Great experience at the Blu Gorilla. My daughter, wife and I walked in to see if all three of us could get a tattoo, the check in process was very smooth and lucky for us not a lot of appointments were happening that morning. We met with Natalie who initially was going to complete all three but then we pivoted and I had another artist complete mine and my daughter went with Natalie. Mine took about an hour and hers took about two hours. Unfortunately we didn't have time for my wife but she is coming back next Friday to hers with Natalie. The price is a bit more than tats I've gotten in Denver and Boston but the work is spot on. I highly recommend! Let's go!!!! read more

Impressed my tattoo with Scott came out great! I got two doves realism and took two hours. Conversation was enjoyable. read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Clean realism tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Called about a walk in and was told that they could fit me in, after driving all the way here and getting inside i then waited an hour and a half just to be told that no one could take me, mind you this isn't my first tattoo and i understand walk ins are kinda hit or miss, but to have me sitting there for that long and THEN not even being able to get a tattoo is crazy, wasted my time that i could've just went to a different shop read more

Great tatto, but way 2 expensive... Tristan charged me $220 for 6 tiny stars that took 25 mins to do... you can find the same quality for much cheaper at any other place lol read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - My $220 tattoo... lol - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Got my 3rd tattoo from Blu Gorilla back in ~Oct 2020. They were super safe (obviously COVID was a big concern). The tattoo was on my ribs so of course not the most comfortable experience, but the tattoo artist nonetheless made me feel as comfortable as possible and did a great job. Photos are day of + day after. Been 2.5 years since and the tattoo looks pretty much the same (I don't expose to sun really). Would recommend + definitely return for my next tattoo! read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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Clean shop with friendly artists! I have been to other parlors where you feel judged or just your simple presence annoys them. The atmosphere is welcoming and the shop is super clean! I just got a simple line tattoo and was in and out within 15 minutes after walking in. $80 is their minimum. The parking lot is quite small but overall very happy with my experience and tattoo! Definitly recommend read more

Got my first tattoo at Blu Gorilla DT! Dre was my tattoo artist, and she absolutely killed it! i am so happy with the result, she did a beautiful job, was super efficient and gave me exactly what I wanted! She was super light handed and made me feel really comfortable through my first time sitting for a tattoo. My favorite part is how she made my tattoo follow the curve of my arm :) 10/10 would recommend! read more

we called before hand and asked how long they took walk ins and they said they do until a certain time. we described what we wanted and everything. we ubered 15 min out of our way and walked in and they said that they no longer took walk ins. the tattoo artist said it would take no time at all and he could fit us in. the lady at the front desk said actually no and made us leave. horrible experience read more

On a girl's trip, we knew we wanted to get tattoos so we stopped in Blu Gorilla on a Friday afternoon. The individual at the desk was friendly and appeared to do what needed to be done to answer our questions and give us a general idea of cost for each of our ideas. We were told to return on Sunday at noon for Scott to do the work because they only do walk-ins on Sunday. I even asked if we should arrive earlier to get in line but was told that wasn't necessary. Sunday comes, we arrive at the shop and are greeted by a different individual. This person explained we were third in line for Scott and that we should wait in the waiting room. Then, after AT LEAST a half hour of waiting, the individual who greeted us said we wouldn't be able to get our tattoos that day because they were too complicated. We were livid! What a terrible way to run a business! The artists might be very talented but their customer service skills are severely lacking! Side note: after driving to 4 different tattoo shops, we ended up at The Edge with Sean and had a great experience. Everyone there was friendly and super accommodating. read more

Here in Charleston for a bachelorette party and we wanted to get tattoos!! Why not?! We decided on pineapples... cuz well pineapples are cute and it reminds me of Hawaii :-) Called Blu Gorilla to see if they can accommodate 5 girls all getting the pineapple tattoo... about 2 inches in all different locations! And voila... booked our reservations for the evening time.. easy peasy! SIDE NOTE... this is not the Blue Gorilla that is a blue building... it's the other location that's a white building. If you are next to a brewery.. this is the wrong location! Covid Times The only part that sucked... and thanks Covid.. was that the experience of getting it all together couldn't happen. We had to go in one by one... and we had to wear the mask. Oh well! It's better than catching Covid and still happy they were open and accommodated our crazy little group. Customer Service was great.. they were all really friendly and our tattoo artist was awesome! Since our tattoos were tiny... we each took about 15-20 minutes! But from the little time I had with the tattoo artist... she's awesome! She even fixed our pineapple design cuz for whatever reason... the design we picked looked like boobs HAHA! Imagine that... BOOBS! So I'm glad she fixed the design and we actually have a tattoo that looks like a pineapple Would come back here again if I were back in town and getting another tattoo! read more

