Me and my good friend were in Asheville and decided to get matching tattoos. We called around and…read morethis place was recommended to us so we said why not. We wanted to get the word hope with a watercolor background. The people were fantastic. Everyone was really nice and welcoming. The place was beyond clean. It was a little weird that they had someone dying hair right next to us but I'm not going to judge. I believe our tattoo artist name was Dan but I'm not 100% sure. He didn't give us a business card. But he had recently come back from not working there for awhile so his name was not on the website. He said he specializes in watercolor so I was on board. No this isn't my first watercolor tattoo so I know the process. He decided to use only two colors. When I got my other watercolor tattoo my artist used a wide range of colors to get the idea that the colors were mixed together. He decided instead of using a stencil for the water color piece he would draw it with watery ink and then tattoo a gray outline as to were the color should be. And that's done if you could cover it with colors but that didn't happen. When I got it I loved it! Now looking at it I'm seeing little imperfections that shouldn't be there. There are small dots that aren't filled in. The outline is showing which in my opinion ruins the effect. And the colors do not look blended they just look like one was placed over the other. Overall, the place was amazing and the people where nice but the tattoo falls short. I don't recommend this place for your tattoo.

I'm originally from AVL but live in New Orleans these days. After contacting Chris about an…read moreupcoming trip back home and a tattoo that I wanted to get while in town, he quickly got me scheduled and got started on the artwork with short notice. Then the snowstorm hit! We both got snowed in and couldn't make it in to the shop for the appointment. He reworked his schedule to make sure I could get in before my visit was over. On top of his flexibility, the man is a master of his craft and a damn fine artist. He had an amazing design that captured exactly what I wanted. He is fast and efficient with your time and has Netflix, if you're so inclined, to watch while he works (I suggest a nature documentary if you're into it. Leads to fun dialogue.) This tattoo is beautiful and one of my favorites. I highly recommend this shop. Couldn't be happier and I will definitely go to him again when I get back up to my mountains!

Bro. This place is the tits. Had my ribs blasted for 9 hours total two sessions. Drove from deep…read moreass Virginia to see Matt. Most painful and amazing tattooing experience of my life HA! Conversation was great! The most interesting People hop in off the street just to come in and hang out with these guys. Very personable, empathetic (rub me down with those warm rags mmhmm) patient and thoughtful not to mention the skill and experience. Each artist genuinely cares and encourages the other. They Collaborate, ask opinions, crack jokes and enjoy spending time with new faces. Not saying my soft belly fat will ever forgive me but I couldn't be more pleased. It's healing well and the colors are amazing. LFG PS they have also infected my playlist with slow heavy metal. Love that ish the wife not so much. HA!

Hot Stuff Tattoo has a huge sign on their front door that explicitly says: "We Welcome ALL…read moreAbilities & Disabilities... EVERYONE." Unfortunately, this turns out to be performative marketing rather than store policy. I came in with three friends/family to get flash tattoos, but I was denied service because I brought my legitimate, trained service dog. I was told I could not enter or that my medical service animal had to be left in the lobby, separated from me. When questioned, the management blamed local sanitation and "DHEC." Under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), federal law preempts state health department regulations regarding service dogs. Tattoo shops are clean environments, not sterile operating rooms, and service animals are legally protected to accompany their handlers in client areas. Separating a service dog from their handler or turning them away denies essential medical access. It is incredibly humiliating to be publicly turned away--taking three paying clients out the door with me--from a shop that literally posts "Welcome All Disabilities" on its entrance. If you claim to welcome people of all abilities on your front door, you need to follow federal civil rights laws inside

Rebecca is amazing. I chose Pure Steam because even though I was bringing her a small tattoo and…read morenot a large piece of business, she was kind and attentive from my initial contact. Other places were standoffish or not willing to work in something small, but she took the time to make me feel like she wanted me as a client. Once we got there, I knew immediately I'd made the right choice. The studio is immaculate, and she was very thorough in explanation and consultation. I had two friends with me who were so impressed, they plan to return for work themselves. She was efficient, thorough, EXTREMELY professional, and the final product was perfect. Also- female shop owner? Hell yes. I'll never go anywhere else.

