Kirk is not only a fantastic artist, he's also a personable calming presence. I went to Kirk as a first-timer and he immediately set me at ease, erasing all my anxiety I had walking in the door. He created a perfect design based off vague suggestions from me. The final product is incredible. 10/10 would recommend him for any type of work, including detailed designs with intricate lining. read more

Crown & Anchor Tattoo Parlor - Custom phoenix tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey

Overall, a positive experience. Their website and confirmation email lays out everything, including the price per hour and that you will pay for the drawing time. I went with Ivan since he does a particular black and grey style I was looking for. I emailed my ideas and current tattoos, and Ivan confirmed he wanted to do the piece. They also confirmed he is cash only. A few week before I decided to go larger with my piece and I also confirmed via email that it was possible. The space is really nice. Ivan took about an hour to draw my piece and incorporated the flowers I wanted. It was about $900 including the deposit. My only disappointment is there were a few blowouts after it healed. Ultimately I love the piece and how it fits with my existing tattoos. read more

Crown & Anchor Tattoo Parlor - Floral black and grey piece by Ivan. - Tattoo Near Me - Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey

Do not recommend. Unprofessional studio. I fully understand good work is expensive , but I received neither a good experience or good end result. Poor communication and not helpful after the tattoo healed poorly. They would not tell me what kind of ink was used after I inquired. In fact, it took them almost 2 weeks to respond to my 2 emails and one voicemail with the excuse they were overseas. Sorry- you run a business that charges $300/hr you should have someone to answer the phone. It's a large piece that is still not finished. I now have to find a new artist to complete it because the guy that did it, Ivan, is back in Russia. The woman that set up my appt scheduled me for 5 hours, a month before he was leaving (I was not made aware of this at booking), when she was fully aware the piece (half sleeve) would take over 10 hours to complete. THE DAY AFTER the tattoo got extremely infected and over the course of 3 weeks I ended up having to go to the ER twice for IV antibiotics and an infectious disease specialist after the oral antibiotics my PCP prescribed failed to work . The ID never determined the cause but thought it may have been contaminated ink. To this day the tattoo continues to fade and I have large patches of ink missing- and no I did not pick at it. This is not my first go around tattoo wise and I followed the aftercare instructions to a T, however, I recognize the infection may not have been their fault. It could have been a freak thing. This is why my emails were not accusatory. Nonetheless I only received one response, and once I asked what typed of ink was used (Dr wanted to see if there were any FDA advisories for bacteria contaminated ink), the conversation ended. Another complaint: When making the appointment and taking $100 Paypal deposit from me, it was never told to me that Ivan is CASH ONLY. Their website says they take credit card. For the work that day it was approx $1500. Who carries that much in cash ?? Needless to say it was a shock to be expected to pony up $1400 (less deposit) after sitting for a tattoo for 5 hours. He pointed out their were signs and there were. They were tiny!!! And even that when he had me fill out the forms he did not mention that I would be expected to pay cash. I ended up having to go to the ATM and then pay pal him the rest since I have a daily cap on ATM withdrawals. Oh and he had nothing drawn up when I arrived so I sat by myself (there was no one else present in the studio- just Ivan and I) for an hour while he came up with the design. When taking my deposit the studio asked for pictures of what I wanted and it was clear he never looked at them . At least if he told me about the cash beforehand I could have taken the hour I was just sitting there to go get that out of the way at least. Run, don't walk from this place. Very unprofessional and I am not at all happy with the "final product". read more

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I recently got some work done by Shannon and I couldn't be happier. I was able to book an appointment nearly two months in advance with a deposit. On the day of the appointment, Shannon showed me the design that she drew in different sizes so I could pick a size that I liked best. Overall, I was completely blown away by the finished work and I can't wait to get another tattoo at Crown & Anchor. read more

Crown & Anchor Tattoo Parlor - Tattoo by Shannon - Tattoo Near Me - Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey

Got a piece here recently from Shannon and she did a great job! Not only was the tattoo she did exactly what I wanted, but she was super nice with consulting on my design over email and showing me a great sketch the day of the tattoo. We talked about adding some touches to it like flowers and she did a wonderful job accommodating that. That tattoo itself is wonderful. I've gotten a few recently all in a go, and of all the ones I've gotten in the past few months this one really stands out. The colors are vibrant, the line work is bold, the lines are laser straight and super clean. Some people don't like that you need to make an appointment ahead of time- but- that's just how good artists work. Cheap and quick tattoos aren't good. Good tattoos aren't quick and cheap. Yes it'll take some time for you to get an appointment with an artist here, but if you can't wait a few weeks for a piece, do you really want it? I love knowing that my artist is pretty booked, because that lets me know I'm not the only one who likes their work. The shop itself is small and unassuming from the outside, but inside you'll find a cool, fun, comfortable, and CLEAN tattoo shop. Every artist has their own little room to work in and I can't emphasize enough how clean it is in there. I don't just mean the shop, I mean things are neat, organized, and professional. That level of "mise en place" is always a plus to me when going to a shop because it lets you know they care. I'll definitely be getting another piece with Shannon soon. Thanks Shannon, and thanks Crown and Anchor! read more

