Empire Tattoo

I am visiting my parents in Asheville this week and Janet gave me an amazing reiki treatment! I…read morehighly recommend seeing her if you are at all curious. At first I was somewhat skeptical of reiki, but after having two sessions I'm a full convert. In my view, reiki helps clear out negative energies that might be stuck inside your body. These energies can lead to depression, pains in the body, and a general feeling of anxiety. The reiki practioner targets these energies and helps release them. Janet talked with me first about my needs and hopes for the session, and asked me to remain flexible with the outcome--and I'm glad she did because more was released than I ever thought possible. She made me feel very comfortable and cared for during the whole experience. Thank you Janet, from the bottom of my heart, for a truly beautiful, magical, and healing reiki session.

Extremely unfriendly walked in with my service dog and the woman behind the counter. Immediately…read moresaid "no dogs allowed" unbelievable 9 pound service dog I have PTSD but who cares right-they sure don't.!!!!! Improve? Hire polite and friendly people!!! Under the circumstances you would think that a devastated community would have open arms to business but apparently not!!!

Metaphysical store

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Bella - Fine Jewelry & Piercing

4.7(46 reviews)

0.1 mi

Had an amazing experience getting a nasal piercing with Alan. He is kind, patient and extremely…read moretalented. Had a great time chatting with him and he was very patient as I picked out my jewelry and the location. I trusted him completely and am VERY happy with my new piercing.

Always a great experience . Staff is friendly, respectful. Jewelry is top notch,…read moreBeautiful work

Septum piercing

I bought and Nick installed the beautiful titanium crystal flat helix piece, at Bella Piercing.

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Piercing = complete

Thistle and Pearl Tattoo

4.7(48 reviews)

0.6 mi

We had an excellent experience getting our tattoos done by Doe. She was so patient as we tried to…read morefigure out exactly how to make our idea work, and she made an excellent design that we loved!! She was also very communicative throughout the process, and worked quickly and got us finished in what seemed like a short amount of time. Really would recommend her to anyone, she did clean, beautiful work and was so nice to talk to. Thanks again!

I've been getting temporary jagua tattoos from Tanya for a little while now, replacing the faded…read moreone with something new to symbolize how I am and what I want to focus on at that particular time. She has been great at guiding me through the process, with knowledgable advice and a deft hand.

Tattoo by Bill Smiles

Kevin's art!

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Lust And Lore Tattoo Company

5.0(9 reviews)

0.2 mi

I got a back of arm tattoo by Tina, who is the bomb! Very nice, professional and has a ton of…read moreexperience. I am very happy with the tattoo

Liz was amazing! They were so friendly and have a great energy about them. They took me and my…read morefriend as walk ins for custom tattoos. And we are so pleased with their work. Highly recommend them! We also learned the shop is owned by a woman so just another reason to support this business!

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Invidia Tattoo and Piercing

4.8(10 reviews)

2.5 mi

•$

I love my tattoo. Elle is awesome. Such a great artist. I texted her a few ideas of what I was…read morelooking for and she came up with great design. She was super accommodating getting me in last minute and making herself available. She was patient and very pleasant / fun to talk too. Her attention to detail is impeccable. I would not hesitate getting another tattoo with her when I'm back in Asheville.

I've gotten two piercing jobs performed by Krystal and I couldn't be more happy. She gives simple…read moreaftercare instructions that anyone can follow. I had my belly button pierced for the third time in Sept 2017 and this time it finally healed correctly because she gave me proper aftercare instructions. I got my nipples pierced in Feb 2020 and I love them. They're healing well and there's no pain at all. I highly recommend her for anyone who is getting their first piercing or their fifth.

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Man's Ruin Tattoo and Piercing

4.1(34 reviews)

3.7 mi

I needed one piercing in my ear after having it stitched by a local dermatologist who was unable to…read morere-pierce it for me. Jenn did a great job- all was well explained, the office was clean and I felt totally comfortable. If I need another piercing I will go back for sure.

I recently got a tattoo with Heather (see attached photo). She is really good at line work…read more Heather is very responsive to Instagram messages and she gave me honest feedback about my original idea (eg how much the tattoo might bleed over time). She also sent me her drawing several days before the appt. The studio is clean and Heather is a great conversationalist (which is nice because it distracts from the pain). Finally, very good aftercare instructions. She provided me with a really nice bandaid (some studios give you less quality bandaids which don't last for their recommended after care). Highly recommend if you're considering a tattoo.

Opal daith piercing by Jenn

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Custom watercolor sleeve

Diamond Thieves Body Piercing & Tattoo

3.1(45 reviews)

2.2 mi

•$$$$

Elaina literally saved me. I had just gotten my pricing done 8 days ago and it didn't heal well and…read moreshe was able to salvage my piercing and the earring with minimal issues. She was so kind and attentive I wish I wasn't just vacationing here so I could make her my regular!!!!

