The service was amazing. Me and my best friend went in as a walk in hoping to get a matching tattoo and they got us in quickly. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. The vibe of the shop was very chill and fun. Joey did my tattoo and he was wonderful and worked quickly. We were all chatting. Our tattoos turned out amazing, 10/10 will definitely be back when visiting Virginia Beach again! read more

Excellent! Got a great tattoo. so fun and affordable. The y were really wonderful folks

Great studio with great artists! A professional environment and a relaxed atmosphere.

Brandon always does a fantastic job. Super approachable, easy to talk to guy. Great work for a great price. It's not easy to find someone who creates art rather than just focusing on getting customers in and out. I come back to the establishment each time because the cleanliness and eye pleasing aesthetic is enjoyable each and every time. Haven't tried other artists work, even here, so maybe my opinion could be considered biased. But the work speaks for itself. You have options for classy tattoos, funny tattoos, tattoos with meaning, I mean there's really a endless list. Always greeted with welcoming energy, and little to no wait. Walk ins are welcome but I'm sure it varies with availability as well. BY THE WAY, I drew those dogs. He tattooed them exactly as I drew those dinky little rats. Love it. read more

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I started coming to Saltwater tattoo last year by the recommendation of my daughter, and it has been an awesome experience Joey Ilardi is a magnificent artist and person. He is talented tattoo artist I gave an idea of what I wanted and the rest is history he's not a tattoo artist that cuts and paste images he creates them and places them on you When your done you lnow this is an original that no one else has he completed my leg sleeve (phoniex) which is magnificent and is working on my back piece (Dragon & Tiger) traditional Japanese style. All the artists are very talented and friendly the shop is always clean and has a good vibe highly recommend them. Nelson Santiago read more

Brandon Webb consistently puts out bold, solid work. He helped bring every single one of my visions to life! His vibrant color choices and strong line work (as well as being a great human) are the reasons I went with him to do 98% of the tattoos I have on my left arm. These won't be the last pieces I have from him, but he brought my sleeve idea to life and I couldn't be happier! read more

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I'm beyond happy with how my tattoo came out. I got the flowers done at another shop but then they wanted almost $500 just for the bricks and lettering around it. I went to Salt Water and they asked for just about half of that. Everyone was really friendly and it was a nice atmosphere. The only negative thing I'd say is that there was a customer there that was having weird conversations the whole time (thankfully he didn't stay long while I was there) and it was making me feel uncomfortable. But that's not the shops fault by any means. I'll most definitely be going back for my next tattoo! read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Bricks and lettering - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

My daughter and her BFF decided to get small matching tattoos and were walk ins on a busy Memorial Day weekend and got right in. Multiple talented artists onsite. Each paid $120 which was fair pricing for the Virginia Beach area and both artists, Jerry and Mike were very professional and quick. Girls got exactly what they wanted and walked away happy! Area was safe, well lit and easy access. The guys made us feel right at home and were very nice. read more

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Started my journey for my sleeve about 2 years ago and found the perfect shop. Matt Nelson is an amazing artist and human. He's also a professional in all matters regarding tattoos. He's worked and talked with me about all of my ideas. Even if I couldn't get one or two i wanted In certain spots he helped me to find other pieces of what i liked to make work. The ones that I didn't get at that time I have other spots for them so it works out. I appreciate all his insight and opinions because I have the beSt flow for my arm. The shop atmosphere is just as amazing. I can go in for a piece and everyone has great convos and treats me with great kindness. Every artist in there is solid and I highly recommend any of their work. They also do great Japanese style as well as traditional. Most definitely the best shop for those two styles in the Hampton roads area. Prices are comparable to top shops and are super fair. My sleeves 98% done but I will continue to support Matt and this shop and recommend to any and everyone. read more

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Cash only (ATM on site). Tattoos start at $100. Clean facility, courteous staff. Pleased with my tattoo (just a ring band on my finger). read more

This place charges too much for tattoos. The artists will message you on instagram also to call you out and call you names for wanting to go to other artists. Yeah read more

