Easily 5 stars! ... I was on vacation and wanted to add to my existing work, so after some research and reading, I reached out to Flex (owner). He was quick to answer questions and offer a quote via email (after I sent him size and placement info with a picture). Chloe did the tattoos, she was amazing and funny to chat with as she stabbed me a few thousand times adding ink to my thigh. Will definitely return! read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Love my tattoo. Highly recommend. Flex has a cool vibe, and does amazing work. Takes his time, price is reasonable, and quality is top notch. read more

My husband and I had such an amazing time there today. It was his first tattoo and Chloe did an amazing job especially making him feel comfortable!! I had the pleasure of having Josh do my tattoo and he did a phenomenal job. So much so I had him touchup an old tattoo which came out better than the original. Highly recommend them for all of your tattoo needs. The shop is very clean and top notch service. I will be getting me next tattoo from here! read more

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First time coming here and i wanted to get a cover up or fix of a previous tattoo that i had and this place had really great reviews.. the vibe was awesome as well. Flex did an amazing job and i couldn't be more happy with the results read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Great experience. My wife and I made our appointments from out of state to get tattooed during a visit. Josh and Chloe were great! We were both happy with the results. I would definitely recommend and would go back given the opportunity. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - My tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Chloe was amazing with incredible attention to detail. Clean studio, great communication, and the tattoo turned out better than I hoped. Highly recommend this place while in NOLA! read more

In town for a convention with my bff and went to Idle Hands, Flex was amazing-very patient, easy to talk to, made sure we liked what he did. Shop was clean and inviting. Would recommend without reservations to anyone considering getting a tattoo! read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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I love Idle Hands; it is my go-to for ink. I started a tradition of getting a tattoo every time I go to Mardi Gras. When I discovered Idle Hands, I knew this is the only parlour where I will ever get future tattoos. There is no artist like Flex. My last tattoo proves that. His creativity and talent knows no equal. He helped me understand the placement of this tattoo, even though I'd envisioned it differently...and he was right. He also helped pick out a font for the lettering, explaining why the one I'd chosen wasn't the best. Listen to him. He knows best. I hated having to skip a Mardi Gras and a new tattoo in 2021. One of the best parts of every year is visiting NOLA for Carnival and the artwork I get on my body serves as a permanent reminder, especially during hard times, like the pandemic. Covid changed everyone, and NOLA was no different. The vibe in the shop was just a smidge more serious. Flex seemed a little more quiet. Maybe I was wrong about that, but he definitely seemed a little more serious. This doesn't mean he was any less friendly or professional. I just felt the effects of the pandemic here as I did in most of New Orleans. It just shows how much we were all decimated by something we've never seen in our lifetime, which actually made this 2022 tattoo mean even more to me. It was like a small, colourful reminder of hope and beginning to return to normal. Flex always asks how the pain level is. I have a pretty high tolerance but definitely appreciate his concern for his customer. My tattoo this year was a tribute to my favorite band, Lord Huron, and one of my favorite lyrics in their song "Love Like Ghosts." This pandemic made me feel like a ghost at times, and I wanted to capture that feeling. Please, keep in mind when you see the picture that Flex completely re-imagined my idea and made it so much better, AND that the incredible dress on that ghost was his complete idea and artistic creativity. I've never received so many compliments on a tattoo. I've had countless people ask me who inked my tattoo and comment on how gorgeous the art is. Every time I look at it, I think of this Mardi Gras--so wonderful after being denied a year of it--and the talent Flex embodies. If you want a truly special tattoo, Idle Hands is the place for you. I won't go anywhere else. read more

