Kim is the absolute best! If Yelp would let me give more than 5 stars I absolutely would in a heartbeat. I am so glad that I found Suite C. Kim gave me personal, undivided attention during the entire tattoo process and instantly made me feel at home. Furthermore, this is the cleanest, nicest, and most relaxed tattoo environment I've ever been in. And for someone like me who gets really anxious and isn't great in social situations, the studio is perfect. Everywhere I go, I get compliments on the pieces Kim created and tattooed on me. I gave her such open ended and broad ideas and she was able to interpret and create beautiful pieces. Kim has my business for life. I can't recommend Suite C enough! read more

I just got my first tattoo and Kim was so great to work with. She listened to my ideas and created a design that was exactly what I had in mind. Her fine line work is so impressive and I could not be happier with the result. I highly recommend her! We read more

Suite C Tattoo - Birth flowers for my two kids (marigold and cherry blossom) - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I got my first tattoo today from Kim and I couldn't has asked for a better experience. She was easy to communicate with during the scheduling process, flexible with design, easy to get ahold of with questions and very clear about aftercare and what to expect. The tattoo itself turned out even better than I could have hoped. Her lines are so clean and the actual tattooing was nearly painless. She was easy to talk to, the studio was clean and nicely and creatively decorated. I honestly could not have asked for a better experience and I will absolutely be back. read more

Suite C Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Got my first tattoo with Kim. She's the best! After chatting about potential designs for a few weeks, we worked together to come up with this awesome design. I'm super happy with it. Thanks for a fantastic experience Kim! read more

Suite C Tattoo - My first tattoo! - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I highly recommend Kim and her studio. If you are looking for an almost painless tattoo or detailed fine line work then there's no better place to go in PDX than Suite C. Kim creates a really safe and calming environment while she works and is always super open minded and patient when figuring out tattoo designs and placements. As someone who's had a lot of negative tattoo experiences, I feel really grateful to have found such a talented and reliable tattoo artist. Thanks Kim! read more

I've never had cleaner lines laid down by any other artist, period. Kim is monstrously talented!!! She is also incredibly kind and easy to work with. Her attention to detail and skill are really unmatched. My spouse and I both keep going back to her, time after time, as does my kid. She works with us on each and every design until they're perfect. The shop is always clean and I love that it is just her in the space. You can tell that she really loves her work, because the care and attention to detail come through in every aspect. I can't recommend her highly enough. read more

Suite C Tattoo - Octo-hamsa manipura chakra done by Kim - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Kim did a great job with my hummingbird tattoo. She distracted me with great conversation and before I knew it my tattoo was done. It turned out wonderfully. I definitely recommend Suite C Tattoo! read more

Suite C Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Love love love!! Best place to go for a tattoo I adore Kim and I'm currently convincing anyone I know to go to her for their next ink appointment read more

See all

My tattoo was done at another parlor, but Kim was the artist. I got my first tattoo from Kim and the experience was wonderful. I decided, what the hell, go big or go home. My tattoo is about 16" on my side, starting at my hip and ending just a bit below my arm pit. Everyone said that the pain would be terrible there, but Kim did an amazing job of calming my nerves. She also created a beautiful, meaningful, piece of art that I will keep with me forever. It healed perfectly and didn't even peel (awesome). When I'm ready for more, I will definitely be following Kim wherever she goes! read more

Suite C Tattoo - Kim hard at work - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

I've had my tattoo from Kim for almost 2 years now and it still looks great! She was very kind and patient with me while coming up with my design and I couldn't be happier with the placement! Kim was also very knowledgeable about how the tattoo will age as I get older and what colors might fade more than others. It was my first tattoo, and no one else in my family has any tattoos, so I was super thankful for Kim's expertise. Her studio is very peaceful and private as well, so I felt at ease the whole time. Overall, I had a wonderful experience at Suite C Tattoo and would highly recommend Kim as an artist! She does beautiful line work and is great to work with. read more

