Expertise.com

Best Tattoo Shops in Denver

2024

We did the research for you!

  • Licensing
  • User Reviews
  • Mystery Shopping Calls
Tattoo Shops FAQs 〉

Providers

Last updated:

Website
Lakewood, CO 80215
  • Watercolor Tattoos
  • Traditional Tattoos

Why choose this provider?

Fallen Owl Tattoo Studio opened in January 2010 and is located in the Denver Metro area. Every year since the studio's opening, Denver's A-List has voted it one of the top tattoo studios. Adam Rose, the studio's owner, dedicates about half of his business to helping children, such as his program that trades ink for toys. The shop is open every day from 12 noon to 9 P.M.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.5
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (38)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
Littleton, CO 80120
  • Watercolor Tattoos
  • Body Art
  • Neotraditional Tattoos
  • Traditional Tattoos

Why choose this provider?

Chris Collinsworth started his apprenticeship at Max Tats in 1999 and has been tattooing ever since. For 15 years, Chris Collinsworth has honed his skill in Japanese, traditional, and neo-traditional tattooing. He spends his free time immersed in the fine arts, painting using watercolor, liquid acrylic, and other mediums. He is currently working at Think Tank South Tattoo in Littleton, Colorado, where he is available by appointment or walk-in.

Website
2815 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80206
  • Traditional Tattoos
  • Body Art

Why choose this provider?

Marion Street Tattoo is a custom tattoo shop based in Denver. The studio was established in the spring of 2012 by tattoo artist Ryan Willard. The professional tattooists at Marion Street Tattoo are adept at creating tattoos in a wide range of styles to meet the aesthetic vision of clients. These include traditional Americana, black and gray realism, new school, and fine lines. The studio also has a retail space where a variety of merchandise is available.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.0
Yelp
4.0 / 5 (53)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
3538 West 44th Avenue, Denver, CO 80211
  • Body Art
  • Traditional Tattoos

Why choose this provider?

Serving the residents of Denver, Rebel Muse Tattoo is a tattoo studio that creates custom body art. It offers a variety of tattoo styles, such as Japanese, traditional American, and realism, through its five in-house artists. In addition, the studio deals with permanent makeup tattoos for eyebrows, eyeliners, and lips. Rebel Muse Tattoo also features guests and traveling tattoo artists every month and has other branches in Lewisville and North Dallas.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.9
Facebook
5.0 / 5 (655)
Google
4.9 / 5 (191)
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (75)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
8966 West Bowles Avenue, Littleton, CO 80123
  • Body Art
  • Traditional Tattoos

Why choose this provider?

Alternative Arts Tattoo is a full-service tattoo shop that services Denver residents. Its team of professional tattoo artists offers a variety of styles, such as traditional, neo-traditional, pet portraits, and anime. The shop also provides piercing services. It has been in operation for 18 years and is owned by Greg Fritts, also known as Fritz. He has over 30 years of experience in the industry and is dedicated to providing high-quality artwork with the aim of breaking down stereotypes.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.0
Yelp
4.0 / 5 (43)
Facebook
4.5 / 5 (2)

Website
1332 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80218
  • Body Art
  • Piercings

Why choose this provider?

Bound By Design is a tattoo and piercing studio located at Capitol Hill, Denver. The establishment has been in operation since 1993 and is fully inspected by the health board. Aside from tattoo and piercing services, it also offers a selection of jewelry. Bound By Design uses autoclaved instruments and body jewelry and it also assists in body modification after-care. The shop was also awarded Best of Westword - Best Tattoo and Piercing Studio in Denver.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.6
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (217)
Facebook
4.8 / 5 (123)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
698 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204
  • Body Art

Why choose this provider?

Tribe Tattoo is a tattoo shop, art gallery, and piercing studio located in Denver. In April 2001, John Slaughter launched Tribe Tattoo with a mission to deliver custom tattooing services. One of the studio's tattoo artists, Vinny, has been in the tattoo industry for the last 13 years. He is passionate about black and grey realism, neotraditional, and lettering tattoo styles. Another artist, Meg, combines her graphic design and oil painting background in her tattoos, specializing in all things pretty and creepy. 

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.5
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (113)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
4345 West 41st Avenue, Denver, CO 80212
  • Body Art

Why choose this provider?

