I love getting tatted up here! Especially by Nicky. His tats are so sick & vibrant!! I get nothing by compliments on these bad boys. The other artists are also great! and so is the front desk lady. Good vibes and music. Clean space and talented artists. Highly recommend getting your next ink here. read more

Tough Love Tattoos - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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I got a tattoo during my visit to New Orleans and I (generally) like my tattoo, but the line work in many places is very shaky and not done well, or just missing. I am not sure if my artist was new, and know that can be expected in some places on tattoos sometimes, but it is a good chunk of the tattoo. My husband also overhead a conversation between the front desk person and my artist regarding the pricing of my tattoo, and overhead the front desk person being surprised at how high my tattoo was priced. I am not sure if it was because I mentioned we were from California and tattoos are pricy out here, but it didn't sit well with me after hearing of the conversation. Just a warning to out of town folks especially. The two stars is for the tattoo because I generally like it, but up close the work wasn't done well and I wouldn't return to the shop for future work. read more

Tough Love Tattoos - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Artist was professional & shop was very clean. Extremely pleased with their work. Would definitely use them again. read more

Tough Love Tattoos - Flamingo outline - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Very disappointed. Planned to get a tattoo here for weeks and even while I was there. Looked to make sure they were open and said everywhere online they were. And they were NOT open. Guy outside said oh they were supposed to fix that. Looked like they are in the ghetto. read more

Tough Love Tattoos - Sign - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Dope shop and such good vibes!!! My husband and I visited New Orleans to celebrate our 40th birthdays and attend the Essence Festival. We ended our trip with matching tattoos. Reese did his thang, patient, great attention to detail, just the perfect ending to our trip! Thank you so much read more

Tough Love Tattoos - Couples butterfly tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Amazing shop and vibes very welcoming and bathroom THE BATHROOM IS SO COOL THE TV IS LITERALLY 100inches coming back next week

The shop is super clean and each artist has a style they are awesome at. Go see Chloe if you need floral or ornamental work because her work is incredible! read more

Tough Love Tattoos - Magnolia by chole - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

My friend and I were in Nola visiting for our birthday trip and we love getting tattoos as our souvenirs. Could not say enough good things about the Tough Love artists from the moment we stepped in the door til the moment we left they were very kind, accommodating, worked with us and our designs quickly as we were walk-ins and they took their time making sure the tattoo was exactly what/where we wanted. My friend worked with Jason (the owner) and I had Patrick and could not recommend them enough. Will definitely be back for more ink during future trips. read more

Tough Love Tattoos - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Wife and I came here for a "you get what you get tattoo." something fun we do when we travel...this shop was a perfect place for that.! All the staff took pride in their work and in their stations. We knew we were coming here before we even got to New Orleans. The quality of the website and photos truly matched the artists and the shop. Vibes 1000% everyone was easy to talk to. Reese was our Artist and he was extremely professional and down to earth. I highly recommend this place and any artist that is working in it. Jay read more

GREAT experience with Jason and the whole Tough Love crew while in New Orleans with my sister-in-law and bestie. We did some research online after being not impressed by the walk-in shop a friend recommended, and the girls selected Jason. The shop is super cute, very clean, and easy to get to. There's plenty of street parking, but it's also an easy walk from the Marigny side of Frenchman's/Royal streets. And there are plenty of eating options within walking distance (Horn's, Ruby Slipper Cafe, Baldwin & Co. bookstore) if you need to have something to eat before your sitting. We walked in to make our appointments about three days in advance and sent reference images ahead so he would have some idea of what the girls wanted. The front desk staff were so friendly and helpful, and communication was really solid all around! Jason had both tattoos sketched out in no time, and was patient while working out placement. SIL is an artist, so her tattoo is actually one of her own pieces (a dreamy hot air balloon) within an air elemental sign. Jason did some great pointillism to add depth and shading, and it turned out fantastic! My bestie added two simple constellations to an existing tattoo, one on her rib cage and the other just south of her armpit -- sensitive areas! -- and Jason made quick and clean work of it. The music was eclectic and fun, the vibe was very laid back and everyone put us right at ease. There are a lot of places you can get walk ins in New Orleans, but this is a shop with some nice talent that I could definitely see coming back to again and again. Can't recommend Jason and the Tough Love crew enough! read more

