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    True Blue Tattoo

    4.3 (47 reviews)
    ModerateTattoo
    Open 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM

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    My fully healed tattoo from Krtnz, nearly 2 months later
    D C.

    Not atrocious for a walk-in but not good by any stretch. I had communicated to Krtnz twice in the consult that I had fractured my T3 vertebrae earlier this year. When I sat down for the tattoo, I reminded him a third time that I literally broke my back this year. This was news to him. Having claimed several times that he'd been tattooing for nearly two decades, I made the mistake of assuming that this man had the experience, if not the common sense, to infer that tattooing over a literal broken spine wasn't going to be a walk in the park for either of us. He made comments periodically about how most people don't struggle so much with having their spine tattooed. (Most people don't have line work over a literal broken spine ) He was needlessly rough, his irritation showing. He quite sloppily rushed through it and it shows. Unfortunately I now need to choose between laser or having it blacked out. Over a fractured vertebrae. But hey, cheap tattoos aren't good and good tattoos aren't cheap. I'll take it as a painful life lesson.

    My first tattoo, done by Mike. This is right after he finished, so you can see the redness/inflammation.
    Cassidy S.

    I got my first tattoo from Mike at True Blue. It was a fantastic experience. I didn't have an appointment, so I just walked in and Mike helped me as soon as he arrived (I got there about 20 minutes before his shift started). I went in having an idea of what I wanted, and Mike quickly helped me create the design, happily tinkering with anything I asked him to change. The shop is very clean, and Mike made me feel very comfortable before, during, and after. When I was in pain, he talked me through it and always kept me updated with things like "okay, almost done, just breathe" and the like. His bedside manner is phenomenal, and he's a hilarious, interesting, and smart guy. It was an excellent couple of hours in his chair. Once the tattoo was finished, I was able to look at it and take pictures before he cleaned and covered it. The line work was incredibly precise and wonderfully crisp (which is saying something, because my tattoo has a fair amount of small, thin lines). It healed up beautifully as I followed the instructions Mike gave me, and rarely even caused much pain or itching. Now, three or four months later, the image is still very crisp and gorgeous. I couldn't recommend Mike more as an artist and a person.

    Latest tattoo by Batty
    Jason B.

    If I could give 6 stars I would. I'm a repeat client for Batty and couldn't be more pleased. She's sweet, does great line work and I look forward to getting more work done.

    Key with butterfly and Sanskrit symbol tattoo by Cody at True Blue
    Laura R.

    I went to True Blue with my best friend for us both to get a tattoo at the same time--my artist was Cody, hers was Curtnz. (Yes, Curtnz. He was amazing.) Because I'm a planner and this was my first tattoo, I wanted everything to be perfect. I emailed with Cody a couple times, sending him the image I was playing with; he was not very responsive email-wise but once we had our appointments on the books, I didn't stress too much over it. I'd checked out all the portfolios and knew once I got there and we discussed the image, we'd be good to go. Sure enough, it all went as easy as could be. My friend went over several sessions, because hers was a larger image and on her ribcage--a painful spot so she didn't want to deal with all that in one sitting. This being her last session, her tattoo only took a little bit and looked great. Cody did my drawing and it looked perfect, so we got started. He wasn't very chatty, but frankly who cares? I'd rather a beautiful tattoo from a quieter artist than a wobbly one from someone who gets distracted. Sure, it hurt, but about what I expected. The tattoo (pictured) is a key with a Sanskrit symbol with a butterfly resting on it, and came out just as I hoped it would. Cody's rate ($100/hour) was very reasonable, and he answered all my questions on tattoo after-care. Check out these guys! Some beautiful work done here.

    My new work!
    Katharine L.

    Love it! Got my favorite tattoo yet with Sara (Tank Girl). It is so creative and such a quality piece. Everyone in the shop is so nice!

    Done by Tank Girl.
    Julia M.

    Before showing up at True Blue I emailed Tank Girl back and forth for months. I sent her the image file of what I wanted done and she played with it until I had what I really wanted. She offered her opinion on a couple of ideas, and that's what we ultimately went with. She was very reasonably priced, and only charged me for time when the needle was actually touching my skin. I'm definitely going back there to finish up my sleeve.

    By Tank Girl
    Rachel R.

    I got my first tattoo here! Tank Girl was excellent all throughout the process, from us designing the tattoo together, to talking to me while she tattooed me which helped me stay calm, and then being very thorough in explaining how to take care of it. I love it; it's unique and beautiful.

    Thanks for my tattoo, Jim. I love it!
    Delia S.

    It had been about 15 years since I got my first, and up until now, only tattoo, but I was finally ready to add another. I visited the fine folks at True Blue and Jim worked with me to make my little safety pin tattoo my own. He was very knowledgeable and took the time to explain which of my ideas would work and hold up over time. He was honest and let me know what wouldn't work and helped me to modify an image so that I would be happy with the results. On top of all that, he was fun to talk to and did a fantastic job. I didn't get the most complicated tattoo and I realize that it was simple in design, but I am very pleased with the detail and the fine line work and would definitely come back the next time I want one. Thanks, Jim!