We got our wedding ring tattoos done here during Covid-19. The staff was wonderful with social distancing and keeping things sanitized. For such a small tattoo, our artist worked quickly but not carelessly. We are very pleased with the healing. Pricing wasn't too bad either! We called after eloping, and they got us in the same day! Impressive! read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Finished and healing - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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My first time walking into Salt water tattoo, I wanted a birthday tattoo and was told by the guy at the front that it was not possible so I looked elsewhere. 2 months later, still looking for a birthday tattoo I returned to Salt Water. I wanted a different piece and was a walk in at the time. My walk in tattoo was with Brandon Webb and him and the tattoo turned out to be amazing! Ever since then, I've been coming to Salt Water for my traditional pieces. Their American traditional and Japanese style tattoos are honestly the best in the Hampton Roads. Brandon has been helping me build up my leg sleeve and is an awesome guy. Everybody at the shop is friendly and you get what you pay for. read more

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Great place! Walked in and Tony took the time to talk about what I wanted and made me feel so comfortable. Set me up an appointment with Matt for the next day. I had a picture of a tattoo I liked. He took the time to ask questions about what I wanted and made suggestions about the size and placement. He took my idea and drew one that was perfect. This was a memorial tattoo. My mother passed away in June. She always called me her Peter Pan and said I will never grow up. I think my tattoo is perfect! Thank you Matt! I will be back soon for another! read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Peter Pan by Matt! - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

I have gotten all of my seven tattoos done here. The artists are very talented and they have done amazing art work for me. These guys have been tattooing for over 12+ years and know their limits, hence there is a chance they will say decline a tattoo depending what it is - but I've seen them accept most walk-in tattoos. Highly recommend this place and wouldn't take my business anywhere else. read more

Thank you Tony and Joey for the great tattoos. My wife and I walked in and were greeted immediately. They listened to what we wanted and gave us great advice on how to make our visions come to life. If you are looking to get a tattoo go check them out. read more

Pretty clean and friendly people. I got my first tattoo here because of all of the good reviews, but i'm disappointed in my tattoo. The lines aren't straight and it's just messy overall. They also had a dog in the shop which was super cute but kinda unsanitary and i wasn't made aware of it before hand so if you're allergic to dogs be careful. read more

Salt Water Tattoo - tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Went in as a walk-in, excellent customer service and professional artists! Highly recommend; read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Love my tat! - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

My fiancé and I were visiting the beach and decided to randomly get matching tattoos! We called around for walk-ins and this was the only place taking them that day.. we had a great experience! the establishment was clean, the tattoo artists were friendly and we were in and out! My fiancé's artist was Brandon and he was very patient and did an amazing job. Thanks for making his first tattoo experience a great one :) read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Got another great tat. The best place in town to come. You cannot go wrong with any of the guys in this shop. Mike has done the most work on me here. read more

I've been tattooed twice by Matt Nelson. He is very talented and nice. The shop is clean and inviting. They have an ATM in the shop. read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Done by Matt - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

A nationally known and respected shop for traditional tattooing and other styles. All of the artist here produce the cleanest lines and richest colors of anyone in Virginia. I've traveled the country and these guys are some of the best. They have lots of great flash or will make a custom piece for you with a deposit down for their time to create you something one of a kind. Good tattoos aren't cheap and cheap tattoos aren't good. If you're serious about work worth being proud of, come here. Trust their artistic eyes, sit back and enjoy the process. read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Back piece by Joey - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

I have one tattoo, my husband has had all his tattoos done by Mike. My husband just recently passed away and I called in to ask if there was any way he could fit me in so I could have my husbands memorial tattoo done by someone who my husband loved his work. I explained the situation and was told to come in today at 2 Pm and he will fit me in which was amazing because he seemed very eager on the phone from what I could hear. I show up today and was turned away completely saying that since I didn't have an actual appointment he wasn't going to even try to fit me in... over a quote tattoo. My heart is absolutely shattered right now. Tattoos are good but don't expect them to keep their word. read more

Got a pretty simple lotus design with Brandon. Had a light hand and gave me breaks when we could sense me flinching and gave great conversation. Thanks for the great work it's healing great. (1st pic is 8 hours fresh, 2nd is about a week and a half later) read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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I loved my experience getting tatted by Tony, he was super nice and lovely with the process and patient with me when I was distracted by my friend and moved while I was in the chair I'll definitely be coming back for more in a few months!!!! read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Some of the best artists in the Hampton roads area. Any one of them can give you the tattoo you want and are willing to work with you. read more

