I absolutely love this tattoo shop. The nicest environment ever. So many talented artists, they always take such good care of me, they have good prices. Love love love. I'm excited to keep coming back. My new go to tattoo shop! read more

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This place is an institution in the Toronto and Ontario tattoo industry. Female owned from day one in an industry that doesn't usually see women as equals is truly an incredible accomplishment that needs to be celebrated way more. Got tattooed by Tania (@smoking mermaid tattoo on Instagram) and I could not be happier! Amazing work done by an incredible talent. Definitely will be back for more. read more

AAA+++ When you walk through those doors you're great by a the biggest smile from Jen Black! From there the owners Pauline and her son Christian give you a big helping of family style Canadian positivity. And standing at their door is one of the funniest or should I say pun-niest guys around Thor! Anyone of them can give you that Tat-titude, you are looking for, if not the rest of the staff is just as talented. Styles galore and plenty of different stories abound in Yonge Streets oldest Tattoo Parlour. Just look for that eye catching sandwich board to lead you to what I consider Toronto's best tattoo shop read more

Had my right sleeve done by Thor at Yonge Street Tattoos, it was an extremely meaningful tattoo for me, as it was in commemoration of my mother and my son. It was also a difficult design, involving as it did a reproduction of a Group of Seven painting among other parts with a great deal of detail. Thor is one of the finest tattoo artists I've ever worked with and I'm overjoyed at the work he did. He was easy to talk to and had an innate sense of design ... a true artist. read more

Yonge Street Tattoos - The excellent sleeve I had done at Yonge Street Tattoos. - Tattoo Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Grimm was amazing!!!! They helped me through the process of getting a tattoo since it's such a personal thing. I shared the reason why and they made me feel empowered. Grimm is so talented and designed the angel wing tattoo for my ankle and made variations until I was satisfied. They are precise as I got a matching pair (left and right ankles at different times). Grimm is gentle and patient every step of the way and very thoughtful. I felt safe and in good hands. I love my angel wing tata. I highly recommend Grimm. read more

YST is probably the cleanest, most professionally run tattoo/piercing shop I've been to in my 21 year tattoo/piercing history. Alex will answer any questions you have and advise you thoroughly about any piercing. Pauline creates the most beautiful, unique artwork if you're looking for a custom piece. I like that this place runs like a business and is bright and welcoming, unlike many shops that are dark, dingy and filled with ego. read more

My tattoo was completely changed from what was drawn on me and its huge. My tattoo its permanent. Needless to say I've been pissed for years. There's a lot of liberties taken with design. I shouldn't have trusted this place. Regrets everyday for years now for going here. And I hate what they did. It's cost me a ton of money trying to fix it and it never will be fixed. Don't go here. That's it. read more

As previously mentioned, staff isn't exactly what you call friendly. I picked YST after a friend recommended the place. My first consultation was confusing at best and I ended up waiting an additional 30 min b/c the artist was running late. We discussed artwork and I left a deposit. When I didn't receive a call to come and check back for an initial draft, I called and a second consultation was schedule (they had no recollection of the artwork). A few days later I was called and pushed back by 2 weeks as the artist was on holidays. When I finally called to come and see the drawing it was so far from what we discussed that I left my deposit and went to another salon. While I cannot comment on the quality of their work, their customer service sure can be better. read more

Back a few years ago, YST used to have a display of photographs in the window of people who had gotten tattooed there, and the one that stood out the most was that of a curly-haired Justin Timberlake and a backwards-capped Joey Fatone (think *NSYNC days) posing with their tattoo artist. Years have passed and that display is gone but YST is still around! I got my first piece done here after surfing around some Toronto artists' works. A big part of my decision making was that YST is female-owned and I wanted to find a female artist who I could connect with - found her here! Getting the actual appointment set up was quite a test of my patience because Jacqueline and my schedules always conflicted, but after speaking a couple of times, it finally happened (very painfully - but that's another story). Throughout the process, I spoke to some of the other staff who work here and I really felt it was hit-or-miss... there are some really amazing staff but also a few I felt were not as friendly. Maybe I'm just being a big baby but it would be nice to feel welcomed by all of the staff at the shop I'm getting work done at, not just a few.... and hence they lose a star. But overall, I have no doubts about the establishment: it has a great vibe, is spacious and clean. I've read that their rates might be higher than other places, but I'm not really sure. Mine was about $250 and it's fairly big (2 hours of work?). I would defo see Jacqueline again but I think I may also give other shops a try... read more

