Purple Panther is a humble place on 7th street. Nothing's fancy about it but you're here for a tattoo, not frills and thrills right? I've had a tattoo done by Kadriya back in 2021, when I first interacted with her. She was patient and kind and cool - just all around good vibes. Now, fast forward to 2024 when I'm ready for a new piece of ink. So Kadriya came top-of-mind for me. Again, same pleasant experience as I had in 2021. She took her time ensuring the proper placement and was super attentive and patient throughout the process. Once we were set, she got to work quickly and beautifully - the actually tattoo of a 6" line and a smaller line underneath took 30-40 mins. Clean, neat lines. Check out the photos to see for yourself. TBH, I don't understand the bad reviews for her. I can't say those were any of my experiences with her. Her pricing is completely reasonable. If you're looking to pay cheap, then you'll get a cheap tattoo and if you're cool with a cheap tattoo that's permanent...well, more power to you. I had a great experience here. Don't let other people and perhaps their bad day deter you from a great artist! read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - Clean lines - done by Kadriya - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Been dying to get an orca for the longest time and Melina hooked me up with one. Great place and price to get tatted with friendly staff and a chill vibe. read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - Orca! - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

the nicest artists!!! they made me feel so comfortable when i got a little lightheaded. also the prices and work are great! this is going to be our regular spot now! read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - Friday the 13th! - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I had the pleasure to be tattooed by Melina and will definitely come back due to her great customer service. Her work is gorgeous and I truly do appreciate her kindness! read more

Came here for the Friday the 13th sale and I absolutely loved the little tattoo I got! Truvillainy was awesome.

Graham is the bomb. I've gotten two tattoos from him now and I have no complaints. First one on my back I got 1 year ago and just got a new one today - a year later. Always pleasant - and graham really works with you to make sure your tattoo is exactly what you want. I would definitely recommend graham and I will definitely be back for another tattoo when I'm in LA! read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Graham is professional and friendly, the shop is clean, metered parking is easy enough to find. Graham is a super talented artist, I got a fairly large flash piece, done in maybe 30 minutes. I was in and out of there in maybe an hour. If you've ever had a tattoo, you know how unusual this is. Normally your appointment is at 2pm, someone notices you at 2:15, you sign paperwork for another 15 minutes, and then the artist spends another 15 minutes setting up before even talking to you. Not with Graham, he was ready to go and made me feel like my time was valuable - a rare trait for tattoo shops in LA. I love my tattoo. He looks awesome and I will absolutely be back and e recommending everyone I know here. Thanks again! read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - Boxing rat, by Graham Chaffee - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Thank you Graham for not only a great birthday tattoo but for being a friendly and patient human. Your kindness truly made our day. She loves the art. We will see you again soon if we are lucky enough. read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - Scotts favorite beach - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I was very happy that this shop was a walking distance to my apartment. I love my new tattoo. thank you so much gram! Will be definitely coming back. read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - My first finger tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Notable cartoonist and shop owner Graham Chaffee patiently worked with me to design a tattoo using an image of an insect I'd sent, with Edward Gorey and Japanese American twists I was impressed by his quick, intuitive draftsman skills and gentle hand as he inked. He was also lovely to talk with throughout the process. Highly recommend! read more

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Amazing experience! Stumbled on this place by accident and it is for sure my new tattoo place. Walked in and instantly got good energy. We got tatted by Kadriya and Laura and they were so sweet. Laura's custom drawing was exactly what my friend wanted and they were sooo nice!! Kadriya did my tattoo and they were so open to changing the stencil, working with my idea, and just being great. Very refreshing. Would highly recommend coming here! Overall perfect experience. read more

Graham came through super clutch! My tattoo was very simple script with a small decoration. Just my wife's name with a small crown above was all the description I came in with and he drew up exactly what I had imagined and laid it down with extremely clean straight lines and absolutely zero marks or blotches. I couldn't be happier. Not to mention it was done faster than I thought and the price was less than I thought it would be as well! read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

