I've always had a great experience at Rising Tide. Phil has done two pieces for me so far, a portrait of my dog and a nurse shark with coral, and both turned out awesome. If you're looking for a classic tattoo shop with talented artists, this is the place. Great conversation, great music, and great vibes. Phil knocks out work quickly without sacrificing quality, and the tattoos heal well and hold up over time. Definitely the spot in Boulder to go for traditional style tattoos, flash and custom work. Fair pricing, solid designs, and artists that know what makes a good tattoo. I'll definitely be back for more. Highly recommend read more

EVERYTHING WENT FANTASTICAL. there were a lot of bad reviews from 5+ years ago that made me skeptical. But I'd say the newer reviews are accurate and I loved my time there with phill he was super cool and patient. Love the work definitely going back. read more

Definitely overpriced. Paid $300+ for three TINY tattoos. And tattoo artist would not make the sketch smaller when I requested it. Definitely disappointed to say the least. Paid way too much. read more

Rising Tide Tattoo Emporium - Tattoo Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

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i got a small fine line tattoo here for the store minimum ($100). i thought matt was helpful with the placement and designs since I was a little unsure of the direction I wanted it in. They have a super cute shop and I would totally go back! read more

Rising Tide Tattoo Emporium - Tattoo Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Super chill vibes. Got a flash tattoo today and I love it. Quick to help and didn't have to wait. If I ever return to Boulder (I live in CA) then I'll definitely go here to get another tattoo. read more

Everything about Rising Tide is first rate - especially Artist Darren. A perfect & beautiful owl

I brought my daughter in today for her first tattoo. Darren was very nice, friendly, and professional. The tattoo came out great!

Darren is AMAZING!!! Thank you for this gorgeous ink. It exceeded all of my expectations. Darren was super patient and worked with me on the painstaking process of getting the design "just right" with multiple iterations and recommendations. I had several crappy self-drawn sketches and internet images of Mt Yale and thr Colorado blue spruce to weave into the "tree of life" sacred geometry. I've had lots of other flash tatts, but waiting through the consult and booking is worth it when it's a large piece. I love wearing ink art and can't wait to go back to Darren again for a new idea. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! read more

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Extremely disappointed by both Taryn McElvany @tarynmce_tattoo and the Rising Tide Tattoo shop owner Phill Bartell . The palm tattooes on both palms from Taryn literally disappeared after 3.5 weeks because she doesn't understand the palm skin is thicker and she needed to go deeper. I have other palm tattoos with red, green, light blue, light green that stayed fine for years. Taryn wiggled her way out of redoing the tattooes. When I contacted Phil the shop owner, he was super rude saying he will redo them in black even though my color of choice was a brown. Then they both stopped responding. read more

Went in for a consultation for my first ever tattoo, not small, but basically a 1/4 sleeve. Did the consultation, he seemed pretty bored the whole time we discussed what I wanted. Got an appointment for the tattoo. Tattoo artist said he would have a sketch in a few days. I called a few times a week later and heard nothing back. Wasted my deposit. Never heard anything or got a sketch. read more

Amazing clean shop with the right Vibes. Mark tattooed my elbow and he took his time to work up a great drawing and place the stencil perfectly. It turned out better than I could have imagined and he was easy to be around for a longer session. Overall great experience and I can't wait until this craziness ends so I can get back in there. read more

Rising Tide Tattoo Emporium - Tattoo Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

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My very first tattoo - had read all the general on-line horror stories about peeling, crusting, oozing, etc. but took a deep breath and in less than 5 minutes I was done. Followed their instructions on care, and there was NO peeling, NO crusting, NO oozing, etc. Very very happy with the results and the professionalism of Rising Tide. read more