I don't like leaving bad reviews, especially for a local business/artist. So let me say first that…read morethis isn't a review for Rebecca (the artist) as a person or her work, but rather Pure Steam as a business. The Tl;dr is that if you want a small walk-in tattoo, then I'm sure you're fine, but if you want something larger or more complex, I would recommend going somewhere else. And I strongly advise against paying the deposit until it's actually due. There is only one artist in the studio and it's clear that time management is not her strength. The very first appointment I had with Rebecca, she waited until I was on the way to tell me she was running behind and wanted to push back our appointment by an hour. Not a big deal. I get there at the new time and ended up waiting another hour for her to finish up the previous client. Frustrating, but not a huge deal. Once we finally got to talk about the tattoo I was wanting, she seemed very nice professional. She told me that the design should take about 2 weeks and that a $150 fee would be due once the design was completed. She seemed nice and I got a good vibe from her so I went ahead and paid early. Two weeks later I haven't heard a word from her, no consulting about design, no updates, nothing. I reached out and just asked for an update and got a single line. "Still working on it. Hopefully done soon." Again, no pictures of the design, no questions about any aspect of the design. I assume at this point that she's almost done and will message me in the following days. It isn't until over a month after our initial meeting that I finally message her saying that I've decided to go with a different artist, and that I'd like a *partial* refund on my deposit. To which she responds with basically "oh hey, I was JUST about to message you." In total fairness, she does have a sign in her lobby saying no refunds on deposits. And had it been a simple instance that I just didn't like the design, or found another artist I liked better, that would be a different matter. However, at no point in any of this did she send so much as a single message updating me on the design. She took my deposit money, showed no evidence of work, and then acted surprised when I was frustrated after she more than doubled the ETA she gave me without any updates on the design. Again, as a person she seemed quite nice. However, as a business the time management here is abysmal and with Asheville having as many artists as it does, I would recommend going elsewhere. Literally ANY amount of communication would have prevented this, but even after explaining my frustrations I was not shown any evidence of the design, and all I got for my trouble/money was a couple of snarky emails.

Victoria is amazing! Very meticulous, talented, and easy to talk to! Really enjoyed getting…read moretattooed by her and definitely will be back! I've been getting small tattoos by several artists trying to find someone to work on a larger piece and she's definitely going to be who I go to!

I got a back of arm tattoo by Tina, who is the bomb! Very nice, professional and has a ton of…read moreexperience. I am very happy with the tattoo

This place is phenomenal! The artists are very much skilled and professional. The place is clean…read moreand love the environment. It was quiet and not at all intimidating. I've been looking for a great artist for years and Orlando is now that guy. Excellent work and tender-handed. Try them out!!!

Very unprofessional establishment I don't recommend getting a tattoo here. From lack of…read morecommunication to immature behavior from artists. Do not get a tattoo from Paige unless you want to waste your time and get scammed.

I was doing research on a place to take my mom to get her first tattoo, and Man's Ruin came in to…read moreour orbit. After plenty of inquiry and review-reading, I was sure this would be the right fit for her. Now, my mom is not necessarily a likely customer, and Jenn & Heather were friendly, easy-going, and SO accommodating from the moment we walked in the door. Heather was expert and professional in her approach and advice on the design. This studio is singular in many ways, and I plan on highly recommending it to anyone who needs a quality tattoo done in the Asheville area. Thank you, MR, for your fantastic work and your dedication to creating a quality business!

I needed one piercing in my ear after having it stitched by a local dermatologist who was unable to…read morere-pierce it for me. Jenn did a great job- all was well explained, the office was clean and I felt totally comfortable. If I need another piercing I will go back for sure.

I love this place. I've had 3 tattoos done here by Kris and he is amazing! They are very…read moreprofessional and patient. The artwork is phenomenal. Excellent work!

My friends and I were looking for a shop to tattoo all three of us one after another. We walked in…read moreto Unification and were warmly welcomed by, who I later found out, was Horton. We spent a few hours getting tattooed in a friendly and laid back atmosphere (an atmosphere that's hard to come by in tattoo shops, in my opinion) in great company. All three of us are beyond pleased with our finished tattoos. I'll be back for my next tattoo! Thank you Horton Unification Tattoo

My friend and I got tattoos here while visiting Asheville recently. The guys in the shop were cool…read moreand were thankfully able to get us an appointment on short notice. The studio was clean and there was plenty of parking out front. Our artist was nice and patient. He did a great job on both of our tattoos! I'd recommend Unification to others.