This review is based solely on customer service. I came here before I had any tattoos and had the intention of getting my first tattoo here. I had just walked here from a competitor (who happened to be quite rude), and upon walking in, Alex was friendly and asked me how he could help. I asked for *custom* script and all he did was direct me to a font book at the side of the shop... pretty bummy. He didn't even listen to what I wanted - didn't ask for WHAT I wanted in script, how I wanted the script to look like...nothing. It was sad since I did some research and this place had a decent rating, so I really wanted to get a tattoo here. I figured if they weren't going to listen to me now, I'm going to go elsewhere, and so I did. read more

First off I would like to say I get all my work done here.. every piercing, and every tattoo. The receptionists are all great lovely people to deal with! I Always have nothing less then a great experience. Even the one time when a tattoo didnt work out so well in MY eyes I came back and I spoke to the owner and she explained afew things to me about why it could have happend healing process wise and I feel i was compensated fairly. Customer service skills are great on all ends.. I always become chatty when im nervous about to get something done but once its started im fine. no matter who I get work done from there they always make sure your 100 percent comfortable. Ive been going here since I was 15 LOL! I lovee all the artists ive had * Steve, -- (no longer works there)Evy, Evan,and Luke. They all do an AMAZING job and have outstanding line work! I get complements all the time on my tats and always tell people to come here and request the people who have worked on me. I walked in today to get a helix piercing done. They took me pretty well right away! My piercer was a lovely guy named Alex. Now unfortunatly I was informed I didnt have enough ear for the helix peircing I wanted :-P but he talked to me and gave me lots of other options, and I ended up getting a Rook insted. Alex was so great! He was super gentle , very informative, professional, and such a sweetheart! You can tell they are all very passionate about what they do, and I wouldnt want to EVER EVER EVER go anywhere else. I had yet another amazing experience here today Thanks guys!! See you again when im feeling creative, and or edgy! Forever yonge!! read more

Yonge Street Tattoos - My Most recent work from YST Luke: Beauty is only skin deep.. Evan: Wrist & Foot Alex: Rook peircing :) - Tattoo Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I came in wanting to get a forward helix done, but Alex, my piercer, explained to me why it couldn't be done with my particular ear shape. I decided to get a rook instead, and had a lovely experience. Alex took great pains to make sure that everything was clean and nothing was cross-contaminated; he used 5-6 pairs of gloves for my session alone. He was very patient with getting the placement right, and he was both professional and personable so that my piercing was quickly, painlessly, and stress-free. I'm taking off a star, though, because of how long I had to wait. When I walked in, I was told that there was a 20 minute wait; I ended up waiting more than an hour AND 20 minutes. read more

My first tattoo was at Yonge Street Tattoos and Thor came recommended. He is very professional, talented and nice when it came to my first. Since then I've been going back because everyone is friendly, price is competitive and the atmosphere is warm and inviting. Never believed tattoos would be addictive but Thor was right. He's done some great work and I'll be back to Yonge Street Tattoos for more! read more

Yonge Street Tattoos - Mechanical steampunk skull by Thor - Tattoo Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Did a walk in and got the artist Will Bridgeforth he tattooed my hand. He did such a great job I just went back and had additional ink done on my fingers and neck. Will is an amazing artist and is very professional. Love his sense of humour it help make the session enjoyable. Note his choice of music is amazing - sometimes hard to sit still while he is tattooing Thanks Will - I will be back to have a bigger piece done. read more