Diamond theives was hands down the most terrifying experience I've had in a long time. I went in to…read morehave a jewelry exchange and the apprentice was left unattended and failed on an epic level. It took the apprentice several tries including dropping the jewelery on the floor in my lap, and at one point into my mouth where I had to spit the piece out. I went back the following morning to speak to the owner, that in itself was an even worse idea. The owner greeted me with anger and hostility, I was barely even able to speak. He screamed at me told me to "shut the f*** up." I called my boyfriend inside cause I was honestly scared he was going to assault me. When my boyfriend stepped inside he proceeded to tell him that "he was a handler and for us to " get the f*** out my store, get your girl out of here." I was so scared that I looked at the owner and asked if he was okay, because theres no way a normal human would act like this. During the screams yells and cursing he was shaking so hard to the point that I thought he was going to hit me or spontaneously combust. I can't even believe this company is still in business. I highly recommend it be shut down so no one else can go through this terrifying experience.

My fiance(right)

Cray

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Rising Sparrow Tattoo Studio

4.2(13 reviews)

1.5 mi

Amanda is amazing! I…read morerecently had my eyebrows microbladed by Amanda and the entire experience with her and Rising Sparrow Tattoo Studio have been great. I found Amanda on Instagram somehow, started following her and very quickly made an appointment to get my eyebrows done. For those of you who don't know what microblading is, it is basically having thing lines cut into your skin under/around your eyebrows and ink is rubbed into them. It is basically a sort of tattoo of extra hairs to make your eyebrows look more shaped or darker. My whole life my eyebrows have been so blonde that they're basically see-through and ever since I learned of microblading I wanted to get it done. Amanda was the perfect person to go to for this! Microblading tends to take two sessions to get the right color and texture. During our first session, Amanda took her time to draw on the right size/shape eyebrows for my face before beginning the microblading process. This took a few tries, but I was in no hurry as this is my face we're talking about. Once she found/created a shape she liked and I agreed, she got started. In many of the videos I'd watched to prepare myself for the process, the canvas (person getting tattooed) has their eyebrows numbed first, whereas Amanda did not do this. I was a bit shocked at first but she told me that the numbing cream has to sit on the skin for about 20-30 minutes before we can get started and she'd be happy to do that if I wanted. That's awesome but I chose to just get the process started without being numbed. I'll admit, the microblading does hurt a bit but not nearly as bad as a tattoo. It's just off because of the place. It actually made me sneeze a lot. The healing process is pretty much the same as a tattoo and is pretty quick and easy to take care of. During my second session, we were able to get started really quickly without a template or drawing on the design. We opted for a darker color the second time to bring the color out even more. This second session went by pretty quickly and my eyebrows look awesome. On top of all of this, Amanda is a really cool person. Really professional, clean, etc but also fun to chat with. I will definitely go back to her if I need a touch up and I suggest everyone else to go to her too!

Let preface this by saying great work and experience for the most part. I initiated my sleeve with…read morePatrick and knocked the first appt out of the park. Very talented artist. However when coming back for second appt he canceled 45 minutes before appt. Understand life happens let it slide decided being frustrated. Mind you, I drove 4.5 hours from Greenville, NC. Rescheduled came in few months later finished my sleeve. One year later scheduled my free touch up, says "I just put you down" cancels again this time 3 hours before. Stating he "forgot" I was scheduled despite texting him the day before saying I was looking forward to the appt reminding him after "scheduling" 2.5 months prior. Maybe if you're local to Asheville better luck to you. Just my experience.

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Heron Mark Tattoo & Gallery

5.0(3 reviews)

1.6 mi

The tattoo experience I had at Heron Mark was incredible. Anthony did an absolutely amazing job-…read morelistened to what I was looking for, sketched a few ideas, and made the whole experience extremely enjoyable. I was passing through Asheville with some friends and just walked in. He was super accommodating and I couldn't be happier with the final product! It's healed beautifully over the past 5 months.

Kitty is the best. She first did a tattoo for me while she was in California. I recently flew out…read moreto Asheville to get another tattoo from her. Kitty does everything she can to make sure you get the tattoo that you want. She is meticulous about the design and placement. She works fast with beautiful results. She is professional and always friendly. I highly recommend her!

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Hundreds of millions of reviews are posted on Yelp, and our automated recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it …

9 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Jen S.

0

2

0

9 years ago

I had a great experience at Empire Tattoo, from the initial concept meeting through to the final tattoo. I had an idea but wasn't sure exactly how to make it come to life. Devin Burnette was super friendly and helpful! He helped my turn my concept into something really neat and with some really cool abstract styling. He was patient with me as I revised a few things. Super fair pricing and helpful for aftercare. Loved the experience and would highly recommend. read more

Kelly F.