Got my first tattoo of all time here by Mark. Let me just say THANK YOU!! I am extremely faint around needles and anything like that, so when I was feeling sick, Mark did the tattoo for me laying down which I know wasn't ideal but I can't say how much I appreciated it! I felt great the rest of the time. My tattoo is more perfect than I could've ever dreamed of, thanks to the suggestions by Mark and his custom take on my design. The shop was so calming and beautiful. I will be back when I come to visit boulder! read more

Rising Tide Tattoo Emporium - Mountain tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Rising Tide absolutely deserves it's 5 star rating. I've been to several tattoo parlors, and this place is the best. First, all the people are welcoming: The artists, the person working the desk if you walk in, or if you call on the phone. Tattoo shops can be intimidating, especially if it's your first tattoo, but hat is not at all the vibe Rising Tide gives out. Most importantly, the artists are great. Phil has to be one of the best in Colorado, and he's a nice guy too. The only complaints I can think of for this shop are that you'll probably wait (both to get your tattoo scheduled, and things are often not running totally on time even when you have a set appointment), and Rising Tide is by no means cheap. But you get what you pay for, and it is worth it. read more

Awesome tattoo shop, the staff was super nice and it was a comfortable place to get tattooed. Stevie Mccool did mine and it was perfect. i highly recommend rising tide. read more

Danny did an amazing job on our tattoos. We were last minute walk ins and he rocked them! Professional, clean, and amazingly nice. I would recommend this place over and over again. read more

Rising Tide Tattoo Emporium - Tattoo Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

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This is a shop with INTEGRITY!! I had an appointment pushed back because the artist (Dana) wanted to make sure she was able to do a QUALITY piece above all else. For something that is going to be on me for the rest of my life, I would rather wait than force something that isn't up to snuff. A lesser artist would just wing it, and take the money... it's this level of professionalism that keeps me coming back. I have had work done from 3 artists at this place, and not only are they all amazing works of art, but they have always treated me with a lot of respect and dignity. read more

Not a reflection of their tattoo work because I didn't end up getting inked, but super rude receptionist to the point I won't be coming back because I've never had someone be so unresponsive and just blankly stare at me when I came in for my appointment that apparently wasn't actually scheduled?? Correct me if I'm wrong, but calling ahead and booking an appointment doesn't count as a "walk-in", which she could not stop trying to educate me about! Honestly this place seemed dope and when I'm less pissed maybe I'll delete this but for now she has got to go that was obscene. read more

I am so happy with my experience at Rising Tide! A friend and I walked in, and the artists were ready to help us almost immediately. They both spent so much time making sure they got what we wanted exactly right. My tattoo came out beautifully, and I am so happy with the detail and care that the artist spent on it. read more

Such a nice shop... really helpful and kind employees! Stevie Jean did a wonderful piece on me today and was absolutely great to be around. Her linework is so clean and steady she can make any idea you may have into a great tattoo. Will definitely be returning for future pieces! Thanks again Stevie! read more

Mo has been tattooing me for about 15 years across two states. She's an amazing artist, tattooer, and all around human. My tattoos heal super fast and well because she uses Sandiderm film and I get complements on her work ALL THE TIME. Go see Mo! read more

Agreed! Phil is by far the best Tattooist in Boulder. not to mention he's a great guy, Loves his art, and helps create a warm atmosphere. Cheers guys! read more

Based on their positive reviews, I walked into Rising Tide after we lost our dog to get a portrait piece done in his memory. I was immediately impressed by the shop itself, and highly recommend Dannyboy as an artist. He's friendly, experienced, and does some truly good-quality linework and shading. I also appreciated that he didn't take forever to bang out the piece. It's fairly large (covers my entire calf), but I wasn't in there all day. I think we were done in 3 hours plus prep and after pictures. My only advice is to pre-shave the area you're getting worked on. I had some pretty awful ingrown hairs all over my calf afterwards (inside the artwork), which I was tempted to scratch during the healing process. To prevent scarring, make sure you never pick at or scratch your new piece. They recommend Aquaphore during the healing, but I switched to coconut oil after two days because it was clogging my pores like crazy. But that's aftercare details you can research on your own. THE BOTTOM LINE: Shop Cleanliness: 10/10 Helpful/Friendly Staff: 10/10 Artwork Quality: 10/10 I'm extremely happy with my piece. The portrait of my dog looks just like him, and Dannyboy really captured the personality in his eyes. He also put a fun twist on the design to incorporate my dog's pawprint. Just awesome! read more

