I have gone here twice for tattoos-each time with a different artist. Both times they have been clean, professional, relaxing, and I have been very happy with the end result. Whether you are getting your first tattoo or you have many, it's a good place to go! read more

Star Tattoo - Tattoos - Tattoo Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

They were able to get us in with short notice (me, wife, daughter). Ole was our artist and he was great. Was able to convert our ideas into wonderful pieces. He was fast and friendly and wonderful to talk to. Reasonably priced, clean professional venue. Oh and Duke the receptionist was awesome. read more

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The vibe at the shop was welcoming -- the staff were friendly and courteous. Unfortunately, the skill level didn't quite meet my expectations. The artist who worked on me assured me he could handle a cover-up, and because of his friendly demeanor, I trusted him. A few years later, I'm now having the tattoo laser-removed because the original piece is still clearly visible through the cover-up. What I wish had happened is simple: honesty. If he had recommended laser removal from the start instead of convincing me he could handle it, I could have saved myself time, money, and disappointment. On top of that, when another artist later looked at my tattoo, he quickly found the owl stencil used on Google images -- which confirmed for me that little effort was put into creating something original. That was the final letdown. Overall, while the environment was positive, the lack of transparency and originality left me with regret instead of satisfaction. read more

I have had several more pieces done at Star Tattoo and all with Raven. My daughter and I got matching tattoos for her bday, my sisters and I got matching tattoos, and she did my arm sleeve. She is professional, listens to what you want, very clean, and is just overall amazing. Each appointment she always is great to talk with and makes the process as smooth as possible. Her art is just beautiful and I am so proud to have so much of her art on my body. I have lost over 100lbs and Raven has let me know that once I have arm skin removal she will fix the sleeve if anything gets messed up from the surgery. I have referred many people to Star Tattoo. My husband received his first and second tattoos from Jason and really loves them. We will be back! read more

Got my first tattoo here with Mark and had a great experience. This shop is easy to communicate with, following great safety practices, and is very clean. Mark was really patient with me and did a great job setting me at ease. The tattoo was pretty thin and smaller design and turned out amazing - he did a steady and phenomenal job. Doesn't even need a touch up. Already have some new ideas in mind I'll be coming back for! read more

I just got my first tattoo with Patrick Powell. I was really anxious. Patrick was great. He really listened to me and I felt very comfortable. I don't have anything to compare it to but I appreciated that he was thoughtful and precise with my simple design. I love the way it turned out! The studio was really clean and everyone was adhering to Covid safe practices. read more

Star Tattoo - Phoenix tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Patrick did my first tattoo and was wonderful. Highly recommend him. read more

I've gotten a couple of tattoos at Stat Tatoo from a couple of artists. Love the work they did. I Raven did an awesome Phoenix on my right shoulder, and Ole did a Weeping Angel on my left forearm. They both came out great! read more

Daughter and I went in for matching tattoos. Very satisfied. Good work, professional staff, clean and well organized. Would have liked more books to look at. Overall great! So great our support friend went in and did her own. read more

The staff and artists are very professional and honest. You'll probably have to make an appointment ahead of time. My experience was with Patrick, and I'd highly recommend him but I'm sure they are all as good! Super clean shop. Very professional staff. 5/5 overall! read more

What better way to have a family bonding event getting a tattoo. Especially with the Holidays right around the corner. We had stopped in a few places and looked at the artwork and skill of the artists. Nothing too impressive and we were ignored at one place. So we stopped in to do some shopping. We liked what we saw. The artists put their best work forward and it was impressive. Star is run by one of the artists and his girlfriend. We were greeted almost immediately and discussions began. I wanted to coverup an old tattoo and the wife & daughter wanted to get similar tats. I liked that if the artists didn't think they could do a good job on it that they deferred to another in the shop. All three were done exceptionally well. My tattoo was done without being heavy handed and was exceptional. You'd be hard pressed to find the old tattoo hidden in the new work. The color and detail were top notch and reflected pride in workmanship. I was impressed and am already talking about my next one. Now I know why it's received top 5 in ABQ. read more