First ink in my new home town and I couldn't be happier. Chose Josh based on his amazing portfolio on Instagram (@joshcorlin_tattoo_art). After discussing what I had in mind I scheduled consultation and arrived to find he had already created a template and had some reference images for me to look through. Scheduled an appointment for the work and had great communication during the weeks leading up to it. Josh had great reverence for my idea and offered valuable insight which made it feel more collaborative which I believe is the sign of a true artist. The sitting went very well and I left there feeling like Josh was almost as happy about the finished product as I am. Now that I have a trustworthy "ink-man" here in NOLA, I have to start thinking about my next piece. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Mr Roboto - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Kind of an odd story as to how we even ended up here! We went to NOLA for our first time last month and absolutely fell in LOVE. After spending a few days in the French Quarter, we decided to venture out to the Garden District. No actual destination in mind. Just took a Lyft to a little cafe that had our daughter's name on it and figured we would just start wandering around from there. Upon exiting the vehicle, the driver says "good luck with your tattoo!" We looked up. Didn't correct him. Looked at each other and said "well I guess we're getting tattoos today!" The shop was slow so they were able to take us immediately. Amber was my artist and my fiancé had Flex, I believe. They helped us come up with a design that brought to life an image that we had in our minds to remind us of our favorite state (which is New Hampshire, so we went with a sugar maple leaf), and a fleur-de-lis for New Orleans, which has now become our new favorite destination. I'm not going to lie. I was scared. This was something that we didn't think twice about or even read reviews before stumbling upon this shop. But it was meant to be! It turns out the shop gets amazing reviews and all of the artists are fantastic! Our tattoos came out exactly as we expected and we will forever have a piece of Louisiana with us. Thank you to both artists. We are beyond grateful. *Don't forget to tip! They work hard! read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Matching tattoos! This represents our love for both New Hampshire and New Orleans - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Walked in on a Saturday afternoon, 3 of us were getting small tattoos. We needed to wait about 2 hours or so, so not terrible! We all got the tattoos we wanted and they're so cute! I honestly did not feel any pain and Flex casually killed it. I'm glad I came here while I was visiting NOLA read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

My cousins and I have the same tattoos: Mardi Gras mask! We really appreciate how professional the tattoo artists treated us. I was very nervous about the pain and how the tattoo ink would react to my skin. I can honestly say it went very well. Amber was the artist who inked me. She was so gentle, kind and was very patient with me. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Mardi Gras mask - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I shopped around before settling on this shop but I already have several tats. We had Amber do our matching sister tattoos. She was great at transferring my design into reality and suggested doing some shading on our initials which made it even better. I would definitely use her again: she has a light hand and a precise talent. The shop was clean and the music great (Cuz who doesn't want to hear good blues while getting a tattoo in NOLA?!) read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Simple but perfect - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I absolutely love Idle Hands Tattoo. The hospitality is the first thing that kept us here. Josh and Amber are beautiful people and did a tremendous job on three of us. Their work is great, the integrity better. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Family NOLA mask. - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

My artist was super chill and easy going. Tattoos were painless as well. Healing very nicely. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Arm tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I went to Idle Hands a few months back to get an old tattoo reworked. I was so impressed with how good the owner Flex made the tattoo look that I decided to have him do some work around the original tattoo. I gave him so ideas of what I wanted and the end result was gorgeous. 10 out 10 would recommend Idle Hands to anyone! read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Sun tattoo with celtic knot was the orignal redone tattoo. Flex designed the bordering mermaid and cherry blossom tattoo. - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

What a fantastic place! The owner is funny and the tattoos are great. I messaged him about a week before coming to New Orleans with the ideas for our group and kinda what we were looking for and he was awesome about communicating with us and accommodating our travel schedule. Definitely get in contact with them if you are wanting a tattoo in NOLA. Did not disappoint. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Flex is the man! Just got my first (of many) decorative tats and I absolutely love it. The atmosphere of the shop is cool and relaxed with good music. I felt right at home in Flex's capable hands. Highly recommend! read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - My custom design tattooed by Flex. - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Had been thinking about getting a tattoo for a while and was visiting NOLA. Decided on a whim to get a tattoo a few hours before my flight. I was a walk in and was seen immediately. Amber was my artist and was great to talk to! She made me feel super comfortable and did a great job! Will definitely stop by on my next NOLA trip. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - tattoo of 28 on arm - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Excellent services, work, conversation. We went in a party of four and left within 90 mins. EXCELLENT all the way around. Shawn and Flex, top notch. read more

