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    Skin Design Tattoo - Honolulu

    4.6 (84 reviews)
    Ultra High-EndTattoo
    Closed 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

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    Female/zombie
    Allen W.

    I first got some work done a few years ago and have been going to Christina Choi ever since. Christina's creativity, eye for detail and improvisation skills are off the charts!! I'm really happy with the work she does and I'm excited to get another one done soon! I should also mention she won the "Best of Day" award at the Golden State Tattoo Expo, such great talent at Skin Design Tattoo. I also really love to be in the tattoo studio itself, it has a positive vibe, a spacious interior , a serene ambience, friendly and the most cooperative artists.

    First session of Creation of Adam piece complete.
    Adrian T.

    For my very first tattoo, I thought the experience was going to be like any other day. However, the energy was positive and the vibes were just right. The whole crew was professional and they took care. Everything was clean and their spot was comfortable to be in. I worked with Lynn and we immediately had that positive energy going into it. She checks off most of my boxes simply for having respect for the art, being highly dedicated, and having a dope sense of humor. With the way my tattoo came out, you can tell she has committed herself to the art. Hopefully I can book another appointment soon. Update: Picture of fully healed tattoo.

    Meet me where I'm at.

    Start to finish, Skin Design and the fabulous Christina Choi crushed it. Couldn't have asked for a better fist experience. The ink is still drying but I'm so stoked and happy. My first tattoo came out exactly as I hoped but better than I could've imagined. Christina is a master of detail and obviously passionate about her craft. Couldn't be more pleased. Also dug the vibe, so chill and professional.

    Berner F.

    My tattoo artist was Amanda, probably one of the most coolest tattoo artists I've ever worked with. Super personable, made me feel comfortable and made the whole process smoother because of that. I had two sessions with her and I just loved the detail and final product from which came to fruition. Would highly recommend and would definitely get tattooed by her again. Shout out to Ali and Selah for check in aswell super friendly and professional .

    OVERSOUL
    Matthew A.

    Love the work Daniel did!! It's the shop to go to in Oahu. The view helps a lot during the painful moments with the tattooing. Good vibes in the waiting room they even ask if anyone wants to pick the music.

    Persephone - Realism Black and Grey, created by Christina Choi
    Saehwa Y.

    Christina is awesome!! I cannot begin to describe how thankful I am to have chosen the right artist for my first ever tattoo. I am extremely picky (and who wouldn't! its permanent art on your body) when choosing the right person. So much so that I've spent countless hours looking up all these tattoo artists and their portfolios before deciding who to pick... Because not everyone that can tattoo has the right technical skills to do so. Textures/lines/shading/placement/ etc. Christina's line work is clean as f... and her shading ability is impeccable. Those two factors are what initially caught my attention to Christina's artwork. So I booked 3 full day sessions with her at the Golden State Tattoo Expo 2022 and drove 6 hours one way to get my tattoo done. Fast forward to the expo, Christina worked tirelessly and in good faith to ensure that both parties were proud with the design itself, tattoo placement, and overall aesthetics. In this modern day and age, I've never seen anyone with a strong work ethic and determination like her to get it done. It was inspiring. And guess what? It all paid off. Her tattoo design won the "Best of Day" Award at the coveted 2022 Golden State Tattoo Expo and appeared on Hawaii news!! I was stoked! Because that winning ink is now on my arm! This tattoo, my first tattoo, will forever be an unforgettable experience and it wouldn't have happened without Christina and her dedication to the project. I am so happy with the outcome of the artwork. I will be coming back for more! I cannot recommend her enough to those that are contemplating on getting a tattoo. She will work with you and consult with you to make sure that your artwork is flawless and something to be proud of. Also shoutout and thanks to the team over at Skin Design Tattoo Studio for making the booking process and checking out process smooth from start to finish.

    Do not go here. Got a terrible tattoo (not at all what I asked for, stylistically). It will take EXTENSIVE tattoo removal and cover up work to make me not absolutely hate this piece. Artist was not ready with anything drawn up, despite me sending in copious reference photos, and he oversold his ability to do this type of piece (floral, color, delicate). Honestly, go somewhere else.

    My youngest
    Mz. Annie C.

