This is for the Laguna Beach location: My husband and I walked into Vatican Studios on a Friday evening after hearing about a community gathering and were immediately welcomed. The studio was spotless and had a super comfortable, inviting vibe- perfect for my first tattoo. I asked about customizing a piece and was introduced to Priscilla. She was incredibly kind and patient, especially with my Farsi calligraphy design, making sure the meaning stayed correct. She walked me through everything and was so gentle. I'm obsessed with how beautiful it turned out. My husband also got a tattoo from Emily, who was just as warm and outgoing and clearly cares about her clients. Amazing experience overall. Highly recommend Priscilla and Emily! read more

Huge shoutout to Max Twenty Eight! Finished my second session with Max and I gotta say this is probably the best tattoo experience I've had. Max is super creative and turns ideas into something far greater than its conception. I also appreciate that he's a chill and humble dude, with crazy focus to detail. Thanks Max, looking forward to future sessions! read more

We didn't even know this is here in Lake Forest! Wonderful tattoo artists, and a piercing place. Excellent customer service that's friendly, in the atmosphere is just gorgeous! They have shirts and all this other stuff. There's so much personality in this store it's endless! read more

Vatican Studios - Checking out, tattoos and piercings - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

My grandmother passed away four years ago, I wanted to get a tattoo that embodied her soul and passion. I've reached out to many artist some who never responded and some who just didn't see my vision. The moment I sat with Emily she listened and understood. She even had a vision of a bird in the tattoo that I hadn't mentioned but a bird has been in my dreams for a while and no clue what it meant. I allowed her to have full creative control over this peace and I instantly fell in love she made the six hours feel like a breeze. I can't wait for future work to be created. I can't thank you enough Emily!!! read more

Vatican Studios - Day of shot - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Booked an appointment with EMILY C. for a fine line wrist tattoo. Genuinely I could not have asked for a better artist. She was knowledgeable, funny, extremely professional and takes great pride in her work. She has a family-first and customer-focused mentality that I'm sure anyone would appreciate. Emily has been very communicative about the entire process and will walk you through each and every step to ensure your comfort and trust is both valued and respected. I don't typically get fine line work done, but I could not be any happier with my piece than I already am. I will definitely be a repeat customer, and I am more than happy to recommend her to anyone looking to get a piece done. read more

I had a tattoo on my upper arm that was done in Chicago... I wanted to finally finish my sleeve and found this shop doing some research online. Emily Compton has been amazing! I sent her some ideas and she came up with a concept to tie it all in which exceeded my expectations! I just completed my second 6 hour session and it looks amazing! The level of detail is incredible! I have a few sessions remaining and will post a few pictures of the final product once all done. I highly recommend this place! Kyle read more

Hands down the best tattoo experience I could've asked for. Zero is an insanely talented artist, and him and his wife are genuinely amazing people who make you feel comfortable right away. I got my first tattoo on my inner forearm at 19, and only 8 months later I was back for my outer forearm because I trusted them completely. The atmosphere is always welcoming with great energy, and I'm already planning to come back in the summer to finish everything up. I wouldn't go anywhere else for my tattoos. read more

Vatican Studios - Second - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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The only place I'll get my tattoos ! Been coming here for years to get tattooed by amazing artist Devin Mena. The studio itself is relaxing and private which is great compared to "ping pong" style shops (which is cool too just a little overstimulating). Everyone at Vatican Studios is so nice and welcoming ! Highly recommend :) read more

Vatican Studios - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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I got a toxic tattoo covered up by Emily C and was beyond ecstatic with both her kind positive energy and her professionalism. I had fallen in love with the studio, the vibes and the atmosphere surrounding the experience were unmatched. I came in with little to no clue what I really wanted and Emily was able to articulate the vision I hoped for my tattoo in a way I cannot even comprehend. The artistic ability and genuine love for people puts this studio above the rest!!! I will never get tattoos from any one else in CALIFORNIA! Thank you so much to Emily and Vatican Studios! read more