Star Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

I had originally gone into Factory Edge at cottonwood mall because of all the amazing reviews, but the moment I walked in there no one wanted to help me and then when someone girl did she was so rude and didn't want to listen to me. I felt so uncomfortable. So when I came here I was greeted and taken care of immediately with no hesitation. I worked with Mark and he was so open to helping me make a small yet big meaningful tattoo for me! He listened to everything I said and gave great direction to help me make a simple design. I loved its art work as well! He had such a light hand and I was highly comfortable with him. He had a calming manner to him as well that just made the experience even better. Thanks a million Mark I'll definatly be coming back for that rib tattoo ;) read more

Star Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Had thought about getting a tattoo for some time and wanted my first one to be something I would love. Looked pretty long and hard online to find artists I thought could do the job I wanted. Low and behold, Start Tattoo just so happened to have the two artists whose work I most admired. I got an appointment with Ericksen and couldn't have been more lucky to get him. I live about 3 hours away from ABQ, and I really felt that he valued my time and effort to get there. 2 hours in the seat and I had exactly the tattoo I had dreamed about getting. Very helpful, very friendly, very professional, very worth it. Definitely going to be a repeat customer here. read more

Star Tattoo - First tattoo... realistic raven piece by Ericksen - Tattoo Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

I went into Star after getting a not so great art consult at a different shop. Everyone was great from the beginning. Mitchell helped me look through everyone's portfolios (they have some amazing work between all of them!) and talked with me about what I wanted. Then Raven did my art consult and really spent time with me understanding what I wanted. They scheduled everything out so that I had time to see the artwork, think about it and put down my deposit. It is a large piece, but Raven knocked it out in three sessions. She explained each step of the process, was patient with me, and did an amazing job. This is a professional, clean shop and I would recommend them to anyone looking to get a great tattoo! I'm already plotting what I can get next! Thanks guys :) read more

As the saying goes.. Great tattoos aren't cheap, and cheap tattoos (ah, you know the rest). This place is great! After doing my research, and inquiries this is the first tattoo shop I've been to since I moved from NY. I had a shoulder piece done by Gina. She is amazing, and very creative. I gave her a picture of what I had wanted, and she put her own little spin on it. Everyone here is very friendly, and professional and has amazing creativity. (Gina - is AMAZING at traditional American style tattoos, Alex and Erickson both have amazing skills with portrait and photo-realistic) There is not one person here I wouldn't recommend. I will be back again very soon!! Good To knows: Large pieces are charged by the hour ($150 per hour) instead of by the piece. Smaller artwork is charged by the piece. Also, you must schedule an appointment in person because you do need to leave a deposit that goes towards the final purchase of the tattoo. read more

I did a lot of research on tattoos, and I found that Star Tattoo was ranked best in the city. I looked through portfolios, and I was referred to Jason. I gave him a photo of an idea I had for a watercolor zia tattoo, so that I could represent a place that's dear to me in a unique way. I set up my appointment, paid the $50 holding fee and came back several weeks later. To my surprise, Jason hadn't even drawn anything up for my tattoo. He made me wait when I got there, and sketched a generic looking zia - nothing like the watercolor idea I had presented. I asked him about it, he made a few alterations, and said he'd fill in the color. When it was done, the black parts of the zia were shaky looking and the color looked like it was dotted on; not what a watercolor tattoo looks like (subtle, water-y looking color). I do also blame myself; I wasn't exactly getting the tattoo I wanted, but I let him sketch up a blotchy zia on my back. I paid the $200 for the tat, but now I'm looking around to see if someone can really fix the tattoo into something I'll be proud to rep. read more

