I've been to quite a few piercing and tattoo shops but I real appreciated my experience with the…read morepiercer here, Gina. She made me feel really comfortable the whole time and I would not hesitate to return to her. This day, I had my rook pierced (ear cartilage) and it was so quick and easy. I also requested that she change and replace the jewelry in my tragus (another ear piercing). Once she called me in, I was in and out in less than 20 minutes. She is the master piercer here and you could tell she knew what she was doing. The major difference between her and other places, is she will use beautiful starter jewelry. The curved bar she put in my newly pierced rook was a double ended prong gem and I was so excited and I am so pleased. Most places will use a standard barbell and you have to settle with that until it's healed and you can return to have it changed. Since she pierced with this, I am set for years. She also put a beautiful gem in my tragus. I think this is the best place to get pierced in Albany.

This is my first tattoo, the experience is pretty good, although the artist is a little impatient…read moreduring the disscussion. The picture one shows the tattoo on the third day, I think the line is really lack of continuity and it looks not smooth. Overall it looks fine and the total cost was $120.

I love this place and I love these people. The shop is super clean and everyone who works there is…read moregreat. I would highly recommend this place. I don't want to pick favorites but Whitney is my favorite.

I got a tattoo recently. My first. This is shocking to me still because I've turned this idea over…read morein my head for years. The conclusion was always the same. No. Can't do it. Then, an important occasion came up and I thought, why not memorialize it with a tattoo? Suddenly, the "no" became a "why not?" Then, the next question. Where to have this tat done? Well, if you look it up on Yelp, The Dead Presidents Lounge has rave reviews. So I called up. Next, I was asked to email what I was looking for. The manager took a look at my request and assigned me to an artist named Mel. There are about 10 artists working there. The art that I was asking for was very delicate. It turns out, Mel is awesome but full disclosure, she has a slogan. It's written on a sign in her tattoo room. "Always late but worth the wait." I arrived 15 minutes early. Mel arrived 20 minutes late. No worries. I brought lunch and ate it in the waiting area. I studied all of the sample tattoos on the walls. It was an interesting place with a Hindu vibe. It was explained to me that the business owner is Hindu. When Mel showed up, she arrived in a cheerful burst of energy and she immediately threw herself into the project. She presented me with options. We talked at length. She was very determined to deliver what I was looking for and very understanding. She has mad skills as both an artist and a communicator. She got it. And when she was done, it was perfect. A floral armband with a tiny blue butterfly was designed to look a bit like arm jewelry. The cost was $200. Mel was concerned that I would be in pain but actually it didn't hurt much. She gave me instructions on how to take care of the tattoo so that it doesn't get infected or dry out. As I was getting ready to leave I asked Mel about her thoughts on Asian fantasy animals. She smiled. "So you're already thinking about your next tattoo?" she asked. " I get that a lot." Yup. She got me. After years of putting off getting a tattoo, I may be back soon enough to get a tattoo on my other arm. Thanks, Mel and The Dead Presidents Lounge for your remarkable work.

I decided after months of putting it off that I wanted to finally get my nose pierced. Shocker…read morerequires masks and for you to sign a contract tracing sheet, which I think is fantastic. I stopped in after calling ahead by about half an hour, and we got started. I was nervous - I have plenty of tattoos, but only ear piercings - and I must admit, it was painful. I prolly wouldn't do it again. And I unfortunately - and humiliatingly - passed out right after David pierced my nose and put in the jewelry. I thought I was prepared, but I guess I wasn't, lol. Thankfully, he was absolutely awesome. He caught me and had me lay down for a while, brought me water and a lollipop to help with my sugar levels and kept checking on me to make sure I was okay. It took me about 20 minutes to get back to normal, and he was so patient and kind about it. That really meant a lot. If I ever get another piercing, I'll definitely be going here.

Sean was nothing but amazing! I wanted to add onto a rose tattoo I had gotten last year. Not only…read moredid he blend the old with the new perfectly, he created a true work of art. I trusted him to do what he thought would work, and was NOT disappoiI would definitely recommend this place!

I wanted to get my septum pierced for a while now, but I just didn't know when. I recently moved…read morefrom NYC to Albany, so there wasn't much of a selection of tattoo and piercing studios. A coworker recently had hers redone, so I asked. She recommended Gene-O at Tom Spaulding's. I went there on a whim today, with my boyfriend in tow. It was a last minute decision and I'm glad I did! Gene pierced me without an appointment and I also got a second nostril piercing on the same side that I already had. He's extremely professional and a giant teddy bear, and was making jokes to keep me at ease and he was reassuring.

Came in for a new septum ring when my old one fell out by accident the day prior. Eugene was an…read moreabsolute sweetheart!!! He checked on me multiple times to make sure that I was alright and had a very calming presence. The place is very homey, no fuss, and what you get is what you get. Totally recommend.

A friend of mine wanted to go get her rook done and i said count me in! I have been wanting to get…read moremy tragus pierced for a while. (rook and tragus are both ear cartilage piercings) I have a memory of coming here when i was 16/17 to get my belly button pierced, so i decided to visit here again. The location is a little hard to find but a super convenient area on Fuller Road, instead of having to go downtown as where most other piercings shops are. It is right at 100 fuller road, in the rear of a building that is currently empty/ for sale. I was told to just walk-in any time for piercings. The woman, 'B', was busy tattooing so we had to wait a while, but that was not much of an issue. The two artists working there were very nice and professional, while giving you a very laid back vibe. We were very happy we chose to come here! All piercings generally cost about $50 and they offer to help you out with changing the jewelry afterword and help you with aftercare if you have any questions. All items involved in piercing were clearly sterile and the process was quick, clean and not super painful! The entire experience was great and we thought B was so nice! Maybe I'll be back for my other ear soon!

very friendly and experienced. Clean shop, small. Two artists that tattoo and pierce. They do a…read moregreat job. The down side, there are only two of them and only one until after about 4 or 5pm. Walkins are welcoming for piercing but unlikely available for tattoos. I have been pierced and tattooed here and was comfortable in the environment. I love the additional tattoo I received. If you are planning for the future and have time to schedule an appoint, I recommend this place. Also you have to be flexible. Because there is only one person there most of the day if you are being tattooed and someone comes in that wants a piercing your work will pause so that she can talk to the customer and maybe even pierce them.