DO NOT COME HERE!!! Kadriya initially quoted me no more than $250 on my tattoo, ended paying $350, was charged for details I never received, she initially TRIED TO TALK ME OUT OF GETTING TATTED since she spent 4+ hours on my friend (4pm-8:30pm) which was a 2x1.5 blue butterfly. My appt was at 5pm, had a attitude and asked me if I still wanted to get tattooed, she had my design which was a butterfly with flames and processed to cut out only the butterfly from the stencil placed it on my arm, started around 9, ended after 11. Told me she doesn't think my tat needed color, I agreed since I was already over her attitude, told me to think about the flame detail once my tattoo healed, still charged me for it, and told me when I come back I wouldn't be charged extra, now she's wants me to pay more to get what I already paid for. Not to mention on my friends tat, it didn't get all the blue due to the trauma since she went went over it so many times and was bright red and still wants to charge her extra too since it's faded...fck this place don't waste your time, go somewhere else were they actually enjoy being a tattoo artist and respect their clients. read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - Our tattoos - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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When I first walked into the shop I was really nervous since it was my first time going to a tattoo shop but Koko made me feel comfortable and made me more confident as she asked me questions so I knew I had to make an appointment. They day of she was very professional and talked me through the process from the design to the bandage. I really love my tattoo and I'm definitely coming back for a second one! read more

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I came here for my first and second tattoo (all in one day) and I am in love with them!!! Graham is an amazing artist and was able to help create exactly what I wanted. The shop was clean, welcoming and overall just a great experience. Will definitely be coming back here to Graham for future tattoos!!! read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - I am so in love with my tattoo!! Graham is an amazing artist and made me feel extremely comfortable since this was my first tattoo! - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I came here wanting a tattoo and knew exactly what I wanted. The tattoo artist Graham is super cool. He was booked but was able to squeeze me in between his 2 appointments that he had. Graham is easy to deal with and gives you his opinion on what will look good. The shop is very clean. Graham is quick and thorough. The cool thing about him is if you need a touch up on your tattoo he does it for free. I will definitely be coming back to Graham read more

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The place has great reviews and I can see why, based on the tattoo my wife got right next to me. The reason I am giving a poor review is that my tattoo, which is simplistic but holds a great deal of meaning for the two of us, was not tattoed with what I consider any of the heart or expertise you would expect from an artist. As much as I would like to come back and have it fixed, i already trusted them with my body once and I can't do it again. The tattoos took less than five minutes but are represented on our bodies for a lifetime. I won't mention names, the owner can address his staff how he pleases. See photo. read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - Zoom in on the number 2 if you aren't sure what I am talking about. - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

First time getting a tattoo? Tuesday night called in at 11:30pm got there 15 min before closing time. I could not have asked for a better person to do my first time tattoo. Ace was so informative and most of all super down to earth and just plain nice to talk to! I was scared I was going to end up showing up and greeted by a stuck up artist or staff. NOT AT ALL! Ace took the time to explain the process and really just made me feel comfortable. Once the stencil was placed I was ready to be tatted! The entire tattoo process took about 10 min, I believe. Ace explained that he would start off slow, so I would have an idea of what the feeling would be like. It feels like a continuous tingle and thats about it. No pain at all. Once done he explained after care and we were all done! Thank you ACE for making my first tattoo experience awesome and most of all welcoming! Will totally come back to Purple Panther! read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - Thanks ACE! - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I've had three tattoos done here by Graham & Kadriya & they're both AMAZING. I'm someone who gets really intimidated by tattoo artists but they are both easy to work with and so approachable; they take changes well and often come with multiple designs so you can pick your favorite. You can tell they tattoo because they love it and love seeing people's reactions. They're also super reasonably priced and take walk-ins. Great to work with, legitimately one of my favorite tattoo shops. read more

Went here with a friend and we were the only ones there and they were so rude to us. Maybe it was because she was being a little silly and very indecisive but it was her second tattoo and still nervous about it. She knew that she wanted stars tattooed on her foot but wasn't sure if she should get them colored in or just in black. A few stars.. a few dots.. i believe she paid the minimum which was $75. Either way she was happy with it until it started to fade.. now she needs to go get it retouched and it just looks like someone drew on her foot and it's washing away. read more

A wonderful shop with some very talented as well as genuinely courteous staff members. What I enjoyed most about this parlor is the lack of attitude. A quality which is too commonly found within this particular counter-culture. Hats off to all the individuals at Purple Panther Tattoo and major props for your humility in a town full of arrogance. Highly recommended. read more

Graham is just incredible. I first came to him about a year ago with my mom, a good friend, and a sketch in hand. He was able to take my pencil drawing of a duck and translate it into a tattoo with such amazing skill. I am always getting compliments on the quality of my tattoo, the delicacy of the line work, and the way he was able to capture the pencil sketch style. A few days ago, I returned to get touch-ups to this tattoo and a couple small other ones. He remembered me right away, and was able to pull up a photo of the original tattoo quickly on his iPad. As an artist myself, I really appreciate his ability to translate my work into a beautiful tattoo. It's exactly what I wanted and more! read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

