierced with a needle, which didn't hurt and was quick. Total for both lobes was around $57 including taxes, which isn't bad! I believe the prices for some of the other piercings are also decently priced. read more

Starting off a little negative...but I promise this review will get better! The first time I went to Phat Buddha was when my boyfriend got a tattoo done at their older location at Pacific Mall (kiosk on the side of the building). The owner helped my boyfriend design the stencil until he liked it and was ready to get it done. After that, he was passed on to another artist. When my boyfriend was getting his tattoo done, he kept saying it hurt (which I already figured it would and thought he just needed to stop complaining) but this was because the artist kept on going over the same area over and over again, but was going no where with the tattoo...It got to the point where there was lots of blood and the guy had to keep stopping to wipe off the blood. This tattoo in total took over an hour for simply 6 letters...Looking at the tat now, his tattoo does not look great at all...he basically wasted money for something he can't even get re-touched. He has to get it done all over again. (This is where all the positive stories come in) My boyfriend and I wanted to get a tattoo done in memory of special people in our lives. When we thought of coming to Phat Buddha, I was very hesitant because of his experience the last time we went there. But we still decided to go and inquire because of the positive reviews we've heard about Phat Buddha from other people. Going in for my first tattoo, I was very nervous and didn't know what to expect even though I had my boyfriend with me. We consulted with Justin and he helped us design our tattoos, he even offered to redo my boyfriend's old tattoo for him as well, but we decided we could do that another time since we wanted to focus on just the tattoos we wanted to get that day. Justin was outgoing and friendly...didn't make me nervous at all about my first tattoo. He even reassured me when he mentioned exactly what he was going to do (ie. the use of different needles). My boyfriend got his tattoo first. My boyfriend didn't like the placing of the stencil the first time Justin put it, so he re-did it with no hesitation. The end product turned out really good! It took about 15-20 minutes for it to be done (HUGE difference than the other guy last time we went). When it came to my turn, I was comfortable and it took about 10 minutes to finish. I love the end product to it and was so excited to show all my friends how amazing it looked. The place looked really clean to me. The only downfall is that it's really small since it's a kiosk. Since I was lying down on the chair, we kind of blocked the way from the back to the front so people had to wait until we were done. Pricing was really good since we got to negotiate a cheaper price than what Justin originally mentioned. Paid $300 for both tattoos...mine was $100 and his was $200. If we go back to get another tattoo done (which I'm pretty sure we will), I won't have any hesitation asking for Justin again. It made me have hope for this place after our first encounter at Phat Buddha with that guy (don't even know his name...). read more

Rudest customer service. my friend and I went to shop and spoke to Logan about getting our first tattoos. the guy wouldn't get off his phone never looked at us and just shrugged his shoulder and said I guess I can do that. we also feel mocked as when we told him our idea he was smiling and holding in laughing. when we explained what it meant he says yeah whatever. I will never give him or this shop my business read more

I liked the place when I first went, got myself a tattoo and walking out felt pretty good about it. The following week I brought my mother in because she asked for a tattoo for her 54th birthday. It was her first one and she had fun. It was a very small simple tattoo and I felt like I was over charged at the time. Later on I went back to have my tattoo touched up, and wouldn't you know it the guy who did it doesn't work there any more. And. No one else is willing to step up to help out. So I've have a tattoo on my arm that I'm not happy with for a while now. Guess I'll go somewhere else to get it fixed, and pay for my tattoo a second time. read more

Awesome place with friendly staff. Justin took the time to make sure our tattoos turned out right and gave proper advice! Recommend!

I came here to get my tragus pierced after hearing that my friend got her belly button pierced here some time back. Walking in, I was immediately greeted by the staff. There were others there already and everyone sounded and seemed extremely polite. I was given time to read the waiver and sign it while my piercer went to the back to set-up everything for me. The person that pierced me was Marvin, and he was definitely very professional with how he worked. I also got a chance to see the needle and the piercing before we got started and he even pointed out manufacturing dates and expiry dates when showing me the two (both were still packaged and were open during my piercing process.) The whole process didn't take very long and was not as painful as it would appear. He took me through every step and was sure to give me advice on how to make it a lot more bearable. I couldn't really feel the clamp very much, and the needle pierced my cartilage rather quickly so the pain went away almost immediately. I paid $30 for my piercing, and $15 for a bottle of H2Ocean to clean it with (you can make your own- but i'm not one for tedious work). My total came to $45 and I was left extremely satisfied. Will definitely come back for future piercings, maybe a tattoo down the road! :) read more

I had my cartilage re-pierced and my tragus pierced here. They overcharged me - a week later my friend had her tragus pierced and was charged less. ‍ read more

DO NOT go to the Phat Buddha!!! It was the worst experience ever! I went to get my septum pierced and not only did he stick me with the needle 3 times but it was crooked every time. The 1st time he used the clamp - which I later found out he had only used once or twice before - could only get it through half way cause he was hitting the cartilage. It was so painful! Then he tried from the other side where he didn't use the clamp and it came out being tilted. I didn't like it so he said he would try again. This was when I should have run! Because when he took it out to try again there was so much blood that my sister who came with me for support, nearly fainted. The next time he tried he lay me down even more and did it at what he said was a "better angle". I don't know why he didn't do that before. He stuck me with the needle for the last time and it felt much better. There wasn't any pain or blood. I was hopeful till I saw just how crooked it was. I thought maybe I was being picky and felt bad about complaining for a second time which was another big mistake. He convinced me and my sister that it only looked crooked because he had to bend the metal to allow the ring to go into my nose so I could hide it while it healed. He said if I had any other problems that I could come back and he would fix it. So I gave him $90 - yes you heard right 90 dollars! - I went to get a second opinion about my piercing and they told me that it was very crooked and very low! I told them my experience and they where shaking their heads through the whole thing. I have definitely learned my lesson! Ask as many questions in the beginning as possible before they start anything, if the person is rushing you through it - RED FLAG! - and if they demand cash as the only way of payment - RED FLAG! read more