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This was my 3rd tattoo from Blu Gorilla. Drea did this cross free hand based on a picture i showed her and I am very happy with the result. Also love their new location...great vibe and music. read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Very happy with my experience at Blu Gorilla with Matt yesterday. Every time I drive by the Meeting St. location I think "I need to get in there" and finally I had the time. I stopped in on Sunday to make an appointment and consult over a design. When I came back Monday, I was reassigned to a different artist since he apparently does fine lines better than my original artist, but I was pleased with his honesty and integrity to make sure I got the quality of art that I wanted rather than him taking home some cash. Matt and I worked together for probably 30 minutes to come up with a design that made us both happy. He had just finished another piece, so I watched him clean up the whole booth and spray everything down - it's always good to know you're going into a clean booth with sterile needles! I mostly played Candy Crush while he worked, but he made sure to check in on me and chat me up a little bit (I think to make sure I was still conscious since the lady before me was having some issues). I was really happy with the final product - a piece in honor of my new niece - and will definitely be back for more. read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Before / during / after - thanks Matt! - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Unfortunately was told by the artist Scott that he could do a thin, small, delicate tattoo. As you can see in the picture, it is uneven and has one spot that's not even connected. I will be getting this removed or covered up sadly. read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

I received my foot tattoo here. The shop was clean and they take pride in their health regulations. Everyone was super friendly and nice and my tattoo artist was amazing. I wanted a few words on my foot and he worked with me to make sure it was the vision I wanted whilst still holding up over the years. We went over the different types of fonts and sizes. It was a little bigger than I wanted but it had to be so it didn't turn into one little black block. It also helps that all the artists here are insanely talented and knowledgable about their craft. My tattoo turned out perfect and it's now been three years since I got it and it's in almost perfect condition still. I love it beyond words. I will tell you this though: don't come here thinking their sole job is to serve your perfect vision. When you book a tattoo artist here, you're paying for their art and you are a walking advertisement for them. They're not going to do a tattoo that will look horrible in a few years, just for you to tell people you got it from them. Take a look at their books and get a feel for each one before booking. They do a lot here. I've seen some amazing fine-line designs, and pieces that look like they're an actual painting. DO. YOUR. RESEARCH. read more

Outstanding tattoo when i was in town for summer break! They were clean, professional and worth the wait!

Shop is extremely clean, calming and all the staff is friendly. I came in with a custom tattoo design and Pabby absolutely nailed it!! I'm so happy with my new piece. Thanks again man! read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Pabby was awesome and did a custom design for myself and a friend. He shared he's been working for over 35+ years and you can definitely tell. Personable guy and great line work, I highly recommend him as well as the Blu Gorilla parlor itself. Staff were very accommodating with our schedule while we were vacationing. 10/10 would recommend!! read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Dog flower tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Me and my husband decided we would get a tattoo and this was my first one done by Jimmy. He did amazing and we couldn't love our tattoos anymore. We showed him what we wanted but wanted his spin on it and again it was amazing and looks so good! We would recommend him to anyone. read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Jimmy did Amazing! - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

4 of us decided to commemorate our friendship and the reason we were together and chose Blu Gorilla for their Yelp rating. We were treated professionally, courteously and thoroughly enjoyed our experience getting our matching tattoos. Brent was our tattoo artist. He was professional and did a great job in figuring out the design we wanted and doing our tattoos. We had a great time and love our tattoos! read more

GO HERE! We were able to walk in, which we weren't expecting at all. Corey was our artist and he was AMAZING. He made sure we were comfortable and was incredibly friendly. His simple line work is also amazing. We would highly recommend coming here and asking for Corey! read more

Stopped in while in Charleston for the holiday and Mickey did a great job on a quick tattoo to remember my trip!

Walkin Saturdays! My friend goes here all the time and loves it, brought me whole I was in town. Service was amazing and quick. Love them all especially Marley read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

This place was awesome, I was a walk in on a Saturday and they had me in out and tatted in 45 mins. They did an amazing job as well. Super clean line work and they knew what they were talking about. Highly recommend. read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Took my son to get his first tattoo there last weekend! We were a walk-in on Saturday. You have to get there early if you want a chance to see an artist. This tattoo parlor had great reviews on line. Shop was very clean and tattoo artist was very nice and professional. Did a great job on the tattoo! read more