I just got my first tattoo and Emily K. was absolutely amazing! She was so thoughtful, sweet and helped me feel at ease. The whole experience was smooth and I will definitely be back for more !! read more

Emily C. is unbelievably talented! I've partnered with her on two tattoos, and both exceeded my expectations. Her attention to detail and precision are next level. If you want intricate, beautifully detailed work, Emily is absolutely the artist you want! read more

So I buy my tattoo supplies from this place of business There use to be a very helpful and Nice chic that worked the front desk But has been replaced (darn) Anyway they've got my supplies and I'm happy about that read more

Zero did a really great job with my tattoo and gave me exactly what I was looking for. Together with Emily, they make a great team! Very professional and knowledgeable. Made me feel comfortable and confident in my tattoo. Also love the studio and great vibes/conversations. I already had a tattoo on my tricep that he was able to work around. I need to schedule a follow up to finish the shading but so far looks great! Highly recommend! read more

Vatican Studios - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Man, this was my first tattoo and I absolutely love it! I had Zero as my artist, but both Zero and Emily are really welcoming which made me very comfortable. Zero's work is insane, I can see every little detail. I am for sure going to go back when I get my 2nd tattoo. read more

Vatican Studios - Gorilla playing chess - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Emily was really amazing to work with. She took me fairly last minute and helped me design my vision. She gave me a few different options and talked through each of them. She was very careful and patient, and is an incredible artist! Definitely recommend if you're looking for a delicate, fine line tattoo read more

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My daughters and I got matching tattoos. We are beyond happy with our tattoos. Zero and Emily are absolutely amazing. Professional, talented, creative and great to talk with. There is no where else we will ever go for our future tattoos. The entire experience was positive. From the moment we walked in we felt at home. I will be referring everyone looking for a tattoo to Zero and Emily. Thank you, truly, for a wonderful experience and for our amazingly beautiful tattoos. Already planning the next one! read more

Vatican Studios - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

For my first tattoo, it was important to me to find an artist that I would feel comfortable with and who would be able to create something priceless. Emily Compton responded to me super fast saying that she would be honored to create my first tattoo with me, and she loved the concept of what I had in mind. Her email and text communication with me has always been so friendly and uplifting, which totally solidified my decision to go with her. Her artwork is impressive, but when I saw her design for me, I was overwhelmed. It's so pretty!!! When I showed up, I got to meet her beautiful family, and they all welcomed me so warmly. I felt completely at ease and excited to take this step to get my first tattoo. Emily is warm and sweet, and you can tell she has such passion for what she does. And on top of that, she is incredibly talented! Her artwork is ethereal and beautiful. I can't stop staring at my arm because I'm continually in awe that something so gorgeous is on my body, and I am so grateful for this experience with someone who is patient and supportive and kind. She's followed up with me to check on the healing, and for that I'm also immensely grateful. I can't wait to come back and get another beautiful piece of art from Emily! read more

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Took my daughter to their sister piercing shop Sacrament for a naval piercing and had a great experience

I can't even express how absolutely amazing Zero is! This is now my 5th tattoo (small ones) with him, and his artistry is beautiful...and as a person he is so caring, and always makes me feel so special. I cannot recommend him highly enough, and am already planning my next piece of art. read more

Recently went to their fundraising event when they were doing $100 tattoos and I was so happy to get Emily Klinger as my artist! Her instagram is emi_klinger and she is insanely talented. Her room has such a calm chill vibe definitely safe for anyone with sensory overload issues and Emily was a complete sweetheart the whole time and we had great conversation. I would recommend anyone to Emily Klinger! read more

Vatican Studios - tatto by Emily Klinger - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

ZERO IS THE KING!!!!! MY TATTOO EXPERIENCE WAS UNBELIEVABLE!!! Zero is professional and very knowledgeable of art, the skin and everything in between. He's versed on all color shades of skin. Vatican studio is an art studio in every sense. On an artistic level I see something different in my arm everyday. The shading, the background, the contrast. Granted I am still in the healing stages, I couldn't be more happy. I'm overjoyed. Can't wait to get back on the table! read more

Vatican Studios - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Amazing service and great vibe. Emily was very attentive and she's an excellent artist. Highly recommend!

