Best Tattoo Shops In San Diego

“I can’t say enough great things about Isaac! I went to him for my nose piercing, and I’ll be honest—I was nervous about the pain. But Isaac walked me through everything, answered my questions, and kept me calm. When it came time for the piercing, it was so quick and smooth that I barely felt a thing! Honestly, it was painless and way easier than I expected.

Isaac has such a gentle, precise technique, and it shows—my piercing is healing beautifully. Beyond being incredibly skilled, he has a calm, positive energy that instantly puts you at ease. You can tell he genuinely cares about his clients and wants them to have the best experience.

If you’re even thinking about getting a piercing, Isaac is the one to see. I walked in nervous and walked out with a gorgeous piercing—and the confidence that I’ve found the only piercer I’ll ever go to again.“

“Visiting our daughter in San Diego and we both received the same tattoo! Love it ?“

“Zane was so dope!!! Such a great vibe and FAST. We went on a whim to get matching best friend tatts and his conversation and professionalism is off the charts. He was so meticulous, which is exactly what you want in a tattoo artist! 10/10 highly recommend“

“I got tattooed almost a year ago, spur of the moment, celebrating Valentine's Day with my husband and 9 month old daughter. Carrie was about to leave when I walked in but made time for me anyway. She drew up my idea quickly and easily, she knew exactly what I was looking for before even I did. We were in and out of the shop in about an hour and I'm still amazed by the quality of work done. I get compliments on my tattoo constantly and might as well have a QR code for her Instagram at this point. I would recommend Carrie to anyone who asks.“

“I walked in and Zhoey did my tattoo and did an amazing job. We are just visiting here, but would definitely come back for more!!“

“Super talented, professional, and chill to be around. He made sure I was comfortable the whole time, and the work came out clean. You can tell he really cares about the art — the linework, shading, and detail were all on point. Easily one of the best tattoo experiences I’ve had. If you’re thinking about booking with James, just do it — you won’t regret it.“

“My wife was getting a tattoo first and I ended up chatting more with Phangs. We spoke about a rough design and what I wanted. She came up with a design and colors that I fell in love with. I thought it was going to be a challenge since it was a coverup, but I trusted in her imagination and talent 100%. I LOVE how my tattoo turned out. Myself, wife, sister in law AND brother in law all get our tattoo from Phangs. She’s a nice, pleasant, very easy to talk to person and an amazing artist. The facility is beautiful and welcoming. I look forward to working on our next project“

“Miles was awesome! My tattoo came out amazing and i’m so obsessed with it. He was so chill and didn’t make it awkward at all. Definitely recommend coming to this place!!“

“Clister helped bring my simple sketch into an incredible masterpiece over a decade ago and out of all the misinformed decisions I made when I was young, I have NO regrets about my choice of artist.

Ten years later, no fading, still getting compliments. Although it was a 14 hour project split into two sessions - painful, yes - but I got a lifetime of beautiful ink walking around with me.

Thanks Clister!“

“Julie was friendly and did a good job on my tattoo. I liked how I had the whole place to myself during my session as she's the only tattoo artist. She made sure the size and placement was to my liking, and she also had snacks which was considerate. My appointment lasted an hour for a 2-inch tattoo and was $150 before tip, which I feel like was a normal price. Overall would recommend!“

“The entire experience was 10/10 :) and you get to meet Bruno the dog. Highly recommend !!“

“Stephanie is awesome. I had a very specific idea in mind for a tattoo on my shoulder and she took all of my crazy ideas and turned it into a beautiful design. So happy with the work she did, she was great to work and fun to talk too which made the time go by fast getting the work done.