Monkey Fist Tattoo strives to turn each client's ideas into wearable art. It is a locally-owned studio that has been offering custom designs since 2010. The tattoo studio is situated in North Denver’s Tennyson art district. It specializes in different styles such as new school, traditional or old school, black and gray, script, and Asian. Additionally, it also handles old tattoo correction. Some of its past clients include Denver Broncos players David Bruton and Demarius Thomas.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.4
Facebook
4.8 / 5 (63)
Yelp
2.5 / 5 (14)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
329 14th Street, Denver, CO 80202
  • Traditional Tattoos

Why choose this provider?

Located in downtown Denver, Fortune Cookie Tattoo offers clients a variety of tattoo styles. Its highly trained artists have over 20 years of combined experience and have been featured in many magazines. Each with their unique style, these artists work with clients to create the tattoo that will fit their needs, personality, and budget in a comfortable, clean, and fun environment. In addition, Fortune Cookie Tattoo caters to walk-ins and appointments.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.5
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (42)

Website
1480 Ammons Street, Lakewood, CO 80214
  • Traditional Tattoos

Why choose this provider?

Love N Hate Elite Tattoo Studio is a local business that opened in May of 2011, serving clients in the Denver and Lakewood areas. Owner Gabe Lopez has been a tattoo professional for more than a decade and specializes in animal portraits, black and grey, and realism designs. Lopez and his team of artists' goal are to provide custom-fit tattoo designs to meet the client's specific ideas. The team can restore the tattoo design if an unforeseen event happens in the course of the healing process.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.8
Facebook
4.7 / 5 (250)
Google
4.9 / 5 (109)
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (19)

Website
1332 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80218
  • Body Art

Why choose this provider?

Travis Koenig is a professional tattoo artist who serves residential and commercial clients in Denver and the surrounding areas. He specializes in large-scale tattoo designs ranging from flowers, foliage, ornaments, and potrait-inspired designs. Travis carefully listens and works with each client in order to understand their tattoo ideas. Travis' knowledge and continuous search for new designs have allowed him to become open and creative when it comes to various tattoo designs submitted to him by his clients. 

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
5.0
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (5)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
1695 Wadsworth Boulevard, Lakewood, CO 80214
  • Piercings
  • Traditional Tattoos

Why choose this provider?

Mantra Tattoo and Piercing is a full-service tattoo shop in the Denver Metro area that is open seven days a week. In addition to their line-up of talented artists, the shop brings in guest artists, who they announce on their website ahead of time. The shop offers a variety of piercing services that include septum piercings and Daith ear piercings. They also sell apparel, such as hoodies and hats.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.7
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (95)
Facebook
4.9 / 5 (87)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
3047 Larimer Street, Denver, CO 80205
  • Traditional Tattoos

Why choose this provider?

Til Death is a private, appointment-only tattoo studio based in the city of Denver. This business was established to provide both its clients and tattoo artists with a private environment that encourages comfort, creativity, and devotion. Staff members such as its owner Scott Garitson, Gina Ilczyszyn, and David Robertson have decades of combined experience in creating tattoos of different artistic styles for varying body coverages (from traditional American to Japanese-influenced aesthetics). They also possess a store offering pins and t-shirts.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.5
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (16)

Website
56 North Broadway, Denver, CO 80203
  • Body Art

Why choose this provider?

Sol Tribe Tattoo and Body Piercing is a Denver studio that offers custom tattooing, cosmetic tattooing, professional body piercing, dermal anchoring, branding, and scarification. The shop is dedicated health and safety, and they require their piercers to maintain a membership with the Association of Professional Piercers. The shop offers discounts during the holiday season and sells gift certificates. They also sell apparel and organic and non-organic body jewelry.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.2
Yelp
4.0 / 5 (185)
Facebook
4.6 / 5 (102)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
172 South Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
  • Body Art
  • Traditional Tattoos
  • Neotraditional Tattoos

Why choose this provider?