I got a tattoo from Ms. Emily Compton and it is beautiful! She was so nice and the studio is beautiful. She made sure I was comfortable and that the tattoo was just the way I liked it. Highly recommend! read more

Vatican Studios - My new tattoo! - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Great experience with Team Zero! I provided Zero with my reference art and gave him artistic freedom to come up with something unique. Love the results! Great work and a great studio vibe. Highly recommended! I will be back soon read more

Vatican Studios - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Who knew such a gem of a tattoo/piercing studio would be located in Lake Forest! I first came here a few years ago when I lost my belly ring. I kind of panicked because my belly ring was from a studio in NorCal that sells great quality internally threaded jewelry. I was like, "Where am I going to find this here?!" I did a quick Google search and found Vatican Studios which is only a mere few miles from my house! I thought I would come here to just buy a temporary piece until I can purchase what I wanted. When I came here, I realized they sold the same type of jewelry as the studio that I was familiar with in NorCal. I was soooooo relieved! I looked around and decided when I wanted my next tattoo, I will come here. Fast forward a few years, I finally came back to get a piece from Devin. He was booked out for several months, but I was so excited when the day finally arrived. The piece is not completed just yet, but I am already in love with it. Devin did an amazing job and from what I can tell, all the artists there are excellent. So glad a great studio is so close to home! read more

I selected Emily Compton for my 3 tattoos. She took her time to make sure the placement was perfect and that I was happy with the designs. She is very professional, talented and had some great ideas to what I had in mind. The music and studio were very relaxing and she is just a wonderful person to talk to! I am very happy with how they all came out and highly recommend her! Check out her IG mrscomptoncat read more

I had the best experience with Emily... absolutely love my rose.. decided will be getting the rest of my arm with her I cannot wait. She is an amazing artist!!! Thank you Emily can wait to create more amazing art with you!! read more

Vatican Studios - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Can't say enough positive things about my tattoo experience with Emily! Sometimes you meet someone and you can instantly feel their good vibes and energy... Emily instantly makes you feel at ease from the moment you walk into the door. She was fantastic to work with during the planning phase, bringing her personal touch into my vision. I threw a bunch of photos at her, explained what I was going for, and the final product was better than I ever could have imagined! You can tell she really cares about her craft, her breathtaking artwork is on display all over her room and it's an honor to have her artwork forever on my skin. Also this was my 8th tattoo and this one by far healed the easiest. The wrap she used on it afterwards made the healing process an absolute breeze and worry free. Already trying to plan my next tattoo with her! read more

Vatican Studios - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Hi, it's me again - made it about a month before getting some more ink from Zero. The vibe is great, he's super personable, accommodating, and of course the ink itself is incredible. I got a decently sized piece on my arm (maybe 10x6?) and he knocked it out of the park. He had pitched this idea at a previous session and I absolutely loved the idea. I will definitely be going back soon and am looking forward to the next piece. read more

Wow.... This is Lake Forests hidden gem. Can't believe I've been working just blocks away from this place and never knew about it. Having had work done at various tattoo shops throughout Southern California I can honesty say this place is by far the coolest. Denis made me feel comfortable right out the gate. The beauty in his handy work is a testament to his skill. His lines are flawless. He's a patter not a wiper (thank God), I hate rough wiping. My piece took 8 hours and some change and he was extremely patient with me. I get ants in my pants sitting in the same position that long. Throughout the day various employees came in and asked if I needed water. Denis is "the shit". read more

