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Laurels

Best Tattoo
Artists in
Raleigh
2020

We scored 90 Tattoo Artists in Raleigh, NC and Picked the Top 10

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Here are the Picks:

401 Tattoo

Blue Flame Tattoo

Double Deuce Tattoo & Art Gallery

Knightdale Tattoo Company

Mad Ethel’s Tattoo

Oak City Tattoo

Phoenix Tattoo

Red Leaf Tattoo Studio

Rock-n-Roll Tattoo & Piercing

Warlock's Tattoos

Why These Tattoo Artists?

Our goal is to connect people with the best local experts. We scored Raleigh Tattoo Artists on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best.

Reviewed Curated Top Picks 90 58 10

Our Selection Criteria:

  • 1. Availability

    Consistently approachable and responsive, so customers never feel ignored.

  • 2. Qualifications

    Building customer confidence with licensing, accreditations, and awards.

  • 3. Reputation

    A history of delighted customers and outstanding service.

  • 4. Experience

    Masters of their craft, based on years of practical experience and education.

  • 5. Professionalism

    Providing service with honesty, reliability, and respect.

401 Tattoo

401 Tattoo Fuquay serves the Varina community with tattoo designs and brings over 45 years of art experience to clients. The licensed shop aims to create unique, custom designs as well as cover-ups and typically works by appointment-only, although walk-ins are welcome. Clients appreciate the feeling of privacy when being tattooed and can choose from two permanent artists as well as a rotating guest tattooer. Piercing services and jewelry are not available.

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Fuquay Varina, NC 27526

Website

(919) 239-0186 Website

Blue Flame Tattoo

Blue Flame Tattoo has been a Raleigh tattoo shop since 1998. Styles for the eight resident artists are on display via online portfolios, and each tattooer can be contacted individually. Blue Flame is open seven days a week, but patrons must make appointments in person unless pre-arranged with an artist, and non-refundable deposits are necessary when an appointment is made. Clients must bring photo ID to prove they are 18 years of age or older, and all payments for services are cash-only.

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Double Deuce Tattoo & Art Gallery

Double Deuce Tattoo & Art Gallery LLC brings ten years of tattooing experience to the Cary residents. Clients can come in for consultations and discuss custom designs as well as have access to aftercare products, piercings, and local art. The company's website has full bios of its five resident tattooers and photos of their work for clients to peruse and to decide which artist they would like to work with. The studio is also always looking for local artists to exhibit their pieces for free. Double Deuce has an A+ rating with the BBB.

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937 North Harrison Avenue
Cary, NC 27513

Website Instagram

(919) 481-4445 Website

Knightdale Tattoo Company

Knightdale Tattoo Company brings almost 25 years of tattoo experience to the Knightdale area. Co-owner Mack McKnight is one of the two resident artists, a cancer survivor, and has been inking for 25 years. Both artists' various styles and designs can be seen via photos on Knightdale's website. Clients must be 18 years-old and bring ID to prove it, and no piercing services are available. The shop is closed Sundays and Mondays.

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Knightdale, NC 27545

Website

(919) 295-4785 Website

Mad Ethel’s Tattoo

Mad Ethel’s Tattoo brings 50 years of combined experience in tattooing to the residents of Raleigh. The studio specializes in custom-only work and seeks to deliver unique pieces of body art for each individual client. Some specialty styles include black and gray realism, Japanese, portraiture, traditional, cover-ups, and pin-ups. Mad Ethel’s was featured on WRAL News and received a Best of The Triangle Award in 2014 from Triangle Downtowner Magazine.

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711-B North Person Street
Raleigh, NC 27604

Website

(919) 900-8345 Website

Oak City Tattoo

Oak City Tattoo provides tattooing services to the Raleigh community. Clients can view photos of all four artists' work via the studio's website, and the designers can be emailed directly for questions and appointments. Oak City is an ink only shop, and piercing services and body jewelry are not available. Walk-ins are welcome anytime, appointments require a deposit to be made, and Sundays are by-appointment only.

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3114 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27607

Website

(919) 838-8330 Website

Phoenix Tattoo

Phoenix Tattoo Studio has been a Raleigh tattoo shop for 10 years. Clients frequent the shop for its clean and friendly environment as well as quality custom designs. Resident artists have decades of experience and offer styles such as portraits, black and gray realism, 60s and 70s music-inspired, garden, literary, Victorian Art Deco, and pop art. Deposits are required for appointments, and quotes for desired tattoos will only be given in person.

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1215 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27603

Website Instagram

(919) 834-8055 Website

Red Leaf Tattoo Studio

Red Leaf Tattoo Studio offers tattoo work in the Cary area. Previously known as Ink Slingers Cary, the shop has simply changed its name but employs the same staff and talent. Portfolios of past designs by the studio's two artists are online for viewing as well as photos of the wall art exhibited in the shop's gallery. Red Leaf is open every day of the week except for Tuesdays and can be emailed or phoned for appointments.

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Cary, NC 27513

Website

(919) 234-0271 Website

Rock-n-Roll Tattoo & Piercing

Rock N Roll Tattoo & Piercing is a Raleigh tattoo shop. Clients can read through the company's "Tattoo Clients Bill of Rights," including the studio's hygiene standards of single-use needles, sterilization procedures, and use of latex gloves. There is also a list of Dos and Don'ts for people to read prior to coming in. A number of tattooers with various styles are available at Rock N Roll's two locations, and artist portfolios are available online.

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3629 Capital Boulevard
Raleigh, NC 27604

Website Instagram

(919) 872-2881 Website

Warlock's Tattoos

Warlock's Tattoo is a Raleigh tattoo shop with 20 years of experience in the industry. Owner Byron Wallace runs the shop with artists who have over 100 years of combined experience and have worked on over 10,000 tattoos in Raleigh. The shop is one of only two in the area that is part of the National Tattoo Association, The Association of Professional Piercers, and the Alliance of Professional Tattooists. Wallace and his artists have won numerous awards in several categories since opening.

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5535 Western Boulevard
Raleigh, NC 27606

Website

(919) 233-1760 Website

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