Gary did a good job and was friendly. However, he needs some lessons in salesmenship, he did not seem overly interested in any future work I might want done ( in this economy, any business person needs to do all he/she can do to get and retain customers ) . Also, while the music was not loud, it was head banger suited for the 14 to 21 crowd ( don't I wish I was that age again !! ). Also again, bringing in a cleaning crew once a month would suite the premises well. read more

Adam and Gary are both really good artists. Adam is on the come up, hes done tons of art shows an was featured in a converse artist seties sneaker. Although the place is small an can look decieving really good service an super reasonable and easy to work with. I have about 6 or 7 tattoos from sugar skull. From both of them. read more

Just got a tattoo from there and i was very pleased with the work! I definetly recommend them,friendly,clean,and professional i will be going back soon. read more

What a wonderful tattoo experience! From the first phone call to Heather, to the in-person consult with Adam everything was great. I was getting my first tattoo and Adam and Heather answered all my questions about pain and what to expect. The studio was clean and the environment was comfortable. Adam did an amazing job making my tattoo come to life in size and shape. He also touched up my daughters tattoo that was first done elsewhere. I highly recommend Adam! He was very professional, a true artist and very detailed. I would go back there if I choose to get another tattoo! :) read more

Best tattoo I ever got! I highly recommend it. The girl was super nice and knew what she was doing. Thank you!

I have two tattoos done by Gary Bastarache and absolutely love them. Both of my feet and shins are adorn with his handiwork. My left foot presented a bit of a challenge as it was a partial cover up. Several years back, I indulged in an impulse tattoo. It was my third tattoo and, while the concept was well thought through on my behalf, my choice in artist was not. I wanted an icy or frosty border around an existing quote on the top of my foot. I was at a friend's tattoo party and decided just to go with it and was the last in a long line of let's do this. The result was 10 black and blue blobs haphazardly thrown about my text. I can not properly express how much I hated those "snowflakes". Those of you who have had or presently have regrettable ink know my anguish. There are no words. Really, there aren't. I soon began to plan for my right foot. I just had to have something to balance the disappointment residing to the left. Sure, my footnote was now marred with haste but my right was still a blank canvas begging to be covered. I was a bit hesitant after the snowflake incident. Sugar Skull was the third studio I visited. Instead of shoving a binder portfolio in my direction and declaring the hourly rate, Gary was friendly and took the time to talk to me about my ideas. He explained to me that the art that I was picturing had to be a bit larger than I had anticipated so that the tattoo could have detail instead of being squashed and indistinguishable. All of my bad tattoo mojo faded away. He sketched out a draft as we talked and my appointment was booked for later that week. I loved my new tattoo. It became my favorite tattoo. It was colorful. The script was well spaced. The detail didn't bleed or fade. People didn't blandly say, "Heh, nice tattoo" with shifty eyed glances. It was everything the other was not. My right footnote was wonderful. It almost took away the disappointment of the left. Almost. When I decided to see what could be done about the disastrous snowflakes, I knew exactly who to see. Even though it had been a few years, Gary remembered me by art before name. "Shakespeare on the foot!" Yup, that's me. Again, he took the time to understand exactly what I wanted. I explained that it was the final scene of my favorite book. An image of an apocalypse caused by the unfettered pursuit of knowledge and scientific creation without thought to consequence, where the sky burns and the earth freezes. It may seem like a huge task and it was but Gary was great. He designed an amazing cracked glacial ice border for the snowflake coverup. It really makes the text pop. The apocalyptic scene Gary created for me takes up most of my lower shin and ankle and is done in a watercolor style that uses bright colors with negative space. I truly adore it. In fact, sometimes when I see them side by side, I can't help but think that maybe I should talk to Gary about adding a little something something to the right. You know just even the size out a bit to match the left... If it isn't clear by now, I would definitely (and have) recommend Sugar Skull to anyone looking to get some vibrant, high quality art inked on their body. But, hey, if you're looking for a permanent reminder of a bad decision, I can refer you to a studio that would meet your low standards. But, if that's the case, I would still tell you to go see Gary. At least you will have a well drawn bad decision. read more