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I got my first tattoos when I was an 18 year-old in the military, many, many years ago. Back when only G.I.s and bikers got tattoos. I guess I wasn't prepared for how much the trade has changed since the 1970s, but I have to say that the changes are for the good. First of all, Tough Love comes across as professional. I mean, it has a really unique vibe that I really liked, but at the same time you know it's clean, and you know the artists take their craft seriously. I was able to email the artist a photo of what I wanted, and when I arrived (you *really* need an appointment, despite the "walk-ins welcome" sign on the door) he had already drawn out a stencil. It was perfect, and I couldn't be happier with the results. The only negative is the shop's insistence on cash payment. They'll take a card, but tack on a usurious surcharge. There's an ATM on the premises, but it only dispenses in $200 increments -- along with a fee for each transaction -- which is a total pain in the neck since tattoos are hella expensive now. read more

Started talking to Jason about a week before my trip to NOLA. He was able to get me in an all day spot with no issues. As soon as I entered I received a friendly greeting, signed some documents and then waited about 10 min to get started. Shop is very clean and the music was relaxing, not the usual punk or rap I'm used to hearing in tattoo shops. Met Alex my assigned artist. I could tell right away that he knew my vision. 5 hours later, I had two tattoos that were beyond my expectations. I can't say enough about Jason, Alex, and the rest of the shop. I'll be back again next year for sure! read more

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This is the most cutesy and clean tattoo shop I've been in lol. Everyone working today was super nice and chill. Alex created my tattoo idea in minutes and it was exactly what I described to the front desk person. He had me in and out pretty quickly. I would definitely recommend going to him. Walk ins are welcome. They are super accommodating. I was a walk in with my boyfriend, who also got tatted at the same time by Alexa. You give your ideas to he person running the desk and she goes back to the artist to lay down the sketch. You don't really have direct conversation with the artist until they already spend time sketching and ask if you like it. They prefer cash payment: there is an atm inside but you can only withdrawal $200 per transaction with a $4 fee. (Luckily that worked out for me.) The music playing was a variety from Justin Timberlake to Eminem. The only reason they got 4 stars instead of 5 is because my bf didn't like that he didn't get to go over the tattoo ideas with the artist herself, so some of it got lost in translation and he ended up getting something not quite how he wanted it. It does look good though and he's fine with how it turned out. We still both recommend this shop for cleanliness, friendliness, and solid work. read more

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This could have been a 1* terrible review, but Boat (Marina) saved the day! I I'm not a tattoo person, but I purchased a tattoo for my dear friend for her birthday. I booked the appointment with a deposit, and we showed up for the appointment to a very rude guy who clearly did not want to do the tattoo, and probably just did not want to be there that day at all. He came with a serious attitude, telling my friend that her choice and tattoo was a bad idea and "pointless" (watercolour). She sat stunned for a moment , as I intervened with "this is a bad match, let's find someone who wants to do this tattoo and we can part ways." He just walked away. After I feared for a moment that my birthday gift for her was crashing and burning, in stepped the lovely visiting artist Boat (aka Marina). She immediately put my friend at ease with her smile and enthusiasm, and went straight to drawing up the tattoo. I'll reiterate that I am not a tattoo person, but what Marina created was absolutely art. She did such a beautiful job on my friend, I actually admired it. Her personality is everything she is so friendly and so kind that she really does put you at ease, only a shame that she was a visiting artist rather than a permanent fixture @ Tough Love. Thank you, Marina, for making my friend's birthday a celebration rather than a heartbreak. You are everything! As a note to the parlor, I do wish you had made some advice/accommodation for parking. The signs everywhere say residential only from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and no one would tell us where we could park, so we were constantly playing musical chairs with our vehicle to avoid towing. read more

Tough Love Tattoos - During the tattoo process - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Can't say enough good things about this place! They were so incredibly helpful and patient and the quality of their work is just excellent.

