Sak Yant Chiang Mai | Real Bamboo Tattoo — Attraction in Chiang Mai Province

Part 1 / 2: It’s taken me a while to piece together my thoughts to write this review, as I’m a bit heartbroken to say that I was really disappointed with this whole experience. I am a female solo-traveller in my mid 30s. I am curious and empathic and culturally sensitive, and when I travel I look more for experiencing / integrating myself into different cultures - I am not just holidaying in thailand to party and lie on the beach. I have also had traditional tattoos done in other parts of the world. I had heard a bit about sak yant tattoos from other travellers and had some conversations with them. And I did hours of research myself to try and find somewhere authentic. I read all of the information on this website, had looked through the whole of the tattoo designs, and watched all of their videos. My experience was unfortunately very different to what was described / portrayed. I turned up half an hour early, and was handed the design book to look through by one of the receptionists. She was dealing with two other bookings that were already there, discussing their designs and getting them ready to go upstairs. I was left sitting looking through the book. After the others had gone upstairs, the receptionist quite abruptly said to me that I was cutting into my allotted time - have I decided what I want yet? Maybe this could just be put down to being lost in translation / communication, as I was under the impression I was waiting for the others to get sorted first and maybe they were running behind schedule. I suppose I was expecting to have more communication and be guided a little bit more, not just plonked on a chair and left to my own devices. This made me feel quite flustered, as she’d made it clear we were cutting into my allotted time. I did then explain that my expectations (based on the information provided and the website etc) was that I’d be guided a bit more through the whole process, having discussions with them and / or the ajarn with the help of a translator, to discuss my intentions / life goals / tattoo ideas to represent this and make any adjustments. She could clearly see I was feeling a bit flustered but made sure to repeat a few times to put the blame on me on this misunderstanding. She eventually offered to take me upstairs to have a discussion with the ajarn and translated a bit for me. I discussed the thoughts I had on the designs and asked a few questions, while the ajarn flicked through the book. He flicked through and suggested a very feminine looking design, which to me felt like not much thought went into. At this point it really felt like the book was essentially just a flash, and no changes can really be made. It’s clear that they fully expect people to come with an exact design decided, and no changes to be made to it. They have the stencils cut out in a box and reuse them. I settled on two small tattoos that I had felt drawn to while studying the book in the weeks prior, as clearly no more discussion or anything in-depth was going to happen. I was taken back downstairs so we could prepare the offerings for the ajarn. Again I thought this might be a bit more “real” and interactive, going through the process together, however I was just handed some pre-prepared bundles of money, cigarettes and flowers wrapped in banana leaf, that they obviously use on repeat. I was feeling very rushed now, and the receptionist didn’t really explain much about what to expect or what I needed to do once we got upstairs. I was told as it was happening what I needed to do with the offerings etc, and we got started on the tattoos. The receptionist offered to take some photos / videos - she took them just from where she was sitting and they are blurry and from terrible angles. She then disappeared and left us doing the tattoos, despite the fact that she was meant to be translating for us. The ajarn is VERY competent at doing the tattoos, he did them super fast and they are ridiculously neat, I was really really impressed. Especially as he was sat...

Part 2 / 2:

However, this meant it was all over by the time the receptionist came back - she did even seem a bit shocked and look as though she had made an error by leaving. The ajarn started doing the blessings for the tattoos - reciting something and putting some gold leaf on them. He spoke through the blessing extremely fast. At the end the receptionist asked if I had any questions - I asked if they could tell me what he said in the blessing, she didn’t ask him / translate, she just answered with a very generic answer of something like “he was saying what the tattoos means - love and compassion”. I was taken into the garden area to sit and relax with a coffee and some biscuits (this is a lovely touch!! and the garden space is really nice, obviously it’s in the middle of chiang mai so it’s loud and trafficy still but as nice as it can be in that location) but the final nail in the coffin for me was when I was sat out here, the ajarn came out from the upstairs outside door and down the back steps, sat at the table next to me, lit up a cigarette and started scrolling through videos on his phone on loud. This completely took away any sense of enjoyment or “magic” from the whole experience for me. I can honestly say that I was guided with more care and attention when I’ve had “normal” tattoos done in “normal” tattoo studios. I felt rushed, and as though I was just on a conveyer belt. It felt quite fake / gimmicky, as though it is just aimed at tourists. Nothing about the experience felt real or authentic to me. Unfortunately I left feeling a bit ripped off, they charged me 4000 baht total, and the tattoos took about 10 minutes from start to finish. Luckily, I love the tattoos - as I said previously the ajarn did a beautiful job of them. However, as for having a meaningful, authentic experience, this was a real disappointment. Maybe the experience is entirely different if you pay more to go to the actual temple? I saved this to do on my final day in thailand after spending 6 weeks here, as I thought it would be a really special way to end my trip. I would really recommend the information being adjusted on the website to reflect how the experience is in reality, to lower people’s expectations. I think charging 2000 baht for a 1.5cm tattoo on my hand is completely unacceptable, and the prices should be reconsidered. I really would have appreciated the receptionist being a bit kinder, more understanding, and guiding me through the process a bit more.

I have now seen other reviews very similar to mine, and unfortunately Sak Yang Chiang Mai have responded with quite nasty and defensive responses. Which clearly shows they aren’t interested in taking on feedback or bettering the studio for those that had negative...

4.11.2025 Friday @ 9:36 & Finished @ 11:11 Amazing Experience for a very reasonable cost!

I had an absolutely unforgettable experience at Sak Yant Chiang Mai, and I can’t recommend this place highly enough for anyone seeking an authentic Sak Yant tattoo. As a first-time tattoo recipient, I did extensive research and felt a deep spiritual pull toward this gem in Chiang Mai—my intuition was spot-on!

My journey took me from California to Bangkok, Hanoi, Cambodia, back to Bangkok, and finally to Chiang Mai. From the moment I arrived, the staff at Sak Yant Chiang Mai made everything seamless and welcoming. Their warmth and professionalism created such a positive, uplifting atmosphere. The studio’s east-facing location amplified the incredible energy, perfectly aligning with the good luck and vibrant vibes I was hoping for. The staffs were all wonderful and checked up on me throughout. Love to music and I could hear birds outside chirping as I listened to ease my mind off the mild pain at times. It’s pure meditation once you get over the fear of needle and pain. It’s quite peaceful as if life’s experiences though yin and yang as the needle touches your skin and bounce away for a breath of life.

The highlight of my experience was working with Arjan Sak, who is nothing short of incredible. His top-notch skills are truly masterful, blending tradition, precision, and spiritual intention into every stroke. I got two medium-sized tattoos—a dragon on my left arm and a tiger on my right—and both turned out absolutely stunning, exceeding every expectation. The pain was surprisingly tolerable; I didn’t need to stop even once, thanks to Arjan Sak’s remarkable care. He’s extremely attentive to your comfort, adjusting his techniques to ensure the best possible experience while maintaining the integrity of the art. The process felt sacred, almost meditative, and the positive energy in the space was palpable.

If you’re considering a traditional Sak Yant, Sak Yant Chiang Mai is the place to go, and Arjan Sak is the artist you want. You won’t be disappointed. This was more than a tattoo—it was a transformative, soul-enriching journey. I’m already dreaming of...