As a former paramedic who's seen her share of nasty infections (and more), when it comes to tattoo…read moreand piercing places, nothing is more important to me than sanitary and hygienic practices, implements and skilled technicians. If the staff are nice, that's a bonus.
This place has it all and deserves all five stars I'm bestowing.
I initially went to their Granville Street location to inquire about tattoo removal, and they referred me to this Kits site, saying that the laser tattoo removal machine at Kits is state of the art, requires less repeat visits and is the least painful. (I wish I remember the name of this machine, but I researched it online and indeed, it was new and highly reviewed "in the biz"). The staff at this Granville site were friendly and helpful to me, but I did not get anything done here, as I went to Kits instead. I was impressed, though, with how big this store was (and, as a side note, my kid got two ear cartilage piercings here - unbeknownst to me! , - and she told me, weeks after the fact, that the staff here were very friendly and professional with her and they did a great job. So, kudos to the Granville store!).
Back to Kits....there's a guy there named Craig who is unbelievably awesome with tattoo removals. I can't say enough about him. He won't make promises that he can't back up (I really respect people who tell it to me straight), and he is patient in explaining the whole process, from beginning to end, including follow-up care and procedures. I've now been back to him three times over the past 18 months. My tattoo is nearly gone (most people probably would have been happy with the results after the second zapping, as it was so faint, but my goal is for it to be totally GONE. I think the third time's the charm). Once I did not prepare in advance and did not put on the topical EMLA cream, which numbs the area, and it did hurt more than the other two times. Not crazy-painful, but like continuous snapping of an elastic on my skin. But with the cream application, it was barely noticeable. And Craig uses a cold fan of sorts to the area simultaneously as he zaps the area with the laser. I'm talking numbing cold. It really helps to minimize the pain, confusing the nerve pain receptors to the brain somehow. Anyhow, even without the EMLA cream, it was totally do-able. But if you can apply the cream in advance, it does make a difference. (I got the cream at the No Frills on Broadway for a very reasonable price. Worth every cent).
It's not cheap here but there's NO WAY I'd scrimp pennies on tattoos or piercings or laser tattoo removals! No WAY!
Craig and the rest of the staff here are super friendly. The kind of folks you'd want to be friends with (and, coming from me, a straightlaced, suburban-mom-type, yes, I'm saying I'd love to be friends with these 20-something guys and gals with huge gauge earring holes and multiple piercings and tattoos. These guys are incredibly warm and nice and, anyhow, everything else is just superficial stuff). And more importantly, they adhere strictly to the highest of standards and professionalism.
The store has a small selection of cute gift items for sale, too: cell phone cases, water bottles, beach towels and t-shirts, etc.
FYI: there's also an Adrenaline in Toronto and Montreal.