The artist sent her design to me a week before my appointment. She had told me that's what she would do ahead of time, so getting the design a week before my appointment was not a surprise. I think she should've sent the design about 2 weeks before an appointment because that leaves plenty of time for her to come up with a design that a client will love. I emailed her about 2 months before my appointment. I sent her plenty of reference images, but she couldn't come up with a design I liked. After working on the design for a few days, she just gave up on me. The last draft of the design was almost perfect, but she just called it quits. I think that's not a great way to go about conducting a business. I understand that she has the right to decide she isn't the right artist, but she didn't handle it in the best way possible. If someone asked me if they should have Kim tattoo them, I'd tell them not to because of the way she went about calling it a day. Besides her quitting on me, her communication was mediocre. Her emails were precise and clear; she was also very professional (except for when she quit on me). She took 3 to 4 days (sometimes it took more time) to get back to me. I don't expect her to reply within 24 hours, but she could've replied quicker than she did. During the week that led up to my appointment, she took at least 2 to 3 days to email me back which doesn't seem like a great way to communicate especially when the tattoo appointment was fast approaching. I was -and still am- very disappointed that I won't be tattooed by Kim. I was so excited to work with her. From what I could see on her Instagram, her work is impeccable. She specializes in the tattoo style that my tattoo was gonna be. I really wanted to work with her, but she gave up on me with not much warning. I was also excited because she had great reviews on Yelp. The only good thing I got out of this was a design that I could get a different artist to fix. She also returned my deposit in full. I offered to send her part of the deposit back since she had spent some time drawing up my design. I'm giving her 3 stars because she did give me a full refund for my deposit. As I mentioned earlier in this review, she called it quits and she didn't handle it well. Part of the job of being a tattoo artist is to come up with a piece that the client will love. Tattoos are on your body forever. Your tattoo artist should know that and understand that you have to put work in instead of just quitting on someone. I think her giving up shows that she doesn't know how to deliver a piece that a client will love if it gets "too hard." She could've tried to draw something I loved instead of giving up after going through 3 drafts/versions. I understand that 3 versions may seem like a lot, but she didn't make many changes in the new versions. You can't expect to get the perfect design on the first try. Her job is to create a design that the client loves. She just gave up. It's important to note that I can't comment on what it's like to get tattooed by Kim since she gave up, and I won't ever get tattooed by her. This is just a review about her mediocre communication skills and the fact that she gave up quickly. A little over a month and a half of waiting should've given Kim plenty of time to come up with a design I loved. Sending a design 2 weeks ahead of time would've been better than just 1 week. It's important to provide enough time for a perfect design to be made. She did not budget her time well. read more

My son and I went in for our first tattoos. Kim was very professional in her communication prior to our appointment answering my questions. Her studio is very welcoming and professional. Although we had very simple tattoos, her art is amazing. I would definitely recommend her and go back if I want another tattoo! read more

Suite C Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

Kim Kress is MY tattoo artist, having done nearly half of my ink, including a hammerhead shark she designed just for me after a conversation. Suite C is just as incredibly inviting and warm as Kim is. I've referred her to friends, I've referred her to family. If you want a Taz tattoo, you may want to look elsewhere, but if you'd like a personal tattoo with fantastic shading and crisp lines done by an artist that is as personable as she is professional, come see Kim at Suite C! read more

BOTTOM LINE: Great artist (especially for fine line and detail), cool ass woman, interesting and clean shop, highly recommend her. She did two of my tattoos. When I arrived at my consultation, Kim welcomed me like a friend. We just kicked it for a while before even talking about tattoos. I brought some images of the type of art I wanted and described the overall shape, direction, and elements to include. She was very receptive to my ideas and helped formulate a clear plan for the final pieces. After a week she sent me an amazing sketch and I was in her chair in a few days after some minor revisions. I've had one tattoo before but it was years ago so when I embarrassed myself by having a slight anxiety attack she calmed me down with a drink of water and some candy hah. The ambience is amazing and she has all this cool art and decor from her travels. She did two pieces a month apart and I'm in love with them. I'm going back to her so she can touch up my first tattoo. Tips: In my opinion, Kim's major strength and is fine line and detail so if that's the central element to your tattoo I highly recommend her. If not she's still awesome. Also if you're very involved and forthcoming with ideas for an original piece and she likes it, she may be interested enough to speed up the sketch process as she was with me. read more

Suite C Tattoo - By Kim K. - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

i went in a couple weeks ago for my first tattoo and was super impressed with Suite C! kim was pleasant and patient and talked me through everything in the process, her shop was clean, and her prices are fair. my tattoo turned out perfect--it is just what i wanted, and kim does very good work. i will definitely be back for my next piece of art! thanks again, kim! read more

See all

Kim's lifelong dedication to art, and her well established history as a tattoo artist infuse professionalism and talent in all that she does. She's patient, caring, and fun to work with, and her studio is a pleasant space. I highly recommend this business! read more

Kim did a great job! We had best friend tattoos done! Steady hand, excellent lines! She was able to get us in last minute and did an excellent job! read more

Suite C Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Kim is great! She was perfect for my first tattoo. She was patient, kind and super professional, yet friendly. It was such a quick and painless process. Her studio is also super cute and clean! read more

Suite C Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Kim was absolutely the best. I loved her small cozy shop, very welcoming. It was my 1st "real" tattoo & Kim was gentle & did a wonderful job! I sent her a few ideas & what we/Kim came up with was exactly what I pictured in my mind & looked way better then what I had came up with I will definitely be back to see her for all my next tattoos! Soon I hope!! read more

Suite C Tattoo - Love it! - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I would definitely go back to Kim for future tattoos. She was patient, talented, and obviously cared that my tattoo turned out how I wanted. She was very easy to communicate with through email. Her studio was very clean, and it was easy to find free parking nearby. The tattoo appointment went very smoothly, and she's easy to talk to which made the time go by very quickly. Most importantly, I love how the tattoo turned out. Check out her Instagram or Facebook pages to see her work, and I wouldn't hesitate to make an appointment. read more

