Sweet Cicely is the official tattoo artist of Lord and Lady Pestlebottom. My Lady has acquired several of her pieces, and I currently have one work-in-progress, and many more to follow. Sweet Cicely is quite talented and thorough, and has personal interest in making sure your intended design comes to fruition. However, if you absolutely must be tattooed to-day, I would advise that you go to a shop whose artists have no qualms against using flash from the wall and giving you sub-standard bodily decorations. Sweet Cicely will first require you to schedule a free consultation, during which she will assess your personal tattooing needs, send you on your way, and take some time in designing your art. She will then confirm the design with you, and make any changes you require. Being somewhat socially awkward, I wholeheartedly appreciate that Sweet Cicely puts me at ease, and we always have very stimulating conversation. This is rather important, especially if you have a large design that requires many hours in the chair. The price of $120 per hour is very reasonable, considering certain other shops who charge more money for a lesser caliber of tattoo. read more

I got my first tattoo from Sweet Cicely upon the recommendation of a friend. I had an idea of what I wanted and gave her creative license to design it. She sketched the design to fit my arm perfectly. I was a little shocked by the size of it but she is a master at the shape of your body and the movement within the art. She thrives on finding the exactly perfect scale and placement for her art. She's also cool by providing free touch-ups for the following year so the shading colors are just right. I will definitely be back! read more

6 stars even! Jason and Cicely are the best. That's all you really need to know. If you've seen their work, then you already do know. Send all of your friends, parents, teachers and pets here. read more

I originally got my tattoo (the constellation of Orion) at Sacred Rose in Bekerley, but was unsatisfied with their work (lines weren't complete, and much of the shading didn't blend well), so I e-mailed Jason to see if he could take a look at it and fix it. I wanted to wait a little while before giving this review, to allow for it to fully heal, but I can confidently say that he took the original idea, and knocked it out of the park. He truly has one hell of an eye for shading, detail, and general flow of ink on the skin. I have ideas for more tattoos and will definitely be coming back to Cyclops! Thanks Jason! read more

I have had work done by both Jason and Cicley. Their lines are good and the colors are solid. Their Attidute is an A++++++. They are really clean, professional and personable. The tattoos I have had done by them are by far the best tattoos I have. They have done beautiful work on my wife and several of my friends. They are also great artists in mediums other than skin to top it off. I really can't say enough about these two. So, skip the rock-star BS and go get great work done for a fair price with out any attitude. read more

There are many talented tattoo artists in San Francisco, but many of them have similar styles. I really wanted to find an artist who could do scientific illustration. Jason's portfolio is awesome: many of his plants and animals look like the real thing, down to specific details that only biology geeks (me) would care about. (He has lots of other awesome styles of work in his portfolio too.) I brought in a photograph, a book, an illustration, and my own rough sketch of a giant Pacific octopus for my back/shoulder. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted, but didn't have the design skills to put it all together. I really wanted the tentacles to look fluid, as opposed to many of the angry sea monster style octopi drawings I normally see. Jason made it even more awesome than the tattoo I had in my head, and it still has all the accurate details I wanted. I was getting tons of compliments on the line work and shading even before I had the color session. I LOVE this tattoo so much. Not only that, he worked much faster than I expected considering how much detail and shading went into the design. read more

Just five months after my first tattoo I returned to Jason Stein for my second. Simpler design of a rose and leaves on my forearm, but drawn out just as I wanted and executed perfectly in one 2 hour session. Jason has a deft hand - gets all the details down in a surprisingly fast amount of time. Tattoo is pretty much healed after just two weeks. I'm super stoked and will definitely be back for more. Thanks again Jason! read more

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Jason is the man to go to. I just got my second tattoo done by Jason the other week and i love it so much. The first time i went to Jason i just threw out my ideas and probably didnt make much sense though he seem to understand. On the day of my appointment, he just straight up drew the design on my back and it was exactly what i wanted. Jason is just full of ideas. I totally felt i could tell him if i wanted a bit more of this and a little more of that, he was totally chill about it and you feel at ease rather than feeling like you cant speak up about what you want since its going to be on your body forever. So the other day i just gave Cyclops a call to see if Jason had any openings and luckily he did. I walked in with a design and ask if he can tweak it up a bit. 20 minutes later in the chair i got a brand new tattoo. I also brought my friend there and she got herself some stars and my other friend got a piece done by Cicely and turned out awesome. So next time you guys go, tell them i sent'cha. read more