Came into town for a girls trip to celebrate my best friends' birthday. Decided that we were doing our Best friend tattoo. Amber, Chris, and Josh are so talented, kind, professional and friendly. They had all three of us in and out within 90 minutes. I'm very particular about where and who I let do my tattoos and this team did not disappoint. So impressed by how clean and thorough everyone in the shop was from our initial consultation to our aftercare walkthrough. I'll be back! Thanks Idle hands!! read more

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I spent a lot time picking the right artist in New Orleans for my tattoo. I emailed Flex several weeks ago about this tattoo. I had a picture that we made modifications to. I am extremely pleased with his rendition. I must say he was reasonably quick and painless(ish). I mean, no tattoo is painless, but overall, it wasn't painful. When I came in I noticed how clean the shop was. Ít even smelled clean. The bathroom was even clean. This was a good experience and a great remembrance from my trip to the Crescent City. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - My newest tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Amber did my tattoo and it looked okay at first but healed horribly. Going to someone else in January to fix it. Definitely don't recommend. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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My sister and I have been talking about getting tattoos together for awhile. We were visiting Nola so we decided to do it there! The first day, we went in to ask about pricing and who was available, the guy was super nice and I wish I could remember his name (we went somewhere else and they were just cold and weird). He gave us a lot of information about how to set up our appointment. We ended up booking with Shawn the following day. He was literally all smiles and full of funny noises that made you feel comfortable (it was my first tattoo). The tattoo was line work and he listened to all of requests (my sister wanted her lines thicker, I wanted some lines thicker, etc). I love my tattoo! read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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YES I would absolutely recommend this shop! We came in to get matching tattoos for my birthday. I messaged the shop owner Flex a week ago with my idea and to set up an appointment. Flex answered my message quickly and was super friendly and seemed excited to work with us. The shop was clean and comfortable, and we had such a fun evening! We worked with both Flex and Shawn and they were both great! It was just a fun relaxed (but professional) environment. 10/10 experience, we will definitely be back! Likely sooner then later! Thanks guys for helping make my birthday so special! PS - My husband asked if we could make a birthday tattoo a tradition! read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Tattoos - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I was in New Orleans on a cousins trip and we wanted to get a matching tattoo. After visiting a few tattoo parlors, we were becoming discouraged, because nothing seemed to feel right. My cousin Nicole finally decided to check Yelp and that's where we found Idle Hands. Josh and Amber's customer service was impeccable. They were informative, patient, and attentive. The next day, I realized I wasn't completely satisfied with the color of my tattoo, so I decided to go back. Flex, the owner, consulted with me, and made sure I was pleased with the shades of purple he was using. He was true to his policy and did not charge me a penny. I tried to tip him, and he refused, saying I had already paid. Can you imagine going to a business and they refuse your tip?! I highly recommend them to anyone in New Orleans looking to get a tattoo. I've been wanting to do a cover-up forever, and now I will wait until I'm in New Orleans so I can return to Idle Hands. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - This is my initial tattoo done by Josh! - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Was a walk in this morning with my friend. Visiting New Orleans and spur of the moment decided to get a tattoo. It's my first...Shawn is amazing. He squeezed us both in and did an amazing job. I had a simple phrase done on the inside of my forearm as a tribute to my recently passed dad. Shawn is calm, sweet, and very skilled. It was an amazing experience and I'm absolutely thrilled with my tattoo! read more