Went to Dylan-this review is not against him as he was nice and did a great job! I am mad and SO DISSAPOINTED at the process and payment rules..I got two 2 inch tattoos. They only took 10 minutes to tattoo yet I had to pay $500! I waited 1.5 hours for sketches to be drawn, I walked in at 615pm and didnt start tattoing until 745pm. I have been tattooed twice before and I have paid per hour, but never the time spent WAITING. I find that so unneccesary and unfair. read more

I give this rating because my experience with Ivan was awful. He was so rude and kept telling me to stop interupting him...if I'm paying 900 dollars for a tattoo that the artist completely took the design over, then I have the the right to be treated with great customer care and respect. My two friends who came with me said he kept rolling his eyes whenever he would ask me to move positions and I guess I was too slow for him? I would never go back to this place purely for the experience I had with Ivan. Never again. Rude, high end tattoo parlor attitudes. Not okay. Dont pick Ivan!!! read more

Canceled on me the night before my appointment at 10PM because he double booked my slot in the morning. Sent multiple emails trying to get deposit back no replies, called shop no answer. I had that appointment booked well in advance, taken off work and made other arrangements only to get canceled on last minute. Seemed like a nice guy to start but guess i was wrong, shady business, not professional. Still haven't received my deposit back. read more

I wanted a tattoo when I was first 14 years old. I knew what I wanted it to say, where it would be, everything. Obviously, I grew up and things changed, but I still knew that I wanted my first tattoo to be special. Lol. F**k me, right. I emailed and asked for a specific drawing of a phoenix, about 3 inches tall (for reference, the average middle finger is about 3 inches. Poetic.). I was told that that was fine, so we set a date and I submitted my deposit. I had no other communication between then and my appointment. Okay, whatever. I walked in and my artist, Ivan, said that the drawing I sent over was bad and he created an entirely new one. You couldn't have told me this within the four f**king months I've been waiting for this appointment? Lol. So whatever, he showed me the picture on his iPad and the outline/line drawing of it was good. I would've liked that. He put in on my skin with the ink transfer paper thing, and holy f**k it was huge. It was most of my upper arm. I!!!! Said!!!! Three!!!! Inches!!!! Not!!!! Almost!!!! A!!!! Foot!!!! I should've said something but he didn't offer me any sizes, any "is this a good size?" comments, like I overheard another tattoo artist do. He went to work, and the pain was bearable. But then. He started shading. I mentioned NOWHERE that I wanted shading and by the time I realized, it was too late to stop. The shading makes it dark and heavy, and to be frank, f**king ugly. Afterwards, he told me my balance (for the first time, lol. Shouldn't that have been given to me over email? Or when I first walked in? Not after the work was done?), and THEN told me he doesn't take cards, but there's an ATM at the 7/11 5 minutes away. I cried the entire way to the 7/11. (As soon as I walked out of the tattoo parlor's doors, I googled "how long do I have to wait before removing a tattoo".) This tattoo is absolutely not what I wanted and I can't f**king wait til I find another tattoo parlor who can try and remove the shading. I'm so upset, this was supposed to be a fun tattoo with meaning, and now it's just plain ugly. I also cried the entire hour and a half ride home. Talk to me again in 8 weeks when this tattoo is hopefully salvaged. ----After having this review up for two hours, and having been crying most of the time, I decided to lower my rating to a 1 star because I am so unhappy with the result of my tattoo. Will never recommend this place to anyone again. read more

I went to this place couple times and both times I got a tattoo from guest guy -Ivan. He actually took care of me , draw the sketch and when I arrived everything was ready so we just discussed some details . The whole place is super cozy and nice . We had a great conversation with the Owner and with Ivan of course during his service. I'm really surprised that there is some negative comments... I was very happy with the work that Ivan did on me and I will come back for sure . read more