    If I could give this place a 10 star I most definitely will..booking was super easy and convenient..you don't have to leave your home.. everything is made via text for your comfort..just send a pic via text and then size..then they will match you with the right artist base on what design you're looking for..then you have a choice to pick the selected tattoo artist by the way all artists are amazing..they all have their artwork on IG for you to look at..you send half of the price as a deposit to lock the date..yes they take Venmo..easy right?!? No worries ..no fuss..I have been there 3 times ..all three full days..and with all my 3 days I felt like home..you are welcome with open arms and greeted as if they have known you forever..I'm like seriously every artist working that day gives so much love it's a unbelievable vibe..I got the honor to have Ricky and Amanda work the most amazing piece on me.. Ricky- Original piece was both of my son's pic to be placed on one inner arm..he wanted to show off a lot of detail so he decided let's do BIG!! did two big portraits 1 on each hand and didn't even raised the price..kept it as in..made boy of my sons exactly like them..love love it..plus he was such a gentle man..made me feel like family..so chill and lay back Amanda-that's my girl..everything they say about her is true..her artwork and her..her personality just makes you wanna be her..especially her amazing singing..I felt like I was in a concert and being tatted the same time..she made my experience a very memorable one ..she nailed every detail on both portraits..she went beyond to what I was expecting..especially my tata..we had a crying moment..it was beautiful..I appreciate her so much.. Staff- I've felt like I was one of them..they all made me feel like home..always offering me drinks and food..Jesse took care of me so well..He gave me big brother vibe the whole time..made me not wanna leave..the most beautiful experience ever..they all will all talk stories with you and make you be part of their conversation..Which made all the pain go away..I was honored to see everyone's pieces on all days and I tell you their art work is amazing..they commitment each other no competition vibe what so ever..I've been to many tattoo shops and they all are amazing..but Skin Design Tattoo is my number 1 to go to if you want the best ink on Oahu..very realistic and you think you're idea of your tattoo is amazing..? Once they add in their magic touch..it'll be 10x more amazing.did I mention they have other shops around the world as well..? Yes I so highly recommend ..

    Libbi R.

    I got my tattoo with Gerard. He was great and gave me a tattoo that looks exactly like my dog. Setting up an apt with Skin Design was easy. I highly recommend them and Gerard.

    Tattoo design by Lynn
    Ariagna P.

    I can't express with words how satisfied I am with Lynn and her work, for my first tattoo I wasn't expecting something this big but I trusted her and let her designed what was more convenient, she was really patient with me during the 3 full days section and delivered the best product, I will never go with anybody else but her. Thank you, I got a bad bitch hand bag to remind me after going through all this pain what Lyn said I was certified as the baddest bitch

    This place is where the best artist congregate. A team of superb artist and people. Lynn's talent is inspiring and mind blowing. Absolute boss lady. Not only is the talent top notch but all the booking agents are amazing and make the process run flawlessly. Highly recommend if you are looking for a serious tattoo. Five stars

    Tattoo artist: Zeus This is my first tattoo (not complete yet), but man.. this place is amazing!! Super comfortable here and VERY clean! Zeus is so chill and so are the other arists!! Definitely would recommend this tattoo shop! *WILL UPDATE once sleeve is finished

    After my touch-up appointment a couple weeks ago!
    Courtney F.

    Where do I even begin to share how much I love Lynn?! Her work with color is mind-blowing and my tattoo transformed into something I couldn't even imagine on my own. In addition, she was pretty gentle with her touch, especially considering this was a large piece on my foot! She also added some color to a butterfly tattoo I've had for about 4 years already. She made the colors match, but of course were different with the two pieces, so now they look great on me and together! Like it was all planned! I know I'll need touch-ups in the future. I also know I will be moving back to the mainland. However, I'll be flying out here and stopping to see Lynn for my touch-ups! Even if it's after a visit on another island! She's the best! Check out the pics I attached.

    Asian Realism w/ christina

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    professional , top notched / award-winning artists , incredible customer service . they're like Allstate...you're in good hands!

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Skin Design Tattoo - Honolulu

    What is your policy on tattooing my child, who is 17 years old?

    Do you come to Kapolei?

    Not sure what you mean? We have a shop here in town, right outside of Waikiki.

    View All 5 Questions

    Review Highlights - Skin Design Tattoo - Honolulu

    He answered all of my questions via text messages and phone conversations before booking my flight to see Robert Pho.