Worst customer service I've ever seen. BEWARE. Their reviews look positive because they delete/hide all the constructive criticism. If I were you I'd save your money and go somewhere else. That tattoo's going to stay with you so don't risk it. Note to the owner: If a customer is unsatisfied with their experience at your shop DO NOT TELL THEM IT WAS THEIR FAULT. Instead you could reimburse them in some way for their dissatisfaction. Second of all DO NOT DELETE THEIR COMMENTS TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS LOOK BETTER THAN IT IS. Instead, address them online professionally and make sure your employees are representing your company in accordance with the brand you're trying to establish. Hope you learn something and change the way you attempt to deal with customers. Actions like that can only run you out of business. Word of mouth my friend is the most powerful form of advertising. read more

When you plan to get a piece of artwork permanently drawn onto your body you are basically interviewing the artist to hire. I can't speak for any of the other artists in this shop besides Sarah, the artist I chose to work with. As her life is a bit hectic and I was only there for a very limited period of time, we still had time to sit down a couple times and design my piece before the first session. She is an incredible artist! You can see her passion in her work and her talent and professionalism trump any BS that the shop and other employees might harbor. I'm looking forward to heading back to Toronto to get my piece finished. read more

After having been a loyal client to Yonge Street Tattoos (and after referring a few friends), I expected so much more than I wound up with. I was going back for my third piece. I left my deposit, had set a deadline, and chose Evan as my artist. I was super excited about starting my half sleeve. What ensued is nothing short of disgusting. I waited a month past the date I wanted to get started to call. I was told "we'll get back to you this evening or tomorrow." I waited until the day after "tomorrow". I called again, and was told they'd get back to me later in the day. No one got back to me. I e-mailed, and received zero response. I called AGAIN, and at this point, I was clearly very upset. The person I spoke to said "Let me ask Evan where your artwork is at". At this point, I was figuring out what response would make my day... I was told "Yeah, your artwork is complete, you can come by and see it when Evan's in." I asked "WHEN was it finished?" I was told two weeks before. So let me get this straight, my artwork was completed, but as the client, was not informed. When I get in contact to figure out what's gone on, I was met with impatience. I expressed how ridiculous this was, and was then told all nonchalant that I could just come in and get started at my earliest convenience. Fuck that! The shop itself is clean, and prides itself on vegan inks. The management team really needs to look into retraining staff to ensure that each client is treated with the utmost respect and urgency. Needless to say I took my business elsewhere, where the staff treats you like you're important, not like you're just someone imposing on their time at work. The one star comes from the cleanliness and inks. read more

Probably the most expensive tattoo shop I've been to. They have some really great artists, I recommend Evie, Jacqueline and Evan. And 100% I've left fully pleased. My advice is to make an appointment though I have heard if you're just a walk in you won't get top quality. read more

Despite Loorin being over half an hour late to the appointment, the in-store experience was pleasant. However, when I later removed the bandage and took a good look at my tattoo, I noticed that the line work was terrible. The design was very simple and mostly required straight lines and following the stencil. The lines are very wobbly. Since she did not follow the lines from the transfer in some areas, parts of my design looks like it was drawn by a child. I paid for professional quality, and received an amateurish tattoo and poor customer service. I wrote a comment on their facebook page about the poor quality. One of the managers called me and blamed me for their mistakes. He also fed me some nonsense about how the line work in tattoos always looks bad after the first session, so it's necessary to go in for touch ups (which they charge for) in order to get what you want. They also delete any negative feedback on their facebook page, and block the person from commenting. So you will never see anything but glowing reviews. Before, I was considering going back for touch ups by another artist. But now I will not go back. And I warn everyone else to stay away. read more

I had a couple of my earlier pieces done here; unfortunately, my artist left and I have had to go elsewhere. In any case, the first time I visited the shop, I felt very intimidated...the staff wasn't exactly very welcoming. My first experience here wasn't the greatest, the second one was slightly better. My third piece was made better by the artist but again, he left for another shop, so I have no reason to go to YST anymore. Look elsewhere and shop around. read more

I had an excellent experience at Yonge St. Tattoo from my original call in to make the appointment to once everything was said and done. My artist was Wil and I can tell you he is a funny easy going guy who does awesome work. Thanks for making our experience a fun one and for really bringing our visions to life. read more

