For way longer than I can remember, the Oasis complex is where Birmingham's alternative types have…read morecome to buy studded belts, get tattooed or just wonder around looking at stuff. It's a vast complex containing many small businesses, and one of them is a small, neatly presented body piercers by the name of Dolly Rockers. Apart from a selection of body jewellery, and the recent addition of micro dermal implants, Dolly Rockers is all about the piercings. By all accounts, they are extremely good at this - out of the many people I know who have been pierced there, I can't think of one that has a complaint about the service they received - the piercings always heal well, and are executed with minimum amount of pain. Prices are about average for this kind of thing, and the manner of the staff is great. In conclusion, if someone in Birmingham asked me where to go for a good piercing, I'd send them here.

Businesses come and go in the oasis market. However, Dolly Rockers has been around for a good…read morewhile, and has even been expanded over the years. Pricing for piercings is average, and they do offers now and again (although I know there have been a few occasions when offers have apparently ended but are still being advertised which is a bit naughty). In that case it usually comes down to discretion of the piercers. I've had several piercings done here, and for the majority of those I have experienced efficient service from skilled and professional piercers. I would recommend this place for clean, safe piercings performed well with the least amount of discomfort.

I have had 5 tattoos from Body Art Studio and every one of them is of the highest quality. The…read moremanager of the shop is Sam, she is by far one of the most talented tattoo artist's I have had the pleasure of meeting. She is knowledgeable and will always offer advise as to what you require or how to make something look better. But she will not force her ideas on to you. I find its always good to get a second opinion on work before its too late. The price's are very reasonable and the premises are very bright and clean. If anyone was thinking of having work done for the first time, or just adding to existing work, I can think of no better place than Bodyart Studios to have it done.

Though i have never been inked here, i have a tattooist working on me and its best to stick to one,…read moresome of the work i've seen coming from here is the best i've seen come out of Birmingham and i have no doubt the rest of the team are amazing. I mainly see Mikes work and his attention to detail is amazing, if you pop in request a selection of his work to look at and see what i mean. I've heard there can be quite a waiting list here and it'll be worth it, trust me.

Turn left onto memory lane.....I was back in the Oasis market the other day and my god it has not…read morechanged a bit! The last time I was in here I was buying flared chord trousers and band posters......but today it was all change and i was having t shirts printed for a dj set.....with the wonderful diva face of Mariah Carey...obviously. T shirt printing is only £8 if you take a T-shirt with you which I think its a stupidly good price and the quality was excellent. I felt fabulous and glamorous wearing it so thank you T shirt printing lady! Inside the market you can also get a load of hippy stuff, jewellery, bongs and smoking paraphernalia, band merch and other random treasures and delights. This is a place for the more alternative amongst us really but not exclusively. If you haven't been go and have a look as its an untouched and unchanged part of the city that is quickly becoming modernised everywhere you look. Never change Oasis market...never change.

If you've ever been into line dancing, skating, surfing, dressing up, hippies, goths or bands at…read moreany point, you'll probably have been for a visit to the oasis markets. It's spread over a few floors, which are all inside. Most of the stalls are set into each corner of the place. There's loads of stuff in here, most or nearly all of it now new stuff. There used to be a couple of vintage stalls in here but think they have moved on now. There are a couple of women's fashion stalls selling stuff like punky fish, big flares and little tops. There's a couple of Levi holders with lovely phat flares and skinny jeans, really good prices too. There's smoking paraphenalia and some kinky stalls selling fetish stuff. On the ground floor there are a couple of shoe stalls, perfect for probably the best and widest choice of Doc Marten's in Brum, these are pretty pricey though. Head downstairs for the surf stalls that sell; animal, roxy (quiksilver) mambo etc, there's a good choice of clothing and there is often a sale on. Not many accessories here, but good for rucksacks. If none of this takes your fancy you can get a tatoo or pierced while you visit. Always worth a look even if it's a little bit out of the main hub now the Bullring's been built.