Requested style: Abstract landscape line work“

“New This place is absolutely awesome! My daughter and I were walking across the street and saw a guy hanging the sign and we decided to go in and check it out. I am so glad we did. What a warm, welcoming, great bunch of guys. They all made us feel so welcome while there. Sean did our tattoos and we LOVE them! We laughed with him the entire time. It was a really great experience and we will definitely be back. Thanks guys“

“Today, I received a tattoo from Dion to cover up X name that I had done over 20 years ago. Dion did a fantastic job and now there's no trace of X name. I truly can move towards healing now. Thank you Dion and Even Keel Tattooing! Highly recommend this business. The team is solid and joint is Clean!“

“Everyone at the shop is super talented. My personal favorite artist is Sal! He has done most of my work and there is more to come. It's a clean shop, super friendly staff. Highly knowledgeable and I recommend them for your body art needs. Posting my two favorite tattoos! Thanks Sal,for your beautiful work!“

“This was such a great experience. Araceli was professional and my brows look amazing. I highly recommend this service. I was nervous too have this done but Araceli made me feel comfortable and confident. Thrilled with the outcome.. only wish I would have done sooner!“

“I recently moved to San Diego, and came across Concrete Jungle Tattoo in my neighborhood. The entire staff is professional and very friendly. I initially stopped in and got a spur of the moment tattoo from Edgar. I was so impressed with his skill and professional / friendly demeanor, that I have been back multiple times for more work. This place is a gem!“

“I love Jenna! She is my go to girl for any tattoo. Her creativity and work is some of the best. I recommend her to all my friends, and I get so many compliments on all my pieces. I probably have 10 or more tattoos done by her. Her line work is amazing and her light hand makes the experience WAY less painful
Than other artists. The best“

“This place was truly amazing, I went in with a couple of my girlfriends. We all decided to get tattoos. I’ve always wanted the Prince symbol, and so I have it on my left leg. And then I love this place so much I went back two days later and got another tattoo on the another leg. The guys couldn’t have been nicer made me feel so comfortable. And they even had a big mama table for me to lay on. I’m always afraid I’m going to break a table. Of course I haven’t yet but they had one just for me anyways.“

“Very professional, kind service, accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable. Literally best ever i HIGHLY recommend“

“Shane is truly the best tattoo artist I’ve worked with. He is extremely talented at what he does and is a phenomenal person all around. He is very detail oriented and was able to cover scars wonderfully to where they aren’t visible when I was told no by so many artists. Shane is also welcoming and kind. I can’t recommend him enough. I’ve flown out of state three times now and will be coming back another time because of how great him and his work are!“

“I booked artists “Leo Cadenazzi” for an appointment on August 2nd, 2025 for a 5 inch wide by 7” negative space cross enshrouded by skulls and roses.
Leo specializes in this, and is one of the senior, highly desirable artists at this studio so it took me over a month to even get through the door.
His pricing was more than fair, borderline a bargain given his massive talent and renown.
The stencil he created was spot on with the references I sent him, and when I arrived at the shop he was smiling and ready to go.

His easygoing demeanor was affable, and his expert consultation on placement, especially after telling him the other pieces I would be getting in the same area was excellent and probably saved me a huge headache in the future.

The shop was clean, calm, and not totally covered in gore and nudity as is the norm for most tattoo parlors, which I appreciated.

Leo powered through close to 4 hours from start to finish and completed the piece with blazing speed and efficacy. Any novice or intermediate artist might have taken double the time.

The payment and waiver process was a breeze, and other artists there were professional and cordial.

I drove 45 minutes one way to get to Funhouse Tattoo in Pacific Beach, and waited a month to secure Leo’s services. Worth every penny and every second, couldn’t be happier.“

“I loved my experience here! The atmosphere is so warm and welcoming. The artists are totally chill and completely understand if you throw up (totally not speaking from experience ??) Alyssa was my artist and she was amazing! The tattoo turned out awesome and she went above and beyond to make sure I was doing okay ?“

“Awesome environment, Flawless service, Great pricing, Great conversation, Very welcoming staff, got my first ever tattoo done and my artist, Niko Bones made the experience very easygoing“

“With Michael, as I’m sure you’ll get with anyone else here, you’ll get great conversation, good music, and a great tattoo
Great shop!“