TATTOO REVIEW Overcharging everybody !!!! Drink while tattoo is put on your skin !!!! 150.00 per hour just to black out Old tattoo with no design !!!! Thank god my brother is attorney and payment was with credit card , which will be disputed !!! And they will go to court and will spend money to retain attorney !!!! Soon very Soon !!!! It happened on 4/4/18 by the first of next month They will have to answer to judge !!!!! What ever you needs are please PLEASE !!!! Avoid this place it hasn't been cleaned since they opened in 1991 !!!! Nasty !!!!! Dirty !!!! The smell is indescribable This place is a junk yard !!!! They haven't-cleaned the Nidles before and in the middle-of work !!! I can say lot's of more but no one in Hollywood charged $ 300.00 to cover up with black ink tattoo 3 inches by 3 inches !!! Crooks they sit there all day doing nothing and then get a stupid fish like me and hit my credit card for $ 300.00 Well not this time !!!!! Ace is the alcoholic who robbed me !!! My email is delta2bravo@gmail.com But you never reply any way !!! You to chicken to do that !!! I will dispute every penny you have stolen from me and i Work very hard for the money you made in one hour and 22 minutes with one needle which you never change or clean !!! You never even washed your Hands !!!! So unprofessional !!!!! read more

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I made an appointment to see Koko at 5pm today. I showed up on time and she was still working on someone. I waited until 545pm for her to finish. Then she went to draw up my tattoo. At 630pm after patiently waiting an hour and a half after the appointment was supposed to start she came to tell me another client was coming in at 630pm to get a tattoo. Why would you schedule me if you didn't have time? I could have booked with someone else if you didn't have time. I wasted my whole day and time waiting to get this tattoo just for her to tell me she couldn't do it. That was so disrespectful and a huge waste of my time. read more

Coming back again for another Tattoo by Graham. It's like hair stylist, dentist and doctor. Finding a great Tattoo artist is not easy, so glad I have found the best guy in LA. The shop location is convenient, there is parking lot in the back of the shop. Graham is very professional, not pushy at all, patient and easy to talk to. Compare to other shops in Hollywood, his rate is very reasonable. He is also very clear about the pricing before he starts his work. Highly recommended. read more

This was my first tattoo experience and so I knew to expect pain and it really wasn't too bad. Graham let us have breaks and made sure we were doing good with the pain. I will say it was very hot as it's not air conditioned and as my tattoo has healed I am seeing a part of the tattoo that's not filled correctly and a couple of the dots that have bled under the skin so it's not a super clean don't but other than that everything was great. I really love my tattoo nonetheless read more

Lady said we could get tattoos.. did the sketch and later told us, "sorry I have an appointment in 30 minutes.. it'll be 2 hours until I can do your quarter size tattoo." Wasted so much of mine and my friends time. If she would have said in the first place she couldn't do it that would have been fine! Wasting people's time is never a good look for business read more

Wow. I've been getting tattoos for 15 years and at Purple Panther I finally found an artist for life. Her name is Koko. Koko is the best artist I've yet to meet. Not only can she do photo realistic drawings, but she's a master of geometric shapes and lines. She's the most pleasant artist to sit with for hours. I love Koko and Purple Panther. You have a life time customer. read more

Purple Panther Tattoo - The first tattoo Koko at Purple Panther did for me! - Tattoo Near Me - Los Angeles, California

First tattoo! I walked into this shop, checking out various parlors and really liked the greeting I was given. They gave me all the info I wanted and sent me on my way. After checking out a few more places it seemed that this was the place for me. I returned the next day and Ace was my artist. He was fabulous. He was friendly, knowledgeable and answered all my questions. I was hardly nervous when it was show time. He was very fast and meticulous. I hardly felt a thing. It looks great and he says he does free touch ups should the color ever start to fade, etc. I would certainly get another tattoo here, if I even decide to get another one and am back in LA. read more

