I highly recommend this place. I had come in with my brother the other day to get him his very first tattoo. They were so amazing and so kind and just made this whole experience fantastic for him and me. We both got pieces done and they look incredible. He is already saying how he wants to come back and get more done. The shop is clean, well lit and organized. The staff are very attentive and just there for you. They have awesome suggestions and you could tell they really enjoyed working with each other and doing what they do. Good vibes all around. I'll definitely be coming back. After this experience this will be my new go to spot from now on. read more

As always, Reyna did the most amazing tattoo for me -- it's everything! Thank you, I absolutely love it. Freedom Tattoo is hands down the most welcoming, professional, and fun shop around. I always look forward to coming here, and I'm never disappointed. I highly recommend everyone at this shop -- they're all incredibly talented and nice to work with. The vibe here makes my day. Can't wait for my next visit! read more

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I did a walk in and was greeted with great hospitality they took me right in and made me feel welcome and It felt like family Trent did my tattoo and was very professional thank you ! so much . sincerely Vicki read more

I'm disappointed. I went to a fundraiser event and asked for just line work of a pin-up girl. The majority of the line work is great but the most important features are really missing the mark. Her hair doesn't look like it flows, I'm really unhappy with her hand and her expression looks very different, almost like she's bored. read more

Freedom Tattoo & Piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos, California

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Reyna was great. Took her time. Asked lots of question. Design was already created at time of appointment. Very clean, friendly and knows what she is doing read more

Amazing service with knowledgeable professionals! M was kind and compassionate! Will go back... Thank you

This place blows I have seen two terrible experiences from two different people one a tattoo that was a line around a fore arm not one was the line crooked and shaky they charged him 300 dollars for it another someone who went in for a tragus piercing, not only while she was getting it was the piercer boasting about her knowledge about how she would need a longer bar in it to heal properly but the piercer also ignored her own words and put to short of a bar resulting in a ER visit due to its botched healing also they had sketchy people in their shop hanging around weird vibe don't recommend at all and all responses from the business to negative experiences are condescending and passive aggressive read more

About a year ago I got my septum pierced, I saw someone else leave a review about how their friend had said their nipple piercings hurt way less than a septum piercing. I can agree as well, I've had my nipples pierced yet the piercer here made my septum feel 10x worse, he was extremely slow with the piercing I could hear the skin tearing. I didn't realize how much they had overcharged me as well, most places charge 45 bucks yet here I got charged 80! I was considering coming back for some ear piercings but after looking into other places, I'd rather not get overcharged and have someone professional. read more

White bald guy pierced my friend a week ago and it was traumatic and pierced very slow. My friend said the piercing looks good afterward but the pain of the piercing was awful and worse than her nipple piercings. a nose piercing should not be like that. i've had mine done and so has my friend and this was clearly an awful procedure. i would recommend their other piercer, but tbh the piercer from a week ago was not it. read more

Unfortunately, I did not like the outcome of my piercings. The people were nice but the job was not good. The lady who pierced my ears angled one too high and the other too low. I ended up taking both piercings out and had them re pierced back in Oregon where I live. Cost me time and money. Also, their aftercare instructions seem to be outdated according to my recent and accredited piercer. Do your homework and please make sure you find a professional! Also, based on the owner's response to my review on Google I decided to leave this review here also. Calling someone a "Karen" because of an honest experience is extremely unprofessional and immature. So I urge you to take your business elsewhere! read more

My 12yr old son has been begging for an ear piercing for almost a year. We agreed we would support our local spot, Freedom Tatoo & Piercing. Panchito took car of us, and let me tell you, it was such a memorable experience. He was honest, kind, respectful, and gentle with my son. A true gentleman. My son had a pain free first piercing, I even got my third and fourth ear piercings fixed by Panchito. Excellent service, we will be back! read more

I came in as a walk in and Reyna helped me she did an amazing job on the tattoo she was super nice and super talented hit the mark on what i wanted that i would deff come back again read more

