To my fellow Veteran out there if you are looking for an artist that is also a Veteran to swap war stories with and that does great work then Mark is your guy. He did two tattoos for me and did a great job. read more

Blue Lotus Tattoo - Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Salem, Virginia

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Stopped by an hour after they were supposed to be open according to their online hours, no one was here, there's hours posted on the outside of the building. I tried calling hoping to see if maybe they just forgot to unlock the door, but the phone just rang and rang (I assume because they weren't actually opened), but there was no recording to give the hours either. Can't say I'll be back considering how hard it is to figure out when their actual hours are. read more

Do yourself a favor. If you want a tattoo from them. Don't get it from Mark Nattress! Just to pass some awareness along in case you don't know what this guy is really about. He is completely unprofessional, think his clients are beneath him and bottom line believes it's okay to treat customers like shit just because he can. If a business offera "discounts" or "Black Friday sales" does that mean that customer doesn't matter? Because the treatment I received was terrible. I fully intended on tipping more. When honestly he shouldn't have received a dime. i waited 4hours quite patiently I may add after making an appointment that I watched him put in the book "that disappeared" and be treated like I was less then because I had a GIFT CERTIFICATE that I paid cash for. I guess that meant my appointment wasn't important. He was intentionally heavy handed and damn near pushed me out of the chair the entire time. I rarely write reviews but if I can save someone from the same experience I absolutely will. They refuse to treat customers respectfully and will not right any wrongs. Spend your money at a different shop. You work hard for it. it should go to an artist that deserves it. Shame on me for not learning from the first horrible experience. read more

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Went for a friday the 13th special. not the greatest line work and a little sloppy. also a little racist and very right winged, so if you do choose to go be prepared for that. read more

I went with my daughter today to get our first tattoos at the Blue Lotus with Christina. I had a picture that I wanted to use. She free handed the sketch and she did such a great job on my tattoo. I would highly recommend her. The lines are so smooth and she followed what I wanted exactly. read more

Blue Lotus Tattoo - My gardenia tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Salem, Virginia

I got my first tattoo with Christina back in December. I decuded to reward myself for losing weight. I explained to her what I wanted and explained it needed to be done in 3 installments (for each 20 pouns lost). She said we could outline in first session, fill in front in second and back in third. I brought in about 10 tattoo designs I liked with what I liked about each one. I gave her complete design freedom. She hand drew the design on my arm. Upon completion of drawing it on, she asked if I was happy with the design. I was estatic!! She tattooed the entire outline of it. I came back just over a month later to do the front fillin. She was able to do most of the fill in during my second visit. And a couple weeks later went t finish it up and add the bottom design. What impressed me the most was her listening and knowledge. I will say, I was a bit starch with what I wanted. I asked for the trees on my lower arm. I wanted a dead tree ( not prominently displayed), an open design, not a harsh line around wrist, a grassy road and 1 set of foot prints. I brought in pictures of designs I liked with what I liked in each one. The design was much better that what I expected, she remembered everything, with each visit. I was expecting this to be painful, since it was a very large tattoo. Her skills are incredible. A very gentle touch. Extremely professional and a true artist!!! She is extremely focused on professionalism, cleanliness and makes sure the customer is happy. I am such a satisfied customer, Ive scheduled my second one with her. I would recommend her to anyone!!! She books months in advance and its worth the wait!!!! read more

On January 18, 2016 I went to Blue Lotus Tattoo in Salem, VA to receive a piece from Christina. A compass in brown colors placed askew on my wrist. Shortly after arrival, Christina brought myself, my boyfriend, and his mom, back into the room to begin the tattoo. When I was trying to show her how to turn the tattoo so that it was slightly off center she was confused by what I was asking. I even took her fingers and tried to turn her hand, which didn't work so well either as she wouldn't move! Finally after getting the correct placement we sat down to begin the tattoo. For those who have had tattoo's previously (I've had 15 others) you may notice that a step was missing. Not once was my ID even checked and I never signed any kind of waiver of liability that is standard in the tattoo and piercing industry. She barely spoke as she worked and seemed distant (personality thing I guess). The end result was not of the quality that I expected nor that I would ever recommend to others. A small area of the tattoo is blown out, the lines are not all straight, and the tick marks are uneven. The color in the tattoo took very unevenly and the center of the tattoo badly scabbed - I can only assume that the needle pressure was inconsistent and areas of the tattoo overworked. I have never had a single tattoo scab on me or need retouching immediately after healing - this one does. As previously stated, not only was I not required to sign any disclosures but I was also not given any aftercare instructions. Her words were simply that I obviously knew how to take care of it because of my other tattoos. The tattoo itself was not a mistake, however the choice of shop was a HUGE mistake. From now on I am sticking with Shannon at Skin Deep Designs - a local shop that does amazing work including fixing this one. read more