Vatican Studios - Denis is a master tattoo artist - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH OWLITA. I set aside $1000 for her ridiculous $500 an hour price, after a week of thinking about it, because I'm not wealthy and that's a lot of money for me, but her work is great so i emailed her. She got back to me right away which I appreciated and we went back-and-forth and then completely just stopped responding. A week had gone by and I had sent two messages only to receive zero responses. Meanwhile, she's uploading tons of pictures on her Instagram of her face, yet she can't respond to her business, especially after I asked her why she wasn't responding and what I should do next. I already chalked it up as a loss, And I wouldn't have left a review but what she responded to me really set me off. instead of apologizing for not responding to me, she said something like " It's not personal but I don't owe anything. you sound like you're hurting" I've learned in life, but there are people who like to deflect their problems on to others instead of acknowledging that they made a mistake and apologize for it. Imagine if she had responded in a humble way, considering I spent a week thinking about how much money this is and I decided to actually do it. I would've thought it was shitty but I would've been fine if she had just said sorry. how hard is it to just apologize for not getting back to me? Instead, she created a back up Instagram accounts and proceeded to leave a vile comments on one of my posts about me being 40 and single/no kids. What's insulting the most here is the fact that someone believes happiness ends and begins with marriage and kids. I feel sorry for women like that who put other women down because they are single. I am single by choice and extremely happy about it. Reflect on why that's an insult to all women. She didn't have to seconds to respond to my emails about our appointment, just ghosted me, but thank god she had time to create a back up account and insult women with comments like this. embarrassing. If I wanted this kind of behavior, I would go back to my narcissistic ex-boyfriend. saying sorry instead of gaslighting me and putting the blame on me. I'm absolutely disgusted. Emily, i'm sorry you have people like this working for you and you have to take your time out to deal with this bullshit. Imagine if she had just taken two seconds and said: I'm not interested right now. do better. read more

Mando has done a few pieces on me so far and I love them all. Right now (not pictured) he's working on a piece that I'm in love with. It's a photo of my daughter on my right arm. I'll post updates when it's completed. Mando is very laid and professional at the same time. He listens to what you want and takes his time to draw it out and make it prefect for you. The environment at the shop couldn't be better. Everyone is so friendly and helpful with any you need. If I could give more stars I totally would. read more

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The most beautiful shop i have ever stepped in.. super late review(Opps) but thank you Alexis! Cant wait to collect more in the future! (everyone at this shop is cool AF) read more

Vatican Studios - Full Back piece by Alexis Vaatete. - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

This place is clean everyone is really nice . I got my first tattoo and it was a great experience. read more

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I had an absolutely AMAZING session with Emily K,she's extremely personable and incredibly talented!! read more

Vatican Studios - Fresh clover tattoo with Second Skin - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

lovely experience, the staff care immensely and take their time. always a good experience with friendly folks

Devin is unbelievably talented. I did a lot of research on the style of tattoo I wanted, and after I found his Instagram, it was game over. It had to be him. We had a bit of a mix up with my consultation, but it was just a simple miscommunication, and he quickly reached out to me and made it right. I booked a full 8 hour session for my forearm sleeve and the experience was flawless. Devin is super nice and easy-going. He also is clearly very passionate about what he does and has an amazing eye for detail. We watched Master Chef and he worked all day on my piece. It's not quite finished but I am absolutely in love with the progress he made. Already booked my follow up session for next month. Long story long, definitely check out this shop and it's amazing artists. ESPECIALLY Devin. I'll definitely be coming back. read more

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This place is awesome! We were greeted right away and took back to wait in a beautiful waiting area before our amazing artist came to get us. Emi_klinger was so respectful and really took the time to make sure the artwork was just right before giving my friend her first tattoo in remembrance of her son. Emily truly made the experience so special and we couldn't have chosen someone better to do exactly what my friend was hoping for! Thank you Vatican Studios for having an amazing staff, incredible studio, and most importantly, having an artist like Emily Klinger. read more

This is a great place with gifted people with incredible talent! I cannot speak more highly of my experience here. I met with Alexis Vaatete and the Vatican team and was so impressed with them. They were warm, welcoming, engaging, fun, collaborative and interested in you and giving you the experience of a lifetime. I traveled from NC and can't wait to come back! read more

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I got this portrait of my daughter from Denis Tidan! He was awesome worth every dollar spent , he was also very professional and clean ... I drove from Arizona and will do it again for sure read more

Vatican Studios - My daughter - Tattoo Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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