(I'm going to write an entire review without using the word "insanely". It's a word I overuse and it's got to stop. I know I can do it. Ready. Set. Go.) I'd heard good things about this place so I brought in my idea for something to cover up an old tattoo. The super (fingers wanted to type "insanely". This is hard.) cute guy at the front procured Jason, who is one of the owners, to take a look. I showed him my existing tattoo and a print out of what I wanted it covered with and he immediately said, "We can definitely cover that up." Music to my ears. I made an appointment for 6 weeks later. It took 2 hours to do the tattoo. Jason was awesome, the kind of guy who seems really happy with his life and is comfortable in his own (heavily tattooed) skin. We took a few breaks, friends came in and out and chatted with Jason, we chatted. The end result? Well, I feel really lucky to have a tattoo this amazing. I'm not sure I'm cool enough for it. You can't tell that it's a cover up, not even a little bit. (Whew! I did it! Well, there might have been 1 semi slip up. Baby steps.) read more

If you want a tattoo that someone else has, or perhaps an amateur traced drawing of that tattoo 3 minutes before your arrival then this is the place for you. If you are interested in having a tattoo artist combine 3 possible ideas into her own artistic rendition I would not recommend scheduling a three week out wait time for an appointment to see Gina at Star Tattoo. Gina is non welcoming and definitely not interested in small, intricate, personal, and individual tattoos. She's annoyed to discus and irritated to rework; Overall Un happy and unpleasant. I wonder how comfortable anyone would be with a piece on their body FOREVER from someone that says , "really, it's not worth my time to redraw it" (After one attempt, a possible 5-10 min job) Keep in mind I have never written a bad review about anyone or anything!!! read more

WOW!!!! This place is the only place I go to to get tatted up! I live in the DMV so that is a bit difficult to get my fix, but I go there when ever im in the 505. I have been coming to J Ward for over 10 years now and he is amazing. Not only is he professional, but he is quick and is a suave mutha f@#$! The shop itslef is not huge, but what shop is. They have plenty of books of their work, and have many, many, many templates to choose from, or opt for a custom work, which I recommend. They are super professional and clean, they even give you a nice goody bag when you leave, which is super cool. The prices are really great as well. I never feel over charged at all and they can quote you a price before hand. I think they used to do piercings there but not anymore. Regardless, they are a top notch shop with some street cred! Dont go anywhere else for a tattoo, well go ahead and go somewhere for a tattoo, but it will be all jacked up and you wil more than likely regret it lol. Yeah so trust me when I say that I am addicted to these guys tattoos, I have about 14 now I think. Come here for some good vibes, good tats, and good people! read more

Super friendly, clean and awesome environment! Patrick was an amazing artist! He was super friendly, changed our design how we wanted and good pricing as well. Love this place and definitely recommend for others! read more

I absolutely love the work here. Alex was my artist and we came up with a great design. I had to reschedule a few times and they we're more than willing to accommodate me. This is not a walk in tattoo shop. I booked my first appointment for a month out, there is a bit of a wait from what I'm used to (more like a few days/ a week) but it is worth it. Every time I rescheduled it pushed my appointment back about 3 weeks each time, so be prepared for your piece to take a bit if it will take multiple sittings, and be sure to book your follow up appointments the same day you book your first, I didn't do that and I had to wait 6 weeks to get another Saturday spot. I personally love the work at this shop, they work very well with my strange rambling tattoo requests and I really love my newest tattoo. I'm almost sad I'm moving away from ABQ in a year, since I'll miss out on more awesome tattoos from Alex. read more

I love this shop! I'm getting my 3/4 sleeve done by Ericksen and not only is he an amazing tattoo artist, but he is super professional and just an all-around awesome guy. He went above and beyond to create an amazing, one of a kind design for my tattoo based on the ideas that I had. He listened to everything I had to say and came up with some of his own unique ideas to add to the piece, which I loved! I have been to many shops over the years and have had work done by several artists and I have to say that this is by far one of the best ones around and that Ericksen is one of the best artists I've had the privilege of knowing/getting tattooed by. I highly recommend Star Tattoo and especially Ericksen to anyone who is looking for top notch work. :) read more

