Got a new tattoo today. Rob Rutherford was my artist and he was fantastic. We discussed the design and went over many options, actually completely changing my original design to what we both agreed would work best for the space and get the desired effect. Shop is clean and professional. Everyone that works there is a true professional, and from seeing the pictures around the place all very talented artists. While I was getting my ink on my wife decided to get a small cross and Colby was available for a walk in and did a great job as well. If you are local and looking for some ink I recommend the place, and I also recommend to it non locals as it would be worth your time to travel to Raleigh and experience a great city and get your new ink. read more

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Rob...not great. I was disappointed in my first tattoo. He wasn't willing to do the tattoo that I came in with, "it can't be done darlin'". After talking with him I found a picture on Google that was similar to what I wanted and he said he could make that work. I explained I wanted it fine lines and small. The result was uneven and blurry lines...very disappointed. My friend has had 3 other tattoos done here and loved Lacie and Matt. I would NOT recommend Rob! read more

Phoenix Tattoo - Uneven - Tattoo Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I've tried out several tattoo shops in Raleigh over the years, but last week was my first visit to Phoenix after an initial consult with Brian. I can't say enough good things about him or my experience there. He is super talented, he listens & suggests his own ideas/recommendations, and I left with a beautiful design that I just can't stop looking at! The detail and line work is absolutely amazing. I'm already planning to go back for another visit. The shop itself is clean and comfortable and the pricing is fair. Highly recommended! read more

Love the shop! Everyone is talented in the own right however, I love Brian's work! His hand technique is perfection. I highly recommend the shop and Brian. read more

I've had two tattoos done here (so far) and I love Lacie! I felt comfortable with her and she was very good about explaining what she was doing as she was tattooing me. Lacie took the time to listen to my suggestions when I was explaining to her what I was thinking of as far as my tattoo design. I brought I sample of what I wanted and asked her to tweak things that I was unhappy with and add some of her artistic touches. She also didn't let me take the lead on the design ether. She made it clear that some of my ideas wouldn't work and explain in a way that I could understand why and how she could bring my idea to life. When I had the first tattoo done she was very encouraging about how I was handling the pain; which helped with the sitting a lot. She made just enough conversation to keep me comfortable without over talking. She showed me all the equipment so that I could see it was clean and in good working order. Once she was done with the tattoo she explained to me in detail how to care for it and then gave me a sheet repeating what she had said. She also gave me a small care package with a sampler of lotion and after care protectant. Lacie also did my touch up for my tattoo a few months later and told me if I had any fading to come back and she would touch it up again for free. She takes pride in her work and wants everyone who wears her tattoos to wear them with pride. She is a special lady and tattoo artist; I would recommend her to anyone. read more

I have never been happier than when I got my tattoo done here. From the time I walked in to look at designs, scheduled my appointment, got the tattoo, everything, just amazing. I came in having a vague idea of what I wanted, and they helped me really get the idea down. The day of my appointment I was called in to work and so I called to let them know I wasn't going to make it, but they said to just come in when I could, after work. Steve was my guy, and let me tell you, he is awesome. The man does some really solid work. He made a few suggestions on my design so that it didn't look weird (star placement made the wording look a bit odd the way I had it), then we got down to business. The rates are great, the work is great, and anytime someone tells me they're thinking about getting a tattoo, I tell them to call Phoenix. All the artists are amazing and have done pieces for several of my friends, which came out stellar. I can't wait to go back. read more

The more I look at it, which is many times throughout the day since it's right up front, the more upset I get. The crappy thing is, just like when you go to a hair salon and they jack up your hair you don't want to go back to the same salon to have them fix it because they will probably make it worse, I have to find somewhere else to fix it and pay more money. Huge disappointment, especially because I was so damn excited about getting my baby boys birthday tattooed on me. Maybe they are better at bigger projects but not the small detailed stuff. If you look at the picture you can see how uneven all the lines are and how the line thickness varies. Totally sucks. read more

Phoenix Tattoo - It's unfortunate but this looks like crap and even worse it's my first born son's birthday front and center on my collar bone. - Tattoo Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I had a great experience here and keep going back. I've probably sat in Lacie's chair over 40 hours at this point. I've seen a lot of the work from Brian, Sam, and Paul, and I wouldn't hesitate to have work done by any of them. read more

Sam did my first tattoo! It was super simple and frankly he is so talented that this must have been a walk in the park! But he made me feel so important, helped me through the process, and ultimately delivered exactly what I wanted!! I feel like giving that kind of service to a small customer shows that this place is the real deal. If (when) I get a bigger piece I will definitely go here!!! read more

