my wife and I saw artwork from Emily C at the Saratoga Tattoo expo and really appreciated the…read moreinteresting designs she had displayed related to "twin peaks" and "Doctor Who" and "the shining" and "x-files". So the next step was to talk about a design so she could draw something for me. She was very friendly and we talked about making an appointment in her shop in Schenectady. The shop is big and bright and beautiful! Lots of art books to peruse and cool art on the walls. Her coworker, Paris, was nice as well. Very pleased with the design Emily did for my Danny Torrance/Shining tattoo. I hope she does a tattoo for my wife next time. ThNk you to Emily for her great attitude and the polished pop culture tattoo.

Emily Clute is the best artist in the capital region, easily. She did two pieces on me and both…read morewere phenomenal. I'm getting another tattoo by her on the 14th. She's amazingly creative and will not disappoint. I've never gotten a tattoo by Paris but his piercings are solid. The staff at Alectric City are more than accommodating. When I went in for my first tattoo I was beyond nervous and Emily eased all of my concerns. I trust nobody else with my tattoos.

Travis is very professional and accommodating. Highly recommend! If you're in the area this is your…read moreplace to get a quality tattoo from knowledgeable people.

I went in to have a tribute tattoo for my parents using their own handwriting. I gave a basic idea…read moreof what I wanted and Caleb hit it out of the park! It's better than I could have imagined! I will definitely be back for any other work I want done!

I have been waiting to get my ears pierced for probably a good 7 years now and I thought this would…read morebe the place to do it when I did. I got my ears pierced here just a couple months ago and I thought I should share my experience with the Piercing Pagoda. When I was talking to the workers at my local mall here, they seemed pretty legit and nicely and calmly explaining to process/healing process and I felt very safe in this type Of environment. I have heard piercing guns are not great (what they use for most piercings I believe) because it is like taking a blunt object and shoving it threw a wall, it makes a hole but not a pretty one. All though this worried me, my ears are as good as ever and the healing process what great, on my part it got a little.. crusty, that was on my part because I stopped using the wonderful cleaner they gave me!! I went with the spray (most expensive one) and it helped so much so I would recommend these people they definitely know what they're doing. And as for my lobe ear piercings I went for gold because I thought that would be the safest choice and they never got infected.

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.

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!

Love this tattoo shop. Very clean, professional, and friendly artists. I've seen Lyndze numerous…read moretimes and she always knocks it out of the park! Highly recommend!!

So friend of mine had a tattoo appointment. Had paid a deposit. The day before appointment she was…read moresick and actually went to the dr and was put on antibiotics. Then she got home and her sister said she was exposed to covid. At this point she called the tattoo shop because of being exposed to covid and her severe sinus/respiratory issues. Shes told no sorry its to late to cancel. Said you lost deposit. So apparently they dont care if your sick or exposed to covid. Just come on in and expose everyone

So I've been shopping around EVERYWHERE to get a tattoo that would literally take less than an…read morehour. Hell, maybe even less than 30 minutes. Especially for my birthday. So I called a few times and got a call back and they were all booked but then Mickey personally called me and said she would open up the shop on a Sunday just to do my tattoo for my birthday. I mean, come one! That's customer service to a new height!! She kept in touch w me via text throughout the week and on my actual birthday ( the day before) she text me and wished me a happy birthday. When I got there I explained how I have a tendency to pass out on occasions but she was really careful and kept making sure I was okay and drinking my water. It was perfect. She was so kind and professional and she was quick and gave me exactly what I wanted. Even had good music playing while I was there so I sang to myself to keep my mind off of the sting haha. Can I give the store and Mickey 10 stars!? Because I most certainly will. Haha. Thank you Monarch! I will forever vouch for your business!!

I see that it's been a while since this place has been reviewed. My experience here was bitter…read moresweet. We have purchased from Claires many times. I came to get my ears peirced and was already nervous. I even came with my husband and kids. Nyre was very nice as she set up and explained the process. The whole thing took a huge turn when she pierced my ear with the glove attached. I was in pain as my husband had to step in and help fix the situation while things were getting worst. My husband finally got the glove off, While she kept wallowing in self pitty. It was so embarrassing. Though she said she was sorry, she seemed more concerned about herself and how her day became terrible. Her co-worker was no help and had no concern about the situation. Overall, we paid $134.00 and that was it. I feel their should be more sympathy involved. Im just glad it wasn't my child!

There's something off about a man of advancing years being the first to review Claire's Boutique…read more But I'm also a father. Of a daughter. And this past holiday season, my daughter only wanted one thing. She wanted a set of BFF necklaces. But she wanted the set to come with three pieces. Sometimes children can be headstrong. I tried to explain to her exactly what "best" means. It means there can be no better. There is only one best. So even if your heart has enough room for two close and dear friends, by definition they cannot both be your best friend. This best friend nonsense is tedious and tiresome. Where do they learn this garbage. It's great to have lots of close friends. Each one will bring out different aspects of your personality. Each friendship will have its own highs and lows. Why does one have to be better than the other. Not to mention the fact that friendships evolve over time as well. After searching around jewelry stores for this unicorn of a gift, one clerk finally suggested that I would probably find what I was looking for at Claire's. And she was right. Because not only did they have a three-way BFF necklace, they had several different styles to choose from. Huzzah! The store itself, was a bit of a mess. I can understand why. There was only one woman staffing the place, and there were many girls like my daughter rummaging through all the goods trying to find just the thing that was perfect for them. At the same time, there was some kind of drama going on about a woman who wanted an ear pieced, but in the cartilage part of the ear. But the three stars are based on the place being understaffed and a bit of a mess. It's a four star selection, that fills a five star need. And surely if you asked my daughter, this would be five stars all the way.