I've been to quite a few piercing and tattoo shops but I real appreciated my experience with the…read morepiercer here, Gina. She made me feel really comfortable the whole time and I would not hesitate to return to her. This day, I had my rook pierced (ear cartilage) and it was so quick and easy. I also requested that she change and replace the jewelry in my tragus (another ear piercing). Once she called me in, I was in and out in less than 20 minutes. She is the master piercer here and you could tell she knew what she was doing. The major difference between her and other places, is she will use beautiful starter jewelry. The curved bar she put in my newly pierced rook was a double ended prong gem and I was so excited and I am so pleased. Most places will use a standard barbell and you have to settle with that until it's healed and you can return to have it changed. Since she pierced with this, I am set for years. She also put a beautiful gem in my tragus. I think this is the best place to get pierced in Albany.

This is my first tattoo, the experience is pretty good, although the artist is a little impatient…read moreduring the disscussion. The picture one shows the tattoo on the third day, I think the line is really lack of continuity and it looks not smooth. Overall it looks fine and the total cost was $120.

Nick was great and my tat came out amazing. Tk u i will be using Nick again. Appreciate off street…read moreparking also

What a great tattoo shop! The crew who tattoo here are warm and welcoming, and also do great work…read more They will give you realistic expectations for time and cost on tattoos and then deliver. The shop is clean and organized, you can tell that the owner cares and runs his business well with experience and pride. So worth checking out!

I love this place and I love these people. The shop is super clean and everyone who works there is…read moregreat. I would highly recommend this place. I don't want to pick favorites but Whitney is my favorite.

I got a tattoo recently. My first. This is shocking to me still because I've turned this idea over…read morein my head for years. The conclusion was always the same. No. Can't do it. Then, an important occasion came up and I thought, why not memorialize it with a tattoo? Suddenly, the "no" became a "why not?" Then, the next question. Where to have this tat done? Well, if you look it up on Yelp, The Dead Presidents Lounge has rave reviews. So I called up. Next, I was asked to email what I was looking for. The manager took a look at my request and assigned me to an artist named Mel. There are about 10 artists working there. The art that I was asking for was very delicate. It turns out, Mel is awesome but full disclosure, she has a slogan. It's written on a sign in her tattoo room. "Always late but worth the wait." I arrived 15 minutes early. Mel arrived 20 minutes late. No worries. I brought lunch and ate it in the waiting area. I studied all of the sample tattoos on the walls. It was an interesting place with a Hindu vibe. It was explained to me that the business owner is Hindu. When Mel showed up, she arrived in a cheerful burst of energy and she immediately threw herself into the project. She presented me with options. We talked at length. She was very determined to deliver what I was looking for and very understanding. She has mad skills as both an artist and a communicator. She got it. And when she was done, it was perfect. A floral armband with a tiny blue butterfly was designed to look a bit like arm jewelry. The cost was $200. Mel was concerned that I would be in pain but actually it didn't hurt much. She gave me instructions on how to take care of the tattoo so that it doesn't get infected or dry out. As I was getting ready to leave I asked Mel about her thoughts on Asian fantasy animals. She smiled. "So you're already thinking about your next tattoo?" she asked. " I get that a lot." Yup. She got me. After years of putting off getting a tattoo, I may be back soon enough to get a tattoo on my other arm. Thanks, Mel and The Dead Presidents Lounge for your remarkable work.

I decided after months of putting it off that I wanted to finally get my nose pierced. Shocker…read morerequires masks and for you to sign a contract tracing sheet, which I think is fantastic. I stopped in after calling ahead by about half an hour, and we got started. I was nervous - I have plenty of tattoos, but only ear piercings - and I must admit, it was painful. I prolly wouldn't do it again. And I unfortunately - and humiliatingly - passed out right after David pierced my nose and put in the jewelry. I thought I was prepared, but I guess I wasn't, lol. Thankfully, he was absolutely awesome. He caught me and had me lay down for a while, brought me water and a lollipop to help with my sugar levels and kept checking on me to make sure I was okay. It took me about 20 minutes to get back to normal, and he was so patient and kind about it. That really meant a lot. If I ever get another piercing, I'll definitely be going here.

Sean was nothing but amazing! I wanted to add onto a rose tattoo I had gotten last year. Not only…read moredid he blend the old with the new perfectly, he created a true work of art. I trusted him to do what he thought would work, and was NOT disappoiI would definitely recommend this place!

I got 2 dermals about 2 months ago. One had to be removed a couple weeks ago and the other one is…read morehanging outside of my face but I can't ever get ahold of the owner to get it cut out. At this point, I'm going to have to go to another shop or to the ER and pay to have it cut out. Called another shop and they told me do NOT return to Dreads touch!

