So I've read some reviews and I just wanted to say, I got a helix piercing here today. I thought the staff at the desk was very helpful and answered all my questions and really made me comfortable. Erika was also great who did the actual piercing. Everything was clean and she told me how to breathe to relax and it really didn't hurt as bad as I expected due to her expertise and her knowledge. I had a great experience and would for sure recommend this place to anyone. Thanks! read more

Tattoo Paradise - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I came here for a lip piercing. I was very anxious but the piercer made sure to explain the process to me as well as the aftercare. I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. For only $60 including the jewelry I consider this to be a steal. They also offer an aftercare saline solution for piercings. When my piercing began to sink in after a while I came back and they replaced my piercing with a longer one (free of charge) and told me to come back in a few weeks to change it back to the smaller one. read more

I've gotten two piercings and two pieces done here and I'm really happy with all of them. Whoever has been at the front desk whenever I've been there has been great. Very helpful. The woman who did my piercings was wonderful. They weren't my first so I wasn't nervous, but she was great with the friend I was with, who was getting her first. I have one tattoo from David Cavalcante and one from Matt Knopp--very happy with both of them. David is quiet but meticulous and Matt was wonderful and did equally beautiful work. I suspect I'll be back for more work soon! read more

I pierced my phone there 4 years ago and it was the best decision of my life! It was pricey but worth it I absolutely love it! I pierced my nose on Halloween exactly a month after my 21st birthday! read more

Guy was rude. We asked politely for an appointment and we're denied immediately. The guy kicked us out because for being "loud" after waiting for friends for a couple minutes to hide from the February cold. They probably give shit tattoos that you'll regret too. So... read more

I hate yelp but decided to use it for once lol. My best friend and I saw Trevor for matching last minute tattoos while I was visiting. I am so extremely pleased with the service, professionalism & sanitization of the shop. The tattoo is beautiful and just what I was hoping for. Thank you so much Trevor for this I absolutely will be back one day for more!!! If you need a tattoo 100% go here you will not regret it read more

Went yesterday to get my second tattoo. At first, I wasn't so impressed because the guy working the front desk was on the phone for a long time and didnt really acknowledge us. The woman who was there before I was clearly got fed up and left because it definitely sounded like he was on the phone with a friend. However, once he got off the phone, he got right to business. I showed him the picture I drew of what I wanted and I showed him where I wanted it. I got a small tattoo on my ankle (it is in the pictures...the small plan) and it was $85. A little high, but not ridiculous..jinx proof wanted to charge 110+. The only thing I didnt like, was that the guy who did the tattoo just went straight to business and didnt talk to me at all. When I got my first tattoo at jinx proof the guy was really cool and we chatted. Anyways, my tattoo was done in like 30 seconds, and it hurt a lot less than i remembered. I would definitely consider going back again. read more

Tattoo Paradise - Airplane tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The rudest front desk I have ever seen. The shop is super messy and un organized. If it comes to the tattoo skills.... THANK GOD Embassy Tattoo was able to help me cover up what they did, because I was about to cut my leg off literally! Do not go there if you are looking for creative and quality work read more

It's been more then 3 month since I got my tattoo. It is scaring severely. This scaring doesn't look to me good at all. I had tattoos before but never got scarring. read more

Tattoo Paradise - If you look closer you see all these scarring wrinkles :( - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I found this place last-minute on Yelp and they were so accommodating, so nice, and did a perfect job on my tattoo. I got "Life Goes On" in a typewriter font and it literally took 5 minutes max and Ryan was so amicable I will definitely be coming back! read more

A couple people reviewed on the speed of the artists....my tattoo was done by Dave and it is on my sternum and I'd say it is a little smaller than a dollar bill. He completed this tattoo in approximately 30-45 minutes. As opposed to the other comments I've read, I appreciated his speed. He was professional the entire time and his work is phenomenal. I live in north jersey and he is worth the drive. The pricing was resonable as well. I would recommend Tattoo Paradise to anyone who is in the DC area. Great overall experience. read more

Tattoo Paradise - Dave's Work....anchor on chest - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

My friend and I walked into Tatoo Paradise in adams morgan as our first time getting tattoos, immediately we were met with indifference, impatience and honestly just a bit of dismissive rudeness. With outrageous prices I would've expected at least mediocre service, but our experience was not even that. We left immediately. don't come. the man on staff on todays date (aug 22 2022) needs to work on his customer service read more

Great service!! The employees are very kind and patient with their customers. They are all intelligent in their line of work. Highly recommend! read more

I got my nose pierced here yesterday and the service was A1. Took all the proper procedures due to Covid, made sure everyone wasn't crowding the lobby and was in and out. Will be returning. read more

Solid spot for walk ins. -1 star for price relative to other quality shops but no one should get a budget tattoo.