    Mentioned in 21 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Tattoo Hawaii

    4.7(322 reviews)
    0.8 miAla Moana
    $$

    "I'm wearing short sleeves, I don't want to expose my tattoos."…read more-Jerry Seinfeld Well now I DO wanna wear short sleeves to let my new honu peek out a bit! Been wanting to get a honu ink'd to remind me of where I came from... where home really is. Everytime I go back, I run out of time or just didn't want to give up the beach day. This time the whole fam was IN... when I explained my design concept, both my wife and daughter wanted their own version, still honu themed. da Scene: Determined to get this done done during the 16 day visit back home on Oahu, I did my research early and narrowed it down to 3 spots initially. After some dm's, email exchanges and finally some voice calls, it was Lai @ Tattoo Hawaii who I connected with most, so we scheduled an in-person consult and then our sessions, with 2 days left on our trip - only lost 1 beach day (it was a perfect one too). da Service: Every contact before our session was courteous and replied to promptly. I did have to be insistent on Lai doing our work, even if it meant spanning multiple days. His work on social media and Yelp! most connected with me. At our consult he explained how he would approach my design concept and adapt it to my wife and daughter. Lai was confident he could get us all done in one afternoon/evening session. The shop is tucked away on the 2nd floor of a little building on the corner of Kapiolani and Piikoi... parking is a challenge, so arrive early to wait out a spot. The shop is comfortable and can accommodate 3-4 artists working, with friends looking on in support. da Work: Kai was up 1st as hers would be the least complicated. She went with 3 petroglyph style honu, each about 3.5" diameter, ink'd fairly heavy - vertically on her upper arm, pretty classic design. She has several tattoos already and was surprised that Lai didn't work with a stencil... he simply free-handed the design with several pens, directly on your body. He's a very cool, confident cat, laid back and within minutes has you chatting it up like you went to high school together. I went next as my wife wanted to see how mine's worked out to help solidify her concept. Lai drew a honu/dragon/shark tooth design on my upper arm and I said "go for it". 2.5 hours later I was stunned at the fine details he added to the shark's teeth encircling the honu shell, as well as tribal accents in the honu, while incorporating the dragon profile. It really was satisfying to see my concept executed closely, while adding style and depth, bringing it to life. Carla was last up and really wanted to stick close to what I had done... just smaller and wanted the dragon to "pop" more. As you can see, Lai nailed it... however subtle, the dragon does appear more prominent on her piece. da Wrap: Really happy all-around, already thinking about how to add to it, maybe add color, grow it further down my arm, how to add to the story. It's a very personal thing and I really suggest you take your time to research and find the right artist. I'm confident that you'll find the right one at Tattoo Hawaii. We were there most of the day and saw several folks and artists' work, there was actually one guy there the whole time getting a large whole body piece worked on with a manual tattoo tool, that's an investment! HUGE shout out to Lai for making our sessions so enjoyable and comfortable... When he found out it was my and my wife's 1st work, he said he was honored to be 1st... such a humble guy, great disposition. We'll see you soon brother!

    Many things have changed since my 2018 visit so the information in this review can stay relevant…read more I visited last week for a fairly large piece and Lai took care of it like he did with my two other ones. When you arrive remember to fill out the paperwork provided. This could probably be streamlined if it were made available online. Regardless, you can reach out to the shop via social media or even the shop's webpage too. We took multiple breaks on my last visit. What started out as a request for a pueo turned into a session to catch up since pre-pandemic and get back in the chair. Lai free handed the entire piece. I wanted a poly style piece with Lai's style and that's what I got. Very much appreciated for attention to detail. Reach out to the shop via social media and if you want specifics like cost and time, you better be specific about your request too. (i.e. size, color, design, etc). There are so many shops on Oahu and Tattoo Hawaii was the only one that gave me an accurate cost and time frame, not to mention some awesome conversation. Highly recommended and thoroughly enjoyed!

    Photos
    Tattoo Hawaii - 3 honus

    3 honus

    Tattoo Hawaii - 4-5 hours after and we got back to our room.

    4-5 hours after and we got back to our room.

    Tattoo Hawaii - Dragon emphasized within honu

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    Dragon emphasized within honu

    The Ink Pit Tattoo - Navel / Belly $30

    The Ink Pit Tattoo

    4.7(474 reviews)
    3.2 miKalihi
    $$

    Honestly the best place on the island to get affordable piercings done by Lisa, the prices have…read morebeen the same from the past years I came through 2020-2025. During covid times it was by appointment only but I discovered now in 2025 she does walk ins and appointments via call/text/dm (her IG @lisa_pierce_r) Her business hours of piercing is from Monday to Saturday 12pm-6pm but I still recommend to text her so she knows you're coming in, you can find her number on her Instagram bio or call the tattoo studio. Here's my years of what I got pierced with prices: 2020- Top navel $30 2021- Daith $20 each ear (left & right) 2023- Earlobes for both $40 2025- Rook $20 each ear (left & right) Here's how the session goes. She will ask you for your ID, make you sign a wavier, she will bring you back to the room, cleans the area of your choice, marks the spot where she will pierce and will ask you if you like it or change it. Then she will have you sit or lay on the chair bed, and then she will do her piercing magic. Very quick and smooth experience! Pain level for each piercing: Top Navel 8/10 Earlobes 1/10 Daith 6/10 Rook 6/10 There's no body jewelry there for you to buy, she usually defaults with the plain surgical steel ball and bar. She will give you a paper that has aftercare instructions and it says how long the pain lasts, how long you wait till you can replace the jewelry. They have saline ready for purchase for $5 if you need to clean your piercings! 10/10 recommend this place!