Got a commemorative/memorial tattoo by Owen and it was fast, not much pain and affordable! He works with you, super dope guy. Highly recommend and I'll most def be coming back! read more

I literally cannot recommend this shop enough! I was referred to them by my hair stylist when I mentioned that I was interested in finding a female artist for my next tattoo. She directed me to Sweet Cecily at Cyclops and all it took was an email and a quick consultation and I was set up to get tattooed by her in record time! As the many other positive reviews say, both Cecily and Jason are super nice, super approachable and totally non-judgmental. This, in my experience, is not a very common combination in tattoo artists and one that cannot be valued highly enough. When I went in to get my work done by Cecily, there was another girl there being tattooed by Jason and we were having so much fun chatting and sharing stories that I was actually disappointed when the gun went off for the final time and Cecily told me I was done. I could not be happier with my tattoo. It is just black outline, but required a lot of niggly little details and Cecily executed it perfectly. I will absolutely be returning to this shop for my next tattoo and will be recommending it to everyone I know in the meantime. read more

I've never felt compelled to write a review on Yelp before, but Sweet Cicely is such a pro, I feel it's my duty. Like others, I thought long and hard about who was going to ink me. I didn't want a shop with a wall of flash: I really wanted the artist to have as much input as possible to make a truly custom tattoo, and didn't even know if what I wanted was possible. There's a reason why the folks at Cyclops are totally booked solid--the work is worth the wait. I can't say enough about what a great experience this was. read more

I love this shop. Its location above all the 16th & Valencia madness maintains a safe and sterile distance while giving the space rad character . The rich and colorful interior charms with a plethora of religious paraphernalia, diverse flash, knick knacks, books, design work, and unicorn paintings, all gathered in a way to create a homey yet evocative environment. As one of two main artists (guest artists set up shop every once in a while), Sweet Cicely pays tremendous heed to your tattoo needs and concerns, showing a real enthusiasm for designing. She's an awesome listener with a sharp sense of detail and concise execution. Since I haven't gotten (professionally) tattooed in some time, I really appreciated her specific instructions on after-tattoo clean up and care, which I greatly attribute the smooth healing process to. Totally fun and engaging, I couldn't recommend Cicely or her shop more! read more

I sent Jason a design I had in mind and we made an appointment. I immediately felt welcome walking in. He is incredibly friendly and easy to talk to! I learned this shop has been around since the late 90's. Their professionalism and confidence shows why they have been in business for so long. Cecily was super sweet to me as well. Jason laid the design out for me (completely nailed it on stencil!), went over a few points, and we began shortly after that. The work came out perfectly. He is extremely talented, patient, and trustworthy. I will definitely be coming back. Thank you, Jason! read more

I searched for months for a tattoo artist that I liked to do my tattoo for me. I didn't want to be one of those people whose first tattoo was something crappy and cheap. Everyone I looked at had pretty much the same style and if they were decent they cost a fortune. I found Cyclops Tattoo here on yelp and decided to get a tattoo from Cicely since it looked like she did a wide variety of styles and if i wanted to come back for a different tattoo it looked like she'd have no problem giving me what I want. I ended up getting a penguin (Tuxedo Sam, for those of you who know that character) with an anchor. It turned out soooo good. I can't imagine going anywhere else for my next tattoo. She was super fast (under an hour) and people can't believe what a good price I got for the quality of work she did. read more

Cyclops Tattoo - tattoo by cicely - Tattoo Near Me - San Francisco, California

After years of deciding on whether I should get a tattoo, what to get and where to place it, there came months of finding the artist to help me tie the knot with my tattoo... I asked zillion of people for recommendations and read through a bunch of portfolios and reviews. Once I saw Jason's work, I knew immediately I found the one (artist that is)... Despite the sketchy look of the building entrance and the neighborhood, the shop was really nice and clean. Jason was so professional and friendly, and he reassured me that I made a good choice. Then came the big day, it was not at all what I expected my first experience to be... I came in and showed Jason what I wanted again. He drew the piece and added some twist to it so it'd have more perspective. I got a small piece, still I thought it would hurt a bit (tattoo hurts - they wrote it on the board)... Actually, it didn't hurt at all (maybe because I am thick skin - literally and figuratively). The tattoo got done quickly and it was lovely. Thank to Jason for making my first tattoo experience so easy. There is no guarantee but we have a feeling we would meet again for another tattoo (or several, who knows). His rate was very reasonable considered his talent, and hey everything is expensive in San Francisco. Either you are getting another piece of art or you are getting a first tattoo like myself, I can't recommend Cyclops enough. Both Jason and Sweet Cicely are talented and professional and friendly, you'd get a great experience here, I guarantee read more