    Love the tattoo Tank Girl did!

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    4 years ago

    Charley is a god -- be sure to book him for your next ink. Also peep his band Dirty Charley

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    7 years ago

    Best place to get work done in Austin...the shop is clean, comfortable, and everyone is friendly. Very happy with my tattoo, thank you!

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    9 years ago

    True Blue was a great experience for my first tattoo. Jim was patient, friendly, and did a wonderful job on the tattoo. I will be back!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - True Blue Tattoo

    Review Highlights - True Blue Tattoo

    I visited the fine folks at True Blue and Jim worked with me to make my little safety pin tattoo my own.

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    All Saints Tattoo - Tattoo by Gio El Camino

    All Saints Tattoo

    4.3(206 reviews)
    2.9 miEast Austin
    $$

    My artist Frank was excellent. It was my first tattoo at age 56 and he made me feel at ease and…read morecomfortable. The design was simple and exactly what I wanted.

    After a failed attempt at another walk-in space, my best friend and I ended up at All Saints on…read more6th. Parking was an absolute nightmare so I would recommend taking a rideshare to get to this location.    When someone talks about tattoo shops in Austin, All Saints is definitely one of those mentioned almost every time. The tattoo/piercing shop has wonderful reviews and a ton of happy patrons. The vibe in this space is very lowkey and homey. We were the first ones in for the day.   My best friend and I wanted to get complementary tattoos. We only wanted three words in Seagram each with my best friend getting hers in black and me getting mine in red. We were told it would cost extra for red ink. Fine.   After the woman working the front took the stencil print-outs to the artists, she came back and quoted us $200 each. What? We were shocked. I knew the tattoo wouldn't take more than 20-30 minutes and did not understand how my friend was quoted the same as me if "red is extra." Thus, I came to my own conclusion that pricing is completely random and up to the artist. I guess it's a game of luck?   That being said, Carlos did a wonderful job on my tattoo and Hannah did a great job on my friend's. Carlos and I had a lot to talk about as we were raised in the same city and he went to my highschool while I was also in attendance. Wild stuff!   Still, for what we got, I wouldn't have paid more than $150 + tip for this tattoo. There needs to be a length requirement or some rules and regulations for pricing (I know this is not easy). Just know you're getting very talented artists when you walk-in!   Bring your wallet!

    Photos
    All Saints Tattoo - ALL SAINTS TATTOO AUSTIN TEXAS #TATTOOSHOPSNEARME #BESTTATTOOSAUSTIN

    ALL SAINTS TATTOO AUSTIN TEXAS #TATTOOSHOPSNEARME #BESTTATTOOSAUSTIN

    All Saints Tattoo - Interior of All Saints Tattoo & Piercing East Side ATX location

    Interior of All Saints Tattoo & Piercing East Side ATX location

    All Saints Tattoo - CARLOS YBARRA ALL SAINTS TATTOO #hummingbirdtattoo #lilytattoo #stargazerlilytattoo

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    CARLOS YBARRA ALL SAINTS TATTOO #hummingbirdtattoo #lilytattoo #stargazerlilytattoo

    Mom's Tattoos - Our individual look on the same tattoo.

    Mom's Tattoos

    4.8(191 reviews)
    4.7 mi78704 (South Austin), South Lamar District, Bouldin Creek
    $$

    I knew I wanted to get a new tattoo while visiting Austin, but I wasn't sure where to go. I'm much…read moremore comfortable with laid-back tattooists than I am with the super-intense ones who can often be intimidating. The tattoos I generally seek are quirky, one-off designs that are deeply personal, but not the full-sleeve or intricate Japanese work that a lot of shops specialize in. After looking at a lot of websites and reading a lot of reviews, I chose Mom's Tattoos and I'm glad I did. It's exactly the kind of place I like, with a relaxed vibe and incredibly friendly artists. I had a specific drawing I wanted replicated that looked deceptively simple but was in fact very challenging. I couldn't have asked for a better result than the tattoo I received by Roach. His artistry is top-level. On top of that, he's an incredibly nice guy. I wholeheartedly recommend him, and Mom's, for anyone looking for a welcoming, top-quality experience.

    They don't do EVERYTHING to do with tattoos; specifically, they refuse to do anything to do with…read morewhite ink tattoos. I came in with a basic fine line design i'd drawn (a "salt infinity" or an infinity symbol in dotted white ink), explained I was very familiar with white ink and wanted this tattoo in white ink and have for decades - they said absolutely not and gave me the same tired lecture I get whenever i want something inked in white: it will fade, it wont last, it will look like a scar. I have been thinking of this tattoo for as long as these guys have been alive. I know my skin and how it heals better than they do. I know what I want better than they do. It was very disappointing. As an artist myself, I understand an artist needs to enjoy their work and want their name on their work, but tattoos are mostly highly personal to the customer and you're doing a service for a customer - that's why tattooists get paid and don't pay the customer to ink their favorite designs on the customers body. Why is writing a name in black ink better than giving someone a super meaningful, deeply personal white ink design? I wasn't requesting a hate symbol, I wanted a reminder to trust myself - salt is known for purifying and protecting, infinity is eternal. Having a tattoo no one but me knows is there still serves its purpose for me. I'm still looking for someone who will work with me on this tattoo before I consider others. It was the first tattoo I ever wanted and I'm not doing any others until this one is done. The final insult: "come back when you really know what you want, we'll get it done".... Man I've wanted this since I was 9, I know EXACTLY what I want. Its been like 3 decades and hasn't changed. Other than that, the place had a cool vibe, was clean and the work looked well-done.