Very clean. I got my nose pierced here and the workers there were nice and I would go here again for my next piercing. Also the price was very reasonable unlike most tattoo shops. I'd recommend anyone else to come here. read more

When I walked in I was greeted by a lady who was very friendly. I got a tattoo by Wil Bridgeforth and I'm really impressed with his skills. I noticed He kept changing his gloves so he wouldn't contaminate anything. I can't wait to go back and get more tattoos. I believe he lady that everyone is complaining about is gone now. I definitely recommend going to see him! read more

Yonge Street Tattoos - My tattoo by Wil Bridgeforth - Tattoo Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Greasy place. Owner was sketchy. She sweated all over me.. very poor artistry. Charged me 300 bucks for a 20 minute tattoo. I backed out last minute. Suck on that YST. read more

I found my way into Yonge street Tattoos, abit upset, 20, stupid, and determined that I was going to get cute little paw prints on myself, and walked out one very happy girl. Though it might not have been the most thought out tattoo I have, and maybe the most costly, but def one of the ones that has held up the best. I had a girl named sarah who helped me take my tattooe virginity ( hate that term), and had the best mini girl talk in a long time. 3 paw prints rang me up at 120, inc the goo they sold me. It was also very clean and the other staff there humored me. Its a nice place to go just be ready to pay up. Worth the money. read more

Just want to note I was here a week ago, I purposely waited to review so I could let my tattoo heal first. I'd like to begin by saying that the customer service here was perfectly fine. It seems others have had issues but while I was there everyone was pleasant and polite while speaking to me. Even my artist (Luc), while he wasn't the most chatty person around, was just fine when he did speak. The reason I'm only giving 3 stars is because of the tattoo itself. I was a walk in, looking to just get a very small piece done on the inside (or side) of my middle finger. A semicolon to be exact. It took Luc all of five minutes to actually tattoo me like I expected. Now at first, when it was still fresh things looked okay. Maybe ever so slightly misplaced (which it was hard to tell before since the stencil smudged). But we're talking a tiny angle of just barely a few mm off, nothing to really complain about. Where my issue lies is the fact that he didn't fill it in 100%. There are two spots (one in each section) where he didn't fill in up to the line. Leaving a very clear skin break that shouldn't be there. Some of the line pulls are less than smooth as well which is becoming more clear over time. The "tail" of the semicolon isn't exactly smooth and the two circle bits are more oblong in shape. There is also the fact that as it heals its looking more and more like there are some line blowouts happening. Which means the tattoo isn't going to have the nice clean look. Now I am aware finger tattoos can be a bit iffy but that's more so with the ink actually staying in. These feel more like mistakes and slip ups from the artist. I'm not sure if he isn't use to tattooing fingers, in which case...I'd have preferred someone more comfortable do it. Considering the meaning behind the tattoo. Something so small you don't expect this many issues. It just kind of sucks I'll have to go spend another chunk of money on it to try and get the issues corrected in the near future. Again if it was just a case of the ink not taking, I understand and expected that. But not filling it all in, shaky line pulls and blowouts...that's a different story. read more

Summary: DONT catch them on the wrong day, Customer service really sucks in person! I was appalled by the tone and way this artist/front staff was talking to me. I had to walk out of that place, never to return again! I wouldnt name them, despite the temptation, i am sure i caught them on the wrong day, where this particular lady was having a real shit day. It is however, unforgiving, you shouldnt be at the front if you are going to be particularly Bitchy that day. Check your attitude at the door, save us the time. Reccomendation: Take off the Wednesday special discounts for all smiles because you dont follow "the happy" routine while greeting customers. Leave your problems at home, Have a phenomenal and proffessional employees for Front staff, cleary its not everyone' cup of tea and train staff to prioritize customer service if they want their loyal customers to STAY with them! read more