Happy I went to freedom tattoo to get my first tattoo all the artist there are friendly and take pride in their work. My artist was Emi Yamada (p.s would recommend) she was great I felt like I could trust her through the whole process and it paid off because I got a lot of complaints on my tattoo. As I was getting tattooed I saw over clients come in and get amazing tattoos and saw they were happy with the outcome as well. So I would 100% recommend anyone to go there and get a tattoo. read more

Was out to lunch with a friend when we suddenly decided that we wanted to get our cartilage pierced. We decided we didn't trust anyone at the mall to do it so we called around and Freedom Tattoo was taking walk-ins. Got there 10 minutes later right as the piercing guy was pulling up. Somewhat limited selection of jewelry (lots of sharp and pointy things, not out style) but managed to find the last two studs with diamonds for us. The guy who did it- his name slips my mind now- was super kind and helpful with the jewelry selection and piercing process and wore a mask the whole time, changed gloves for each of us, and sanitized the table and jewelry well. A little more expensive than at the mall but it's worth it to know a trained professional in a sanitary environment is doing it. Thanks! read more

Freedom Tattoo & Piercing - Cartilage piercing, 24 hours after it was done. - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos, California

I got my nose pierced elsewhere with a hoop that wasn't healing and I kept getting an irritation bump. I came here to get my nose hoop taken out and a stud put in. The piercer was informative and let me know it wasn't recommended to get pierced with a hoop which I had no idea. He suggested I put tea tree oil on the bump so I did when I got home the next day the irritation went down. Happy customer! read more

Exceptional from start to finish - handled my phone call, initial meeting and artwork above expectations. Great studio...clean, professional and a friendly vibe. A really talented group, would recommend 100%. Artwork completed by Taylor, she was organized, detailed and managed to deliver what I wanted based on my jumbled ideas...5 stars all round. read more

Got my double nose piercing done by Panchito who determined placement so it was even and straight. The staff made me feel welcome and were very accommodating as I had my child in his stroller with me as well. I would recommend this place. read more

I've gone here for several tattoos. All of them were amazing and helped me get just what i wanted. Anthony was absolutely amazing, especially with the detailed line work. Definitely will be going back here for my next tattoos. read more

Freedom Tattoo & Piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos, California

First of all... cool people and a good vibe. Somewhat typical tat environment.. but pretty nice place.. clean. Cool tunes depending who is doin that.. But a really chill place. Recently relocated to Aptos. Freedom is just down the street. I'm super glad I wandered in and met Keeli. Very cool guy.. listens, interprets.. and makes it a collaboration. Just had my second tat done by him. 8 years ago almost died in a car wreck. Took me 4 years to learn to walk again and was a really dark time for me. Got a tat to remind me how close I came and to remind myself how close death can be. Have lived with a dark image on my arm that was important ... but I am a survivor. And now living again. Keeli interpreted the idea that that dark tat would come to life to represent renewal for me.. It was a dead tree in black ink. it is now a tree of life in full color. Trust your story to Keeli - feel confident with all the artists at Freedom. read more

I went to Freedom Tattoo for my first tattoo. My brother got one, too. Out artist was Nolan. I'm not really part of the tattoo culture, but I love them and I love art. It can be really intimidating in tattoo shops and while shopping for an artist I felt this in a lot of shops. But at Freedom, everyone was so friendly, warm and helpful. Nolan had tons of patience (not to mention amazing artistic skill) and was thorough in the process. He explained everything and checked in with me while it was happening. Everyone is different and it plays a big part in perception and taking that into account, the experience getting a tattoo here felt more comfortable than when I got my ears pierced! I love these guys! For reference, the tattoo I got is 4x4", all black ink read more

Freedom Tattoo & Piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos, California

Got my first tattoo here don't remember the guy's name But he was really nice , did everything he could for me to feel comfortable, everything was clean and put together Definitely would go back there again but this time for a bigger piece! read more