Was visiting New Orleans recently and decided to try to get tattooed. Tough Love was excellent and accommodated walk-ins, which was great as it was a slightly spur of the moment idea. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. I had the pleasure of working with Alex who did an amazing job! Would definitely go back to him if I'm ever in the area again. The piece was a scorpion and was exactly what I was looking for and he was fun to work with! read more

Tough Love Tattoos - Scorpion tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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I came down to New Orleans to visit for the week and have been overwhelmed with how welcoming and unique this place is, and to be completely honest, it's tattoo shops like tough love that best show those city traits off! The environment is tasteful and well put together, the staff is welcoming and fun to talk to, which lets be real, a lot of shops give people the cold shoulder when they aren't a regular! And the best part of it all was the tattoo! Alex was such a homie and the work he did was so top notch. The work was exactly how I wanted it and the dude was so accommodating! Long review short! If you're looking for ink in Nola make this spot an absolute must! read more

Tough Love Tattoos - The day after! - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Got my first tattoo this afternoon at TLT. Very happy with the business professionalism, as well as the creativity and concern over my comfort. Vivian was my artist and she was fabulous. I wouldn't hesitate to to go back as well as recommend her and the shop. I'm really excited about how it came out. Couldn't be happier read more

I was in NOLA for vacation and decided i wanted to get my first big tattoo. I called ahead a few days to see how they did walk ins. A nice guy answered the phone and told me they accept walk ins and it was best to come in right at 12 when they open to have the best chance of getting an appointment. I got there around 11:50am and their doors were open so my sister and I went in. We were greeted nicely and were impressed with how bright, clean, and welcoming their building was. I sent them my reference photos, talked to Jason briefly about what I wanted, then he went back to draw it up. He showed it to me and I wanted to add a few things, he added them, then we got started. Jason was super nice and talked me through what he was going to do. It was a quick process (from walking in to finish only took about 2hours) and I love how it turned out! They accept card, but there is a tax. They do have an ATM in the back though as well. read more

Tough Love Tattoos - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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I can't say enough about this studio and the people there. My friends and I were in New Orleans for a wedding recently and decided that we all wanted to get tattoos to commemorate the event. Tough Love was able to accommodate all 7 of us with only a day's notice and they were amazing! The studio is bright and clean and the artists were all wonderful and incredibly skilled. We all love our tattoos and would highly recommend Tough Love to anyone! read more

Tough Love Tattoos - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

One of the best shops I've ever been to. Everyone there was cool, non judgy and very professional. Got exactly what I asked for and the prices are very fair for the quality of work. Will definitely be back! read more

Got my very first tattoo by Jason and he was awesome! It's a very clean shop and was a very smooth process. Chill workers and good vibes

Came in as a walk in while busing NoLa for vacation. All the staff was extremely nice. Made my sister and my tattoo to perfection. Wouldn't definitely recommend to family and friends. Kevin Dirt did both our tattoos. 10/10 read more

Decided semi-spontaneously to get my first tattoo while visiting New Orleans and naturally had some reservations. But it was a great experience! I was able to simply walk in to request an appointment and was given super reasonable and accurate wait-time expectations by Matt at the front desk. Alexa was also awesome! I gave a pretty brief description of what I was looking for, and she quickly came up with the perfect design. They made my husband and I feel super comfortable the whole time. read more

Tough Love Tattoos - Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

My cousin and I came in for matching dragonfly tattoos. Our artist was super helpful with the design and our tattoos came out great. We were really happy with the tattoos and the experience overall read more

Super friendly and nice staff that were extremely accommodating of us. We got matching custom tattoos and they came out perfect!

Such a cute shop, great work and friendly staff. Walked in and was taken care of right away. Highly recommend them to anyone looking for some ink in NOLA read more