Atomic Lotus Tattoo — Local services in Oklahoma City

I've debated posting this because I felt bad saying anything negative. Back in March 2023, I decided to go in for one of their "get what you get" flash tattoos. I thought this was the cutest idea, and I had been eyeballing the flash sheets for a few months before I decided to use some money I had saved up to get one from the March flash sheet.

I called ahead to ask if they had availability for walk ins that day, as it was spring break, and I'm sure they were busy. They said they do on a first come first serve basis. Cool. I'm in the car and at the shop within 30 minutes. I walk in and make sure they still have walk in availability. They say they do and it would be like a 45 minute wait. Awesome! I ended up waiting for like 1 hour and 40 minutes. No biggie! Things happen. I understand that this industry is a little less predictable with time and such. I only mention this part in order to give my tattoo artist the benefit of the doubt, as it seemed like things were really busy, and maybe his last customer went longer than planned, or maybe he needed a break or something. All reasonable!

I paid $120 + $40 tip to get one of the random flash pieces. No problem! I thought this was a reasonable price and I'm more than happy to pay a premium price to ensure quality work. This shop has been very vocal about this exact practice, and 9/10 times I absolutely agree. Artists usually know the worth of their work and set a shop minimum to make sure their time isn't wasted. This makes complete sense. The shop website itself says something along the lines of "you get what you pay for, you look for a cheaper artist you get cheaper quality". The problem is that the quality of the tattoo I got did not reflect this sentiment. The whole thing took about 10 minutes, but half of the lines are blown out and the other don't have enough ink. I did get the tattoo on the back of my arm, which is a more sensitive area prone to blowouts, but my tattoo artist, Ben, is a professional who should know how to use proper technique and avoid that.

I feel that this may have happened because of how rushed the process was. I don't know if this is actually the case, but while I was there, i got the feeling that he probably felt that this tattoo wasn't worth his time because it was only a flash piece and not one of the bigger and more expensive pieces. That's why I pay the shop minimum/ premium right? If that were the case I would rather just be told that this isn't something he wants to do. I also wonder if maybe he was stressed because of how busy that day was? Maybe this isn't the best reflection of his work, but if that's the case I would rather be told that the shop was too busy and to just go home. Would it suck? Sure probably! But this is something permanent going on my skin, and I think it should be treated with just as much professionalism and respect as any other tattoo. If they feel the smaller flash tattoos aren't worth their time, why do they offer this service?

I have multiple tattoos, and this 10 minute tattoo hurt more than anything else on my body. I also have another tattoo that runs through the same area, and that one has no blowouts and did not hurt to the same degree. Obviously I expect a tattoo to hurt, but this one felt like it hammered my skin, resulting in blowouts. I tried to give it time, but after healing I can see the issues with it, and I'm just very disappointed. This shop is supposed to be super reputable and I can't help but feel sad whenever I see people with good quality tattoos coming from this shop, because why was mine not worth taking time and using careful technique? I expected more from a shop with a reputation like this that boasts about paying for the best quality work.

Maybe it was just a bad day for Ben, and I'm sorry if that's the case, but it shouldn't have to be at the expense of something on my body permanently. After I save up more money, I've been thinking about going to get it fixed...

I was tattooed by a wonderful girl named Emma! She did an amazing tattoo that means so much to me! And my boyfriend got some amazing work done here as well! The tattoos are 5 star no doubt! Buttttt the only downside we had on our visit, was as we refer to her “The Mask Nazi”… My boyfriend has glasses, and he didn’t know we had to wear masks anymore because not even hospitals regulate that anymore, so I gave him mine which was a little small and he was having a hard time seeing out of his glasses and was adjusting his mask a lot. The lady who was checking us in, instead of casually telling him to not touch his mask, she rudely told him “Don’t you know this the real world we live in, and this a real virus, that kills real people every day!!!!! If you’re not even able to stop messing with your mask while you’re standing in line getting checked in, are you sure you’re gonna be able to sit through a tattoo with a mask on? Because if you’re not sure you can just go ahead and leave now”… it took every ounce of self respect not to reach over the counter and beat some respect into this lady. I could not believe such a highly rated tattoo shop would hire such rude employees. I would love a chance to be tattooed by my artist again, but not if that means I have to come back to “The Mask Nazi”. She should be fired. Definitely recommend using Instagram to text your artists and find out if they’re working at any other studios or festivals coming up, because Atomic Lotus is just NOT the place to go. I truly hope the people at atomic lotus read this and reprimand her accordingly! Because that behavior and those comments...

I went into Atomic Lotus to get a previous tattoo covered up. While I was there I had people making fun of the previous tattoo, calling other people over to look at it, and the people at the front desk telling me they wouldn't be able to help me. Finally, an artist came out to meet with me about what I wanted. My tattoo artist is amazing and I won't go to anyone else. However, if my artist were to have stayed employed at Atomic Lotus I would of been going some where else. I ended up getting a very large piece of a phoenix. The cost of the tattoo to date (I still have 3-4 sessions left) is $2000+. Now keep in mind this is not a small tattoo. However, my back piece cost me $800 and is the same quality. Along with the high price tag was the bad attitudes. I already told you of the first impression of Atomic Lotus. I have never felt welcome in that shop. The female owner is hardly ever friendly, the front receptionists are rude and would rather talk amongst themselves, and don't bother calling. When I first went to go get my tattoo I had to put down a $40.00 deposit. My tattoo artist left and I am not going to get that money back. Also, they do not keep track of your deposit. They tried to make me pay it again and again. Each session I had to bring in my receipts because they have no way of keeping track apparently. Overall, I would never go here for a tattoo again. I am thankful that my artist left and would recommend those that are employed at Atomic Lotus take a step back and remember that the customers always come first. It is a shame this business has been...