GO SEE KIM!!! Some history as I know it: Artist/owner Kim Kress used to work at New Rose Tattoo on SE Division. She went solo to open her own studio Suite C about 3 months ago (I originally went as a walk-in to New Rose to see Traci who was booked; Traci recommended me to Kim so obviously no bad blood or drama involved with Kim's move). I went into my consultation with an idea for a cover-up. I was only in town for 5 days so we're talking about a short turnaround. We brainstormed options and she had the integrity to say the job required longer than 4-5 days to execute well. We then decided on another option utilizing my original design just not for a cover-up. It worked out beautifully! It was a smaller tattoo with a lot of little details that were spot on. Was realistic and soft with bright colors - exactly what I was looking for. Aside from Kim's talent what set the experience apart was the location. She has a private studio on a top floor (SE 60th) that's an open floor plan, nicely decorated and clean. I honestly felt like I was going to a spa versus a tattoo parlor - no stress from other people coming and going. We put on music and went to work. The space also allows for your friends to drop in. There's a sitting area where friends can read from her collection of art books or tell you stories to keep you entertained. All said - a unique tattoo experience in a relaxing setting with an amazing artist. Kudos! read more

Kim is a great is listener as well as a amazing artist. I sport many tattoos by Kim. My favorite is my Quan Yin her face is perfect. Kim .. i would highly recommend checking her and her great space out. read more

I'm incredibly disappointed with the tattoo Kim gave me and her response to my concerns about her work. I've attached pictures of the lotus flower tattoo she just gave me on my ankle, and the drawing she did for the tattoo, so you can judge for yourself. The tattoo was supposed to be a tiny, fine line lotus flower--something simple and pretty. I brought in some sample photos of lotus tattoos that I liked, but said I was open to Kim's ideas. Kim asked me which two photos I liked best, then did sort of a combination of the two. This was my first tattoo, and Kim knew that. Kim was pleasant and conversational while doing the tattoo, and I left her a large tip ($25 tip for a $75 tattoo). When I removed the bandage on the tattoo later that night, I immediately noticed that the tattoo seemed misaligned and not symmetrical. I emailed Kim right away along with photos of the tattoo, and cautiously asked if maybe the tattoo looked off because it was healing. I kept telling myself when I looked at it that there was no way that someone who owned her own shop and had been tattooing for 15 years would risk her reputation by screwing up such a simple, easy tattoo. Kim replied to my email by saying that the tattoo looked "exactly" like the drawing that I had approved, and sent a picture of the drawing to show me (photo of lotus design also posted above). She did offer to add a small additional stem to the tattoo "if it really bothered" me. I replied to her email and pointed out several mistakes between the drawing and the tattoo (multiple petals are misaligned, petal sizes are different, not symmetrical, etc) that made the whole tattoo look off. (Now that the tattoo is fully healed, you can see that even the line work is uneven and messy). I said that I was unhappy, disappointed, and looking for someone else to cover or correct the tattoo because I was embarrassed to have it on my body. I told her I didn't feel comfortable coming back to her to make changes since the tattoo should have been easy to get right the first time. She never replied and made no effort to remedy the situation. I did a lot research before picking Kim to do this tattoo, since I knew that even a simple tattoo takes skill to get right, and she markets herself as specializing in fine line tattoos. I am still in disbelief that someone who has been tattooing for 15 years could have done such a sloppy job on an easy tattoo. And her complete failure to acknowledge the errors in her work and the validity of my concerns is also really insulting. I know everyone makes mistakes, people have bad days, etc. etc., but this has left a permanent scar on my body. Every time I look at the tattoo I feel sad because it just looks like the person who put her work on my body didn't care enough to do it right. Even if/when I can find someone to cover the tattoo, I will never be able to get the fine line, minimalist lotus I wanted. And the final tattoo will end up costing me 2-3 times what it should have cost to have it done right the first time. If Kim wasn't willing to or capable of doing that work properly, she never should have taken the job. read more

Suite C Tattoo - The lotus tattoo Kim Kress did - Tattoo Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

I have 6 tattoos and this was by far the best tattooing experience I've had! Kim is very good at what she does; and very knowledgeable. Her shop is clean and has a relaxing atmosphere. And she's very friendly, and patient. If I ever get another tattoo I will definitely go back to Suite C Tattoo!! read more

Kim rocks!! She is amazingly talented, honest, sincere, dedicated and personable. I couldn't recommend a better tattoo artist. I honestly will say I will go to another tattoo artist. Her studio is hip and relaxed, parking is easy. She can take a small idea and return with an amazing tattoo. If you go to Kim Kress @ Suite C Tattoo, you will not be disappointed. read more