Ink Therapy Tattoo & Piercing — Local services in Jamesburg

I already posted a lengthy review on Yelp that includes pictures of the tattoo in question, but it seems like the owner actually reads these reviews, and I have constructive criticism. First off my tattoo artist was an hour late to the appointment and I was the first of the day. I got a finger tattoo, being fully aware of the risks of fading and falling out. I have a hand tattoo so I’m very familiar with the difference in longevity. The tattoo artist said he was going to use the thinnest needle and it might not take well, and I could come back to get it touched up. After the first session I was really happy with the tattoo. I didn’t mind the punctuality problem so much. I even recommended the artist to a friend. But after three weeks a few parts had fallen out, which I didn’t think was a big deal. I thought it would be no problem to go back and get it done with a bigger needle, since I had the money for it. When I went for my second appointment however I was yelled at by the shop owner. He talked down to me like I was a child, and wouldn’t even look at the tattoo before giving his opinion on it. He told me that it was going to fade and I said I understand, and I didn’t mind getting it touched up. But he told me that I didn’t understand and used degrading language to me. This was my 6th tattoo, I’m not an idiot. The artist kinda just stood there interjecting every so often. He said that he would do it again but that the exact same thing would happen. I said (crying now) that I didn’t care. The artist went over the tattoo with a thicker needle. They didn’t charge me because it didn’t take up a lot of time or materials but I still tipped because I expected to pay anyway. It’s now been 4 months and it actually stayed how I thought it would. Yes it’s fading faster than my other tats but it hasn’t fallen out, just like my hand tattoo. The owner has to understand that the customers aren’t experts, but they aren’t dumb. If someone understands the risks of a tattoo and has no problem keeping up with the maintenance of it, then...

I came here some weeks ago to get my earlobes pierced. The actual piercing went fine, the shop is clean and there were no issues at first. I was charged around $140 with taxes and tip, which seems to be significantly more than what you can expect for a simple pair of earlobe piercings, and was told that the earrings were real diamonds, which is an obvious lie. I was given the advice that I could change out the earrings after 3 weeks, which is not true and I waited 7 weeks as my research indicated. When it came time to take out the starter earrings, I was unable to take them out; though they had healed properly, the earrings themselves would not unscrew. I asked my mom for help, whose ears have been pierced for 40 years, and we both struggled for half an hour before giving up. I called the establishment hoping they would be able to help me out, and they informed me that it would be a $15 charge per ear to remove the earring. When I asked if they would consider waiving the fee because the need for the service arose from a mistake that the piercer had made and I believed that the shop should be responsible for poor quality piercing, the woman on the phone actually began to raise her voice at me, so I hung up. I ended up seeking help from a family friend who is a nurse and is experienced with piercings. It took her 15 minutes with multiple clamps to get the earrings out. If I had not had this family friend, I would have had to have seek actual medical help to remove the earrings. The earrings were either screwed far too tightly, screwed on the wrong thread improperly, or what I believe to be the case; the shop incorrectly used permanent jewelry to give me simple earlobe piercings. They refused to correct their mistake which necessitated help from a medical professional, were rude and belligerent, and the experience has left me...

I visited the shop with my mom today. She had been here before and had a good experience as well.

We went in last week to get a quote and we made an appointment for today. I appreciated that Joe took the time to explain why a particular tattoo that my mom wanted was too small and that it should be slightly larger. He said he would happily accommodate her request at a slightly larger size. He explained WHY in laymen's terms and we appreciated that a lot.

I appreciate people's artistic integrity.

Today we went in and were treated with excellent customer service. All the staff members were very friendly and accommodating. They answered all my ridiculous questions as well. The owner, Joe, literally had to explain the science of how the tattoo ink stays in the skin, between which layers, and how Neosporin damages tattoos by drawing the ink out. I can ask tons of questions and it can get overwelming for some folks.

Needless to say he's very patient.

Now our tattoos: we absolutely love them. Joe is very talented. He's as patient with his work as he is with his customers. Joe takes his artistic integrity very seriously. We both feel he did an excellent job on our lettering. He even outlined our black lettering with white to help prevent any softening of the closed letters (they closed letters can completely close and blend). He even explain why.

Also from what others have told me the prices were excellent. Especially for this quality... Check this place out.

I do a lot of reviews. The whole ambiance of this shop was welcoming and accommodating. It's one of those few places that have a really great atmosphere that you don't...