Salt Water Tattoo - All tattoos seen besides the dagger are done in this shop. All credit to Brandon Webb, my artist I go to. - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Got my first tattoo done here by Trey while on vacation and had a great experience! Will be back for sure. read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Clean shop. All the guys who were in the shop were great. I would let any of them work on me. Brandon took care of me. Did a great job. Hands down this dude knows what he's doin. Won't hesitate to use him again in a couple months. Small shop. It's clean. It's open. It's welcoming. The camaraderie in the shop is awesome. You can tell this group loves what they do and enjoy who they work with. Stuff like that is important to me. They do walk-ins but I'd suggest setting up an appt. Pricing is fair for the area. But the last thing you want to do is go cheap with a tattoo. At the very least drop by and talk to the guys. They know what they're doing. read more

Called ahead of time to see if we could do a walk in. Drove over and was talked to with an attitude and smart mouth by one of the tattooers. Theres a certain way you should talk to people if you want them to pay for your services and recommend people to your establishment. So since the guy was so rude we decided to take our money elsewhere. I dont know his name but if they hire people like this or if he owns this place I hope he learns how to treat potential customers because that was not the way to do it. Honestly wish I could give zero stars. read more

Tony did an amazing job! I was going to different shops getting a price range for my tattoo and I was told it would be about $120-$150. When I went here, they charged me $60! And way better quality than what I had seen at the other shops! And everyone at Salt Water was super friendly and funny! I'll definitely be going back for the rest of my tattoos!! read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

I'm never going anywhere else to get my tattoos. This place is so professional, clean, and experienced. My tattoo was worth every penny! They even fixed a bad tattoo I got a while ago. I have two really sentimental tattoos I'm getting in the future and this is the only place I am getting it from. read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Dolphin Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

ARTIST OWNED= pride in workmanship + great customer service + fair & decent pricing. Clean, professional, caring, and they listen to what the customer wants. Brandon transformed an ugly tattoo into something I am now proud to show off. See the before and after pics below. Can't recommend these guys enough. read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Before... - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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The guys workin took us in immediately, and they did an OUTSTANDING job for my simple one, but they also sketched out one for my roommate under 10 minutes which was amazing! The shop was so clean, and the atmosphere was welcoming. read more

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Went in for two basic lettering tattoos. Was told since I was a walk in, to come back at a certain time. Arrived back at that time, and was told by the "artist" he was gonna set up and be ready. Him setting up took longer than my entire tattoo time. The worst part is that at NO TIME did he even remotely say anything about pricing. Every other shop I've been in, that has ALWAYS been a topic of discussion before any work is done. Needless to say, this subpar work ended up costing me the same amount as a 4 hr session I've had in another shop. I highly recommend taking your business elsewhere......especially if you want quality work done. read more

Great artists! Comfortable environment. I highly recommend this shop, 2nd piece I have had done there. Thanks Joey! 2nd pic is 2 days later. Less blood... read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Mike did a amazing job! He worked me into his schedule and knock it out the park! This is the place to go for the best work.

I write this with sheer disappointment as I have admired several of these artists' work on Instagram for quite some time. Said they were open for another hour so a walk in was fine but then the artist said they were already closed but he would still do it. So which is it? The artist was extremely condescending and rude stating both, "this idea is stupid" and "I don't give a f*** what you do with your tattoo". It made us feel uncomfortable and he seemed like he wanted to rush to get it done. The stencil was crooked and the artist had every intention of tattooing it that way. Of all tattoo shops I have had work done, I've never been met with such poor customer service. read more

One of the most affordable places to get tatted staff is extremely nice & professional

I actually stumbled upon Salt Water. I went to the tattoo place in Lynnhaven Mall first but the artist was pushy and rude. I left and found a second place that was way better than the mall place but they were all booked up for the day. My third stop was Salt Water. It's a really cool looking shop. The guys are friendly and give great customer service! I showed them what I had in mind, they quoted me a price and were able to get me in right away. The artist was super friendly and chatted me up while completing my tattoo. There was also a cute little grey bulldog in the shop too. Super cute and friendly. He was a nice distraction from the tattoo pain. I highly recommend this place for your ink! I know I'll be back for my next tat! read more

Went and got my first tattoo there with my friend and went amazing ! In love with my tattoo . I will definitely be back read more

Salt Water Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia