I have used Dogstar exclusively for piercings for the last 2-3 years! Sam is fantastic they give you all the information you need to make the best decision. Sam has pierced my kiddos and makes them feel comfortable and speaks the truth to them about future piercings they want! I love the cleanliness of this shop and the jewelry they offer giving you lots of options that are great quality! I also like the esthetic of the shop with the exposed ceiling and brightness inside! read more

Zach did my tattoo, it was a great experience and he had a light hand so it didn't hurt (almost fell asleep ), everything autoclaved and gloves to ensure it's perfectly safe/clean. It feels like the lines and shading will be exactly as expected once healed, this was my 8th tattoo and had bad experiences elsewhere, so happy with this one! In addition on day two, it's not red as others I've had previously that had issues, which means it's healing nicely. I highly recommend him. I also want to recommend the piercer (I don't remember her name ) I got lucky she was available each time I was there and was able to get amazing earrings for my previous piercings... she was knowledgeable and very professional as well as put them in without any problems. Also, they followed up to get me scheduled when I asked, I always remember things later than when places are open so it was a blessing to have them call me! Highly recommend them! My second tattoo was also done by Dogstar in 1998, they were great then and even better now! read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

This place used to be great, but now they offer the most arrogant employees who provide absolutely horrible customer service. I am actually shocked at the difference between the service I'm used to when I lived in Durham and what I dealt with today. This place has gone down downhill. I just got hung up on by one of the most aggressively ignorant human beings I've ever encountered in customer service. People like this are why I left Durham and why I will never go back there. The original owner used to be an amazing person and that store used to be an amazing place but I wouldn't go near that establishment now. read more

Everybody was really nice at the front desk. Ashley was the best!! I had a good feeling about all the artist read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - My nose piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Best tattoo experience I've had ever! This is not your dad's biker tattoo parlor. It is clean, open, inviting and, as a woman, I felt very comfortable in the environment - you know what I mean, ladies! From start to finish, everyone was friendly and professional, but you could tell by the way they interacted with the customers and each other, that they love their jobs. Shout out to my artist, Hayden!! She spent all the time that was needed going over my vision, combining different elements together and then putting her own unique spin on the art. She made sure we were on the same page before beginning. It never felt rushed and she was such a pleasure to speak with during the process. The time flew by and before I knew it, I had 2 gorgeous tattoos that I will treasure. Thank you, Hayden and the rest of the team!!! read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - Hungarian folk art - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

Sam did my navel piercing today, they were super sweet, had kind energy, patient, explain everything about the process and made sure I was safe. Will definitely come back soon. :) read more

Got my very first tattoo today with TJ. I decided last night I had to get a tattoo this weekend before my daughter moves away and they were able to accommodate me. The receptionist and Tj were both so nice and I instantly felt calm. TJ helped add my daughters initials to the tattoo which is my favorite part The studio was bright and very clean. Good energy. Definitely will be recommending read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Out of all the tattoo shops I've been to this one was by far the best in cleanliness and professionalism. I had an old nasal piercing that never closed so I went in to get it repierced by Sam. Sam said if the inside was still open I wouldn't need to pay for a whole new piercing. Luckily, she used a taper and was able to put in a new nose ring. I ended up saving a lot of money! I highly recommened coming to this shop, and thank you Sam for making me feel comfortable during the whole process! (: read more

Got a tattoo here some years ago and was not very happy with it. The tattoo looks good but I gave the "artist" the drawing about two months before I got the tattoo. I told her to make it her's, in other words, change it make it unique. I got the exact same thing I gave her. If you call yourself an "artist" then you should be able to think out of the box and redesign something. read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Had such a great experience with Calah! Even though my ear wasn't able to host an industrial piercing she gave me some fun alternatives that I absolutely love!! She helped me find the right colors and styles! She was also so great explaining what she was doing and why, how to clean my piercings and she was always checking in with how I was feeling during the process! Thanks y'all! read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - 2 staggered and one conch. - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I miss this place! Really high quality pieces here from BVLA, Buddha, etc. The cheapest material is going to be titanium. Emity is very gentle and will walk you through each step of the process. They make sure the piercing will look good and be comfortable for you in the long term. read more

What a great experience! Worked with Kayla and TJ and both were amazing!. Great communication and results! Highly recommend

Literally amazing!! I had Emity as my piercer and I couldn't have asked for anyone better. My piercing came out amazing and I'm in love with it. Very clean and sanitary as well! Would 1000% recommend to anyone. read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - Snakebites piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Sam was amazing! Probably the best piercing experience that I've ever had. The shop was super clean and felt very private, would definitely go back. read more