I got a double helix piercing from Brian and was really happy with it. He took his time and it looked great. I left to go abroad after a few weeks and it still wasn't healing and got very infected and swollen. I went to a different piercer abroad who told me that the bar/ post he put in after he pierced my ear was the one that they usually use for healed piercings and wasn't long enough. Because of that mistake, my ear started to heal over the backing. I LITERALY HAD TO HAVE IT CUT OUT OF MY EAR. Lots of pain and money later, I do not recommend this place to anyone. read more

Really upset with customer service. Showed up at 5:30pm asking for a nose piercing and was told to come back in an hour. Came back and signed the release forms and paid. After waiting another hour, was informed that "they didn't know" when the piercer would be available. Would've appreciated being more upfront about availability- would've rather come back another day than waited for 4 hours. read more

I recently got 3 piercings (addicted) and a tattoo here. The front desk staff are friendly and personable, unlike many tattoo shops. Despite being busy, he answered all of my questions about the piercings and jewelry I wanted and got me scheduled for a tattoo. There was no wait for the piercings, and she was quick, funny, and GOOD! Least painful of my 14 piercings. Will post pictures of the tattoo when healed-- They were careful to advise me that finger tattoos don't always accept ink well, they tend to bleed, and that white ink doesn't always last anywhere, but especially on fingers. With that warning, they still were willing to do it. The tattoo itself took about 10 minutes. After 2 weeks I went back for a quick touchup to make sure we really got the ink deep enough. It hurt substantially worse than others I have, but I'm told fingers are particularly rough. Thanks to Frog, the guest artist, and Nick for the great work! read more

Tattoo Paradise - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I asked for something super simple from Matt Knope. He was incredibly rude and would not take me seriously. This is not worth $100 at all, now I have to spend even more to get it fixed, such a waste of money and time. read more

Tattoo Paradise - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I got my septum done here. Great experience, would recommend to everyone. Clean and professional, as well as kept me calm the whole time.

Such a great experience! The artist and establishment was quick and professional and price was very reasonable for what and where I was getting it-quality came out awesome. Love it so much! read more

Tattoo Paradise - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Found this place on a whim. Ryan was amazing and made it super comfortable. First tattoo! Great experience.

Great spot with friendly and accommodating staff. Matthew is the best and certainly the only person I allow to ink me! Salon minimum is only $65, pretty low compared to other D.C. tattoo salons. read more

Tattoo Paradise - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I came here to replace my nose ring that fell out a few days ago, and I can't say anything about their artists or anything related to the tattoo side of the business, but I was very unimpressed with my experience buying nose jewelry. I've been pierced here before and remember it being pretty smooth and the transaction seems simple enough: go in, buy nose ring, put in nose ring. When I get there it was a chill Sunday afternoon, most people were waiting for tattoo appointments. The guy at the front counter was friendly and professional. I told him what I wanted and he said the piercing person had just run out for an errand and would be back in 10-15. Ok no prob. So, I wait. Eventually she gets back and counter guy calls me up to pick out the stud I want; she barely acknowledges me and doesn't even look when I point in the glass display box to the one I want, so she asks again. I point and describe which one I want, again. She is terse and rude, but I'm just here to buy a nose stud, so whatever. She comes around and pulls the piece out I asked for, marked $25, and just walks into the back room--no "follow me" or anything. I'm hesitant because I don't want to break any protocol by just following her into the backroom, but she vaguely beckons once she sees me hesitate. Once back there she, again, barely talks to me, and seems exasperated if not annoyed any time I answer her questions "how long has it been out" (3 days) "how old is the piercing" (over ten years), etc. Never tells me her name, never asks mine. She puts it in and I already dislike that it's the corkscrew type and not the screw in like I had before, but it's the second shop I've been to that day and I just need something to keep the hole from closing at this point. I have small features, I'm a relatively small person, and I have a proportionately sized nose and narrow nostrils. I tell her the inside part is poking me. I'm hesitant to say anything, as she seems ready to push me off the table and show me the door ASAP even though I've done literally nothing else but answer her questions and follow instruction. She makes no attempt to hide her annoyance with me and has a tone like "you don't know what you're talking about" and says "they're all long, it's just the way they are." Uh, no. This is not my first rodeo. I've definitely had piercers cut down the stem when it's been too long for me in the past, but this is apparently "not a thing" according to her. She she twists it up some more so at least it's not poking up past my nasal cavity, but it's still uncomfortable. Again, I decide it's temporary anyway, I don't even really like the stud I picked, but it was the most decent one I could find in my price range, so I say it's good and we meet at the counter. "After taxes and everything $40." I assume "everything" is a fee for putting the thing in (not standard at all shops, some will just put it in and then you add a tip). The receipt doesn't itemize anything, and really I'm just annoyed that I paid $40 for rude service and a subpar stud that doesn't fit. Won't be back. read more