0

1

0

11 years ago

I got my first tattoo and a tragus piercing here today. My friend also got a piercing. The guys were phenomenal and very friendly. I will drive the 2 hours to come back for anything I do in the future. They patiently helped me decide where to put my first tattoo and made me feel totally comfortable. I will recommend this shop to all my friends and I could not be happier with my piercing, tattoo, and overall experience! read more

Crystal D.

99

2

0

6 years ago

Isaiah Ronan at Empire Tattoo is an incredible tattooer. I've spent many hours in his skillful hands and I'm blown away by the results every single time. I've been tattooed by Isaiah a few times during the COVID-19 pandemic. I feel completely comfortable trusting him with my skin and my health. He consistently uses best practices for sanitation and his talent is incomparable. I feel incredibly lucky to be his client. read more

Helena S.

0

1

0

11 years ago

I really appreciated the great guys at Empire. Everyone was polite and professional. Luis Campos gave me a kick-ass tattoo. He took the time to talk to me about the design to make sure I got a great tattoo and his art work is amazing. I would definitely go back to get more work done there. read more

Carly C.

0

5

0

10 years ago

Great experience. I went in for my first tattoo and came out with two! It was a great price and the people were so friendly. They made me feel very comfortable, which was very important to me. The tattoos look great and they're very willing to work with you to get exactly what you want. read more

Drunk A.

0

4

2

6 years ago

Guy that work there a seriously racist against Micronesians and white ppl. Very unprofessional. Take your money elsewhere to decent artist. Way better tattoo studios for better prices. Don't settle. read more

Autumn C.

0

1

0

1 month ago

Koda took care of me for a nose re-piercing with all of the professionalism and care in the world! Such a lovely shop - great people and clean space!! read more

Erica A.

0

2

6

5 years ago

they have great artists with good keep up on customer tats. kind and good vibes. wouldn't go anywhere else.

Bob M.

0

15

34

13 years ago

In one word----- Professional. They take the time to explain the whole process. Great experience.

Empire Tattoo - piercing - Updated September 2026

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I am visiting my parents in Asheville this week and Janet gave me an amazing reiki treatment! I…read morehighly recommend seeing her if you are at all curious. At first I was somewhat skeptical of reiki, but after having two sessions I'm a full convert. In my view, reiki helps clear out negative energies that might be stuck inside your body. These energies can lead to depression, pains in the body, and a general feeling of anxiety. The reiki practioner targets these energies and helps release them. Janet talked with me first about my needs and hopes for the session, and asked me to remain flexible with the outcome--and I'm glad she did because more was released than I ever thought possible. She made me feel very comfortable and cared for during the whole experience. Thank you Janet, from the bottom of my heart, for a truly beautiful, magical, and healing reiki session.

Extremely unfriendly walked in with my service dog and the woman behind the counter. Immediately…read moresaid "no dogs allowed" unbelievable 9 pound service dog I have PTSD but who cares right-they sure don't.!!!!! Improve? Hire polite and friendly people!!! Under the circumstances you would think that a devastated community would have open arms to business but apparently not!!!

Invidia Tattoo and Piercing

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I love my tattoo. Elle is awesome. Such a great artist. I texted her a few ideas of what I was…read morelooking for and she came up with great design. She was super accommodating getting me in last minute and making herself available. She was patient and very pleasant / fun to talk too. Her attention to detail is impeccable. I would not hesitate getting another tattoo with her when I'm back in Asheville.

I've gotten two piercing jobs performed by Krystal and I couldn't be more happy. She gives simple…read moreaftercare instructions that anyone can follow. I had my belly button pierced for the third time in Sept 2017 and this time it finally healed correctly because she gave me proper aftercare instructions. I got my nipples pierced in Feb 2020 and I love them. They're healing well and there's no pain at all. I highly recommend her for anyone who is getting their first piercing or their fifth.

Thistle and Pearl Tattoo

(48 reviews)

We had an excellent experience getting our tattoos done by Doe. She was so patient as we tried to…read morefigure out exactly how to make our idea work, and she made an excellent design that we loved!! She was also very communicative throughout the process, and worked quickly and got us finished in what seemed like a short amount of time. Really would recommend her to anyone, she did clean, beautiful work and was so nice to talk to. Thanks again!

I've been getting temporary jagua tattoos from Tanya for a little while now, replacing the faded…read moreone with something new to symbolize how I am and what I want to focus on at that particular time. She has been great at guiding me through the process, with knowledgable advice and a deft hand.