No doubt, BG employs some skilled artists, but is that enough? Here was my experience: 1. Emailed the shop, via their website, with a tattoo idea. Didn't hear back. 2. Went to shop. Person at front desk couldn't find my email so I shared the pic again. Set an appointment. 3. Sent an email to follow up with further details about the appointment.. No response. 4. Called the shop, told them I was having trouble reaching them through the website. Was told they 'never check that mailbox'. Without making any effort to address my issue, the person on the phone advised that I contact the artist directly. 5. Contacted the artist. No response. Frustrated, I chose a different shop. There, they took time to discuss with me the right artist for the job, printed out the piece so I could 'try it on' and make sure we were all on the same page. BG wins accolades from City Paper and other publications every year, thanks to their talented artists and a rabid fan base. However, in a market more saturated every year with talented artists, I don't believe it's enough to have *just* talent. Visit any city with renowned tattoo shops in every neighborhood (think NYC, Portland, Seattle...) and learn from them: in addition to possessing experience and craftsmanship, your shop also needs to understand customer service, and be detail-oriented. This is especially crucial when you're in the business of putting ink permanently into people's skin. read more

I recently lost my daughter to a rare blood disorder and I wanted to have her little baby footprints tattooed on me. Ashley did an excellent job and I am very happy to have her as my tattoo artist. I plan on having another tattoo in the future and I'll make sure to have her do it. Thank you very much Ashley. This tattoo really means a lot to me. read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - My baby daughter recently passed away and these are her little footprints tattooed on me. Thank you again Ashley. - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

I absolutely love this place especially for this being my first tattoo. Nick treated my sister and I with the upmost patience. Even though Blu Gorilla is known for larger and more creative tattoos, Nick made this simple tattoo have so much character and very neat. Thank you again guys! I get lots of compliments btw read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Done by Nick! - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Would not recommend. Went here looking for an addition to my tree tattoo. Just an add on. Ended up getting a full cover up without knowing. Absolutely horrible experience. Day one: I told them I wanted lungs added to the roots of a tree I had originally done on my upper arm. I asked how long and much he said $400 and four hours or so. He places the print But it cover up some of the branches of the tree. He said "don't worry I'll tie it all in." This session ended after four hours and him telling me he will "finish up next session." $450 later with half my arm done I had no choice. So I set up another 4 hour session like the artist recommended. Day two: returning to get the rest done he started to shade the branches immediately. I stopped him and asked why and told him the branches are my favorite part of the old tattoo. He told me HE WAS PLANNING ON MAKING THE WHOLE THING A SILHOUETTE. This is a huge tree. With detail. What king of person wants a giant black spot on their arm??? I told him no way he was doing that.session ended after TWO hours because the guy at the desk set it up wrong. Paid $400 and set up a third appointment. Day 3 he started off adjusting the tree and trying to fix his mistake. He took a completely different route on day three then he did on day 2. The tattoo looks like three different people took a whack at it. Completed after a couple hours and didn't charge. All around if you go with these guys SPELL EVERYTHING OUT. I trusted them as the artist and I shouldn't have. Something I originally was told would be $400 cost me $800. And it WASNT EVEN WHAT I ASKED FOR. Don't let them rope you into multiple sessions either. These guys clearly don't care about their customers and if you spend any significant amount of time in the shop listening to what they say you'll know it's true. I walked in for an addition and ended up getting a cover up that was twice as much as I was quoted and the worst part is the new tattoo is THE SAME SIZE AS THE OLD ONE. My goal was to get an add on to fill up the rest of my upper arm. What I ended up doing was getting a complete cover up that takes no more space than the one before. I can see the mistakes immediately when I look at it. Extremely disappointed and I feel like I was dooped and my arm was butchered. These guys don't care. Go somewhere that does care. Wouldn't recommend them to anyone. read more

Got my tattoo done by Jeremiah. He was super cool and made me feel comfortable. He knows his work and his lines are very clean. 10/10 would go back to him and the shop itself. Had all the proper covid protocols in place. I can see why they are voted best shop multiple times. All in all a rad experience! read more

Blu Gorilla was recommended to me by a friend, and I am so happy that I listened! I went in and told the nice people what I was looking for, they recommended Nic Rummel for the type of art I was interested in. Nic was not only an amazing artist, but also friendly, personable, and uber talented! LOVE LOVE LOVE! read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