My husband and I wanted to get simple matching tattoos and the place we usually go is a bit of a drive, so we decided to go closer. We gave sugar skull a shot. We were hoping for a walk in. The first time we waited until half an hour after they were supposed to open and finally gave up and left when no one showed. The second time they didn't even consider a walk in - just made an appointment. We spoke to Gary who said if we wanted him to do the tattoos (not the apprentice/new girl) he wasn't available for about a month. So we booked in a month. Well when we got there he was getting ready to do someone else and we got the new girl anyway. I don't have a problem with that but we had to wait a month because we specifically booked with him. Then it took 4 hours + for us to get our tattoos. Mind you they were simple and only black. Our original tattoo guy said he could've done it in an hour/ hour and a half max. My husband also had scarring from his which shows through the black fill. It also cost an insane amount of money because - they charge by the hour. Which is fine except the new girl kept leaving to deal with customers and because she was new and still learning to find a groove - it took longer than it should have. Then when we finished it was past closing and the owner had left. Well she couldn't use the credit machine. Let me remind you it was very expensive and we were asked to go to an ATM to get cash since only the owner could run credit and he was gone. We won't be going back here and I would recommend going somewhere else for anyone looking for a new tattoo place. read more

I went in here yesterday for a tattoo of my son's name. The guys here were very friendly and their advice was welcoming. They helped me pick out the font, size, and specific location of the tattoo. The shop is small, clean, and inviting. All of the employees I met were very personable. They gave clear instructions on aftercare of the tattoo and I also had a great conversation with Gary, the owner, who personally did my tattoo. Walk-ins are welcome - mine was small and there was an open chair so I was getting my tattoo within 15 minutes of arriving (after paperwork and finalizing the tattoo style). I highly recommend this place! read more

I have been getting tattooed for quite some time now, mostly in the Boston area but I decided to try this place because I had seen some nice work on a few of my friends who go here. Originally I was skeptic by some reviews but I decided to find out for myself what this place was about because the tattoos I had seen were quite nicely done. I was recommended to Heather, so I called ahead to see if she would have time to go over my idea with me before I decided to set something up for certain. She made time for me the next day and we sat down to discuss what I wanted, within the days to follow she got right to work. In a week I came in to see a final design before the actual appointment, which was super reassuring on my end that they wanted to be certain I was 100% stoked about my design before hand and how it fit. I absolutely love my piece and can't wait to start some bigger projects with sugar skull tattoo in the future! Very accommodating people and a fun atmosphere to be around. I'd recommend this place especially for anyone who is nervous about a first tattoo or is an avid tattoo collector. She literally took my cluster of ideas and turned it into something better than I even expected, all the while keeping it original to my design. Price wise I'm told they do $100 an hour, which was also not something I am used to because most shops in the city were at least $150+ Thanks again guys :D read more

I had been at a veterans' fundraising event, when I heard some fellow riders talking about Sugar Skull Tattoo shop. Since I've wanted one for a long time (would be my first), I decided to go check it out. From the moment I walked in the door, Gary made me feel very comfortable, since it was quite obvious I was a newbie! They took the base design i had ( was a memorial to family members that have passed on), and customized it to exactly what I had been looking for. While I was having the work done, Gary was very patient and understanding of my questions and nervousness. He took time to explain the aftercare, and the entire experience was awesome! When I was ready for my next tattoo, I knew right away where I'd be going. This next one was a total custom job (a dreamcatcher), and I constantly get compliments on the intricate work and coloring on it. My third tattoo was also a custom design to coordinate with the memorial one on my shoulder, and I can't begin to tell you how satisfied I am with the way it came out! Yes, I am a repeat customer, and will gladly return to Gary and Sugar Skull when I am ready for my fourth! read more