I had my navel and ear lobe pierced by Chloe in November 2014. She was absolutely wonderful and made me feel very relaxed even though I was so nervous! I would recommend her to anyone! The only two reasons why one star was deducted is because the initial jewellery wasn't the one I had asked for(miscommunication) and when I went back to have it changed, I felt a little uncomfortable with Alex as he did not talk very much. read more

while i can't comment on their tattoo or piercing work, the materials they sell here aren't up to par. twice i've gone in and purchased new barbells ($40) due to the thread on previous ones either loosening enough to fall off and having me lose it, or, in the first case, the ball thread just stripped and wouldn't even thread into the barbell anymore, i can assure nothing was forced either, i'm not new to piercings. last night i went in, seeing if they sold the balls, as it's happened again. (this will be my third time coming in for a new barbell because of this) they sadly don't sell the balls by themselves for these precise types of situations, and i'm tired of coming back every 3 months for a new $40 barbell that looks identical to the last 2 i've bought a few months prior. unfortunately i won't be buying anything here anymore, and because of the quality of the materials, it's sadly affected me ever even considering spending my money here. sorry to the artists that work here, unfortunately. read more

if i can recall correctly, i got my lip pierced here. twice. one garden variety horizontal stud and one vertical labret. both healed remarkably well, because they were done remarkably well. and i ought to know, having had botched manmade hole situations in the past. pricey but again, body mods are not the thing to bargain hunt for. never got inked here but from what i could tell, it is THE place to go for tattoos, if you're willing to wait.. like weeks to months. well worth it though. read more

I had my first tattoo done here. Originally I was a walk in, but then later made an appointment with Wil. I left a $20 deposit and showed Wil my idea for a small heart tattoo. Wil is a great artist to go to if you are a bit nervous or hesitant of getting your work done. He will make you laugh and feel at ease. However, don't let his easy going nature fool you, he does excellent work and is serious about having the outcome you want. He was overly patient with me and my friend who also got work done and did not rush us at all. Very clean and great service. Thanks Wil!!! read more

Worst customer service ever, one person says one thing and another says another the business module isn't consistent and management can't seem to keep its house in order, when paying for a tattoo I deserve some form of customer service I am sad to say Brandy didn't provide this when going for a touch up and Kelly the manager didn't take me the customer serious about my complaint and denied me further business and services because I first wrote this review then removed it and now am posting it as I believe in freedom of expression and I have a right to post an honest review its not slander its feedback. The manager wouldn't believe me that her employee said fuck off tuff it up fag, have a good day when I said her customer service skills were not lacking and her tone wasn't like she cared , which resulted in me replying with fuck off in anger as a result im banned and a prepaid touch up which is included in the price of a tattoo there isn't anywhere that says its not included other then if you don't have your touch up card ... The reason brandy got into it with me was cause her manager kelly said no after someone already telling me Friday yes I could get the touch up without the card cause I can prove that I made the purchase on my credit card statement , I tried to explain I was told otherwise but they wouldn't bulge when I explained to kelly today after speaking to another manager aka a male and explaining Everything he understood and I finally found the card and I came in to get the touch up but Kelly denied the services because I made a previous post like this and claimed I was slandering her shop and employees , and verbally assaulted her receptionist who was the one who first verbally assaulted me the customer, but as always the management always sides with the staff these days. slander is only when the information is false (I asked a lawyer) so I've gotten my money back from the credit card company , and will never come here going forward or recommend this place as they truly have no business customer service and care for the customers because of its high turnover. Shame I really hope this place disappears when condos are built. I use to have a lot of respect for this place I've gotten 4 tattoos and 9 piercings here and now I'm sad to say I'm gone and my piercer who use to be there couldn't agree more with me. Good riddance to people who don't care about their clients she said. read more

went here today to get a piercing, and am terribly disappointed. I went to get a triple forward helix piercing, and was told by the tattoo artist that this was "impossible to do" and any pictures of this piercing were photoshopped. then he said he would do it anyways, and it turned out NOTHING like i wanted it. waste of 150 dollars as i have to take it out, wait for it to grow over, and then go somewhere better to get it done again. I found the guy doing the piercing to have odd social skills and was too uncomfortable to really say anything at the end. I know its my fault, ultimately, I was just really excited to get it done. I should have gone somewhere else and found a piercer who knew what he was doing. read more