Having just moved to Atlantic Highlands, NJ from Southern California I was worried about finding a good shop like I had back home. After doing some research I was definitely into the work I was seeing come out of Crown & Anchor, but as with any shop you really have to go there to know whether it is the right choice. After visiting this last Saturday and getting a killer dagger piece from Shannon, I can definitely say I have found my shop. The shop has a cool vibe, Shannon was great, and did an awesome job on my tattoo. I am already planning my next visits. I highly recommend this shop, even if it is a bit of a drive. read more

Kirk completely redid and improved a back tattoo I got 17 years ago. The back tattoo is of the American flag with a banner that reads Don't Tread On Me . He did a masterful job from start to finish. I cannot state enough how pleased I am with the outcome. He is a true creative professional and artist. I exchanged a few emails through his assistant asking for his feedback on how he might improve my tattoo. Kirk indicated that he could fix the stars, provide darker and deeper color, shading to reflect a waving flag, provide a much needed outline, add some yellow to the banner to make it look aged, and improve the type since the writing on the banner was barely legible 17 years later. This was a plan I could get behind and was eager to book an appointment, though he is booked up well in advance. After a few months waiting, the time came. I was very pleased with the cleanliness of his studio. He reviewed my tattoo in person and then drew out his plan on my back. I reviewed it and really liked what he planned to do so gave him full reigns to proceed as he saw fit. Kirk was an outgoing and engaging person. As I was in store for at least 4 hours of a session, I brought headphone thinking I might need music to distract me. However, that was not needed at all as Kirk had engaging and funny stories to tell while tattooing me. It made the time fly by. I highly recommend Kirk especially if you are into geometric designs which is his specialty. He has some amazing work on his Instagram which you should check out. That being said, it is clear his talent is great and he can do many other styles. read more

awesome place! got my tattoo there 3 years ago, from my friend Ivan, and it makes me happy every day I look at it! Thank you so much!!

I can't remember the receptionists name but she's really sweet, I loved her. This place is ridiculously clean. I have a portrait on my arm that was in desperate need of some detail and highlights since my tattoo artist moved on me.I went to a few shops in the jersey shore area and they all looked kind of jenky. I stopped in here on a whim just to see if anyone would be willing to finish my portrait Ivan barely looked at it and said it wouldn't be a problem. I'd already felt like I won I couldn't find anyone who really wanted to finish someone else work, I think Ivan's only there during the summer and there was a bit of a language barrier but he was really nice even when I squirmed the whole time he did my elbow. During my second session Kirk came in and kept us company while he was sketching and he's hot so that was a plus. Overall love the environment and staff will for sure be coming back. read more

The short version: Ivan is an immensely gifted artist and an extremely affable person, while still remaining professional. You definitely will be in good hands with him. Crown & Anchor itself is also a great place. The long version: My wife and I wanted to get tattoos together. It was going to be her first (And only my second) so I wanted it to be a really great experience. Ivan completely blew us away with how he handled everything. We sent him a design that we were looking at and he completely redrew it in his own style (which was even better than the original imho) and made very intelligent changes based on where we wanted them relative to where the original design was. He also gave us multiple stylistic options to choose from regarding certain elements, which I really appreciated. I really could not imagine it going any better than it did and couldn't be more thankful to him. A note on the facility itself: it was very clean, inviting and was decorated (imho) very well. Overall just a lovely place. read more

I am so happy I went to Crown and Anchor. Dylan did an amazing job and gave me exactly what I asked for. Was a very chill experience. Definitely going back again soon. read more

Shannon did a terrific job with my tattoo. When I arrived, she had a sketch based on what we discussed all prepped. She asked about color, and we decided in black. It came out great. The shading is richly dimensional and the whole piece looks alive. I am already thinking about the next one. Thanks Shannon! read more

I couldn't be happier. The shop is clean and quiet. Kirk is the man , talented as all hell but doesn't rush you. Works on the design without complaining and makes sure your happy and than nails the tattoo. Worth the wait and money. He rocked my tattoo can't wait to get back in read more

Crown & Anchor Tattoo Parlor - Tattoo Near Me - Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey

Shannon's done two tattoos for me & I could not be more pleased. Always professional, personable, & organized. The atmosphere is welcoming & a good reflection of the artists. Fair pricing, no problems following the tattoo, and wonderful communication are the some of the reasons I returned. Just a great experience. read more

I researched for an artist for a while and found Shannon on Instagram. Once I saw her work I knew she was the person I wanted to do my tattoo. I emailed her my idea and she answered within a day and said she loved my concept. I sent a deposit and was able to get an appointment within a couple weeks. When I showed up I was shocked how nice the shop was. It was so nicely designed and also extremely sanitary. I loved the drawing she had prepared for me and she was able to do it in one sitting. The entire atmosphere was comfortable and relaxing, I couldn't imagine a better way to get my first tattoo. I highly recommend Shannon for anyone looking to get a tattoo done in her style! Love my anchor tat, and can't wait to get many more! read more