Established in 2002, Think Tank Tattoo is a custom tattoo studio based in Denver. It is composed of a team of stylistically diverse tattooers that aims to continually improve and grow as individuals and artists. Spencer Reisbeck, one of the artists at the tattoo shop, specializes in black and gray, botanic, floral, and traditional American tattoos. Meanwhile, Dominique Bega, another tattooer at the studio, focuses on cosmetic tattooing. Think Tank Tattoo also accepts walk-in customers.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.7
Facebook
4.8 / 5 (197)
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (79)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
2024 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80206
  • Traditional Tattoos
  • Neotraditional Tattoos

Why choose this provider?

E.O.D. Tattoo is a tattoo studio that operates from Denver, serving both walk-in and appointment clients. It has seven award-winning artists that cover different styles such as animal portraits, photo-based drawings, black-and-white symbols, floral designs, and Japanese characters. The studio meets with each customer to plan out the length and number of sessions needed for the arms, back, body, or other parts. E.O.D. Tattoo ensures a clean environment with monthly spore tests and can show clients licenses and clean bills of health for their peace of mind.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.5
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (47)

Website
1905 South Broadway, Denver, CO 80210
  • Watercolor Tattoos
  • Neotraditional Tattoos
  • Piercings
  • Jewelry
  • Traditional Tattoos
  • Geometric Tattoos

Why choose this provider?

Dedication Tattoo is a tattoo shop in Denver that offers a variety of tattoo services. The shop accepts walk-in clients and appointments. Its tattoo artists are professionals who have vast knowledge about tattoos and pride themselves on their ability to communicate with clients. They specialize in various art styles, such as bold traditional, Japanese, black and grey, and delicate script tattoos. Its artists' tattoos have proven to age well. Services can be priced by piece or on an hourly basis, depending on the project.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.5
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (115)
Facebook
4.8 / 5 (1)

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Introduction

    A tattoo is body art that leaves permanent designs or pictures on the skin. They're applied via needle by depositing ink onto the second layer of skin. While the first tattoos were applied manually with a single needle that was first saturated in ink, today's tattoos are done by a machine. These machines feature multiple needles that pierce the skin simultaneously, speeding up the process and creating tattoos that are more visually appealing.

    Tattoos are usually done in licensed tattoo shops. These shops adhere to health and cleaning standards and are typically regulated by state and municipal governments. While tattoos are generally safe, there are associated risks, including skin infections. Any person getting a tattoo is legally required to be at least 18 years of age. It's also inadvisable for anyone who isn't in good health to get a tattoo, as the body requires time and energy to heal and prevent infection.

  • What should you know before getting your first tattoo?

    Before getting tattooed, it's important to think about design and placement. A tattoo is a permanent fixture on the body, and it's important not to rush into things. You should also consider the artist's background and take time to look into their portfolio to ensure their style best suits the tattoo you want.

  • What are some examples of tattoo styles?

    There are many types of tattoo styles, and it's important for a person to familiarize themselves with them before they select a design. Styles include:

    • Americana: Bold lines, vivid colors
    • Japanese: Large images that cover the back, arms, and legs
    • Black and Grey: Colorless grayscale designs
    • Stick-n-Poke: Thick, bold, black lines and small designs
    • Blackwork: Bold black lines and larger geometric shapes

  • Is tipping expected & how much to tip on your tattoo?

    While most tattoo artists don't expect tips, it's often appreciated. If you're happy with the work your tattoo artist has done, consider tipping between 15% and 25%. If the tattoo requires multiple sessions, a flat amount per session is appropriate.

  • What are some basic tattoo aftercare tips?

    It's important to follow all aftercare directions provided by the tattoo artist. Usually, artists will advise clients to ensure that tattoos are kept clean and dry. After showering, the tattoo should be gently patted dry and treated with Vaseline or another tattoo aftercare product.

  • What are the best practices for healing a tattoo?

    After removing the dressing, it's important to keep the tattoo clean, dry, and uncovered. Applying Vaseline or another recommended ointment can help to speed up the healing process. As they heal, tattoos can sometimes itch, but it's vital that you don't scratch or pick at it.

  • What are the most and least painful places to get a tattoo?

    Parts of the body that have the most nerve endings are generally the most painful to have tattooed. That includes the head, ears, and face. Places that don't have a lot of fat, such as the fingers, shoulder blades, and feet, are typically more painful. The least painful parts of the body to get tattooed include the outer arm, buttocks, and thighs.