Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing Santa Barbara Studio — Local services in Santa Barbara

I went to Cleopatra Ink a few days ago to get my septum pierced. This was my 15th piercing on my body, so I am quite familiar with the process. I was pierced by a woman named Vanessa, who was extremely nice, but the piercing itself was traumatic. Once she clamped my septum, she told me to take a deep breathe and the needle was sliding through, but it did not go all the way. I heard two like crunch pops, but I knew it hadn't come out on the other end. She kept saying "hmm its not going through, im not sure why", and I could hear the worry and uneasiness in her voice, making me more nervous. She then proceeds to take the needle out, and then tells me we are going to try again. I then get re-stabbed with this needle, and still its not going through. She then tells me the needle is bending inside of me and crooked? I am like silently freaking out at this point and squeezing my friends hand beyond belief. After what feels like forever of her attempting to shove this needle through my septum, it finally comes out on the other end. She then goes to put the jewelry in, and drops it. Of course she grabbed a new sterile one. To be frank, its possible my septum's anatomy was thicker than normal or deviated? I am not sure, because every septum piercing video I see is usually pretty swift and smooth, but this was quite traumatic and painful. When I opened my eyes, she was cleaning my nose with a blood soaked tissue. My friend said she had to look away during it because she physically couldn't watch and see all the blood. I honestly am pretty easy going and have never even written any sort of review, but I just did not feel comfortable or confident with the piercer and felt the need to let others know. I love the piercing itself, but am quite worried about the healing process, as I am not sure if its on the sweet soft spot, or if its in...

I just moved to Santa Barbara a few months ago from another state and originally was looking only for a walk in to get a wedding ring tattoo covered up and found Petek’s instagram. From the start of my original coverup walk in they were massively understanding and very happy to help, while expressing why I wanted it covered, I mentioned also needing my other hand tattoo reworked eventually as a previous experience I had in another state had butchered the idea I had for my hand, and that I didn’t think I’d get it worked on for a long while (money), they were very flexible with me and what I could handle financially and made the experience so enjoyable start to finish. Petek is such a kindhearted human, very talented, and so happy to hear my ideas for how to fix what should have been done the first time and turned an idea I had into something even better than I imagined. Not only helped with covering my ring tattoo but did a beautiful rework of my right hand transforming it from something I had cried about on and off for the last few years to something I’m absolutely in love with. I highly recommend this shop through and through, it’s very clean, professional, lgbt friendly, the environment was comfortable and I don’t think I can begin to explain to justice what an enjoyable experience I had here. I will be returning for future work. (Tried finding some before and after pictures of my dragonfly hand but realized I’ve been hiding that hand in pictures for the last...

Walked into this shop to ask a wildly unreasonable question—like, you know, how much a tattoo costs and when I could maybe get one. Was immediately greeted by a redheaded guy with the customer service energy of a haunted scarecrow and an accent so thick it could stop traffic. I’ve got an accent too—I'm not from here—and sure, I expect some side-eyes from locals. But from someone whose own voice sounds like it just walked out of a foggy European folklore tale? Come on now. He looked at me with this bewildered expression, like I’d just strolled in and asked for a full set of acrylics and a foot massage. I thought I was in a tattoo shop, not pitching alien technology to a medieval peasant. I mean, the confusion on his face—like he couldn’t possibly fathom that a woman might want a tattoo and not be in the market for a flower or a butterfly. Every question I asked seemed to personally offend him. Not sure if he was having a bad day or just naturally allergic to friendliness, but every answer felt like I was interrupting his deeply important quest to be the least helpful person in a 10-mile radius.The whole vibe? Cold. Confusing. Awkward. I left feeling like I’d walked into the wrong dimension, not the wrong shop. Zero warmth, zero clarity, and somehow I walked out feeling like I was the weird one—for daring to ask basic questions. If you're into cryptic encounters and passive-aggressive vibes, this is your spot....