This place is awesome! I was a walkin and my first impression was how clean it was! The receptionist was really nice and made me feel right at home. My tattoo artist was Shannon and she was absolutely incredible! She made my idea better and was able to give me probably one of the best tattoos I have in under an hour. The only issue I have with my tattoo is that it is soo good, all my other one cant compare. This place is incredible I recommend anyone to go here! In the area or not! read more

Had my first tattoo done by Kirk at Crown & Anchor and it was a great experience all around. Aside from being an extraordinary artist Kirk is a genuinely nice guy - in fact all of the artists there were very friendly and down to earth. The tattoo itself is immaculate - it is truly a beautiful piece of art. The precision and detail work are amazing - it is the kind of design where you find new things to appreciate every time that you look at it: https://imgur.com/a/YmUdg I will definitely be going back at some point to either extend it or get something else entirely. Personally I cannot imagine going anywhere else. They do book up quickly so you need to be patient, but it is absolutely worth the wait. If you are looking to get your first tattoo there are a couple of other things that I would share: * 8 hours is a long tattoo session. The pain from the needle was fairly mild and the first four hours or so were really not bad. However the last half was difficult - your skin eventually just gets raw to the point where the needle feels like it is on fire. Spreading it out over 2 sessions would probably have made things a lot easier - that being said it was also nice to get it all done in one shot. * If you do opt to do a full day be sure to eat a solid breakfast and bring a few decent snacks. I did not eat enough and towards the end I was very hungry which did not help matters. * Be meticulous with after care. I am sure that it varies person-to-person but I was very careful to follow all of the guidelines and did not run into any issues. After a few days there was some minor flaking and it became a little bit itchy but beyond that it healed very nicely. I also used a product called Hustle Butter - it is a little pricey but works very well in terms of keeping things moisturized. read more

Worst customer service. After you need the tattoo that you paid good money touched up, they make it impossible to get back in.They tell you how very very busy they are and give you 1 and only 1 date, and if you cant make it too bad. You should not have to beg an artist to fix his work. You are a customer and they should want to fix their work. Not here folks. I have never met an artist like this before. Never met ne who didn't give a shit that his customer was unhappy, and never met any artist that treats his customers like this. Go somewhere where the artist wants to make his clients happy and has some customer service not here and his work doesn't fade after 1 month. read more

Talk about poor customer service! Received a tattoo that had a reaction/rash well over a month, and the paper work they hand out suggests to contact them with issues or questions. The response I received was from their know-it-all receptionist, not suggesting what I should do, but rather gave me an account of her own personal tattoos and if I wanted a retouch to contact once my tattoo was fully healed. If I asked you "hey, receptionist, tell me what happened to you", I would have done so. She's completely ignorant and should NOT be in customer service. Emotional and rude! Poor representation! As for the guest artist, Ivan, I question if he even looked at what I wanted for my tattoo. I regret not sticking up for what I wanted or just walked out. read more

For the record - I'm only giving 2 stars since the art itself is beautiful. However, I did not have a good experience here. I researched so many artists who specialize in watercolor work, and came across Ivan's portfolio. He has some AMAZING pieces. I wanted a memorial tattoo for my dog, and I wanted it to be light and ethereal. I sent inspiration pictures to their receptionist ahead of time. On the day of the appointment, Ivan said he never received any of these pictures from the receptionist, so I had to start from scratch. I explained what I wanted and showed him the art I was inspired by (an outline of a dog, with watercolor splatters around it). He said he would draw something up, and when he came back he said he was going to do it in "watercolor block" style, in realistic dog colors - basically the complete opposite of what I asked for. I didn't want the dog colored in, I didn't want it realistic, I just wanted the outline with some watercolor splatters. I then showed him numerous pieces of his own art that I was inspired by, and he kept telling me to put them away because they were old. We went back and forth for quite a while, and my poor husband was trying hard to keep his mouth shut to not interrupt. Ivan was obviously getting frustrated that I didn't want to do a tattoo in the style of what HE wanted to do. In the end, he said "OK, if you want the outline with watercolor, that's what I'll do" so I said yes, please, that's what I want (none of his drawings were colored in, so what he marked up for me looked accurate). We got started and the tattooing experience itself was fine. When I finally saw it, though, it was absolutely 100% not what I asked for. The dog was completely colored in/shaded in bright colors, and there are no splatters at all - just a stream of watercolor running through the whole thing. I call it my "cartoon disney dog". I was fuming on the way home, and cried the rest of the night. I am already planning to get it covered up - 3 days after I went. My other complaint would be that they don't tell you ahead of time that he takes CASH ONLY - not everyone has that kind of money readily available, and my husband ended up having to pay for the tattoo because I wasn't prepared. At least have a disclaimer on the website, or something. I wanted SO BADLY for this tattoo to be awesome. I researched artists, followed Ivan on social media to get a good sense of what he does, emailed all necessary art ahead of time, and did my due diligence. I even made sure to communicate as much as possible at our appointment and stand up for what I wanted, and I STILL didn't get that. It's a damn shame - it's a beautiful shop with amazingly talented artists. Tattoos are forever, so every client should have the right to get exactly what they want, without attitude or judgement. read more