I just wanted to say thank you to Flex for such an amazing first tattoo experience! Ladies, He was very patient, respectful and took the time to explain each step. I've had something in mind for quite some time, but just had to work up the courage and details. While in New Orleans for a work trip, I reached out to coordinate some time and hoping to fit it in before jetting home that weekend. After emailing him a few pics, I met him in the shop the next day to iron out the details and special touches! Even better, no one knew I was getting it back home! End result- what can I say, I LOVE IT and the tattoo turned out better than I could have imagined! read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Special tribute to my 3 Sons: May they always have the Strength & Courage to shoot for the stars in this journey we call life - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Super heavy on COVID procedures which makes my at-risk heart shine. Of course, any tattoo shop should (SHOULD) be ultra clean in the first place but for what it's worth, I can recommend Idle Hands to anyone who may be having the itch for a tatt but is still feeling cautious. My artist is Josh Conlin and the man is a beast. His tattoos are so striking -- if you tell him your idea and what you want, just let him fly free with the coloring. You won't be disappointed. He has a light hand and his gun is also the most quiet I've ever heard. If you're lucky enough to be the only customer in the shop being worked on, you can almost fall asleep to the music and the quiet buzz of his gun. Stellar experience both times. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo is the best! This was my first tattoo and Flex was very thorough In making sure I was comfortable, the tattoo was in the placement I wanted and that the tattoo was what I was dreaming of. I can't wait to come back, all of the artists were so nice and talented. You have to go here!!! read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Idle Hands is the place to get a tattoo. Flex is simply an amazing artist with a great attention to the client and the vision for the tattoo. super sterile environment so no safety issues. super soft touch. i travel form ohio to new orleans just to get work by Flex. Shawn is also amazing. his lines are so clean. his imagination can drum up anything you desire. read more

Normally my Yelp reviews lean on the side of hyperbolic. Ignore my writing style and take this for what it is: unqualified praise. By way of background: (i) first tattoo, (ii) 44 years old, (iii) if you would have told my 34 year-old self I would have a tattoo in my mid-40s, I would have told you the world was ending (perhaps it is) and (iv) I had been sitting on the concept for over a year and, after consulting friends residing on multiple places on the tattoo spectrum (ranging from "I should not have gotten this dolphin tattooed on my arse 20 years ago on a Spring Break trip to Destin" to "1-4 beautiful, pre-meditated pieces" to "full sleeves on both arms" to "more tattoos on my body than places still left to tattoo on my body"), everyone agreed I was ready. I emailed Idle Hands at their primary email address, sending pictures of my concept (both as originally hand-drawn and as redone on a PowerPoint slide, because I'm that much of a dork) and received an encouraging and kind reply from artist Shawn Dubin, who also explained the shop's design deposit and COVID-19 compliance protocols. I scheduled an appointment for the upcoming Saturday afternoon. I live on Magazine one neighborhood over from the shop, so I had likely passed it 1,000 times. It always looked cool from the outside...as soon as I walked in, I knew I had found the right place: Shortly after I sat down, REM's "It's the End of the World As We Know It" started playing. Fate, right? Shawn greeted me and a friend who joined me who was also interested in a new tattoo (his sixth). He had two mock-ups of my design on his iPad, one as originally submitted, and another with a suggested design modification that I would have never thought of on my own and needed an artist's direction to appreciate. The thoughtful modification solidified my concept. As you might imagine (just because I didn't know what to expect), I was a little nervous. At every point in the process, my nervousness continued to fade. After seeing the design in stencil format on my back left shoulder in the mirror (perfectly placed), hearing Shawn's explanation of what would happen, and then laying down on the chair so that the work could begin, I was completely at ease. Shawn has a calming presence about him. Great music was playing. He knew exactly when to strike up a conversation to distract me and exactly when to let me focus on what was happening. My friend got his tattoo done contemporaneously with mine...and the banter among me, my friend, Shawn and the other two artists in the shop made me lock eyes for a moment with my friend so we could silently transmit a mutual thought: "These guys are cool." By the time the process was over, I was actually so at ease I almost fell asleep. The result: Perfect. Exactly what I had envisioned. It is now four days later and I have had zero pain or discomfort. My concept included items in small font, some with adjustments to the kerning. Shawn nailed it. I would post a picture, but one portion of the design is my daughter's birthday, so I rather not have that out on the internets. Please know that it is beautiful. And, finally, I must mention that the shop was *immaculate*. I had zero safety concerns, and they were hyper-vigilant about maintaining COVID-19 safety protocols. My friend was also extremely pleased with his design. As it heals, the colors are starting to become increasingly vibrant. In closing, everything about my experience at Idle Hands was perfect. In fact, I now want another tattoo! When I'm ready, I will be reaching out to Shawn again, for sure. read more