I worked with Jason for a 6 session/21 hour leg sleeve. His work is incredible!! I don't have a tattoo, I have a beautiful piece of permanent artwork! In love with my tattoo! I knew he was the tattoo artist for me when, upon initial description of what I wanted, he said "OK, so you want a dragon, European dragon or Asian dragon?" I felt so comfortable around him, everyone in the shop is nice, understanding, good conversation, good music, great location, really good to-go food in the area as well. I cried at two sessions (out of six) and Jason didn't make fun of me, just gave me helpful advice and tips. Highly recommend! Book in advance, Jason fills up months ahead of time. While I haven't worked with the other artists, I saw their work when I was in on several occasions and they are also really great. read more

My first tattoo was done here by Sweet and I'm so glad I went to her. My cousin came here for a consultation and I tagged along with her hoping I could schedule an appointment for my own tattoo as well. She did not turn me away and she is super nice! We were able to score an appointment but it wasn't until another three weeks before she could see us. That gave us more confidence in her ability as an artist since other people were seeking her out too. The day finally came for our first tattoos and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I had given Sweet a sketch of what I wanted and emailed her some more details and picture on what I wanted. She showed me the sketch she came up with and I absolutely LOVED and LOVE it! Now it's on me forever and I'm super happy and satisfied. Definitely recommended, esp. if it's your first time. Sweet works with you until you're happy with the artwork. And the session was made more comfortable by having a professional like her. Absolutely beautiful work! read more

Jason is a great artist and easy going and laid back. No drama. He listens and draws what you want and he just has a good personality so that you get to enjoy your tattooing experience instead of feeling the pain. I got a Egytian Falcon tattoo on my left arm from the cover of Earth, Wind & Fire's Greatest Hits CD cover art. Jason also touched up another tattoo for me and did a great job!! For anyone who might be sensitive to getting their first tattoo done, I'd highly recommend Jason cuz he puts you at ease. read more

Just had my first tatt few days ago with Jason. I cannot tell you how happy I am with the artistry and the professionalism I experienced with him. He is very a very humble artist with years of experience in tattooing. Before deciding on Jason, I had gone to about 15 different shops in the city. And my personal impression was that we had one of the best tattooers in the country. And I am very pleased that I had chosen Jason for my first tattoo. Jason really took his time to get to 100% of the design I wanted it on my shoulder. And at the end, Voila! I had a beautiful art work I was planning on seeing for a long time right on my shoulder! If you are thinking about getting one you should see Jason. I strongly recommend him! read more

Cyclops Tattoo: What a terrific shop. Jason Stein is such an artist. Jason is a total pro. He is not only talented, but an overall nice person. The shop is decorated in a cool pop art type of way, that really reflects the two artists that work there. Jason and Cicely are the best. If you are serious about your art this is the guy to see. Jason works hard to give you what you ask for. Absolutely beautiful work!!! read more

About 9 months ago I got a larger tattoo on my shoulder and back. I love the tattoo and the work that Sweet Cicely did. I brought in some pictures for ideas for my tattoo and we went from there. She added a little bird to my tattoo and made changes to my liking during the sitting. I will absolutely come back and I have recommend this place to many friends. Sweet Cicely made me feel comfortable and I had a great time talking with her while she tattooed. I can't wait to come back for my next tattoo. read more

Cyclops Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - San Francisco, California

Cicely just finished my tattoo last night. It has so much bright colors I love it. It was such a great experience I would never go anywhere else. Thank you Cicely for bringing my tattoo to life... read more

AWESOME! Is the Word that best describes Jason's work and his people skills.This man is the best tattoo artist in the city imo.I wanted a super mario tattoo I was scared it might not come as the photo I had brought it.I was wrong indeed not only did it come out great it looks better than the photo and everyone I have shown it to loves it.Jason is a great human being takes time to hear out your ideas and doesnt make you feel like a complete moron for asking questions.He is my offical artist now. read more

