I knew I wanted to get a new tattoo while visiting Austin, but I wasn't sure where to go. I'm much…read moremore comfortable with laid-back tattooists than I am with the super-intense ones who can often be intimidating. The tattoos I generally seek are quirky, one-off designs that are deeply personal, but not the full-sleeve or intricate Japanese work that a lot of shops specialize in. After looking at a lot of websites and reading a lot of reviews, I chose Mom's Tattoos and I'm glad I did. It's exactly the kind of place I like, with a relaxed vibe and incredibly friendly artists. I had a specific drawing I wanted replicated that looked deceptively simple but was in fact very challenging. I couldn't have asked for a better result than the tattoo I received by Roach. His artistry is top-level. On top of that, he's an incredibly nice guy. I wholeheartedly recommend him, and Mom's, for anyone looking for a welcoming, top-quality experience.

They don't do EVERYTHING to do with tattoos; specifically, they refuse to do anything to do with…read morewhite ink tattoos. I came in with a basic fine line design i'd drawn (a "salt infinity" or an infinity symbol in dotted white ink), explained I was very familiar with white ink and wanted this tattoo in white ink and have for decades - they said absolutely not and gave me the same tired lecture I get whenever i want something inked in white: it will fade, it wont last, it will look like a scar. I have been thinking of this tattoo for as long as these guys have been alive. I know my skin and how it heals better than they do. I know what I want better than they do. It was very disappointing. As an artist myself, I understand an artist needs to enjoy their work and want their name on their work, but tattoos are mostly highly personal to the customer and you're doing a service for a customer - that's why tattooists get paid and don't pay the customer to ink their favorite designs on the customers body. Why is writing a name in black ink better than giving someone a super meaningful, deeply personal white ink design? I wasn't requesting a hate symbol, I wanted a reminder to trust myself - salt is known for purifying and protecting, infinity is eternal. Having a tattoo no one but me knows is there still serves its purpose for me. I'm still looking for someone who will work with me on this tattoo before I consider others. It was the first tattoo I ever wanted and I'm not doing any others until this one is done. The final insult: "come back when you really know what you want, we'll get it done".... Man I've wanted this since I was 9, I know EXACTLY what I want. Its been like 3 decades and hasn't changed. Other than that, the place had a cool vibe, was clean and the work looked well-done.

Mary welcomed us with open arms when we showed up. The owner was amazing. They all took a special…read moreinterest in making sure we got exactly what we wanted. 5 stars for sure! Thank you from "The Bee Family"!

Hands down the BEST place I have come across!! Pool is one of the best at watercolor tattoo's! You…read morewon't be disappointed going here.

WHAT CAN I SAY!!!!! my friends and i came to austin for my bachelorette trip and got tattoos. we…read morecame into this shop and were blown away. they were all SO WELCOMING and everything was so sanitary! WOMEN!!!!!!! if you're wary of tattoo shops because of past experiences, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go see alex!!! he was beyond incredible, and made us all feel so excited and happy and able to change the design as needed (even though he was 10/10 and we didn't need to change anything). we laughed and chatted and he was a part of the conversation, and we were all so comfortable. this was the BEST experience i have ever had in a tattoo shop, and all my friends agree. thank you again alex!!

Alex and Sam were amazing! I went in for my first tattoo and they were very helpful and patient,…read morehelping me decide what would look best. Great experience for my first time!

Dougie Mittz took my idea of a tattoo and turned it into a piece of art. He completely exceeded my…read moreimagination of what it could be. He took his time and made me feel comfortable even though this was my first big tattoo. It's like he knew me before I even walked through the door. From this point on, I will never let anyone else but Dougie tattoo me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Dougie!!! I also got to meet Steve, also a cool guy!

The most trustworthy tattoo shop in Austin I tattooed with…read moreKristen about a year ago and got my teacup tattoo it has since been one of my favorite tattoos. I automatically knew I wanted to come back to her. A year later my friend and I got tattoos yesterday. I ended up going with a tattoo I didn't originally send her and she was so patient and kind about it . She had drawn so many variations for me until it was right and I'm so thankful for that I never felt like I was an imposition. She always helps me with placement and I love taking her creative advice I always explain the kind of style I want and she really works with me.In love with my shark tooth tattoo and can't wait to come back

me and my friend walked in, barely got greeted and asked to look at the mini tattoo designs. David,…read moreimmediately laughed in our faces and said we looked underage and wouldn't show us the book even after we showed our ID AND college ID. He went over to the counter and continued laughing with his friend so we decided to leave while they watched us walk out and laugh even harder. DAVID DO BETTER!! @zlasher__

Went in on tuesday for the $50 mini tattoos. Pedro was our tattoo artist and he is extremely…read moreprofessional & kind! I highly recommend coming here

I came on a Friday afternoon as a walk-in (around1:30). I was seen by Jason immediately who spent…read moreabout 20 minutes with a friend and I talking through our options. He was very informative and even provided feedback on best looks for certain types of piercings / jewelry, given the locations. I was very happy with the feedback and even changed the piercing I had in mind while discussing. I'm very happy with my results! The piercing itself took less than 5 minutes. Jason got everything sterilized, had me confirm the location, and then we were done! It was barely a prick of heat by the time the piercing was in. I'll be back! Parking is available around the side and back of the building. The jewelry is very nice quality with assortments of hypoallergenic metals to choose from.