I love Dogstar Tattoo and Megan is the best! She did all of my white tattoos and some of my micro tattoos and they are all awesome! I love the fine needle she uses to create super CRISP lines ! She will be honest though on how small you should get your tattoos because you don't want it to just come out as a small blob when it heals and your skin ages (sorry guys, your skin WILL age lol). She's very outgoing and awesome to work with! The place itself is super clean and very bright. Everyone is real nice and awesome and very accommodating! read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - White rose tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

Emity is phenomenal!!!! She is so professional and really tool the time to make sure that all of my placements looked good and would heal well. She was as enthusiastic about my pieces as I was and made the whole experience amazing. Love her work and her passion, and I will absolutely be returning for more piercings!!! I would and have recommended her to all my friends and family, so if you are looking for an awesome shop with an amazing piercer, Emity and DogStar are the BEST!!! read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - Got my third lobe, tragus, and flat piercing done by Emity with beautiful pieces from Buddha Jewelry - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

This place was amazing. The staff was friendly and made the check-in process quick and easy. The guest tattoo artist, Hayden, that did my tattoo did an amazing job! She took the time to fully understand what I wanted and explained how she was going to go about tattooing it. Great atmosphere as well! 100% would recommend this place! read more

Went there to get my first ear piercing and I cannot be happier with how it turned out! All three piercers were wonderful & made me feel very safe and welcome. They showed me that all of the equipment had been sterilized and did both of my ears at the same time to make things easier. They would definitely be my first recommendation for anyone looking to get a piercing in the triangle area. read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - Eat piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Callah did an absolutely amazing job with my 7 year old daughter when she got her ears pierced a couple of days ago. I hightly recommend her for anyone bringing their younger child. My daughter became a little nervous upon arrival and Callah was a pro, putting her at ease with her calm yet silly nature. She explained everything and walked her slowly through all the steps with low pressure. My daughter had a great experience and the piercing was fast and clean. Highly recommned. read more

Saw Nic this morning to get my earlobes pierced. She did a fantastic job helping me to pick out jewelry, getting the placement just right on my lobes, and then walking me through the process. She was super friendly and super helpful. And I love the finished product! read more

Made a same-day appointment for a daith piercing here after reading so many great reviews and was not disappointed! They were able to get me an appointment for 7 PM, and I was in and out in 20 minutes. Benji was great, they had a wide selection of jewelry to choose from, and he made it as comfortable and quick as possible! I will definitely be back here to see Benji for any of my future piercings. read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - Daith piercing by Benji - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

Emity is professional, exuberant and super badass. She pierced my tragus, one daughter's nose and another daughter's 2nds. She's conscientious and personable and made the whole experience fun. read more

I've gone here for a few piercings over the years and they always do a great job, I always feel like the instruments and the piercers themselves are very hygienic. they do a great job at causing as little trauma as possible and are also very helpful if you need help changing jewelry. read more

I love going to Dogstar for my piercings. I got my septum and gauges from this place. The staff are all friendly and mostly chill. They really seem to care ALOT about the healing process of their services which is fantastic. However I am giving 4 stars because I feel like they are more expensive than they should be. I went and got a ball (not even the entire ring) replaced on my septum because it was not screwed in tight enough (not even by me) and was charged $8 for the tiny part of the jewelry. What if I have other septum screws fall out? Will I pay $8 for each of them? They need to take more responsibility for flaws rather than always charge to fix them. Other than that; I don't really see myself going anywhere else. Best spot in my opinion. read more

Got a tattoo here and a piercing changed here. The piercing change went well but they did not screw it on tightly enough so it fell off in the next 2 days (has never fallen out in the 8 years I've had it). However, they were very nice about putting in a new piercing and did not charge me. I got my tattoo there - very small sun. super easy to schedule appt and they charged me the minimum however 2 months out and the lines bled a little...I followed the protocol for post tattoo care so I dont know why it happened. but still looks good! read more

This was the second time I was here for a tattoo, and it was even better than the first. Zeph Brown inspired such confidence that I just followed his lead, and the result is a beautiful, beautiful tattoo. He's also got a great personality, so it was fun spending a few hours with him! Everyone else was nice, too. Good atmosphere overall. Highly recommend. read more

Got my nose pierced here. Very clean professional environment. Benji did a great job with my piercing! Good prices with great options for piercing studs not just your typical basic ones! So many great variety and options for all price points. read more

Terrible experience. Made an appointment for my daughter to get her ears pierced. I get there and they require an original "in person" copy of her birth certificate. She was soo excited, and no where on the online appointment request was it stated this was required. My daughter is now crying. They wouldn't accept a scanned copy that I had electronic from her school records. Do not recommend for children. read more