Me and my friend got tattoos from Darren and had such an amazing experience. He has such a calm energy, created a great space for meaningful conversation, and gave really beautiful tattoos surprisingly quickly! read more

My sisters and I went to this tattoo shop while vacationing in Boulder, we all wanted matching mountain tattoos. The shop was very clean and inviting, and our tattoo artist (I forget his name, it started with an A like Alvin or Albert I believe) sat down with us to draw out the mountains we described we wanted. It was nice to have an artist take the time to make sure he was giving us what we wanted. 10/10 recommend and will definitely go back if ever back in Boulder looking for a tattoo. :) read more

Got my first real artful tattoo done by Francisco about a week ago and let me just say "WOW!" He worked with me to come up with a design that blew me away then color and shading that just made the piece a serious work of art. I got a huge forearm piece and I have gotten dozens upon dozens of compliments. Francisco has a solid art background and I felt super comfortable giving me free range with everything and I honestly couldn't be happier. This is the first piece to a full sleeve and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for it. If you are able to I would recommend him to anyone. read more

Rising Tide Tattoo Emporium - Forearm piece by Francisco - about 4 hours. Great start to the sleeve that will be. - Tattoo Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

I have been a tattoo fan for years, and am working on half-sleeves. Phil has done all of my ink. I would not let anyone else tattoo me. He is an expert in buddhist iconography, which is what I have. And he is very personable and has a relaxing energy that makes the process easier. I looked a long time before deciding to go with Rising Tide, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. I have moved from Boulder, but I am flying back to have Phil finish my left arm. read more

Rising Tide does amazing work. The shop is incredibly beautiful, and well put together. The staff is very nice and courteous, and will listen to what you want in your design as well as give artistic input. I was thrilled. Darren did my piece and I will recommend him to anyone who asks. The reason for only 4 stars and not 5 is I went in at 1pm as a walk-in. They told me to come back at 4. I came back at 3:30ish and then they told me it would be closer to 5:30-6ish. So I was just a little bummed that it took longer than I wanted, but take that with a grain of salt. Everything else, 5 stars all the way. Overall: clean, professional, and friendly shop with amazing skills and beautiful art. read more

I had some previous work performed by Billy the Kid of Scarred for Life (though Billy has since moved up to Nederland and started a new shop). I was thrilled by Billy's work, and wouldn't hesitate to go to him again. But this time around, I decided to try somewhere new, and was recommended by some friends to check out Rising Tide. The studio is comfy... they have a cool art gallery feel with unique artwork (mostly paintings) by the tattoo artists that work there, which I like because it helps solidify the role of "artist" in the studio. A friend and I went in on a Friday night and there were 3 artists there (Phil, Nick, and a visiting artist from New Jersey). After showing Nick our designs, my buddy actually ended up getting his 20 minutes later. My design was a bit larger and I wanted them to take some time tweaking it, so I made an appointment for the next day. Phil gets a lot of recognition and I have seen some of this amazing work. I actually had my black work (a large tree on my side) done by Nick, and I am absolutely happy with it. Yep, the 12 inch tall tree hurt going down my ribs, but Nick was patient and did awesome work. The price was reasonable, everything was clean, and I haven't had any issues with the tattoo (ink seeping, fading, bad lines, etc.). I have also seen some of Nick's color work and it looks awesome as well. I don't think you can go wrong here... all the guys seem to have great talent, and they can get you in pretty quickly too. I will probably be headed back soon. read more