I absolutely love this group. All the artist are fabulous but especially Jason Ward. Jason's artwork is off the charts. I will definitely be back for more. I do have to mention the cleanliness in this shop is fantastic, it definitely makes me feel more confident about getting a tattoo from here. read more

VERY disappointed! Several people highly recommended Jason, so the choice was simple. Or so I thought. Having really no tattoo experience I thought that Jason would sit and carefully go over things with me. He did not. In fact the drawing that he produced without even talking to me, was not what I had in mind. So he went to the back ( alone) and drew up another. In hindsight, I feel this may have insulted him .I take responsibility for accepting what he drew up.I honestly don't know what I was thinking because I do not like the drawing at all! The tattoo is a simple drawn out and plainly colored in design. There is NO detail what so ever.This is something I had no clue about when looking at what he had drawn up. The detail would only show up after the work was done. I sent Jason a letter telling him I was very disappointed with the lack of detail. It has been 2 weeks and I have not heard back from him. So I can only assume he doesn't care. so for the $217.00 I paid and my daughter paid the same ( matching tattoos) we are both very disappointed. All Jason did was draw a simple design ( nothing like the photo we showed him,of a water colored cherry blossom) and color in the lines. Something a child could do. Now I face the task of finding someone to fix the generic tattoo that this #1 tattoo artist gave me :( would not recommend him. read more

Just got a tattoo here with my best friend and all I can say is WOW! Chris, our tattoo artist, was fantastic. A real gem. He listened to our ideas and then gently offered his own expert opinion on what he thought would be best. He wasn't pushy at all, just suggestive, and we were so thankful for his input. Our tattoos came out better than we could have ever imagined!! He also had a fantastic playlist going while we were getting tatted. I will definitely be making the trip (and I live in WA) for my next tattoo to see Chris! read more

The examples posted on the web page are very good. The samples I have seen are very well done. However, I will never have a personal example of their work. I stopped in after reading reviews on line and print publications,. The "guy" ( he never did tell me his name) at the welcome desk seemed more intent on finishing his lunch than answering my questions. I asked the "guy" to see portfolios, he said "they're over there". Never once did he go over the time frame, process, etc. BTW, this is my first tattoo. Sadly, my first tattoo will not come from Star Tattoo. The lack of interest, real or perceived, is something I cannot deal with, read more

Best of Albuquerque by far! I went to get a tattoo by Patrick, came out beautiful! He has a light hand, which is very important for some people. everyone is always very professional at this shop. Counter people always greet you with a friendly smile. Very clean and organized, the outside of the place is always clean and I always see the people keeping the place very clean and sanitary. Patrick went over all the details about healing the tattoo and I will def be back for more! Keep up the good work guys! read more

Star Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

After months of research, reviews and asking around. I went ahead and decided to get my very first tattoo from Star Tattoo. My first mistake was putting down a half payment. On the day of my scheduled session the artist was not available but I was assured that their replacement was just as good. The design I wanted was altered to their specs and when I said I wasn't feeling comfortable with the entire experience, they said I wouldn't be able to get my down payment back because "THEIR" time had already been scheduled. So I reluctantly went ahead and got the piece done in hopes that it would turn out better than anticipated. It came out alright but not to my satisfaction. Walking out I knew I had be scammed. I'll never go back or suggest these people to my worst enemy. read more

I just got my first tattoo here about a week ago from Jason. Everyone who has seen it has complimented it and it's been healing up really fast so far. The people who work there did a good job of helping me feel comfortable since it was all a brand new experience to me. If I ever get any more work done in the future, this will be my go-to place, even though I live out of state. read more