Great great... did I say great. So clean. I felt so comfortable in the hands of Shea one of the piercers here. Had my helix done. Wonderful experience read more

Dogstar Tattoo Company - Inside the lobby - Tattoo Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I'm actually really glad I put off getting the nose ring I've wanted pretty much my entire life until this past Saturday because Dogstar--and especially my piercer, Alexia--made the wait totally worth it. You know how a lot people at tattoo shops think they're too cool for school? Well, while the folks at Dogstar look like the bad-ass mofos your parents would be concerned about if you were hanging out with them in high school, they are so, so nice. Alexia was great about helping me decide exactly where the piercing should go, and she explains everything as she does it ("I'm putting my hand on your chin, I'm inserting this tube into your nostril," etc.). She also equipped me with plenty of tissues for my watery eyes (NOT TEARS! REFLEXES!) before she pierced. Big bonus for the cleanliness of the entire operation while still being a beautiful, stylish space. read more

Had an amazing experience at Dogstar with Emity. Originally came for a belly button piercing which of course is extremely dependent on anatomy, and Emity gave very professional advice and advised against it. I decided to get my nipples pierced instead, which was terrifying and made me very nervous but the environment, music, and calm energy of the ladies here made me feel so much better. This place is women owned and was extremely clean on the inside. It's very clear these ladies care a lot about their business. And my piercing experience with Emity was probably the best I've ever had! She was very careful about cleaning the room, sterilizing her tools, and changing her gloves and walked me through every step of the way so I felt comfortable. She also let ME tell her when I was ready to be pierced instead or just doing it so it made the whole experience very great and much less scary. A little expensive, but worth it for good quality jewelry, experienced and knowledgeable piercers, and a great environment. Dogstar is awesome! Please see Emity for all of your piercing needs! read more

See all

As of August 28, Dogstar Tattoo can now be found in building six of the newly restored, green Golden Belt, on the corner of Main and Fayetteville streets. Dogstar has occupied its space on Ninth Street for over thirteen years. I've just got the one tattoo and the one nose piercing, so I don't have much of a basis for comparison, but I had both done here and I am perfectly satisfied with both. Well, actually, I also have seven ear piercings, but four of them were done with a gun (gross) and the other three, I did myself (disclaimer: do not attempt), so those don't really count since they didn't happen in a tattoo / piercing shop. Nathan did my Bowie-inspired "ashes to ashes, funk to funky" tattoo in about twenty minutes. The lettering and star that separates the two phrases are completely flawless and it barely hurt. Nathan isn't what I'd call a gregarious guy, but he is very good at what he does and I was impressed with the thoroughness with which he discussed the aftercare. My tattoo healed quickly and I did not need any touch ups. I am very satisfied! Ronnie pierced my nose and it was a completely painless experience. He was sweet as can be, too! Again, very thorough before the piercing about what I should expect, and then about aftercare. He was very specific about the frequent hot water-sea salt treatment, which saved me when I later snagged my stud on a towel---word of advice: never, ever, EVER do that---and developed a small keloid scar around the piercing site. They say keloids don't go away easily but, thanks to Ronnie's expert aftercare advice, mine is long gone and did not leave a trace. Dogstar's prices are not cheap: my simple tattoo cost $80 plus tip and my piercing with a jeweled stud was $60 plus tip, but you absolutely get what you pay for. The folks here are professionals and they do only the best work. The place is super, super clean, and their autoclaving and sanitizing processes are very transparent to patrons (i.e., they have nothing to hide). They definitely prefer cash to credit, although they do have the ability to run a card if you insist. Generally speaking, they'll charge you more if you use credit (my tattoo would've been $100 plus tip, for example), so plan to have enough cash to pay the cost plus your standard 20% tip. I'd also recommend making an appointment for a tattoo. I took my design in on a Wednesday, received a quote, and booked my appointment with Nathan for that Friday. Sometimes it takes longer to get in with a tattoo artist, so plan ahead. With my piercing, I called ahead and Ronnie, who happened to answer, said he could take me the same day. I ended up going in just an hour later and he checked me in immediately and took me back within half an hour. Not sure what my future plans are, tattoo- and piercing-wise, but I plan to remain faithful to Dogstar, should I get the itch in the future. read more

Did a fair amount of research of local tattoo spots in the Triangle area and all sign kept pointing back to Dogstar. Had my first sitting with them last week and couldn't be more impressed. The space is tastefully decorated, extremely clean and the staff was super friendly. All of the artists seems well trained and had unique styles and personalities. Absolutely love with the work I had done and will definitely be returning. Thanks to Jessica and the whole staff there for a great experience! read more