To start off, we walked into the shop and received no greetings or help from any of the workers. We…read morestood there confused until one of the barbers told us the piercer was busy and that we would have to sit and wait. Mind you, we called ahead and made an appointment for 5, the person we made this appointment with did not even walk out until 5:30. He preceded to let the 3 walk ins go in before us, before he invited us in with them. Then, he told us that he would do the nose piercing before the walk ins tattoo, however once they complained he told us he would do their tattoos first and we would have to wait another 50 minutes minimum because the piercer wasn't even here which he didn't tell us on the phone. Clearly, only focused on taking the people he could make the most money on in the time being.Absolutely the most unprofessional, waste of time, unpleasant experience I have ever had. Never would recommend to my worst enemy

I went in to get a deith piercing in both ears. The ladies made me feel extremely uncomfortable…read more The shop was beautiful. I watched the girl open everything right in front of me. My after care was explained very well. I came home and told my husband the next time one of us wanted a tattoo I would definitely go back there.

My little one got her ears pierced and it was a wonderful experience. I highly recommend!read more

. I highly recommend this place. I love the artwork and the whole layout of the place.read more

This place is awesome.I was very comfortable being there a couple of hours.Great music.You would…read morethink you would be bored being there that long but it wasn't.The artists are extremely talented and friendly.I'm in love with my tattoo.Thank you so much Brian!

So I want to say that this place is Avery beautiful space and everyone started off professional. I…read morewas tattooed by Althearosetattoos_xo and she initially did well. She messed up some lining on one of my tattoos and I requested for it to be fixed. Her response was terrible. The one comment that stays with me from her and was very hurtful is she stated that "I'll do whatever satisfies your LITTLE brain". Not only was that unprofessional, but unkind and she lacks accountability. As a person of color I would not go back to her for several reasons that I don't want to state to tarnish their reputations. But take a look on their pages and feel free to judge

I wanted to add a third piercing to my ears and my daughter wanted a nose piecing. Of course, we…read moredecided to do this on a Monday when many businesses are closed. We wanted a reputable place that doesn't use a pressure gun won't give us an infection. Lucky for us, Cold River Body Arts was open. We called ahead and we were told that walk-ins are welcome. We were met by Gene. He's the business owner and he does piercings. For starters, the Victorian building is beautiful. Cold River occupies the entire building. It looks clean and welcoming. Gene spends time to talk with his clients to make sure he understands what they are looking for and to make sure they understand the procedures. He wants them to know that the process is sanitary and his tools are all sterilized in the autoclave which he keeps nearby. Breathing is important to this process. Gene explains how to breath. Just as he was about to pierce my ear he asked me to inhale, then exhale. That worked well. Of course, it stung a little afterwards. Gene follows up with an explanation of how to care for the piercing. The titanium post he put in will have to remain for three months before I can switch it out for another earring. He is very careful. He even made sure to ask if my daughter was over 18 because she looks so young. We really appreciated the time and care he put into explaining his work. Getting a piercing can be a bit scary, but Gene's efforts helped instill trust. Plus, he has a great sense of humor and put us at ease. Wishing Gene continued success. If you are looking at add a piercing, Cold River is well worth looking into.

I came here after doing research into many tattoo shops in the area. Nick was my tattoo artist. He…read morewas booked for over a month, which was a great sign. When I was 18 I picked this terrible tattoo off the wall and had it on my back and wanted it covered up. I told Nick what I wanted, showed him some cartoons I drew, but wanted it in an art style I wasn't capable of drawing. Nick designed the tattoo far better than I could have ever imagined and I am very very picky. He was able to cover the other tattoo and you would never know it was a coverup unless I told you. Even my Mom who HATES tattoos said "I have to admit this is pretty cool." I would highly recommend this place. The atmosphere is great. The other artists working were extremely friendly as well. I love the work, he was very professional and enjoyable to be around, and highly skilled. I couldn't recommend him or Ms. Dixie's more.

I spoke with someone at this salon on Thursday about coming in for a tattoo appointment. She told…read moreme I had to come in for a consultation first which was fine then told me the shop was open on Saturdays 11-5. I drive down to the shop today, and parked noticing two people inside. When I got to the door it read Closed. I went back to my car and proceeded to call the shop 3 times getting the voicemail ass 3 times. I will not be giving someone my business who ignores calls and customers.

I wanted to get my septum pierced for a while now, but I just didn't know when. I recently moved…read morefrom NYC to Albany, so there wasn't much of a selection of tattoo and piercing studios. A coworker recently had hers redone, so I asked. She recommended Gene-O at Tom Spaulding's. I went there on a whim today, with my boyfriend in tow. It was a last minute decision and I'm glad I did! Gene pierced me without an appointment and I also got a second nostril piercing on the same side that I already had. He's extremely professional and a giant teddy bear, and was making jokes to keep me at ease and he was reassuring.

Came in for a new septum ring when my old one fell out by accident the day prior. Eugene was an…read moreabsolute sweetheart!!! He checked on me multiple times to make sure that I was alright and had a very calming presence. The place is very homey, no fuss, and what you get is what you get. Totally recommend.