Both me and husband,went here to get a tattoo yesterday. I am highly impressed, I knew what I wanted however my husband didn't, usually you give them your ideal and it takes a few days to sketch it up however; Richard went to town with a sketch, and my husband loved it, and then he amazed us even more with the finished product. I knew what I wanted, Ryan did mine and he did an awesome job as well. Definitely will be going back. read more

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I went into Phoenix with high hopes, especially since it was my first tattoo, and they delivered! Everyone there was very friendly and Ryan does FANTASTIC line work; he gave me a nice quote too! I can't wait to have my next one done by him! read more

Phoenix Tattoo - Saxophone fingering diagram by Ryan. - Tattoo Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Lacie filled in a back piece that I had gotten outlined a year prior by another artist. She was very attentive in hearing what look I wanted and communicated well back to me what she had taken from my instruction. She was courteous, fast, and talented - checking in regularly to make sure I was comfortable and whether I liked how it was progressing. Would definitely work with her again! read more

Wandered in on Tuesday and met Sam Guin. After we discussed what I wanted, I made an appointment to come back Thursday night. Sam is a true artist- he listened to what I wanted and worked with me to make sure I was happy every step of the way. He was amazingly fast for the level of detail in his work. Not only that, but everyone in the shop was welcoming and friendly and I honestly had a really great time spending a few hours there! It was just like hanging with my friends, with the added bonus of leaving with a beautiful custom piece of art on my leg. I would highly recommend this shop to anyone. Great work, great atmosphere and GREAT people. Thank you for putting up with my whining and keeping me smiling the whole time- you made my night with so much laughter and made my week with this beautiful tattoo!! You guys are the best!! read more

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My friend and I were in town for Hopscotch and really wanted to get tattoos. This shop had good reviews so we walked in and Lacie blew my mind! She was so friendly and sweet and insanely talented! We both had ideas of what we wanted, but she took those ideas and patiently turned them into awesome tattoos. Can't say enough great things about this place! read more

Phoenix Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I got my first tattoo here in April 2009, a larger piece in between my shoulder blades using black ink. I initially dropped in a week prior to when I wanted my tattoo done and brought in a rough sketch and some google images related to size and placement. I spoke with a younger guy who took down my info and made a rough sketch, took a small cash deposit, and made an appointment for me. When I came back for my appointment, the notes and rough sketch had been mis-placed, so I essentially started all over in describing what I wanted, this time without my notes and photos for reference. I was a bit frazzled from this, but my artist was able to understand the design I had in mind and drew me a good stencil. The tattooing experience was rough, to say the least. My artist was very heavy handed and didn't make conversation with me during the hour and a half he tattooed me. There wasn't a television screen or loud music to district me either; so this made my unpleasant experience seem to drag on and on. I would have liked to have been asked if I needed a break (at one point I started crying) but I was afraid to move or talk much. After I was finished, I paid and tipped my artist, and received a pamphlet with aftercare instructions...but I don't recall being asked if I liked my work or to call them if I had any questions in regard to healing. My tattoo bleed for a little over a week, every time I took a shower or changed the bandage. I was absolutely satisfied with the look of my tattoo, but the shop and experience seemed rather cold to me. The pain and weird healing process of my first tattoo scared me away from getting additional work for another three years. I now have three tattoos and my experience with the other two (my feet) were vastly different; I felt very comfortable, made small talk, got to chose something on Netflix, and was invited back to see my healing process and take photos. Like I said, my work was great but my experience was uncomfortable and impersonal, which may or may not be important to you and the kind of work and experience you want. read more

I've been tattooed at multiple shops in Raleigh and have enjoyed my experiences and work at all of them. With that said, Brian Harris is my go-to tattooer. Brian has been tattooing me for 10 years now and has tattooed me for over 75 hours. He is professional, polite, artistic & super solid. I can't recommend him enough. He worked at a street shop for years so he's highly capable of tattooing any style - Japanese, traditional, new school, tribal, etc. His versatility is only one of his many strengths. I'm a huge fan of his work and dedication to the craft of tattooing and can't recommend him enough. read more