Freedom Tattoo & Piercing - Evil eye tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos, California

My Mark Twain tattoo was dull, faded and ragged after 13 years but Cruz made it vibrant and sharp, with particularly nice work on Twain's eyes, which were dim even when it was new. Gave me a cherry on his cigar too! Excellent work, and all the folks at Freedom were friendly and fun. read more

Freedom Tattoo & Piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos, California

Love this shop so much! Cruz is an amazing artist! Extremely professional and very talented! I highly highly recommend this shop to anyone!! read more

Freedom Tattoo & Piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos, California

Went to get a tattoo and got one from Cruz! Very professional and very patient. Listened to all my concerns and questions. Tattoo ended up just how I expected... Loved it!! Took my sister in law with me and she ended up getting a tattoo as well a few days later and hers looked amazing as well. Will be going back for any further tattoos. read more

Needing to feed my ink addiction, I went to Freedom Tattoo.I was getting another finger tat, and I get nervous since it's an area easily noticed. I totally needed someone I could trust. I went to Keoni and he did a great job! Will definitely be back. As I was waiting to get my design drawn up, I browsed the books. Everyone had great work, some great cover-up jobs too. Reasonable prices and nice peps who work there. 5 stars from me. Oh, ya, make sure you don't park behind the bike shop. read more

Got my nose pierced here and it was such a great experience! The piercer (I think his name was Omar) was so friendly and helpful. He walked us through the jewelry and piercing process, and was super nice when my friend changed her mind about the piercing she wanted. The environment was very clean and professional. Would absolutely recommend this place! read more

I spotted Freedom Tattoo in its new Aptos location on my way to Santa Cruz Naturals down the street and decided to stop in and talk about a piece I had in mind. I was prepared to schedule an appointment and come back to have it done, but Nikos was available and was as excited about my concept as I was. He has a light touch and steady hand and I think my new vintage radio is the best of my five tats. Way to go, guys! I'll be back! read more

I am relatively aggravated and disappointed at the lack of communication and professionalism with the shop's piercer. I have been calling ahead to try to get a piercing for about a week now, and every time I speak to the piercer there's an excuse: they ran out of clean forceps, or that the autoclave is broken. I wanted a piercing that the piercer had recently learn to do - and he didn't seem too thrilled at the idea of doing that piercing. Which is fine - just tell clients upfront that you don't feel comfortable doing that piercing. Instead, this entire week I've called the shop to check if the piercer is available to do my piercing and as I had mentioned there seems to be constant limitations and excuses. Definitely has felt like I've been getting the "run around." I was told to check the shop this evening and the piercer should have the necessary equipment sterilized. Well I drove my merry little butt from Santa Cruz to Aptos during very fun holiday-weekend traffic just to be turned down because the autoclave was broken. Maybe the autoclave truly is broken, but to be frank, the way previous conversations and interactions have gone - I think the piercer doesn't want to do this particular piercing and so he's making excuses. He mentioned he "might" be able to have equipment ready by Wednesday for the piercing. Well to his delight I won't keep "bugging" him about doing this piercing. Not to be a "Karen" or "Becky" about it but I think I'm good on venturing out to Aptos for my piercing/tattoo needs. This interaction has turned me off to the shop, which is a bummer cuz there are some talented tattoo artists. Super bummed, wasted gas, wasted my time. If you don't feel comfortable doing something - be up front about it instead of giving clients the run around. Cheers, I guess.j read more

Freedom Tattoo is everything you could want in a tattoo shop. They are obsessive about making sure absolutely nothing gets contaminated and pay attention to every detail. They were accommodating, Very friendly, fun to be around and make you feel at home. Nolan is an amazing tattoo artist. I won't go anywhere else. It was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone. The music was cool too. Thanks Nolan and Freedom Tattoo. read more

Freedom Tattoo & Piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Aptos, California

I went to get a piercing and the woman was rude and only concerned about the money. She was rough and didn't care that I was in pain. I understand she was just doing her job but I'm not recommending ANYONE to go there for a piercing. read more

Going back this weekend for more work. These guys are great. If you get attitude its because your giving it.