A reasonably substantial amount of my skin is covered in ink, and a substantial part of that is a…read morework (still!) in progress by Jo Harrison. I feel that qualifies me to both review MBA and also explain why I rate it as highly as I do. The salon itself is clean, bright, airy and easy to get to. They're brilliant with hygiene and cleanliness, and the area that tattooing happens in is shielded from the entrance and waiting area, so you don't ever feel like you're being gawped at when you get your bits out to be tattooed. They don't make any ridiculous claims about being 'pain free' - because as EVERYONE knows, of COURSE being tattooed hurts! It's a process of a needle repeatedly piercing your skin and embedding ink inside you forever. If it didn't sting a little, then they're unlikely to be doing it right. The majority of slots are booked in advance - particularly if you want work done by people like Jo. I waitied a year just to get on the waiting list, then another year and a half to be seen. Dedication, or what?! That said - I've still not managed to get my piece by Jo finished. She went off on a round the world trip midway through my work, and when she came back all her prices jumped up - even for works in progress. It does feel like a bit of a fight to try and make an appointment, and those two things combined knock off that extra point to make it to 5.

The most highly regarded ink shop in Birmingham. The two owners of this place are world famous…read moretattoo artists but they are often our at conventions so in their place are some of Birminghams other most talented artists. The waiting list here is long and the price is high but your paying for the best and its with you forever so it'll be totally worth it. If you pop in or search online they can see examples of the work coming out of this studio, if you had any doubts they will soon be done. Book in advance to avoid disappointment.

RACIST! I went into this tattoo shop earlier today to enquire about getting my outlined tattoos…read moreshaded in, one with red and the other with different colours. I'm mixed race and have brown skin. The man I was talking to seemed to find my request questionable with me having to repeat myself saying that I wanted the colour red. He then asked the other man who was there how much it would be for colour, the man looked at me and looked confused then said you want red? I said yes, is that a problem? He said no its no problem but red won't look that noticeable on your skin. I've already got red and other colours in my tattoos and you can clearly see them. Then the other man turned round and said that on normal skin you can see it, implying that white skin is normal and brown and black skin isn't. I walked out and said I'll go somewhere else. What a disgrace. If I could give 0 stars for this review I would but it won't let me.

From the owner: Tattoo shop in Birmingham city centreread more

I went here with a very complex design and was not disappointed! Kirstyn is an amazing artist and I…read morereally couldn't be happier with the job she did, would highly recommend :)

It seems that you're unique if you DON'T have a tattoo - at least that's what Ozzy Osborne thinks!…read moreI was intrigued to join the body graffiti club and was recommended to get it done from Steve. His shop is a typical tattoo joint - dark with a punk-rock feel to the decor. They have literally thousands of tattoo ideas to choose from, which got me so confused. But you could also take your own design or use a mixture of a few that they can create into one. I was made to feel at ease while I was there. I guess they have an inkling of newbies to the routine! The process was a lot quicker than I thought it would be and I was relieved that they didn't take hygiene lightly. I wouldn't describe getting a tattoo as painful but it is an uncomfortable feeling. However, Steve was chatting away with music playing in the background so my mind was diverted.

Dawnii is awesome. Super friendly and welcoming, with a warm personality that puts you right at…read moreease. There's no air of pretension about her, and her work is brilliant - so vibrant and full of colour! My other half had a full sleeve done by Dawnii - started when she was still working at Modern Body Art, but finished once she moved into her own place. Painted Lady has a very different feel to MBA - homely, and quirky with ornate walls and taxidermy and curiosities abound on shelves and hung on walls, but just as hygienic and clean as MBA is. If you manage to get an appointment with her, you won't be disappointed in her work.. and if you're going with a friend to have some work done, she has a really intriguing range of books on shelves dotted around the space that you can browse whilst she decorates the person you're with!

Painted Lady Tattoo is the brainchild of tattoo artist extraodinaire Dawnii Fontana. Dawnii founded…read morePLT and runs the studio in between tattooing in her trademark feminine, old school style both at PLT and conventions. Great as Dawnii's work is, it is also extremely difficult to get hold of - apparently she opens her books twice a year and within a day has bookings for the next six months. However, other tattooists do work at the shop, all providing great work. For instance,Clare Goldilox works there, who is well known for her hand poked and machine tattoos that focus on natural forms in all their glory, and a regular flow of guest artists from all over the country make appearances at the shop. The decor is pleasingly eccentric, with a busy look taking in taxidermy, antiques and many of Dawnii's artworks which fits the uniquenss of the tattoos. Put simply, whether tattooed by Dawnii or one of the other tattooists that work at the shop, you'll get a great tattoo. With rumours of a second studio in the works, these painted ladies will be in business for a very long time to come.