I've been to Tattoo Paradise for both piercings and tattoos. I've always had a great experience at this shop. Ariana (body piercer) and Gordie Jones (tattoo artist) were both professional and accommodating. I love the look of piercings and tattoos yet I have considerable anxiety around the process. They explained everything to me in detail, checked on me multiple times during my appointments and did their best to make me as comfortable as possible. For my second tattoo Gordie worked with me until we got the design 100% the way I envisioned. He was kind and sensitive regarding the subject of the tattoo which, memorializes a loss. Shop is clean, staff is helpful and I did not have any complications from any services. read more

I showed up one day to try and get a walk-in appointment, ended up making a firm appointment for the next week, and walked out thinking, "This place is rad." Super friendly staff in the front start out the visit. I had work done by Nikki and she couldn't have been cooler. Great artist plus she made sitting there for a few hours a good time. I don't think I laughed so much during a piece ever. Definitely recommend her and the place if you want work done in D.C. read more

Treats people who come in less like customers and more like unwanted intruders. The staff and artists are haughty, rude, contemptuous douchebags. Avoid unless you don't mind being treated like shit! I have a lot of patience for poor service and I certainly don't expect to be best friends with my artist (although after 10+ hours of work and $1,000+ of fees you would hope...), but I DO expect to be treated with a minimum level of respect and dignity. I put up with a lot of shit from the staff at Tattoo Paradise from the second I walked in, through 2 expensive sessions, and all the way up to the point that I walked out and decided to never come back again. I maintained a respectful, professional, and positive attitude the whole time I was in their shop, which is more than I can say for the artists there. I won't go into the details of all the particular rudeness of this place, but please do yourself a favor and go to one of the many other quality shops in DC that will treat you as a paying customer with some respect and kindness and avoid these ill-mannered, arrogant pricks. I recommend Embassy tattoo which is nearby and whose staff is totally friendly and laid back. read more

I wish Yelp would give users the ability to rate individual artists on pages like this. A few years ago I got a 3-hour memorial tattoo from Shawn Brown. I absolutely LOVE his work and I still get compliments to this day about the vibrant color and flawless design of the tattoo. It is simply brilliant. However, about a month ago, I walked in to get a simple, Pause/Play button tattoo and had Carly as my artist. The tattoo, in its entirety, measures a little over half an inch. After it healed, it looked like a mess. The lines were jagged, uneven, and a lot of the black had bled out so that the bars of the "pause" button were out of proportion. To his credit, I went back to Carly for a touch-up and he made the tattoo look better, but I am still not satisfied. The reason I am dinging him for this review is 1) because he charged a hefty fee (please note, I don't mind paying a pretty penny for tattoos as long as they look good) and the quality of his work did not match his fee and 2) his bedside manner was poor. After overworking the 1 mm lines on my tattoo, I was bleeding more than usual and asked if he was going too deep. He remarked, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Obviously, if that were true, he would have taken the care to execute the tattoo well the first time around. I would also like to add that the design flaws of the tattoo cannot possibly be aimed at poor healing. The lines of my pause button were too close to begin with and after a few days, the ink continued to spread out on my skin and cause the design to morph into a crooked, oversized, bumpy "stop" button. After getting it retouched, you can still see where one of the lines is crooked. I will be getting it retouched yet another time by a different artist. Sorely disappointed with the walk-in service at this place. This is the first bad review I have ever written on Yelp, but I feel it is important for others to know what they are getting into when it comes to permanent work. read more