In this day and age, all companies should learn to communicate through email. This company falls far behind and makes it difficult for the customer. Terrible company. Don't trust companies that feel the need to hide the quote from you until you're in person so they can try and manipulate you so the price sounds reasonable. Don't fall for it. read more

Came here to get my first piercings done; both lobes and a cartilage. Marlon was my piercer and he was amazing. Very throughout explanation and showed me what equipment he was going to use. It stung a bit at first but then it went away. Been about two weeks since I got them done and they've seem to be healing well so far. The cartilage still gets red and hurts when it touches something but that's pretty normal since it's only been two weeks. The lobes stopped hurting like the next day. The pricing is pretty good too; $20 per lobe and $40 for my cartilage. If you pay in cash there's no tax. Overall I would recommend this place if you're coming to get a piercing done. They have two locations in pmall and the one upstairs is the one that does the piercings. read more

This was my worst tattoo experience and I have 10 tattoos. I booked 3 weeks in advance for the owner a professional artist. I wanted a black and grey tattoo. When I arrived the owner Phil didn't feel like doing it so he pawned me off on an amature artist saying that she was just going to do the outline. As she was an amature I was told I had to have colour because black would look terrible. I got two roses and it took 7 hours wasn't finished and I was charged $600 for at best a $300 tattoo and I'm stuck with amature ink on me forever. Also when I went to pay they refused to apply my $100 deposit saying that it was a different artist so I have to deal with him. Worst professionalism ever. Fortunately I have a great artist now. That does insane detailed work in a short amount of time for half the price. I would avoid this place at all costs. read more

My first impression was they're nice but then they started to make fun of my friend and I because we were being picky (no shit it's our body that's getting tatted). Overpriced as hell. I said fine I'll give it a shot. My tattoo looked decent while my friends tattoo looked like a kid drew it. The guy who did our tattoo was super rude and inconsiderate and I didn't appreciate it. Months later now, I see that the tattoo has some spaces that aren't filled in and it's a little bumpy....wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy for real. read more

My experience at Phat Buddah was an awful one.BAD BAD BAD TATTOOS. I heavily do not recommend this tattoo shop if you are looking for QUAILTY tattoos and i cannot emphasize QUALITY any more!!. They do great in marketing of PHAT BUDDAH but do not be fooled. I had gone in for some ink and felt very comfortable with what the owner of the shop was telling me. Very very smooth talker and an overall nice simple guy but in terms of skills he is very lacking. BAD BAD BAD TATTOOS. So after spending thousands of dollars to laser remove there work and the trama that is associated with it i hope by writing this it saves somebody else the experience of walking around for months with a bad tattoo they are embrassed by. If you are looking for REAL HIGH END ASIAN TATTOOS just do your homework and look at the shading, outlining and quality of CHRONIK INK OR WARRIORS INK they are both in the same area WARRIORS INK is actualy next door to Phat Buddah in the downstairs location at Pacific Mall. Both more or less the same price I advise you just to go in and take alook at there art and judge for yourself. Hopefully by writing this it saves somebody the agony of not so much losing their money but the agony of the process of walking around and ashamed of bad tattoo. Please do your homework and avoid this place guys. read more

Came here for a friend's cartilage piercing and to get my own messed cartilage piercing (from over a year ago from a different place) checked out. Marlin was responsible for both of us, and was very kind and professional. He patiently answered all our questions and was very friendly! All packaging was opened in front of us and special care was taken to ensure cleanliness. We were happy with our services. read more

Me and my cousin came here back in October for walk-in tattoos since the tattoo shop down the road was full. We were told by the tattoo artist we could come to him within a year for a touch up. It sounded a bit odd but we thought he knew what he was talking about. Well we went back last month and we were told the guy who did our tattoos was fired but to come back during the week and they will fix them for us. We returned a few days later and got the run around and in the end got nothing but attitude. The artist upstairs even went on to tell us he did touch ups for another artist they let go for free unknowingly. Yet no one could fix the tiny areas we needed touched up. It was also clear they didn't like this particular artist that did our tattoos. They made no effort to understand or help us out and talked to us as if it was our fault the artist was misinformed of the touch up period and that he was let go. I'm sure the other artists do great work but their customer service and people skills need work. Will take my business somewhere else. read more

WORST customer service I have ever received... I came in for my appointment that I booked in advance and ended up waiting for 1 hour. 1 hour even though I booked an appointment in advance! The staff were very unprofessional and not courteous at all. It gets even better... When I complained that I have been waiting for a very long time, they did not care and told me to keep waiting. Therefore, I just left. When I was leaving the tattoo shop, the staff just laughed and did not even try to apologize for the inconvenience. Due to the fact that they were very unprofessional and very rude, I will never go back there and will not recommend anyone to go there. read more