Incredible shop, incredible people. I had a tattoo that needed more depth, and Kirk turned it into a complete masterpiece (and he free handed everything!) I've learned my lesson in doing more research about an artist (avoid doing a walk-in at all costs), and I'm so happy I did my research on Kirk! I cannot wait to get another tattoo done by him. I highly recommend booking now because he travels a lot and gets booked super fast (expect to have an appointment in 3-6 months because he's that good). Cannot say enough good things about this tattoo shop and Kirk! His work is my favorite tattoo by far. A secret gem in NJ... read more

Kirk is an excellent artist and a good person to spend some up-close-and-personal time with! The store is clean, welcoming, and comfortable and in a good location. I recommend making an appointment and following up a day or so ahead of time! I have two large, colorful pieces from him that I am very happy with and get lots of compliments on from others. I look forward to getting more work done from him. Check out his Instagram/website to see his work. read more

Contacted shop for a consultation and never received a response from anyone except an auto form filled response.

The first time I came in to Crown & Anchor Tattoo parlor was for my boyfriend's tattoo on his hand in October of last year, at that point I never had seen anyone tattoo before or have one myself. I was so impressed on how Kirk worked and with his artwork in general, I booked an appointment with him for April of the following year. I got a japanese red crowned crane on my forearm. Kirk was ridiculously amazing! I am just super content with my whole experience, and how Kirk dealt with me. The parlor is super clean and for anyone coming from long distances, there is a hotel next door and places to grab some food. If you want quality work, clean environment, and a awesome tattoo. This is the place. Worth every penny, time, and drive if your coming long ways. read more

Crown and Anchor hands down has the best tattooers in Ocean County and also top in NJ. Kirk and Shannon are both amazing and shop is the cleanest you will find! I have many tattoos from Kirk and not a day goes by that I am not complimented! read more

I've gone to crown and anchor since I got my first tattoo 4 years ago! Every single time I've walked out absolutely stoked on my new piece. I highly recommend Kirk his line work is amazing. Also Shannon's use of color in every single tattoo is mind blowing. Hands down best tattoo shop in New Jersey read more

Crown & Anchor is made up of Kirk Nilsen and his team of talented artists who cover a wide range of style. They are more than willing to help your dream tattoo come to reality. The atmosphere is laid back, fun, professional, and most importantly CLEAN and spotless. I personally have had several tattoos done at this shop and I have left completely satisfied with the results every single time. The employees are beyond friendly, making each experience enjoyable from start to finish. One of my favorite things about this shop is that Kirk is also a CUSTOM artist, meaning you can walk in there and leave with a tattoo you're sure that nobody else has, making it very unique and special to you. But if you walk in with a picture or an idea you saw elsewhere, that's cool too! The artists here are always willing to make your vision appear on your skin. I am a loyal customer for life, as are the several people I've referred here. Go to the best of the best! Check out @kirknilsentattoos and @crownandanchortattoo on instagram. read more

Got tattooed by Shannon yesterday and could not be happier with my experience. Clean, professional and amazingly talented artists. And 5 minutes from the beach! read more

Was very hopeful this would be the place Id get my tattoo, Kirk seemed honest and professional and confident in his ability, as he himself took my information and instructed me to email him my artwork as instructed by his forms I didn't stop by to check and make sure he was following through. I showed up 5 minutes early for appointment and after approx 10 min or so when I could get his receptionists attention I was informed she was supposed to contact me due to scheduling error ...but didn't, apparently lost info, never even looked at email clearly marked with my appointment date time and name sent in as directed by the owner Kirk who never made any attempt to draw rough sketch which he would adjust if needed at appointment. My security deposit was returned when I requested, due to their unprofessionalism. Entire experience was dissapointing considering how highly he portrayed himself and his ethics but failed to do anything he assured me being that he is the owner that speaks volumes. read more