Tattoo Paradise - Left side - Original tattoo from Carly ($100). Right side - "Touched up" by Carly. Worst tattoo out of the nine I have. - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I'll admit I was a bit sketched out by going to a tattoo/piercing place in admo that is open till 1am. The lobby was filled with drunk guys picking out tacky naked lady tattoos to adorn their arms and take attention away from their guts (these same dudes were kicked to the curb and refused service, thank god). BUT then... in walked Erika. She treated my friends and I with complete professionalism and was extremely friendly. We got a nose, cartilage, and a tragus pierced in a matter of minutes! Relatively painless and smooth process, and trust me, I have had my fair share of piercings and tattoos and this experience rates up at the top! The only damper on the situation is that Erkia is moving to SF in two weeks. So if you are thinking of getting a piercing, GET IT NOW! You can thank me (and Erika) later. read more

Really cool place, nicely decorated. But the tattoo artist messed up my tattoo. I don't want to say he messed it up but the communication from the cashier to the tattoo artist was VERY poor. I asked for a red ink tattoo and instead was given a black ink tattoo. Two letters in, I ask the tattoo artist if it's in red ink. He said no it's in black, no one told me that it was suppose to be red ink. Overall the tattoo was nice but it was not the color that I wanted. They did refund me half of my money back. read more

One day, when I'm 40, I'm sure I'll appreciate the great genes that allow me to age like Joan Rivers - which is to say, not at all. But for now, all I get with this baby face is attitude & callousness from establishments like Tattoo Paradise. To be fair, other, older reviewers have commented on the icy attitude of TP's piercer (a women in early 30s; don't know her name). So maybe TP's malaise is not entirely rooted in the get-the-%#$@-out-of-here-kids-before-I-lose-my-license mindset. The Great Julian of NoKaOi in Philly pierced a double daith in my left ear two summers ago. He is pretty much the only person I allow to poke holes in my body. But I didn't have the time or the funds to pay Philly a visit: about a month before my visit to TP I had to remove the rings for a job interview, and despite this great personal sacrifice (kidding), I did not get the job. So I went to Tattoo Paradise to see if the rings could be reinserted. Without even looking at my ear, the piercer snotily asserted that my piercings had absolutely closed up, and they would have to be repierced, goodbyeendofstory (she was not only arrogant but wrong; Hannah Cherry over at Fatty's Tattooz inserted new jewelry without repiercing). It was certainly goodbyeendofstory for me--I left. read more

I feel bad rating this place so low, but these guys were just ASSHOLES. We went by around 12:25 on a Sunday afternoon. The sign said open, we pulled the door & it was locked. Interesting. As we walked away, we noticed a guy sitting behind the desk watching us the whole time. He said/did nothing. We came back an hour later, and apparently EVERYONE was on lunch. We walked in, there were 2 guys behind the desk discussing food orders, one eating at the desk, and one sitting in the window eating. I'm not upset about people having to eat, it just would have been nice if someone had actually acknowledged our presence. It's a small place. No one can say "Hello, can I help you? What are you ladies looking for? What do you want?" to 3 women standing in the lobby. Finally, I approached the unfriendly guy noshing behind the desk and asked if I could get pricing for a couple of tattoos. He seemed completely annoyed that 1) we were there and 2) that we had questions. Whatever, we went around the corner on Columbia and got our tattoos there. If you like assholes and don't like any type of customer service - this is your place. If you want a great tattoo and to deal with even MODERATELY friendly people, do yourself a favor and go up to Columbia, make a right, and go to the tattoo shop on the right. 1762 Columbia if I'm not mistaken. read more

David is absolutely amazing!!!!!!!! My first tattoo was EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED! He captured the essence of the designed and added clean lines within a fraction of the time others told me it would take. read more