I came here for the first time to get a navel piercing and I absolutely loved the environment. Shea did my piercing and he was fantastic! I was a bit nervous, but he kept me calm, walked me through the process, showed me proof of the sterilization of their equipment in their autoclave and it couldn't have gone better. While I was there, I was told to come back in a month for a quick check up on the piercing to make sure it is healing properly, and I love that idea! I'll definitely recommend Dogstar to my friends and if I were to ever get another piercing, I'd definitely go back! read more

I visited Dogstar Tattoo in November of 2019 and Shea pierced both my nipples. From the moment I walked in the door I was immediately greeted. Met Shea,filled out paperwork and looked at the jewelry options. They have a massive selection of jewelry and it all is sooo pretty. Shea made me feel super comfortable and put my nerves at ease. He also listened to my concerns and informed me of the does and don'ts of aftercare. 5 months later I am healing nicely and I can't wait to get another piercing. I highly highly recommend Shea for all your piercing needs. read more

Love love love this place! I was in last week for a piercing appointment with Shea. It went great! He talks you through the entire process and is very knowledgeable and skilled. The studio itself is very conscious of COVID and is well kept and beautifully laid out. I love my new piercings and will definitely be back! read more

Edited 2/26/18: After Kathryn reached out to me here I have spoken with her and she is going to make things right. Dog Star is honoring their touch up policy even though Brian no longer works there. I really appreciate the effort and professionalism Kathryn and Braxton have shown to turn this bad experience into a good one! Their genuine caring and exceptional costumer service has really turned this experience around for us and we look forward to working with dogstar in the future for our next tattoos! ------------------------------------------------ I've gotten 3 tattoos done here by Brian. The first two experiences were great. His work was beautiful and the price was reasonable. Then my husband and I went at the end of December to get our wedding date tattooed and he tried to completely overcharge us!!! At first he wanted to charge us $300 for two tattoos that took less than 10 mins each! The last time we went and got tattoos there in June he charge us $120 for two tattoos that took a little longer than our wedding date and were slightly more complex. I also had a tattoo done by him in 2016 which took 3 hours and cost $250. I understand that prices increase, but to more than double your price in less than 6 months seems rather unreasHonestly I was very offended as a customer who has returned multiple times and recommended him to others. I have 8 tattoos and my husband has 6 so we aren't new to tattooing and know when we are being overcharged. And honestly the quality of these most recent tattooed are subpar. It hasn't even been two months and they need touching up BADLY. I will not be coming back to this shop again! read more

See all

Okay so this is place does alright with big tattoo that require appointments, however if you're looking for WALK-INs do not and i repeat DO NOT waste your time with this place! I went in with my sister to get her scheduled tattoo. I called ahead to ask if they could fit in a walk in, they said no but that they had a guest host coming to do walk ins the next day, starting at noon, first come first serve. Then at the facility I was told the EXACT same thing, a guy was coming for walk in and to come when they open. So I go in today (15 minutes early I might add) and I am told by the guest host he has appointments and cannot take me that day. I see the guy who told me the day before this guest was doing walk ins and his ONLY REPLY was "I didn't know his schedule". He was rude and extremely unprofessional and seemed to know nothing about tattoos and pricing. So if you go in and see the short white guy with brown hair and a beard and glasses, ask for someone else. He lied to me in that the guest was doing walk ins and was an asshole about the situation. After this i went to TATTOO ASYLUM where they immediately took my walk in and did a great job (and even gave me a cheaper price because dog star was so UNPROFESSIONAL) So again for appointments they were fine but for walk ins DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE. don't even bother calling. they will waste your time. read more

I have gotten both piercings and tattoos at this shop, and they are simply amazing! Shea is the best piercing artist I have ever used, he is very knowledgeable and is great at calming me down right before he pierces me. (I am terrified of needles) I have gotten two tattoos from them as well and they were really great at getting me in quickly and taking there time to make sure it is exactly what I wanted. And they are great about making sure I have my follow up appointments. I would definitely recommend them to everyone. read more

Dogstar's piecers are knowledgeable and the shop is extremely clean. However, I've been here on multiple occasions for my own piercings as well as with friends and we've always found the majority of the artists to be extremely condescending. If you ask questions or voice your concerns about allergies or how your own body might react, they seem to brush you off as if your concerns aren't valid. I've gone with friends who have had Shea pierce them and he seems to be the exception, a really nice guy. read more