Phenomenal experience. I showed up shortly after they opened and Jason was friendly and immediately…read moreprovided a consultation. After providing my information and signing all consent forms he was able to pierce my naval within 5 minutes. The shop is clean, Jason was great, and I'm extremely happy with my piercing! This place has five stars for a reason.

Paco and Derek have been taking care of me for 10 years. I always feel safe and welcome in this…read moreshop. The shop itself is SPOTLESS and always maintained. Many of my friends have been recommended here and also love it. So much talent resides here! Get your tattoo needs done. ROCKSTARS! Edit: I wanted to add that the majority of my body has been tattooed by these two. Never did they make me feel like my ideas were inadequate or dumb. Whenever I come in, I tell them the basis of what I want and we both discuss the best way to have it placed on my body. Paco always let's me know what can be tastefully done. I value the honesty and trust between the shop and me.

I had a pet portrait done by Jamie yesterday, and it couldn't be any more perfect. I generally…read moredon't throw the word perfect around very often, as literally nothing is perfect. But her work is amazing, to say the least, and the word perfect is the only thing that comes to mind when I look at my tattoo. I highly recommend her and look forward to working with her again in the future.

This review is way past due. Last year, I was absolutely devastated over the loss of Prince, and I…read moreneeded something to help me heal... something permanent... a tattoo! I wanted to have "him" with me in some way for the rest of my life... enter ZULU. I am a hairdresser, and a wonderful client of mine said to me one day as we were discussing tattoos, "there's nobody on earth I'd let tattoo me other than Zulu". This is HIGH praise coming from this particular woman, so I looked him up. As soon as I went to his website, I felt an energy that I can only describe as "this is it, this is my guy", I knew it immediately. Browsing through his work, I was blown away. His meticulous attention to detail is unmatched. He is an ARTIST of the highest degree. His website images don't do justice to the work- I don't think any picture of his work can do his art justice. You *have* to see it to believe it. I had a consultation with him, and shared with him images of things I liked, and things I'm drawn to, but mostly I wanted him to create it. Several days later, he sent me an image of what he came up with, and it was a slam dunk, just as I knew it would be. It took 3 sessions to complete, and it is a MASTERPIECE. I love the art on my forearm so much it's stupid. I get so much attention because it's so incredible. I even met Prince's band The Revolution, and they were blown away! Wendy and Lisa couldn't stop touching it! Anyway, you get my point, right? So here's another thing... Zulu himself is an amazing human being. He and I had the most wonderful conversations and now he's my friend forever. Choose Zulu as your artist and you'll have more than just a tattoo, you'll have a masterpiece.

So this past weekend was my first experience directly under the hand of Zulu. Since we visited a…read morefew months ago for him to work on my wife's back, he and I have been in contact about what I've had planned for the remainder of the sleeve on my right arm. Because I travel for 6 months of the year the remainder of our conversations have been via email and also a 30 minute FaceTime consultation while I was overseas in place of a telephone call. Khani (shop mgr/wife) has done a wonderful job throughout of keeping the flow going and making sure that Zulu was available to discuss issues with me as needed. Zulu spent a considerable amount of time prepping for our arrival this trip as I had provided a number of different pieces of Tibetan art work to use for reference on my arm. After the FaceTime consult he fully understood what I wanted and that he was also given full artistic license to do what looked right and would flow with what I already had on my arm. He is only the second artist I've aver talked to that immediately got my concept and was genuinely excited about doing the work I was requesting. This was first obvious to me when we originally visited, but once we had talked and he started the work on the final design, the true light came out in Zulu. I arrived about 15 minutes early to the studio and just sat while he continued to collect his thoughts and worked to get the various pieces setup. We started with a fitting of the largest piece that would be done which was a full incarnation of Mara in demon form. Zulu only needed to resize it once and then worked on the angle and layout on my forearm (which is not big in any way) however, he laid it out to allow for the rest of the piece around and on the back of my arm. Once we had it fully laid out he applied the initial stencil for Mara and then he got to work. Zulu uses a rotary gun to apply his tattoos (as does Pinky which makes for a soothing sound in the small space). The beauty of this style of application is that unlike a normal gun that basically hammers you throughout the process, the rotary is more like a smooth flowing motion. When you add this to the extremely delicate touch that Zulu has while tattooing it makes for the absolute most pleasurable experience I've had to date. There was literally no pain until about the last 10 minutes of the session. We took a total of 4.5 hours to do all of the outline work for my arm, the detail in person looks unlike any I previously thought possible from a tattoo. His classical art training comes out when he works and his chair side manor is beyond reproach. The music in the studio is also spot on allowing Zulu to get into his groove and produce the beginnings of a masterpiece. I say beginnings because I can't wait to come back to finish the color and shading in November. Bottom line: if you want something that is truly a masterpiece on you as the canvas...than Zulu is the person to do it for you. There is no longer a need for me to search out an artist for my other projects, Zulu has a client for life.