I came here to get my nipples pierced a few months back but ended up just losing $100. For one of the piercing the piercer couldn't get the bar through the hole so she proceeded to rip the jewelry through. Not only that but she pierced way more than just my nipples causing the jewelry to sink into my skin as the days went by. I eventually had to take the jewelry out because the pain was so horrible. When I went back to complain she told me that I should have kept the jewelry in so she could see, but if I had left them in any longer they would have completely sunken in. When I asked for my money back because she obviously messed up she said she couldn't give me a refund but that she could pierce me again if I still had the jewelry...why would I let her puncture holes through me again?? She says she does piercings other piercers are "too scared to do" but I think they're just ACTUALLY know what they're doing. read more

Went to the shop for my first tat yesterday. Everyone was so nice and friendly. Great music on. The whole atmosphere made you feel relaxed and at home. Cruz did a fantastic tat for me. Will definitely go back here again. Highly recommend to anyone who is planning on getting tattoo done. read more

This is the best shop I've been to! Very friendly staff and talented artists. I can't wait to go back for more art!

I got a helix piercing from Rud and he did an amazing job. Super friendly, helpful, and clean. He explained everything and made sure I liked the placement of the piercing. It was a great experience and so glad my friends were able to be in the room with me. read more

Misty always does great tattoos every time i go to freedom tattoo. Her solid lines and steady hands have given my tattoos a sweet lasting look! She never disappoints with color scheme or placement come get a great tattoo by a great artist! read more

The artists are decent. The service is less than decent. I would always come in for my appointments on time, but they would start at least 30 minutes later because the artist was preoccupied talking to a friend or co-worker. The artists aren't the friendliest and have this arrogance to them. The shop itself feels crowded and there is no privacy. The whole vibe of the shop isn't right and it's just not somewhere I want to spend my money. read more

When it came time to get my first tattoo I decided to shop around at some local places. I went to a few and settled on Freedom Tattoo . I'm so glad I did !!! From the moment i walked in I liked it. The girl at the desk was super sweet and answered every question I had. I brought a sketch with me and she and another guy took the time to really question me and help me with the idea of what i wanted. They take a $30 deposit and draw up the tattoo for you and then the $30 goes right towards the cost of the tattoo. The rate at the time I went (10-2-09) was $100 an hr and if its under an hour they start at $60. They have two artists currently working there Misty and Keelie (not sure of the spelling) . Both have like 10+ years and have lots of artwork to show off their skills. I went with Misty and am so happy with the work she did. It was everything I wanted and more. Everything was clean and she made sure i saw everything was sterile,brand new, and fully explained each step before and as it was happening. I felt relaxed and right at home the whole time. Freedom tattoo is right next to a bike shop almost right on the corner of Freedom blvd and Greenvalley Road. Its just a small shop but the people there are great ! Thank you to everyone at Freedom Tattoo !! Misty I can't wait to come back and get my next one ! read more

My son (he's 25) got a tattoo in this shop and I was so impressed. He went in with an idea of what he wanted, but no art work. The artists there worked with him to create a beautiful, meaningful piece. These people are TRUE ARTISTS!! And the price was amazing--better than any other shop. The place is VERY clean, comfortable, and friendly. Thank you, Freedom Tattoo, for offering such excellent service!! read more

Everytime I go to get ink I go Freedom Tattoo. Keeli has been my artist since my first work. He is so damn good at what he does and way down to earth. All my friends go there to get there work done by someone who works in that shop. I don't think the pricing is overboard at all. If I could recommend anyone in Santa Cruz County, it would be anyone from this shop without a doubt. All their work is clean sterile and nobody looks like a scumbag. read more