Casa Ink — Attraction in Danvers

I contacted the artist Henrique about 2 weeks before going to the shop for the appointment. We had discussed the exact tattoo I wanted, the size of it, the price of it, as well as how long it would take. I show up 15 minutes before my scheduled appointment, which was 11am, and I am made to pay the full cost of the tattoo upfront, which was 1500 plus my 300 deposit I already put down. I don't see the artist until almost 1130, and then we start talking. All of a sudden he is saying that he can't do what we agreed on, which I have in writing, and then shows me what he drew which had aspects of the image we agreed on but was completely different. Now, at this point, we have a different tattoo he's talking about doing, saying that it's going to take longer and that it'll cost more money for "exactly what I want." He also makes it a point to tell me about how exhausted he was. Great customer service talk, right? I asked him to draw a different tattoo that is more like the image we agreed on, and we'll go from there. I then don't see him for more than an hour and it's almost 1pm. He comes back to me with an image that again is completely different than what I want, and I tell him again that I don't want it. Then we start talking about possibly not doing it at all because the tattoo I wanted and was agreed upon is "not what he does" and that he does more realism when I want something that is from a comic book almost. He does offer to try again , but after this, he can't do anything else for me. I ask what's going to happen with my 300 dollar deposit, which he tells me I'll lose because we can't agree on that tattoo. He came back again with something that was cool looking but not what I wanted to put on my skin for the rest of my life. I said I couldn't do this tattoo. He then starts to tell me that others in his shop are able to do it. I ask who, and he tells me vinny, the owner, can. I'm absolutely ticked off at this point because a great tattoo artist, that I know is capable of drawing the simple tattoo that we agreed on, denies that he can do it but that the owner can. The only caviat is that I still lose my 300 dollar deposit, and now if vinny does it, it's now gonna cost me an extra 2400. Absolutely extortion. Vinny couldn't have been nicer, and he deserves his pay rate. The only bad thing I can say about the owner is that he offered no solutions besides me paying more money and putting down another deposit. I thought to myself to maybe make henrique give me something that was worth 300, but I was so confused and mad that I chose to lose 300 of my hard earned money. I would give fewer stars if possible because I know these artists in this shop are fantastic and could have done something for me but that they simply did not want to. I warn anyone who wants anything too specific to seek another shop. It appears this kid was simply trying to milk me for the deposit so that he could go home and take a nap because of how "tired" he was. A tattoo artist that can't draw.....how ironic. By the time i ended up leaving, i had been in the shop for close to 4 hours. You guys have a chance to make this right, and you have my contact info. Vinny.......do the right thing and send me back my deposit or offer a compromise. I'm open to any sensible resolution.

Edit: Now they've responded by saying I'm trying to get my tattoo for lower money from a better artist. How's this casa ink? Keep the 300 and buy yourself some manners and customer service training because you're terrible. It's great to see the owners more delusional than whom they choose to employ. I already have another artist at a different shop working with me. Instead of working on trying to find a solution, this owner chooses to add insult to injury by accusing me, a customer, of trying to manipulate myself into a cheaper tattoo lollllll So ironically rich and sad of an owner. You should be ashamed...

Last June, I arrived at the shop for a booked appointment, only to learn it had been scheduled with a completely different artist than I'd requested—despite clarifying my preference both when making the appointment and placing the deposit. I should have left then and there, but being two hours from home and already $300 in, I stayed. The receptionist said my preferred artist could arrive in 15 minutes. Before he was even in the shop I was asked for the remaining payment, which I felt was a bit odd but I reluctantly provided.

Fifteen minutes turned into 45 before the artist arrived, accompanied by his pregnant girlfriend. Her presence alone didn't bother me, but it became an issue when she hovered over my shoulder during the design process, audibly sighing when I requested adjustments. The artist himself grew increasingly frustrated and dismissive with each revision, showing little interest in my satisfaction—only in getting it done, and as soon as possible.

He told me the tattoo would take about two hours, which struck me as unusually short given the price, size, and expected detail. This was a piece I had long planned and saved for, and I'd chosen him specifically after seeing his work on Instagram. After months struggling to find an artist, I jumped at one I saw as uniquely suited to bring my idea to life. Upon completion, it was clear the skill displayed online was not what I received. The detail and depth weren't there, the 4-letter script heading the piece is shaky and uneven, and what was meant to be a foggy forest reads more like scattered trees with filler in between. The piece also can't be reworked to match what I originally wanted, as the artist muddied the design with excessive greywash and heavy black, leaving me permanently stuck with something far from what I envisioned.

I tried to let this go and convince myself the piece I paid $850 for was the one I expected, but over a year later, I feel duped. I was rushed, disrespected, and sidelined in a process that should have prioritized my comfort and satisfaction.

(Photo 1 is my tattoo, photo 2 was the reference provided...

I got my forward helix done here on March 12th. Once the jewelry was in, i expressed concerns that the jewelry was too short, but was told that that is the only size they have. It was more evident to me within days that the bar was too short as it was hurting more than it should’ve after a few days, but I was told swelling was normal and had trust their advice on the size of the bar. By a few weeks, it was so tight, swollen, and borderline infected that I emailed the shop about it. After sending the email, I decided to go in where I was told by the front desk in a rude tone that I was told via email that that there wasn’t a piercer there. Upon checking the email, that was not stated. I came back the next day to again see about the bar being switched, and they were able to do it. However, I was shamed about the cleanliness of my piercing, despite the fact that the extra irritation was causing it to produce more gunk despite me cleaning it. At times it felt like that cared more about the aesthetic of my piercing rather than the overall healing process. I was then charged $60 for this service, where I had to spend literally five minutes with my card in the machine due to “wifi issues” where I asked a couple times if it was okay to remove my card now. Then when it was okay, they just stared at me as if I should’ve known. I have had a terrible experience here, will never be back. I included pictures from the day I got it done and now after they switched the bar to a longer one to accommodate for swelling. I have had better experiences at the mall piercers, and also have never had my ear look like this after a month of...