    I got a lot of my piercings done here by Lisa! Call ahead to make your appointment!…read more I love how quick she is and she makes the experience super comfortable. All of my piercings have healed nicely and honestly if there's any concern whatsoever, just call her and she'll address them-- Lisa gives it straight and that's all a person can ask for! She provides that peace of mind. All I can say about this place is 10/10 all around. They're all so friendly, the tattoo artists too are chefs kiss!! So so kind and so easy to converse with. Best service hands down! Such good vibes. Mahalo Nui, Ink Pit!

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    The Ink Pit Tattoo
    The Ink Pit Tattoo - Got a conch and another helix done today, staff were super friendly and the process was quick. will definitely come back.

    Got a conch and another helix done today, staff were super friendly and the process was quick. will definitely come back.

    The Ink Pit Tattoo - First dermal of 2025 and SO EXCITED !!!

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    First dermal of 2025 and SO EXCITED !!!

    Pacific Soul Tattoo

    Pacific Soul Tattoo

    4.9(50 reviews)
    1.4 miKaka'ako
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    I have been wanting a Polynesian style tattoo for awhile and I did my research before coming to the…read moreisland for vacation. I ultimately chose this shop because the artists here are so talented. It was actually quite hard to narrow it down and choose which artist I wanted to do my ink - they're all crazy talented. But then I fell in love with a design I saw and I selected Brian and sent him an email to begin correspondence. When I arrived in Oahu I went by and we discussed what I wanted and I made and appointment and put down a deposit. My appointment was for Friday 2/9 at noon. Brian had drawn up the design for me that included the elements I asked for and it was even more beautiful than anything I had pictured. He managed to incorporate the ocean sunset design I loved, altered it to include flowers instead of leaves and he worked in the Polynesian element I wanted. He massively exceeded my expectations. The appointment was great. Brian is a skilled tattoo artist, he is very personable and I enjoyed talking with him as he used his 6-7 colors of black and grey to create my tattoo. I am very pleased with the result. Everything he used was new/disposable and he was meticulous in his care of keeping everything as clean and sterile as possible. I highly recommend this shop and Brian.

    Reccomended to all!! if i can give more stars i will. got my first Tattoo it came out really Nice…read more Steve is really talented artist , so dedicated to his work! Excellent work Brother! Hope to see you soon again!

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    Pacific Soul Tattoo
    Pacific Soul Tattoo
    Pacific Soul Tattoo

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    Skin Deep Tattoo and Piercing

    Skin Deep Tattoo and Piercing

    4.5(349 reviews)
    0.7 miWaikiki
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    I had such an amazing experience at Skin Deep Tattoo! From the moment I walked in, Gabby at the…read morefront desk was incredibly welcoming and made the whole check-in process a breeze. My artist, Barbara, was fantastic. She really took the time to listen to what I wanted and executed the piece perfectly. Barbara knew I was emotionally invested in getting this tattoo and I could tell that she enjoyed doing this tattoo. The shop has a great vibe and a lot of history. I highly recommend both of them if you are looking for a tattoo in Waikīkī

    Q: How much do pirates charge to pierce someone's ears? A:…read more A buccaneer (a buck an ear)! I yanked my hidden helix piercing out on accident while washing my hair at the hotel. I didn't have the needle to put the piercing back in and since it was still relatively new, I knew the chances of it closing were high, especially since the same thing of my hair yanking the piercing out in the shower had just happened to me the month prior. It was half-closed in less than twelve hours! I had originally wanted to stop off at another spot but their piercer wasn't in. What? So I opened Yelp and found this place a short distance away. I came here and saw Krista and it was amazing. She got me cleaned and my piercing placed back in fast for the low price of $10 (plus tax). She's amazing. Mad love for this cool tattoo and piercing salon in Waikiki. Service is insanely friendly, place is clean, and the vibes are vibing. Five stars!

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    Skin Deep Tattoo and Piercing - Inside

    Inside

    Skin Deep Tattoo and Piercing - Lyndsey getting inked!

    Lyndsey getting inked!

    Skin Deep Tattoo and Piercing - Inside

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    Inside

    Skin Design Tattoo - Honolulu - tattoo - Updated May 2026

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