Cyclops Tattoo - Jason's work - Tattoo Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Jason Stein is a tattoo genius. I didn't need to make any changes to the design or placement. Everything came out perfectly. I still have to go back to finish the fill but I'm so confident everything will go as well as it did today, I'm postng this review before seeing the final product. read more

I will keep on returning to cyclops tattoo Extremely happy with artwork Matt read more

Cicely is an amazing artist and has done two of my tattoos. I highly recommend coming here for yours. Very professional and friendly people and great location in the Mission. read more

I am blown away by all of the work that I have had done by Owen at Cyclops. All of his work goes above and beyond my expectations, and he makes the experience comfortable and enjoyable. I would recommend Owen to any friends or family looking for a tattoo artist! read more

My daughter and I went for a consultation back in August, at which time she made an appointment for today, Oct. 30, her 18th birthday. The artist was 20 minutes late. My daughter brought in the bar of music she wanted tattooed on her wrist, was quoted $60 by the female who works there, and she left a $20 deposit. Today was finally the big day...she went there and guess what, nobody was there. She waited well over an hour, left two voicemails, and has yet to hear back from either of the people who presumably work there. She was so annoyed she came straight back home instead of going on to other special birthday-related treats with her friend : ( For all this grief and ruining her special day, she deserves a free tattoo and a BIG ASS apology! One star, because there is no option for NO STARS!!! read more

Sweet Cicely gets four stars for her excellent service and positive attitude. Her artistic ability as a tattooist earns her the fifth star. My cousin just got her first tattoo today--but it could have not been so! We went in to Cyclops after reading all the other stellar yelp recommendations, and Cicely told us that they were booked until October (note to reader: plan in advance!). So we left a bit discouraged. Then, alas, Cicely ran out the door after she learned that another customer had canceled and she took us right there on the spot! Oh Joy!! Cicely was patient, easy to talk to, and very professional. She explained everything and gave us a very fair price. She is an awesome custom tattooist (which is a bit rare). I can't wait until I get my tattoo--I'll definitely keep Cicely and Cyclops in mind. read more

There's a giant squid that lives on my right shoulder and upper arm, thanks to Jason at Cyclops. It's my first tattoo. It took two sessions, each a couple hours. Jason was very patient and professional with my squeaks and nervousness. Now I have this awesome, totally original piece of art on my body. I love it. I can't recommend Cyclops enough. read more

I lost my ink virginity here and I'm not going to lie. It hurt! There was blood. It didn't hurt as much as I imagined, but it does feel like what it is (you're getting stabbed by needles). Mine lasted well over an hour. But...nothing worth anything is easy. I'm really very happy with my new tatoo. This is not one of those places where you pick out a tatoo and they do it. They only do custom designs. Sweet Cicely is a true artist. She works with you to come up with an idea and an original design. She is also very professional. She made sure I was comfortable and understood what was happening. She also gave me a check list of what to do to care for my art work. She also said that she would touch it up for free. I will definitely go to her for my second tatoo! OK...I went back on got a second tatoo. Sweet Cicely touched up my first tatoo for free just as she had said. I'm not sure I needed it, but who am I to say no to a woman with needles. She really is an artist and wants her work to always look great. It was still quite painful. If fact it hurt more. Apparently, the smaller needles hurt more. She also told me that it tends to hurt more as you get older....hmmm. Anyway, it turned out great. It's really unique and I feel amazing! read more

i love sweet cicely!!! she listens, she is patient, she totally knows her stuff, she let me be the ultra nightmare picky custom tattoo customer that i am. we worked together on designing my leg tat for ages before actually getting down to ink. i don't even know if 'I' would have put up with me after all that. three sessions later (its a big piece) i have another amazing tattoo that is making me want to go skirt shopping. both her and jason have quite the collection of toys, art, chazarai and a jungle of plants that make sitting in the antique dentist chairs staring at the walls for hours on end a ton easier. not that i wasn't having a good time--we were laughing so much jason told us we were having too much fun over there. watching the street traffic on valencia and 16th is great tv too. kudos to both of them for having good taste in music. thanx cicely for your attention to detail and for being the kick-ass talented chick that you are. thanx jason for your two cents during paper to skin application and for making the music work while cicely was making my ink work. read more

i got my first tattoo done here last spring by Jason Stein. i was really nervous but he is very calm and quiet and a super nice guy, so that definately made me feel better. i knew exactly what i wanted (nothing too complicated, just some text) and he worked through the text design for me to get exactly what i wanted. it didn't take long (maybe.... 35-45 minutes?? something like that) and it wasn't bad at all! he did an awesome job, and i will definately go back to him for my second. also, reasonable pricing! he tells you exactly how to take care of your new ink and doesn't tell you you need to buy any wierd creams or ointments to put on it while it's healing. lastly, the studio is sick. wierd art and sculptures everywhere. i would go just to chill and look at everything on the walls haha! overall, a great place to get a first tattoo. jason did a wonderful job and i love it. absolutely recommended! read more

