This sounds a bit odd, but I took my mum to get a tattoo for her birthday this year. Since she…read morereached her fifties she's discovered her youth again, and is determined to do a few crazy things she never did the first time around. Mum wanted a dragonfly tattooed on her shoulder (apparently insects are all the rage in the menopausal crowd) and had already picked out a design. A well-inked friend recommended we go Vic Market Tattoo. Given we wanted to go on a Saturday, I had to book a few weeks in advance as it's their busiest day. When we arrived for the appointment they were running a bit behind schedule, so we hung out in the 1950's diner style front and flicked through the design books, which proved funnier than you'd expect. The girl who did my mum's ink was lovely - she kept mum chatting to distract her from the pain, and made some good suggestions around changing the colour of the design to make it 'pop' more. Although the final result isn't to my taste, it was exactly what mum wanted and the quality is undeniably good.

Great tattoo shop, very clean. The artists are super nice and welcoming. They made me and my party…read morefeel super comfortable and relaxed. I got a tattoo on my bum and they even put up a divider, assuming so bystanders couldn't see, it was unexpected but very considerate! I will definitely be back.

Got a tattoo from Paddy at Peril tattoo on Collins Street. Not impressed with the quality as it…read morestarted to peel not long after it was applied. I think it might have been a sticker as it has completely dissapeared. Asked for my money back, saying id put a review on yelp, he replied by calling me a yelp. Also told me to eat a snot. Again, Paddy from the tattoo parlour on Collins Street is a not the best tattoo aritst around, however, if you need stickers applied, hes the guy for you

A very good tattooist friend of mine told me recently that he believes Tattoo Magic to not only be…read moreone of the best tattoo shops in Melbourne, but probably the best in the country. Certainly, Tattoo Magic is one of two elite shops (Chapel Tattoo the other) that Melbourne has on offer. They pride themselves on having an expert tattooist in each specialist area of tattoo art. Whether you're lookin for traditional Japanese or old school American or portrait or whatever, they will have a staff tattooist that can work to your needs. They do mostly custom work, so don't expect to walk in and pick something off the wall. Wait times can be long and they are not cheap, but that's the way it goes with quality. My personal experiences have been with Danny Young. His work centres around old style American designs but he's branching out into all manner of crazy shit now. They are friendly folk and the shop is central, clean and relaxed. If you're serious about great quality ink, this is the place.

Reputable and fine tattoo establishment, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking…read morefor a clean, friendly and professional shop. Not being from Melbourne or Australia, I wanted to make sure that I went to a legitimate place. After doing some heavy research, I decided on Tattoo Magic as the place to get my tattoo and safe to say, I'm happy that I did! The whole process of booking a session was straightforward, the person answering emails and phone was really nice and helpful. I sent the design over email, scheduled an appointment, paid the deposit and came in to get the work done. Sean, who was my tattooist, was professional and friendly. He walked me through what would work based on the art I sent, asked what I wanted, walked me through my options and gave some helpful suggestions for positioning and tweaks to the design. Before we started, I had mentioned that I forgot that the shop was cash only, but Sean told me not to stress about it and that I could get some cash after we were done. Really cool. He steered me to the Post Office a few doors down after we were done. All in all, I'm a happy camper and very happy with my new tattoo! Thanks Sean and Tattoo Magic!

Got a tattoo from Paddy at Peril tattoo on Collins Street. Not impressed with the quality as it…read morestarted to peel not long after it was applied. I think it might have been a sticker as it has completely dissapeared. Asked for my money back, saying id put a review on yelp, he replied by calling me a yelp. Also told me to eat a snot. Again, Paddy from the tattoo parlour on Collins Street is a not the best tattoo aritst around, however, if you need stickers applied, hes the guy for you

I got a tattoo from these guys today and I can honestly say that it was the best tattoo place I've…read moreever been to. They were all some warm and welcoming, making me fee very comfortable before my tattoo. It was very evident that the tattooers were very experienced in what they were doing, and the whole place had a very nice and relaxing environment. I would 100% get another tattoo there again! Thanks so much Sean and Penny

Fitzroy's Dangerzone Tattoo is owned by husband and wife team Craig and Ally Riley…read more My boyfriend got his last tattoo here and they were great. He was game enough to get it done by a trainee artist so it was only $90 and (thankfully) the quality was excellent. Tattoos are by appointment only and the minimum charge for all tattooing is $100. The hourly rate for large pieces is $150.

Had a family crest piece done a few years ago here - it was above and beyond what I was hoping for…read more The artist combined 5 images into 1 for me, and his first sketch was on the money. 6 hours in the chair in total, and I was blown away with the clean lines, shading and attention to detail. After that experience, I'm hesitant to settle for anything less now! Well worth a visit.