So I want to say that this place is Avery beautiful space and everyone started off professional. I…read morewas tattooed by Althearosetattoos_xo and she initially did well. She messed up some lining on one of my tattoos and I requested for it to be fixed. Her response was terrible. The one comment that stays with me from her and was very hurtful is she stated that "I'll do whatever satisfies your LITTLE brain". Not only was that unprofessional, but unkind and she lacks accountability. As a person of color I would not go back to her for several reasons that I don't want to state to tarnish their reputations. But take a look on their pages and feel free to judge

I wanted to add a third piercing to my ears and my daughter wanted a nose piecing. Of course, we…read moredecided to do this on a Monday when many businesses are closed. We wanted a reputable place that doesn't use a pressure gun won't give us an infection. Lucky for us, Cold River Body Arts was open. We called ahead and we were told that walk-ins are welcome. We were met by Gene. He's the business owner and he does piercings. For starters, the Victorian building is beautiful. Cold River occupies the entire building. It looks clean and welcoming. Gene spends time to talk with his clients to make sure he understands what they are looking for and to make sure they understand the procedures. He wants them to know that the process is sanitary and his tools are all sterilized in the autoclave which he keeps nearby. Breathing is important to this process. Gene explains how to breath. Just as he was about to pierce my ear he asked me to inhale, then exhale. That worked well. Of course, it stung a little afterwards. Gene follows up with an explanation of how to care for the piercing. The titanium post he put in will have to remain for three months before I can switch it out for another earring. He is very careful. He even made sure to ask if my daughter was over 18 because she looks so young. We really appreciated the time and care he put into explaining his work. Getting a piercing can be a bit scary, but Gene's efforts helped instill trust. Plus, he has a great sense of humor and put us at ease. Wishing Gene continued success. If you are looking at add a piercing, Cold River is well worth looking into.

Had piercings done today....service was great & Eddie did a exceptional job piercing my…read moreears....will be returning again.....& prices are good too ...

If I could leave ZERO stars I would!! Crossgates Mall HORRIBLE service! Went there to buy just a…read moresimple gold chain, stood there ignored for about 10 minutes! I watched her brush her hair, take some bites of her lunch while she was "assisting" another customer, but from what I gathered while waiting they were close friends. Never even acknowledged us standing there, was hoping for at least "I'll be right with you" but that would have meant she had to stop chewing her food to talk to me. We walked away furious, went to another kiosk and bought the same chain with excellent customer service!

It was a last minute decision between me my boyfriend and my cousin to come here, the place is…read moresuper cool, tiny. The first thing that caught my eye was the case of beer that everyone in there was drinking. I'm not 100% sure if the person who did our piercings was drinking, but i would like to believe not. Secondly, the place reeked of weed. The people in there are very nice the piercer/tattoo artist was calm at first. Though, one thing i noticed which he did for all three of us, is he set up the station WITHOUT gloves on and used a dull...sharpie...(not body safe ink) to mark our piercing. He did not check with us on the placement and he just went in and pierced it immediately upon marking. I went first. I just got my nostril pierced. it was quick and it went well. then my cousin, got her septum. because they didn't have a flat table to lay down on, he had her sit in a chair upright, and she pulled back on him, which was of course on her, though, he didn't use clamps the first time around, because he couldn't find them and didn't want to spend the time looking he ended up piercing her nostril by accident as well the (first time). he was very kind and cool during all this considering the situation. He redid her septum and it went well the second time. he use the clamps this time around and it went well. He was definitely frazzled after that. Then my boyfriend; he got his nostril pierced and the needle was quick, he got it through, but for some reason, he couldn't get the piercing in. he struggled for quite some time until he finally decided to just re pierce it. he struggled for what seemed like 10 mins trying to get the stud in, but he finally got it in. After all this, we've probably occupied about 30-40 mins of his time. and the only reason i mention this is because he was the only person doing the tats and piercings, and he had another guy waiting to get tattooed who was already in the chair before we got there with the stencil already on. Overall, all of our piercings looks great. and for myself, i had a good experience here, but my cousin and boyfriend, they would say otherwise.

Very professional, I was nervous but the piercings were quick and relatively pain free! So glad I…read moredecided to stop by! Thank you!!

Highly recommend going here! very professional & just overall a great shop. I got my first tattoo…read morehere done by Nona & she was great! I was very comfortable & satisfied with my tattoo i definitely give my experience 5 stars!

This is the place to go. There's a lot of experience, technically and artistically. If you're a…read morefirst timer, I highly recommend; Ann has an extremely light touch and she takes care to make sure you are comfortable in the chair at all times. She has a few apprentices, and it is evident that this, as well as the utmost attention to detail is paid. Extremely friendly staff come in, see what the art is and chat with you to keep you relaxed. It's a very well-knit establishment. Having this joint so close, be owned and operated by a woman, and getting the experience my daughter and I had is wonderful. Can't wait for my next! Thank you Ann for your graciousness. 10/10 Will be back for more