Chris was absolutely amazing!!!!! Such a great guy. So personable, calming, reassuring,…read moreprofessional, and super clean. HIGHLY recommend them!!!!

I got my first tattoo here! I was visiting my friend in NC and we wanted to get tattoos together so…read morewe booked an appointment and our artist was Mike. Overall the appointment process was pretty simple. You can message on instagram/facebook and they were very responsive. When we arrived we just signed our waiver and provided our photo ID's. The actual place is very clean which I appreciated. Mike was such a friendly guy. It's funny because I came all the way down to NC to get a tattoo and I'm from NJ/NYC. Mike is from NYC and moved down to NC recently, I thought that was a funny coincidence. He always let us know what he was going to do before he did it and was very informative. He let us know the aftercare process and what to expect. That being said, we are almost a month out and my tattoo has healed beautifully! If I'm ever back in NC and looking to get a tattoo, I will book it with Mike.

100 STARS Ken is amazing, brilliant, talented, artistic,…read moreprofessional, receptive, personable... the list goes on. He has tattooed, both myself and my husband. Our tattoos could not be more different, in size concept and style, but both are completely perfect and beautiful pieces of art. He can do it all!!! I came to Ken with a hot mess of halfway thought out ideas and he was able to patiently and kindly pluck right out of my "oh squirrel" brain exactly what I wanted and executed it to perfection! My husband and I both are already discussing our next pieces that we will undoubtedly be going to Ken for. I could not be happier with the experience or the art!!!!

OMG, Ken is amazing! He is so talented and kind and gives you plenty of time to make sure your…read moredesign is exactly what you want. I have to say my first tat experience was overall positive thanks to Ken's skilled hands and wonderful demeanor (plus, he's cute as a button). This was my first tattoo at 74 yo and Ken's first opossum! We were both pleased!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my tattoo!! Thanks so much, Ken.

Come for a tattoo, stay for good time! Tracy has the voice of an angel. It's like a combination of…read moreFergie and Jesus. I couldn't even look at her it was so good. Char is the best! Took a few reference ideas and brought to life more than I could've hoped for. Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed working with her. A tattoo looks so good, you're going to wanna talk to it. If you're just looking for a tattoo, sure you could go elsewhere, but if you're looking to go to the f*ckin Catalina wine mixer, this is the place. (No you don't get any wine, but you will have a good time!)

just got my 8th girls trip tattoo. this place was amazing very friendly and our tattoo aroChris was…read morewonderful. this was his first day on the job in this shop but he did an awesome job!!! We are so glad we stopped in to check it out!! highly recommend this shop!! thanks again Shades of Gray and Chris

My mom and I went to get facial piercings, and the piercer's name was Justin, and he was great to…read moretalk with! The piercing process was very easy, as we just did walk-in. The wait was very short, and overall the building has a really cool vibe.

I got my first tattoo, Jet was my artist. Awesome experience. He walked me patiently thru the…read moreprocess, step by step, gave me several expert options regarding the tattoo I wanted. Not painful at all. Excellent experience and thrilled with the result. Highly recommend!

Monkey Ink is THE best place to get a tattoo and/or piercing in the area. Mr. AJ and Miss Emily are…read moreawesome design and tattoo artists, and Miss Emily is a wonderful piercer. They are very warm and inviting and care about their work and clients. The place is immaculately clean and accessible. They are worth the prices they quote. They stand by their work and talent. Am definitely going back for more work.

I'm beyond happy with how my tattoo turned out and will definitely be coming back for my next one…read more Highly recommend this shop to anyone looking for quality work and great customer service!

Charissa is a fantastic tattoo artist with an amazing personality. The studio is clean and…read moreconversation is great. Shes tattooed me and my husband and even pierced my daughters ears.

From the owner: A woman owned and operated private tattoo studio where all are welcome. I strive to provide the…read morebest tattoo experience for each client with professional, unique, and quality tattooing service in a clean, welcoming environment. I love to bring your ideas to life through custom taylored pieces. However, you can also look through the various custom flash available. From the first traces to a finished design, we’ll do anything from a simple name to full body sleeve work. I pride myself in providing a clean and comfortable environment while also maintaining a wide variety of styles. ​ Please call to schedule your consultation and next tattoo appointment. Walk-ins are welcome, but PLEASE call ahead to confirm availability. Also, art commission, jewelry, and aftercare are available.

please see original review on Google, he replied with an…read moreanswer that was 100% false. "Went in for a tattoo of my two daughters names, and after a repeated confirmation of the spelling, he proceeded to tattoo, and when I looked at it, he spelled One of my daughter's name incorrectly. When I contacted him to see if he would fix it, he got agitated and blamed me for the incorrect spelling saying that he repeated it multiple times. Now I have a tattoo, that is dedicated to my children, that is misspelled and I have to find a REAL tattoo artist to have it fixed. Very unprofessional. Will never go back" 1. You did ask me how to spell her name and I told you several times once you got it right, then you still spelled it wrong on my leg And never showed me the stencil before you started. 2. You do not have any employees you had an independent contractor working in your shop doing piercings (everything she pierced with she bought with her own money that she made from the customers she pierced with nobody else). 3. I was talking to said employee, but not together with just friends. 4. there was no fake review just honesty.!

As a retired OR nurse the first thing I noticed was the cleanliness and sterile techniques used in…read morepreparing for my tattoo. This made me comfortable because this was my first tattoo at 63 years young! T is very professional and an incredible artist. I am so happy with the result and...you know what they say..it's hard to stop at one! Teri

Got an amazing tattoo from Gabby. Very well organized went over everything at least twice to make…read moresure I was happy with the design and placement. Will definitely be going back for more work. Gabby was very knowledgeable and was fun chatting and watching her work. Very reasonably priced for quality work.

These guys are amazing and I've only been in for a consult !! I'll update this review in approx two…read moreweeks when I receive my new piece from Chris. But this place has impressed me beyond words, super friendly and humble staff who make you feel welcome and right at home ! Chris took his time with me, we spent upwards of an hour brainstorming how to cover up a pre existing tattoo from a shop that doesn't exist anymore. After multiple apologies from me about taking up so much of his time, he stopped me and told me "don't apologize, this is exactly what I'm here for !" I LOVE that attitude and can not wait to go back in two weeks to receive some nice artwork !! I highly recommend giving these guys a look !! Update: Received my tattoo tonight, by Chris Kelly. One more session to go !And let me tell you guys something, dead serious, you will not find a better tattoo shop in North Carolina. These guys are absolute professionals, and super friendly, they make you feel like an old friend the moment you walk in. The attention to quality and detail is through the roof, I've been tattooed quite a few times now, and have never encountered as good of an experience as I encountered tonight. I HIGHLY recommend, and if it were possible to rate higher, I absolutely would in a second. The shop is super clean and tidy even to the smallest detail, even the mop bucket had a place !!! Once again, I urge you to go to Heart And Hammer for anything ink related.

My teen daughter wanted to get her nose pierced. We were told no appt. necessary so we headed over…read moreand Ray (I think per the card) saw us walking to the door (locked due to covid since the artists were with customers) and told us sadly the only one who does piericings had left...turned out it was him and he went back in to do my daughter's piercing. Quick, painless and out the door in 15 minutes. We appreciated him going back in after he'd left and the place was clean (just a tip for other moms of teens...the music is pretty mature and with any tattoo shop I expect the artwork on the walls is too....thankfully my kid is mature enough to handle it :)

Made an appointment everybody was on time, professional team, very nice people. Had to get my nose…read morere-pierced the guy that did it was incredible.