Went to get a very simple tattoo. When I first got there and explained my idea and the specifics of the - again, very simple - tattoo, I was surprised to notice the amount of exasperation and frustration the artist expressed. It was like he thought I was being unreasonable because I had some specific things in mind, things that - as a person who has multiple tattoos, one of which is very detailed - I knew should be no problem to accommodate. As he sketched it all out, I noticed he was almost assuredly bad talking me and my idea and how "difficult" I was being. (I'm telling you... I know difficult tattoo customers. I understand the process and the abilities of tattoo artists. I understand that certain things will not work for a tattoo and I made sure to rule those things out before even making an appointment. ALL of the things I wanted were 100% within reason.) When he called me up to his station to get my stencil put on, it became a game of how "difficult" I was being about the placement. Never in my tattooing experience have I ever seen an artist so frustrated that he had to redo it a couple times. I've had artists redo it THEMSELVES because they realized it didn't look quite right. I mean? I was ridiculous. Finally, the stencil was squared away, and the tattooing started. It took about 5-7 minutes it was such a simple tattoo. All of this fuss for an easy five-minute $60 tattoo. After the tattoo was done, I had to ask for a bandage to be put on because he thought I didn't need one because of the size of the tattoo. (#1, putting a new tattoo directly in sunlight can fade the ink out significantly and #2, I could see the blood/body fluid through the bandage on the car ride back home. Why he thought I didn't need a bandage is a mystery to me.) THEN, when paying for the tattoo, I realized on the way home that they didn't take into account my deposit! I paid more than I should have (PLUS a tip!) for an undeniably crappy experience. To end off the travesty, I can't even look in the mirror because my tattoo isn't even spaced how I wanted, the lines are crooked, and to be frank I look like I've been tattooed by an amateur in a basement. I've already looked into removal so I can go to an artist I TRUST (Halley at 2SpiritTattoo in San Francisco, CA) to do the EXACT SAME DESIGN. Only well done. And I KNOW she won't act like such a douchebag about my design and my placement. The artist was a guest artist they bring in every once in a while. To be fair, I don't know how any of the main artists do their work, but I would not consider going in at all if this is the type of service they allow into their shop. read more

Sam was awesome! It was my first tattoo and he made me feel totally comfortable. The shop was neat and clean as well. Highly recommend and will be back!! read more

Hayden Abernathy rocks! She did a great job drawing & tattooing my idea for the start of my sleeve. She is super friendly & hilarious. The shop set up is clean & welcoming. Cant wait to finish this first piece & I will definitely be getting more! read more

Phoneix was the first tattoo shop I went to, to get my first tattoo. The people are all chill and like to have a good time. Don't expect to get a walk-in appointment just walking through the door. They are all good artist and most of them get booked pretty quick. My advice is schedule ahead. I waited a couple weeks and it was worth it my tattoo still looks great no fade or anything I love this place read more

Rob did both me and my sons tattoos. I was pretty disappointed with mine and my sons was ok, because of the type of tattoo it was, the line work didn't matter as much. I would not recommend nor go back to him. His line work is pretty rough. I am assuming he just doesn't have a steady hand. The other artists looked like they were putting out some decent work. I just got unlucky.. :(. Sucks. read more

Don't go to Paul if you are interesting in a small/dainty tattoo. He insists that small tattoos with any kind of design need to be bigger so the ink doesn't blend together in several years. However, even after changing my design to one with just straight lines, and repeating "small" several times, he pushed to make it larger. I reluctantly to the actual tattoo size, but did not realize he was going to use such bold lines. Someone mentioned that it looks like maybe he messed up and made the lines bolder to cover it up. Overall, the tattoo is way too big and way too bold and not at all what I wanted. Looking into removal. read more

I got my second and third tattoos at Phoenix Tattoo. The shop was referred to me as was a certain artist, whom I did not choose. I went to the website and reviewed the portfolios of all the artists and without a doubt I knew it had to be Rob Rutherford. There was a truth about him as a person that shows in his work. The first tattoo he did was simple but he was still able to give it flair. The second tattoo Rob did was a hummingbird and hibiscus. People have actually stopped me and taken pictures of that tattoo. It was placed over scars which were somewhat sensitive, instinctively Rob was able to work so gently on those areas that I about fell asleep. Rob is patient, meticulous, very fairly priced and unbelievably talented. read more

I was very nervous getting my first tattoo but this place and especially Paul were as awesome as anything. I gave Paul the idea of what I wanted and he came up with an amazing design. He then walked me through the process and was constantly checking in with me to see how I was doing. He answered any question I had and kept me calm through the entire tattoo. I will definitely return here for my next tattoo. read more