My husband and I were on our honeymoon and decided to get meaningful spontaneous couples tattoos. We did a quick google search and were impressed by the awards and history of the shop. We called and asked if they could take two walk ins. Lanore said she can't guarantee what we wanted to get done in our short window and told us to come in and see what they could do. We booked our lyft and arrived around 12:15, showed Lanore our ideas and said that Brad could squeeze me in at 4 and Pabby took my husband after about 40 min. There was some talk between artists about Pabby also doing my tattoo but after I looked at Brads work I knew he was the artist that was perfect for my ideas. And I'm so glad that I waited through the awkward. Brad finished his last client at 3 but took that hour to recoop and off we went. He took his time, switched out needles to ensure the best design. His work space was clean and organized and he used every sanitary precaution (I'm a nurse and this was paramount for me and I was pleased). He was amiable, could joke around but also be serious, when I asked about design and placement and size he was honest and tells it like it is, (which I was a little nervous with at first but now that it's done, appreciated.) He even went live on insta which I thought was cool. All in all, my tat is killer and meaningful and matches the styles/theme of my other tats. He was also apprenticing an up and coming artist. She seemed to be on the very beginning of her journey. I didn't mind her there at all and she tried to be helpful in any way she could (getting supplies, cleaning up etc.) Looking back at the experience it was fun and the right artists were chosen for us both. My husbands tat came out amazing and my husband loves it. (Update: as my husbands tat healed (it's been 6months since), he started to like it less and less. There were a lot of windows, and the writing in some areas illegible. The color looks faded, muted, and muddy. And he feels like the artist rushed. He's now in the process of booking a touch up with another artist.) His design was more manly, heavy lines, stone work, etc. Mine was very delicate, detailed line work, bohemian. (Update: my tattoo still looks amazing and solid. I get compliments all the time by it.) Brad has a steady hand and is very talented. You can't go wrong with his work if that's what you're looking for. Each artist is different and unique. As they should be. Just find the right one for you! Hope this review helps. read more

Very good tattoo shop. I got my first tattoo done here a couple days ago with Brent. All the artists are very talented and accommodating. I know a lot of people that have gotten tattoos here and everyone within the Charleston area recommends them. I would recommend this place to anyone. read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - First tattoo with Brent - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Highly recommend!! Brent was absolutely amazing! He took my idea and ran with it, making an even better image than I imagined. He was very friendly, accommodating and personable. Couldn't have asked for someone better, especially for my first tattoo - thanks, Brett! read more

Ashley B. was probably the best artist for my friend's first tattoo. She took time before the session to speak with her privately and was candid (according to my friend). The work was beautiful and the price was definitely fair for the quality and care the staff show. read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Horrible service. I have lots of tattoos but when I walked in twice, I was told to wait for an indefinite amount of time. I understand waiting but being helped or at least communicated how long I would wait for would be useful. read more

I seriously couldn't be happier with my new Tattoo. This was my first visit & would recommend Blu Gorilla to anyone. Ashley did an amazing job. I provided pictures & and thoughts about how I wanted it to look, and when I arrived for my appointment she provided me with something even better. If you are looking for professional clean work check this place out. read more

Blu Gorilla Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

No thanks...horrible customer service, I went in with something specific I wanted and they did everything on their power to turn me away. It kinda like a chef that's doesn't want to cook burgers, nonsense, cook what the people want. Many a great chef can't turn a profit and I'm sure it will be the same case here sooner or later read more

I just got my most recent tattoo at Blu Gorilla and I could not be more thrilled. I worked with Ashley and holy crap - that girl blew my expectations out of the water. I have to admit I was a bit nervous after my consultation. I wasn't doing a great job of explaining what I wanted and I could tell she was a little confused (totally not her fault) on what I was looking for. I showed her a few pictures and did my best but wasn't sure what I was going to see at my appointment the next day. When I got there the following day she came out and showed me what she had come up with and it was even better than what I had in my head. It was so perfect that I actually got tears in my eyes (it's a bit of a sentimental tat)! Her attention to detail, her want to make sure that I was perfectly happy with the placement, layout etc was incredible. This girl knows her sh*t and she won't settle for less than perfection. She took the time to make sure every detail was right and was totally open to a couple of tweaks along the way including some additional shading - which she nailed with a lighter color fade (again, her idea). Not to mention she's ridiculously cool and we had a killer conversation about our shared NYC backgrounds and a few other hilarious things that are better left between us. Bottom line, I won't be going to any other artists in Charleston for as long as she's here. Overall the experience was awesome. My best friend who was in town from NY also got a tattoo and we both had great experiences with the staff at BG. If you want a tattoo look no further - these guys are the best! read more

Everytime I've come in I've have had nothing but the best experience at blu gorilla. Rex is always welcoming and makes what could be a nerve racking experience (maybe a first tattoo) a little easier. Then the wonderful tattoos I've gotten from Ashley have never disappointed, nothing but "oh wow that's awesome. Where did you get that?" Once again awesome shop awesome people and amazing tattoos read more

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First off!!! I am very cautious about how any artwork(tattoo) on my body looks! I did my research checked different websites so I decided on Blu Gorilla downtown on meeting st. Everyone was so friendly. Christina did my tattoo and she was AMAZINGGG it was everything i wanted and more. i am so ecstatic about my new tattoo and the tattoos to come people she now has a new regular because i will be back!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND BLU GORILLA DOWNTOWN! Prices are affordable i felt really at home and comfortable! read more

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