Hot Stuff Tattoo

4.6

(35 reviews)

Bro. This place is the tits. Had my ribs blasted for 9 hours total two sessions. Drove from deep…read moreass Virginia to see Matt. Most painful and amazing tattooing experience of my life HA! Conversation was great! The most interesting People hop in off the street just to come in and hang out with these guys. Very personable, empathetic (rub me down with those warm rags mmhmm) patient and thoughtful not to mention the skill and experience. Each artist genuinely cares and encourages the other. They Collaborate, ask opinions, crack jokes and enjoy spending time with new faces. Not saying my soft belly fat will ever forgive me but I couldn't be more pleased. It's healing well and the colors are amazing. LFG PS they have also infected my playlist with slow heavy metal. Love that ish the wife not so much. HA!

Hot Stuff Tattoo has a huge sign on their front door that explicitly says: "We Welcome ALL…read moreAbilities & Disabilities... EVERYONE." Unfortunately, this turns out to be performative marketing rather than store policy. I came in with three friends/family to get flash tattoos, but I was denied service because I brought my legitimate, trained service dog. I was told I could not enter or that my medical service animal had to be left in the lobby, separated from me. When questioned, the management blamed local sanitation and "DHEC." Under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), federal law preempts state health department regulations regarding service dogs. Tattoo shops are clean environments, not sterile operating rooms, and service animals are legally protected to accompany their handlers in client areas. Separating a service dog from their handler or turning them away denies essential medical access. It is incredibly humiliating to be publicly turned away--taking three paying clients out the door with me--from a shop that literally posts "Welcome All Disabilities" on its entrance. If you claim to welcome people of all abilities on your front door, you need to follow federal civil rights laws inside

High Caliber Custom Tattoos

(25 reviews)

I had a helix piercing done today. Marie did my piercing and did a beautiful job of setting me at…read moreease. Fast 'poke' and violà job well done. She has a great sense of humor and engages very well with her clients. AWESOME JOB.

Mike Pace is an amazing artist and great human. He makes you feel comfortable and ensures you are…read morehappy with the finished product. He works hard to create the tattoo you want. He is easy going and a great conversationalist. Brian and Skip are great as well. I haven't had any work done by them but I know from others have said and it's all been good.

Bella - Fine Jewelry & Piercing

(46 reviews)

Had an amazing experience getting a nasal piercing with Alan. He is kind, patient and extremely…read moretalented. Had a great time chatting with him and he was very patient as I picked out my jewelry and the location. I trusted him completely and am VERY happy with my new piercing.

Always a great experience . Staff is friendly, respectful. Jewelry is top notch,…read moreBeautiful work

Red Rabbit Tattoo

4.3

(15 reviews)

Me and my good friend were in Asheville and decided to get matching tattoos. We called around and…read morethis place was recommended to us so we said why not. We wanted to get the word hope with a watercolor background. The people were fantastic. Everyone was really nice and welcoming. The place was beyond clean. It was a little weird that they had someone dying hair right next to us but I'm not going to judge. I believe our tattoo artist name was Dan but I'm not 100% sure. He didn't give us a business card. But he had recently come back from not working there for awhile so his name was not on the website. He said he specializes in watercolor so I was on board. No this isn't my first watercolor tattoo so I know the process. He decided to use only two colors. When I got my other watercolor tattoo my artist used a wide range of colors to get the idea that the colors were mixed together. He decided instead of using a stencil for the water color piece he would draw it with watery ink and then tattoo a gray outline as to were the color should be. And that's done if you could cover it with colors but that didn't happen. When I got it I loved it! Now looking at it I'm seeing little imperfections that shouldn't be there. There are small dots that aren't filled in. The outline is showing which in my opinion ruins the effect. And the colors do not look blended they just look like one was placed over the other. Overall, the place was amazing and the people where nice but the tattoo falls short. I don't recommend this place for your tattoo.

I'm originally from AVL but live in New Orleans these days. After contacting Chris about an…read moreupcoming trip back home and a tattoo that I wanted to get while in town, he quickly got me scheduled and got started on the artwork with short notice. Then the snowstorm hit! We both got snowed in and couldn't make it in to the shop for the appointment. He reworked his schedule to make sure I could get in before my visit was over. On top of his flexibility, the man is a master of his craft and a damn fine artist. He had an amazing design that captured exactly what I wanted. He is fast and efficient with your time and has Netflix, if you're so inclined, to watch while he works (I suggest a nature documentary if you're into it. Leads to fun dialogue.) This tattoo is beautiful and one of my favorites. I highly recommend this shop. Couldn't be happier and I will definitely go to him again when I get back up to my mountains!

Lust And Lore Tattoo Company

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I got a back of arm tattoo by Tina, who is the bomb! Very nice, professional and has a ton of…read moreexperience. I am very happy with the tattoo

Liz was amazing! They were so friendly and have a great energy about them. They took me and my…read morefriend as walk ins for custom tattoos. And we are so pleased with their work. Highly recommend them! We also learned the shop is owned by a woman so just another reason to support this business!

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