Ambrotos Tattoo — Local services in Contiguous United States

I've read some of the reviews and felt compelled to write my own. I've been going to Ambrotos for at least five years now if not six. I've had three artists during this time. One has since moved on to another shoppe and the other is soul searching or something so I've been seeing Tim as my artist and Emily as my piercer for a bit now (although I've not seen here lately). I've had neck, chest, wrist , wrist cover-up, ankle, daith piercing and a nose piercing done. I'm pleased with all of the work I've received at Ambrotos. There was a time when the staff seemed a bit disenchanted and the shoppe wasn't up to par in appearance but within the past two years, that turned around completely and the work and prices were so good that it never deterred me anyway. My tattoos range in price from the minimum starting range of about $50/$60 to about $180 depending on location, size and design. I never get colors, I never get very large designs as I have a white collar job and therefore obscure my ink during business hours. I am a Black woman and I've NEVER felt that my treatment was any different from any other customer. I'm a faithful customer, I arrive when I'm told to, I engage my artist and we chat while he works, I tip him well because he works hard and the results are to my satisfaction. I'll also add that I've had tats and piercings done other places and I prefer Ambrotos because it's like getting inked by a buddy you had a beer with or something a few times. We're not texting after hours but we know each other enough to say "how's it going?" , and have genuine interest in the response. My line work is dope, and I get compliments on all my tats because going to the same artist has afforded us the opportunity to know what works on my skin. Tim is like my damn Ink Doctor. On Customer Service: Tattoo artists work long hours and meet a lot of people who want something that just may not work. People get nasty when they hear a price they don't like or that a missing ID means no ink. I've heard it. Sometimes what the customer wants may not work because its beyond the skill set of the artist, (which is why they may suggest an alternative to salvage the sale while still meeting the expectations of the client -- smart business practice is to negotiate, just sayin'), or too small which will eventually heal like a blob, or too colorful when their skin tone won't hold the vibrance of the color, etc. You have to learn your body before you have an artist work on it be it piercing or tats. If you aren't sure, defer to the artist! I mean they've only been doing this for a living for several years. Like I said, I posted this because I've read some reviews that just weren't fair. There's no racism here within my experience and that's a serious accusation. The artists are polite from my experience but everyone does have their days where customer service is lacking. It sucks if you encounter someone on an off day but we all have them. Be a little forgiving sometimes. The only reason why I didn't give five stars is because even after making an appointment you can still wait up to 40 min to be seen. I'm a stickler for punctuality so tardiness is a peeve but guess what? I grit my teeth and wait because I'm not letting anyone else do my ink but Tim. Bottom line? Walk in, ask questions, consult with the piercer or artist, show the design, price the design and shop around. No one is forcing you. You'll have to wear these things for life. There's no crime in going where you're comfortable. As for me? ...comfy and scheduling the next phase of my cuff please and thanks. 😊 ...and no one paid me for this review. I pay for a service and get great work in return like any other business...

(The only reason I’m giving 3 instead of 2 stars) I got a tattoo and two piercings a while back. I absolutely loved the piercers. My first visit I had my tragus pierced and was super nervous. I have my cartilage and three earlobe piercings, but this was new. The guy who pierced me was very reassuring and did it so quick and painlessly I didn’t even feel it. I came in a second time for my triple forward helix and (I believe) Emily pierced me and she was amazing!! Love her so much! I highly recommend her if you need a piercing! I also got my first tattoo there with my sister. I wish I could say the same about the tattoo artists. Unfortunately, I can’t. I came in to ask the piercer if he would be able to do my triple forward helix. He said I should wait until the next day to have Emily do it and I was fine with that. He was very friendly and apologized. BUT... the tattoo artists made a rude comment as soon as I walked through the door and then said “maybe next time you shouldn’t come at closing” as I was walking out. It was not closing time at all, so I was quite taken aback by the comment. When I got my tattoo done (after getting my tragus piercing) the guy was very unfriendly, cold, and seemed annoyed my sister and I were giving him business. I brushed it off because of the excitement of my first tattoo. I wanted the tattoo on my back and so I had to take my shirt partially off for it. I felt extremely uncomfortable because he just stared as I tried to remove my shirt without anything showing (I wasn’t wearing a very supportive bra because of the type of shirt). On top of that he seemed annoyed I even had to take my shirt off for him to tattoo me. I really wish the tattoo artists were as friendly, understanding, and as customer oriented as the piercers were. It’s a shame because I want another tattoo but I have taken this place off my list because of the rude, unprofessional customer service by the tattoo artists. I am one to give the benefit of the doubt but it’s hard to want to go through that experience again. Maybe I got them on an off day...

As soon as I walked into this place I knew I should have left. The staff was rude and they acted like the business I was giving them was an inconvenience. After waiting a while our "tattoo artist" came up to us without even saying hi and told us we'd start after he had a cigarette. So on top of his god awful body odor (I mean he smelled just dirty) he also smelled like cigarettes. Once we started talking tattoos I feel like he pressured me (and my sister) into a design We didn't really want because i think he just wasn't capable of doing what we wanted. But we both tried to have faith in his expertise and ended up very disappointed. This was my little sisters first tattoo so she was very excited at first but she already wants to cover it up (as do I) and it hasn't even been a year. This guy was so incredibly rude to us the entire time and had to stop for a cigarette between our tattoos which are literally the size of a quarter. And again, I really cannot express how bad this guy smelled. I don't know his name, because he didn't even introduce himself to us, but his work space was covered in a bunch of Star Wars stuff. I really don't know how this guy is employed I mean he walked in looking like he just got off a 4 day drug fest. I hate to be the uptight person who writes reviews about stuff but people really should be warned and I should have known better just by the look and smell...