I read the Yelp review of Purple Panther before going there for a quick finger tattoo. I've got quite a few, including a few hand and finger tattoos. This was another finger tattoo, on top of my middle finger, next to one on top of my ring finger. That's important because of how badly it was messed up. KoKo did my tattoo, and complimented my skin on how well it holds color, as even my finger and hand tats havent faded after years. I told her that's why I like getting them, quick and easy and they're worth the effort since they stay. I sat down and she put the simple cross design on my finger, did the tattoo in about 20 seconds, and thinking I was done, I said, "great!" She told me to hang on, and then did the dot work, where a lot of artists will basically dot along the tattoo to make sure the ink stays (hand and fingers are tough, ink falls out on a lot of people, but obviously mine didn't as I've had them for years and have never needed and artist to use this method.) I was thinking she was just being extra careful, and hoped that meant I was done. Nope. She then proceeded to absolutely pummel my finger for at least another 3-5 minutes. This was literally a line tattoo, 2 lines, a simple cross on my middle finger. No shading, nothing. I was getting worried, realizing she had gone over it about 5 times at this point, and feeling my finger swell, I saw her holding the needle pretty angled also. I was really, really starting to worry. It's now been almost a week, and the ink is COMPLETELY blown out at least twice the size of the tattoo around the actual line work. there's also red all around it, and it's still swollen. For comparison, my sister got the same tattoo with me, done by Graham, who did just simply take 15 seconds, do the lines, BAM she was done. No swelling, 3 days to heal, looks great. Mine is cratered, scabbed, and absolutely terrible. I'm beyond disappointed. If there are artists inexperienced in hand, finger, head tattoos, can they just not do them until they're better? This is something that can't be hidden. It's on my hand forever. Here's to hoping it heals a little better, but as someone with MANY tattoos, i can 100% honestly say, it's the worst one i've EVER gotten by a long shot. I will never go there again and steer anyone clear. Regardless of the other work done there, anyone that would hire an inexperienced artist like this and not even monitor what she's doing on a freaking hand tat is just a shop I wouldn't trust. read more

I've been tattooed by Purple Panther artist Graham Chaffee for several years now. He was recommended by a mutual friend and I have never been anything but knocked out by the gorgeous custom work he has created for me. He is meticulous, gifted and refreshingly free from the usual rock star attitude so prevalent in the average Hollywood ink slinger A good friend of mine was looking for an artist to do some cover up work for her. Of course, I immediately thought of Graham. However, there's a catch. My friend uses a wheelchair. She suffered a spinal injury as a child and the tattoos she wanted redone were located on the tops of her feet. Because of her injury, tattooing her feet presented a special challenge. She suffers from muscle spasms in her legs, making it extremely difficult for her to keep her feet completely still. In spite of this problem, Graham agreed to work with her. The custom cover-up design he created for her was beautiful and perfect, exactly what she had imagined. Not only was he and the rest of the PP staff very kind and accommodating in dealing with her mobility issues and bathroom challenges, Graham was also amazingly calm and patient during the difficult tattooing process. Many artists would have refused to deal with someone like her, but Graham rose admirably to the challenge and did a bang up job to boot. I can't recommend Graham and Purple Panther Tattoo highly enough. read more

Koko was my tech. She was pleasant, professional and a delight. She explained everything as you did my tattoo. I was very happy with her work. read more

This place sucks. I'm happy for the people who left with what they wanted. The guy who helped me tried to impress me, and gave me my tattoos for free. I got a star on my arm and one on my hand. He couldn't trace it worth a crap. He went out of the lines, and when they were healing, parts of my arm and my hand came out (and I can show you where)! Now the one on my hand looks like a faded stamp, which is ok, but it's the result of his poor inkmanship that did it... not my request. I met a girl soon after that who was complaining about her tattoo healing- she said parts of her arm kept coming out. Sure enough, same place, same guy. I showed another tattoo artist a couple of years later, and she was furious that a parlor could be in business with that level of inadequacy. She fixed my arm, and now it's my favorite tattoo in the whole world. Every time I pass this place, I tell folks not to go there. read more

Just went to get another tattoo with Graham, who did my first tattoo. The first one was so great, I decided to stick with the same place/person. I had initially spoken to someone at Vintage Tattoo Art Parlor who was of absolutely NO help at all. When I went to see Graham, he was SO helpful with my ideas and helped me turn them into something workable. He explained EVERYTHING completely and was just very considerate in general. I love love LOVE my new tattoo and I get at least one compliment on it a day. Seriously, come here if you want someone to actually help you with your tattoo idea and do brilliant work. read more

I am visiting from San Francisco and am celebrating an anniversary this week (yesterday), so I messaged several tattoo parlors in Los Angeles and Graham was the first to answer! Not only brief, precise, and to the point in his reply, he seemed like he knew what he is talking about especially when I read the amazing reviews about him on here! I showed up after the store opened and noticed him outside smoking a cigarette reading a book while dressed with tattoos and I knew that this is the type of guy I want to give me my first tattoo. Graham is patient, understanding, professional, and very empathetic that not only did I feel that for the price, the great work he did, he is just someone that I was able to bond with being a stranger in Los Angeles visiting from San Francisco. I highly recommend Graham as your next tattoo artist because he can connect with you to learn what you want, make it happen in a reasonable amount of time and have a great outcome, but most of all make you feel like you just made a new friend. read more