Great service! They got 3 of us in as walk ins, took the time to crest exactly what each of us was envisioning and did great job executing. All were very skilled and personable. read more

Where to begin? Well, Flex is so patient and really cares about his customers because even though I was a last minute walk-in he still did my arrow tattoo. He is very well-versed in New Orleans too so if you have any touristy questions while you are getting tatted this is the place to go get your tattoo. My hotel concierge recommended Idle Hands and I totally understand why. He made an arrow for me from a picture I sent him and it came out great, all the details and shading is what I needed. The location is very convenient from anywhere in New Orleans and the shop is well-lit, beautifully decorated and VERY VERY clean. In conclusion, get your tattoos here when you are in New Orleans. I will be back on my next trip to get more tattoos. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I don't completely hate my tattoo but I hated everything about my experience here. The staff member I interacted with the most (not the one tattooing me) was extremely condescending. I came in to get two words (song lyrics) on the back of my neck under my hairline -- I knew I was a walk in and expected to wait. He was trying to fit in as many people as possible before his appointment which wasn't very far off, causing a huge pileup of customers. They don't have a receptionist, so he was hurriedly trying to be the front-of-house and tattoo at the same time. The artist I was paired with did not understand me (language barrier, totally fine), so we were dependent on the first guy. He had me pick out fonts for my artist to trace -- when the words weren't nesting properly on top of each other, I asked to fix that. I also asked that they connect a few letters and make the 't' look like a 't' instead of a very looped 'l.' I was told all about how the loop is necessary in script tattoos, even when I asked that it just be replaced with a straight line. He also (in a rude way) kept saying that he could tell I was nervous, I could relax, nothing would be done without my consent, etc. I have a half sleeve and know how tattooing works. I was vocal about my likes and dislikes of the tattoo that would be permanently on my body and met with condescension. When I asked if it was straight, as I couldn't see the back of my neck and it looked somewhat crooked due to my hairline, he said "looks pretty damn straight to me." At multiple points, I wanted to leave but felt somewhat bad for the guy drawing (tracing) my tattoo since it took him a full hour to do so. I wish I had left because as cute as the design that I created was, the tattoo artist couldn't quite pull off any of the rounded letters. They also failed to take my ID or provide me with any aftercare instructions. I ended up paying $80 where I'm fairly confident that the shop minimum was $60. I tipped the artist $20 for having to deal with the total asshole who runs the shop. My friend wanted to get a sun and moon behind her ear but saw the circle and we left. We had to say no to the shop owner multiple times before he would accept that we didn't want to leave a deposit or stay. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - the circular letters are raggedy. - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

If you want a tattoo, please go here! I emailed Flex and within a few minutes he responded, gave me his number to set things up, and the next day my sister & I were able to go in. He was super accommodating and let me move around my tattoo placement a few times until I was certain. Also very reasonably priced and they take following covid precautions seriously. I will absolutely come back here for more tattoos in the future! read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Cat + wine tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Flex was a pleasure. He was professional and compassionate as I talked his ear off about why I was getting this tat. His shop was spotless and he took COVID precautions seriously. The tat itself came out flawless and thanks to his light touch with the gun I wasn't uncomfortable at all. This will be my go to place. read more

Idle Hands Tattoo Parlour - Tat - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Chloe is absolutely marvelous!!! She was professional and personable!! Took her time with me, who is a tattoo novice! I appreciated her expertise. My tattoo of the fleur de lis looks wonderful!! Thank you Chloe!!! You are great!!! read more

The staff here is absolutely wonderful! I made an appointment for 5 pm and ran very very late. Josh, the artist, was so incredibly patient and professional despite my tardiness! He took his time in mocking up the design and he was honest about the best placement and style. Flex, the owner, is a gem as well! Can't say enough about their professionalism and flexibility. read more

Flex and Chloe did an amazing job with me and my gf tats, and they were great people to speak to also the vibe was great very good energy