I'm from Boston, but visit San Francisco once every couple of years or so, and the only tattoos I've ever gotten were done at Cyclops. After my first visit to the shop in 2007 where I got a simple circular design of my last name in traditional Armenian font, my second stop in was with going to be with a more ambitious idea in mind. I had the basic elements of a design for a half-sleeve, and had emailed that to Jason. Over the course of three years and two appointments (first being in 2009 and one I just got back from) Jason was able to take my concept and very rough design, and bring it to life in a way that I couldn't even imagine. I'm simply amazed at his art. Even communicating with him during before and during the process itself about which way we should go was amazing. Even if I couldn't quite articulate what I was looking for, he seemed to know exactly what I had in mind, and at times, adjusted some of my original ideas so that the tattoo was consistent throughout. For a tattoo that was three years in the making, it still looks as bold and fresh as ever. And I know that four, five, ten years down the line, I'm still going to have a bold and sharp tattoo that needs very little touch up, if at all. I don't think I could go anywhere else for a tattoo. And maybe it just gives me and excuse to keep going back to San Francisco. Thanks, Jason. read more

Sweet Ceciley rocks the house. She is creative ,fun to hang out with and has a passion for her kraft like no one else I have seen. I have two back pieces she has done and now she is working on a short sleeve for me. She's a goddess and she owns my flesh!! read more

Very glad I got my first tattoo here. I got my tattoo done by Jason, he was awesome. I brought in an idea of what I wanted and he made it come to life! I was very happy with the outcome and will be going back for my second tattoo soon and bringing my husband with me to get his first tattoo. Great place to go, and reasonably priced worth your money and time! read more

After quite a bit of research on Bay Area artists, I decided to contact Jason Stein for my 10th tattoo that I was hoping to get done while on vacation in Napa/SF. Not sure what else to say except for that I am blown away by the results. Jason is an amazingly talented artist. Professional, friendly, easy to talk to, fantastic music playing in the shop, and great rates, especially for what you will get. I basically did a consultation with him via email, told him what I was looking for, and attached 2 pictures as a point of reference. He looked at what I sent, told me what would and wouldn't work, and said that he would draw it up with his own spin on it, which is what I was hoping for. I did not want to give him a picture and say "duplicate this." What he drew up was beyond what I could have hoped for. The amount of detail is just ridiculous. Tattoo was just under two hours and cost $280, more than worth it. This was hands-down the best tattoo experience I've ever had. Jason Stein is someone I would be willing to travel from Seattle to SF for just to have work done - he is that good. If you are considering a tattoo in the Bay Area do yourself a favor and go see him. I uploaded my tattoo here on Yelp so you can see the results, it's the gypsy tattoo that says "By Jason Stein, 5/18/10." read more

Cyclops Tattoo - By Jason Stein, 5/18/10 - Tattoo Near Me - San Francisco, California

I have 3 tattoos and have gotten them all here! Sweet cicely did my first one and was sooo patient with me b/c i was sooo nervous and kept changing the placement. $60 is the shop minimum and although my 2nd and 3rd tattoos are the size of nickels it was well worth it they're cool people to talk too and aren't pissy like some of the people over on haight. my next tatoo will be coming from them. read more

I've been coming here for years and wouldn't dream of going anywhere else. Jason is a magician!

I got two pieces done at this shop and my experience there was fantastic! The minute I walked into the shop, I was greeted with a smile. Both of my ink works were done by Sweet Cicely. She was outstanding, very professional, friendly and very enthusiastic. From the first time I met her you could tell that she loves tattoos and loves tattooing and it shows in her work. All I had to do is give her an Idea and she flew with. She has a high attention to detail and makes sure your time there was enjoyable. I would suggest this shop to anyone planning or thinking about getting a tattoo. Great shop! read more