Yesterday I went to Rising Tide to consult about a design I had for a tattoo. I had been to 3 other places in Boulder (horrible customer service at one, very opinionated at another) and finally stopped by Rising Tide. I was able to speak immediately with Phil and ultimately worked with Darren Hall. He listened to me and created EXACTLY what I wanted without having to infuse his own opinions and ego into the mix. They even played the music I requested! The studio is clean, open and cheerful and they support local artists by regularly having art openings and displaying art on the walls. I highly recommend! Love my new tattoo! read more

Really great experience! I was a walk-in for my first tattoo and everyone was very friendly and helpful, not to mention calmed my nerves. I was extremely pleased with the outcome. I plan to go back here for my next tattoo asap. read more

Had an APPOINTMENT to get 2 people tattoos. We drive 30 miles to get to our APPOINTMENT early only to find out our artist is not there. They had our phone numbers but did not give us the courtesy of a phone call. Chick at the desk acted like it was no big deal that we drove all that way for an APPOINTMENT we had and they did not honor our APPOINTMENT made days prior. The attitude of "oh well" is not how you run a business. I would have made any and all attempts to make the customer happy if it was my business. Yall have my number if there is anything that is untrue about our experience and expectations with your establishment. read more

Phil is the best! Just finished my first session, and can't believe how much I love the work. It's been 4 days and my skin is almost back to normal (enhanced by Phil's brilliance!) I would definitely recommend Rising Tide to everyone. I will post photos when the work is done. read more

Had a friend recommend this shop but warned me I might wait a while because they typically have a busy and full schedule. Went in to just get the idea on paper and get on the schedule. Ended up seeing Darren Hall and he drew up the idea and had the time for the quick 1 hour job. He did a great job and he has some great ideas for a few other projects I am working on. I would recommend this shop, they are professional, clean and are have great artists. I will be back to see Darren soon. read more

I could not be happier! I am so happy I found Darren. I was comfortable and felt that Darren understood what I wanted. I have a huge piece and every detail looks perfect. I am very picky when it comes to tattoo artists after some bad experiences so I definitely did my homework before hand. Everyone who works there was nice and the music kicked ass! Love the layout of the shop and the attention to detail was impressive.Price was reasonable considering you are getting top notch work. I recommend Darren and Rising Tide in general to anyone. Can't wait to get another tattoo here! read more

I have to say there all amazing tattoo artists!!! Both Phil and Nick did incredible work on me... Rising Tide is a very cool place to chill and get the best tattoos in Boulder... Wishing all of you great success... Howie E. read more

Went for my brothers first tattoo, the shop was clean and the people inviting and excited. Mark, the artist, worked hard to create the perfect stencil. 10/10 would recommend to a friend. read more

I am a resident of a suburb outside of Los Angeles, but have had four of my tattoos done by Phill Bartell because he is that good. I cannot say enough about his talent and creativity. He is amazing, patient, calming, an all around professional in this business. Totally, 100% worth the wait in between my ink to ensure that it will be done right by Philly B. I just wish there were more than 5 stars that I can give!!! read more

Awesome tattoo shop! I moved from the east coast last year, and have since been on the look out for a place to go in Boulder. Although I have 4 tattoos already, I'm always a little bit of a nervous customer. So I very much appreciate a shop that is welcoming and makes me feel comfortable. I called Friday afternoon to ask if they had any availability that afternoon for something small. They guy on the phone was super helpful and I made an apt for 2:30. The shop is awesome, and is also an art gallery. It has huge windows and lots of light. Everyone is so friendly and professional. (Tip: they are cash only and do not have an ATM, so come prepared!) They also have a $100 minimum. Shops I've visited in the past have a $50 minimum... But I'm telling you it's worth it. My ink looks AWESOME and perfectly don't. Their care is professional and I will definitely be back for my next. Thanks to Stevie for doing an amazing job! read more

Just got my very first tattoo and Phill transformed pain and dread into a very memorable experience. He's worth the wait and every penny.