First off, thank you Alex for my amazing piece. I came here in late Feb. to book an appt. I had wanted a memorial piece done that included text and some other shiz. I made my appt. for early March but I wasn't able to make it and had to reschedule, since I called ahead my deposit was still good. Finally the day came and I got a call from my tattoo artist that he wasn't comfortable with my original idea asked me to come in anyway to work something new out. I hadn't met with Alex before so him straight up telling me this shit wasn't going to work made me feel better about who was doing my tattoo. He had great ideas and when I came in the next day to get it done I loved it on paper and I love the way it came out when it was completely finished. It took me forever to decide what I wanted for a tattoo, I know it'll take just as long to figure out color. So, I'm good for now and very happy. read more

im sure these guys are 'mad skilled', but i will never know because when i stopped in today for a simple piece, it seemed to be beyond their scope of skill or something ... the staff showed no real concern for my ideas and wanted $150 for copying some standard 'word doc' font that was not even close to what i brought in and said it was not possible to do what i was asking ... so, after waiting for any sign of interest in my business for about 10 minutes, i walked out and went to SACHS at THE FREAKIN' COTTONWOOD MALL. They were SO NICE and respected my desires for the artwork that will be on my body for THE REST OF MY LIFE. They charged less and got a nice tip for some great work! Jeff did a FABULOUS job and i will be bringing all of my work to them. THANKS, GUYS!!! read more

Excellent tattoo shop i got my first tattoo there. shop was very neat and clean excellent artists great environment. if you want a good tattoo and a great experience definitely go here. read more

I've gotten several tattoos at Star Tattoo, from J.Ward and Gina. Beautiful work, wonderful art, very clean and welcoming. I'm very happy with my experience there and will definitely be back soon! read more

Raven took the time to review the art I was looking for and put together a Kandinsky compilation that would do the artist proud. It's a forearm cover that doesn't look like a cover. She was professional, thorough, and thoughtful. She explained what she was going to do and then set about doing it. She didn't BS, stop, chat, or take calls and consults. I was very, very please with the results. read more

I've had all of my work done here, and couldn't be happier. I've had Jason for four of them, and Alex for one of them. Both guys do an amazing job, and when my son turned 18 he went to Alex and got an amazing tat done that I wish I had. Looks like some people have had issues, but I've had nothing but 5 star experiences here. read more

Just got a hand tattoo from victor! He was amazing and soo gentle! I wouldn't go anywhere else.

Pretty good shop.. I came with here with one of my bro's and it came out good. It is close to my house and I don't like going to other side of town unless i have to. glad they are here and convenient. i think the vatos that work here are pretty chill. They do good work too. read more

good job on the tattoo by gina but at $400 for an hour and 25 mins work it was a little pricey for me. Not sure why it was so expensive everything went well - first positioning of tattoo was used, no screams during the tattooing and it was a friendly experience. its true what they say a good tattoo is not cheap and a cheap tattoo is not good but for a hundred bucks less id take my chances elsewhere.... read more

My wife and I got ring tattoos for our anniversary ( my first tattoo). They were done by an apprentice and my wife's was terrible. We came back for a touch up/fix and they said the apprentice no longer works there but we could go to the shop that he works at so he could do the work. We said we didn't want to go back to him because he did a poor job in the first place. They said they would have to charge us an additional $50 each for someone else to do the work rather than standing up for someone that worked there. Star tattoo is not a legitimate business but a hodgepodge of artists in it for themselves. Touch ups should be free and the owner should have taken responsibility for his shitty hire. I'll never go back and I'll show everyone my crappy tattoo done by Star tattoo. read more

Star Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Came in for a simple tattoo. Guy named Patrick seemed irritated that I had come in at all, even though I had called to see if walk ins were okay in the first place. I sat down, filled out my paperwork and waited for 15 minutes. He comes out with a Microsoft word printed number instead of the picture we had shown(which was not hard). My sisters and I who were getting the tattoos told him we did not like the out come. He got mad immediately and told us we were getting an attitude. Just unprofessional and a waste of time. read more