Brought a friend here from the UK to have a tattoo done. Consultaion with Evy went well-2 weeks later we showed up for the tattoo- (they called the night before to ensure we were still coming). We showed up-we were told to sit and wait as Evy was setting up for the tatt. A few minutes later-Evy comes to us and tells us she left her sketch book and all her art at home. (really who comes to work so unprepared) Asks to re-schedule-we can't do that as my friend is leaving the next day. Now Evy is scrambling-oh I have a picture of the key and lock on my phone-shows it to us-can barely see it-plus its missing 90% of the tattoo-the script- Evy has to ask us what the phrase was she wanted it done-she then prints it off on the computer-not even in the same font my friend chose.... So no art work-nothing. We can't reschedule-and THEY REFUSED TO GIVE MY FRIEND HER $50 DEPOSIT BACK! THEY TOTALLY FUCKED UP THE ENTIRE APPOINTMENT-THEN REFUSE TO GIVE HER THE MONEY BACK. How a person is supposed to sit and get a LARGE tattoo done without seeing the completed work is beyond me. I have had tons of work done there-I have sent others there-BUT NEVER AGAIN. Glad to see Jacquline is opening her own shop- TOTAL TOTAL CRAP SERVICE- read more

I've gotten several tattoos at other places downtown: Blugod, TCB, Pearl Harbor... and I've had pleasant experiences at all of them. I cannot say the same for this place! As I can see, I'm not the only one who thinks they need to vastly improve their customer service (*so much attitude*) and on top of that the person who tattooed me went in with a realllyyy heavy hand. My tattoo is now raised like some sort of scar forever, and this has NEVER happened to me before (I've gotten tatted in this same spot before). Rushed job, rushed touch up... I had to go somewhere else to really complete the touch up job because my artist had left it super patchy. This place sucks. read more

Walked in the shop on a Wednesday, and was greeted, asked what I wanted to have done. There was no line up whatsoever, so I went straight up to meet the tattoo artist. This was my first tattoo, I had a custom one in mind, and showed the artist what I wanted. He copied it exactly, and explained the procedure to me in detail. It's finally healed (after following his aftercare advice) and it looks amazing! I'm so glad I got it done here. Very chill and professional, would definitely recommend. read more

So I went in a few weeks ago to get some script on my torso and the receptionist I met was amazing. Don't know her name but she was a petite blonde and she was the actual receptionist, not one of the artists filling in or anything. She showed me all the portfolios, I loved one specific artist and scheduled a consultation. Unfortunately couldn't make the appointment and Lawd, that's where my troubles started. Couldn't reschedule for two whole weeks, as in they would not let me schedule anything AT ALL because, a) the artist doesn't work past 5 and I work til 5:30, b) the artist was going to be away for two weekends and God forbid we look at weekend 3, c) lunchtime is not a good time to schedule a consult because it's in the middle of the day and they don't want to schedule tattoos around it (really? A 15-20 minute consult??). Went back in after 2 weeks to start afresh on scheduling a consult, seeing as I'd already paid the deposit. Found a different "receptionist". Said my artist could see me but would be busy for 20 more minutes. Decided to wait. Waited for 45 minutes. Turns out the artist was done but she forgot that I was there to see him and he'd basically been twiddling his thumbs for half an hour. So now I'm stuck having to rush my explanation of what I want because my lunch hour is over, we're in the reception area so no privacy whatsoever, and the "receptionist" is standing close by throwing in advice and comments as she sees fit. Hopefully my tattoo turns out better than the administrative process. read more

Do not come here for a nose piercing, I went with my friend and we were both very disappointed in ours. We got pierced with a ring and it was very weirdly placed. We both asked if we could move it before to the piercing and he said it was not possible. It was possible because mostly everyone gets theirs placed in the crease of the nose however ours was way off. We called them to ask about it and they were very rude. So overall do not come here for your nose piercing, even though it was very reasonably priced. read more