Tattoo Paradise - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've had two pieces done at Tattoo Paradise both by David Cavalcante. He did two sets of little birds for me (I have a bird theme going on one arm). The work is very good - just the shop isn't all that and a bag of chips. The tattoo work though is 5 Stars............David is quite talented. The shop - the Tattoo Flash cards around the shop are very "old school" and add some charm, but might be off putting to a newbie.............which I am not. My first time in I was greeted very kindly by the guy behind the counter (tall guy with tattoos and glasses, very nice, really he was great)..........I mentioned what I wanted to have done, showed him some of my existing tattoos and let him know I was looking for something similar. He was thoughtful and suggested I look through a couple of guys portfolios. I chose David based on his line work. David wasn't very talkative...........and did basically what i asked him. The first tattoo experience with him was basically- okay sit down, this is what you want done, and then wham bam thank you mam. The work turned out just fine, I liked the color and blending and hence I returned a second time. The second piece was brilliant and blends nicely into the other work I've had done. I like David and his approach to the work. He keeps it simple, delivers clean even lines and nice color and shading. The second visit was even less chatting (which is fine) but it was a little uncomfortable. I can't give 5 or even 4 stars though because both times I've been in the shop the woman who helps with piercing, whose name I've not caught has been rude and unprofessional to "walk-ins" and not especially nice or even professional to me. I know that walkins can be irritating and bothersome, but honestly if a shop does accept walkins they have to expect to receive foot traffic who is irritating. I'll tell you if I were receiving my first tattoo, or had a friend looking for his first tattoo, this would not be the shop I'd go to. They don't offer a lot of direction and can be rude (at least the few times I've been in) to street traffic. She also wasn't friendly with me, didn't say hi and seemed thoroughly "pissed off" to be there. when I left no one said a word (no thank you, see you again, hey what did you get done, when can I schedule your next appointment, etc.....). I've spend around $650 there now and after seeing how other guests were treated I likely won't go back though I have quite a lot of work I want done. I feel the need to say that the shop and some of her employees have a long way to go towards making people comfortable and relaxed. Hey guys - be a bit more friendly and interested in your guests. Say hello, say good bye, invite them back. I am looking to do several more tattoos but because I wasn't impressed by how people are treated I likely won't be back to your shop. I know good service - and the details matter, just like in tattooing. Maybe the service is better at other locations that aren't located in a heavily bar traffic driven area. read more

when walking in on a Friday night, the reception was nice and very helpful. annoying as walk ins are, explaining who is available, what you want, where you want it, ect. I am not a tattoo artist, I have no idea what really goes into making a great tattoo. I do have 8 tattoos, so I feel I can tell the difference between a great and a poor tattoo. I have 2 really bad tattoos, and the one I got from Vinse that Friday night matches the really bad ones. sometimes the really simple tattoos are the hard ones. I did look at his portfolio, and thought his line work looked clean and strong. the tattoo that I ended up with (which is 1 month old) looks like have had the tattoo for 30 years. it is a simple outline of the state of Hawaii. After 10 minutes on Vinse's table, I have a tattoo with lines that are blurry and raised, but hey, now a blind man can "see" this tattoo... read more

Tattoo Paradise - Inconsistent line work, heavy handed on one side with some blowout and too light on the other - Tattoo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I got my first tattoo ever about a year ago, and I'm already about to work on number 20 something. This shop is great. The people at the shop are very helpful, and the price value for the quality of work you receive is unbelievable. Billy does my tattoos, but looking around at everyone's work, it's clear you can't go wrong. If you are a drunk, whiny, MVP of your adult kickball team, or if you and your sorority sisters are giggly drunk from your party bus trip straight outta Clarendon, then this shop may not be for you. However, everybody else should definitely come here if you're looking for a great tattoo. read more

So over the past year.5, I've sat at Tattoo Paradise as Teddy worked on a sleeve on my right arm. Simply put - if you can find a shop and a set of artists/staff you can connect with, there's zero reason to go anywhere else. Everyone I've interacted with at Tattoo Paradise has been fantastic (except one slightly surly boss?), and I'm proud to call many of them friends. New location is bigger and more open - an improvement over the prior location across the street. Everything's clean, the prices are more than fair, and you'll absolutely have fun if you set out to. Teddy and Nikki are the two I've gotten work from, and both are fun and talented. Bottom line: best shop in DC that's actually in DC. (ZING) read more

I had a really positive experience, everything ran really smoothly, everyone was really polite really straightforward and really attentive. I would like to give a shoutout to Adriana who pierced my eyebrow for me, she was really patient, really observant, really helpful and careful. Would recommend this place. read more

tattoo paradise was a horrible experience, they told me specifically that because i was an "african american" woman they wouldn't let me get my tattoo in black. then proceeded to tell me that the tattoo in reference to my meaningful experience at the Holocaust museum was a bad idea and they "do not do bad tattoos." I questioned about their sanitation policy and the man with glasses and the gauges then told me "put your cigarette out on me?." I was super uncomfortable and i drew my line when he told me "needs to be bigger. I'm giving it to you bigger." read more

So excited to see Tattoo Paradise mentioned in this weeks Yelp. I absolutely love this place. I've gotten two tattoos and two piercings and the work has all been beautiful. I get compliments regularly and recommend this spot to all prospective inkers I meet. All my work has been done by different people and the quality has not wavered. The shop is always clean and the staff has been so friendly every time. I stopped in a few weeks ago on a whim, they took my idea, made a beautiful design and tattooed me all in about an hour on a late Saturday afternoon. Love them, will be back. Lastly, I love their new location. Its so much more open and bright. Hope it bring them a lot of new traffic. read more