    Photos
    Mom's Tattoos - Basil tattoo

    Basil tattoo

    Mom's Tattoos - 8 bit ninja gaiden ryu hyabusa

    8 bit ninja gaiden ryu hyabusa

    Mom's Tattoos

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    Zulu Tattoo

    Zulu Tattoo

    4.8(18 reviews)
    4.8 miTravis Heights, 78704 (South Austin)
    $$$

    This review is way past due. Last year, I was absolutely devastated over the loss of Prince, and I…read moreneeded something to help me heal... something permanent... a tattoo! I wanted to have "him" with me in some way for the rest of my life... enter ZULU. I am a hairdresser, and a wonderful client of mine said to me one day as we were discussing tattoos, "there's nobody on earth I'd let tattoo me other than Zulu". This is HIGH praise coming from this particular woman, so I looked him up. As soon as I went to his website, I felt an energy that I can only describe as "this is it, this is my guy", I knew it immediately. Browsing through his work, I was blown away. His meticulous attention to detail is unmatched. He is an ARTIST of the highest degree. His website images don't do justice to the work- I don't think any picture of his work can do his art justice. You *have* to see it to believe it. I had a consultation with him, and shared with him images of things I liked, and things I'm drawn to, but mostly I wanted him to create it. Several days later, he sent me an image of what he came up with, and it was a slam dunk, just as I knew it would be. It took 3 sessions to complete, and it is a MASTERPIECE. I love the art on my forearm so much it's stupid. I get so much attention because it's so incredible. I even met Prince's band The Revolution, and they were blown away! Wendy and Lisa couldn't stop touching it! Anyway, you get my point, right? So here's another thing... Zulu himself is an amazing human being. He and I had the most wonderful conversations and now he's my friend forever. Choose Zulu as your artist and you'll have more than just a tattoo, you'll have a masterpiece.

    So this past weekend was my first experience directly under the hand of Zulu. Since we visited a…read morefew months ago for him to work on my wife's back, he and I have been in contact about what I've had planned for the remainder of the sleeve on my right arm. Because I travel for 6 months of the year the remainder of our conversations have been via email and also a 30 minute FaceTime consultation while I was overseas in place of a telephone call. Khani (shop mgr/wife) has done a wonderful job throughout of keeping the flow going and making sure that Zulu was available to discuss issues with me as needed. Zulu spent a considerable amount of time prepping for our arrival this trip as I had provided a number of different pieces of Tibetan art work to use for reference on my arm. After the FaceTime consult he fully understood what I wanted and that he was also given full artistic license to do what looked right and would flow with what I already had on my arm. He is only the second artist I've aver talked to that immediately got my concept and was genuinely excited about doing the work I was requesting. This was first obvious to me when we originally visited, but once we had talked and he started the work on the final design, the true light came out in Zulu. I arrived about 15 minutes early to the studio and just sat while he continued to collect his thoughts and worked to get the various pieces setup. We started with a fitting of the largest piece that would be done which was a full incarnation of Mara in demon form. Zulu only needed to resize it once and then worked on the angle and layout on my forearm (which is not big in any way) however, he laid it out to allow for the rest of the piece around and on the back of my arm. Once we had it fully laid out he applied the initial stencil for Mara and then he got to work. Zulu uses a rotary gun to apply his tattoos (as does Pinky which makes for a soothing sound in the small space). The beauty of this style of application is that unlike a normal gun that basically hammers you throughout the process, the rotary is more like a smooth flowing motion. When you add this to the extremely delicate touch that Zulu has while tattooing it makes for the absolute most pleasurable experience I've had to date. There was literally no pain until about the last 10 minutes of the session. We took a total of 4.5 hours to do all of the outline work for my arm, the detail in person looks unlike any I previously thought possible from a tattoo. His classical art training comes out when he works and his chair side manor is beyond reproach. The music in the studio is also spot on allowing Zulu to get into his groove and produce the beginnings of a masterpiece. I say beginnings because I can't wait to come back to finish the color and shading in November. Bottom line: if you want something that is truly a masterpiece on you as the canvas...than Zulu is the person to do it for you. There is no longer a need for me to search out an artist for my other projects, Zulu has a client for life.

    Photos
    Zulu Tattoo
    Zulu Tattoo
    Zulu Tattoo

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    True Blue Tattoo - tattoo - Updated June 2026

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