I was visiting some friends in L.A. back in mid 2001, it was my next to last day there and one of them suggested getting tattooed as a "souvenir" of sorts to remember the trip. I was just 18, only had two very small tattoos, but thought what the hell, let's do it! We showed up around 8pm, the artists were busy so we hung around for a bit. Around 9pm, we were finally meeting our artists, Graham and Ace, I got Graham, I showed him what I wanted and he said "No problem" he took off, made a stencil and we were in business. I had decided on a rather large dragon design for my calf. We were done around midnight, maybe a little later, poor Graham had been tattooing all day and was so tired but I appreciated the fact that he powered through and got it done. The colors are great, after 14 years they're still pretty bright and vibrant. Every summer I get compliments and comments on the brightness of the colors. Everyone was really nice. Their work is good quality. I'd definitely recommend Purple Panther Tattoo. read more

I found Graham after an extensive internet search, I can't tell you how many photos I looked at, scrutinizing the line work. I had a Celtic that had done years ago, and had been allergic to the ink. There was extensive scaring and it had faded away.The original was very complex with a fine needle and extensive knotwork. Graham's pictures revealed a steady hand and attention to detail. Just what I needed to resurrect my design. I emailed Graham with some photos, and he asked me to come in. He spent a lot of time with me discussing how to fix it, even drawing on me with a fine point pen to show me how it would look. He did a beautiful job, using a fine needle and a light touch. A month later, I came back in for some touch ups (scar tissue doesn't always hold ink so well) and he spent over an hour on it, retracing every line and knot. When it healed, it looked perfect. My friends couldn't believe the transformation. So I returned to Graham for my next one. I had been thinking about it for at least 10 years, but never found an artist I could trust with it. It was a full back piece, a large tree covering my back and twisting around my ribs and chest. Graham drew it freehand with a sharpie first. He fit it to the contours of my body, and kept drawing and revising until it looked the way we both envisioned. This took hours, but he never pushed me in any direction or became impatient. Because I had to be topless for the work, he worked with me in a private room and he was totally respectful and professional. It took a few sittings to finish the detail work, but I couldn't be happier. Everyone who has seen it is blown away by how beautiful, organic and unique it is. Graham is an amazing artist.I would never trust anyone else. As for the shop, I really liked the vibe. Interesting artwork and old scientific drawings on the walls. Cool indie music playing overhead. I kept asking "who is this?" So not only did I get two amazing tattoos, my musical horizons were broadened as well! read more

This shop is a beacon of niceness, cleanliness, and quality work in a sea full of tattoo shops with snobby attitudes and technically poor work. read more

I used to live down the street from Purple Panther, and one night I stopped in and got a dragon tattoo done. I was a lot younger than, but I didn't get a good vibe. Half-way through, the tattooer started complaining about how many scales were on the dragon. I'm happy with the dragon, but didn't like the energy associated with it. I came back a little while ago thinking that I'd like to get another tattoo around my stomach area. I thought, "ok, I have one from these guys, and I'll give them a shot again." When I walked in, the guy at the front (someone with dreds) was completely unfriendly and not helpful. When I asked him for some ideas, he said he doesn't give ideas out to people he doesn't know. Dude, that's your job. That's why I'm there...to get you to consult. Some woman comes out from back, looks at the design I had and then walks into the back without a word or any help. We were the only 2 customers in the shop. I had the sense the guy was more interested in his computer than helping us out. This shop has a bad vibe, not good energy. Tattooers are not helpful, kind of snobby, and I didn't get the sense they wanted to do any work. Save yourself the humiliation and skip this place. read more

After reading reviews I was excited to visit Purple Panther. I'm from Toronto and was visting my brother in LA. Unfortunately, huge let down and advise no one to waste their time and money going here. Service was awful, the owner Graham tattooed myself and my two brothers. He was unfriendly and frankly seemed as if he did not give a shit we were there paying him. Aside from the service, it has been a month and a half since tattooed, and it has healed horribly. All 3 of us are having the same problem, tattoo looking faded as ever. It looks as if though I have had my tattoo for years. I will now have to go to a new shop and pay to have it touched up. To make matters worse, this was a very simple and small tattoo. read more