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.“

“Walked in to get a tattoos with my wife and my sister. Had a drawing of what we wanted that our daughter drew up. Weezey nailed it. Definitely be back there for my next.“

“Such a cute shop! I’ve been tattooed by 3 or 4 different artist here. They are all great!“

“My 7 year old daughter and I had an awesome experience with Anna at the La Jolla location. We took the whole family of 5 with us, including her little bros. We were initially intimidated when we saw it was inside a tattoo parlor but when you step inside it feels clean, spacious, and comfortable. They were able to take us in as a walk in. Anna was superb! She was very friendly and patient with all our questions and took her time to make sure everything was aligned. She was very honest as well, I thought one of my ear piercing holes had closed and was going to get it repierced but she told me I actually don't need to and helped get an earring through, hooray!

My daughter and I are so happy with the results and got thorough instructions on how to maintain our piercings. It is on the pricey side for kids but worth the comfortable environment imo. Thank you Anna!“

“Place was very clean and neat, design came out fantastic, artist was friendly, professional 10/10 would recommend.“

“This review is specifically for Tarek and his top notch work. By far, the best Tattoo Artist in San Diego! He’s booked out a few months but reach out to the shop, ask to get on his consult schedule, and he’ll assist to design you a rad, unique piece of art! Thanks Tarek!“

“Lexy is the best! I love going here and Nick did my tattoos and I'm love the!!! Can’t wait to go back“

“I was visiting from out of town and found this cute shop. I got a sun flash tattoo. It was a fun experience with great vibes and amazing artists working at this shop. If you are looking to get a memorable experience highly recommend this shop. Shout out to Ada!!“

“Veronica! Amazing artist who listened carefully and understood my vision. A true professional who already had many versions drawn and ready for my input at the very start of appointment! I LOVE my new ink. Definitely will be back for more ?❤️“

“Got the perfect leg piece here. Mervin is so awesome and does great, clean, geometric work. Everyone created a really comfortable environment and I would recommend this shop to everyone.“

“Great place! Both super friendly guys and Jay the piercer piercing very quick and pain free. When I got my conch it was barely a 2/10 for pain. They also were very nice and helpful when I started to get dizzy afterwards. 100/10 would go check out this amazing place!!“

“So I had been itching for some new tattoos (who doesn’t right?), and I really wanted to get all anime ones for my upper sleeve and while on instagram, I came across the artist James. Love his work and how clean it looked so I immediately sent a message over to him and we got my first tattoo scheduled. Very easy and streamlined process and the shop itself is so dope. So much artwork on the walls and just overall chill environment. I was greeted right away by the receptionist and they let James know I was there and the consultation began. Didn’t take much longer before I was in the chair getting ready to get my anime half sleeve started. It’s been close to a year probably since that first anime tattoo and the work looks incredible! My half sleeve of all anime is done and James could not have been more professional. He is so quick when he works but does not leave any detail out! I can’t speak for all the other artists and their work inside that shop but, if they are anything like James, then I wouldn’t give it a second thought. Full Circle Tattoo is the place to go!“

“Today my wife and I walked in looking to get some date tattoos, we were greeted by Alex who was more than happy to knock it out for us. He did an amazing job, and was super respectful. I will definitely be coming back in the future.“

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

“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.“

“I have received several tattoos from Baki, most recently is my arm sleeve/chest piece. Always the best quality of work and nicest guy! Highly recommend!“

“Andrew was very helpful and reassuring. Could not ask for a better place for a first tattoo“

“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.“

“Bunz did an amazing job on my tattoo! Great atmosphere, and everyone at the shop has a fantastic attitude. Will be going back for more.“

“Super clean and safe environment, the people here are down to earth and willing to work with you to tailor to your needs! Highly recommended!“

“My husband and I walked in for tattoos while on vacation and they were able to accommodate us quickly and did an amazing job! We will definitely be back for any future tattoos. The atmosphere was great and quality amazing. We’re so happy with the art they created!“

“Definitely satisfied with David’s work! All artists were friendly and welcoming. Will be going back for another tattoo.“

“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.“

“Great experience from the moment I walked in to when I stepped out ! Ben did a fantastic job banging out this sick, flying eye ball on my forearm w/ efficiency, skill, and enthusiasm. (Hand drawn btw) I also wanted an imagine of my doggo’s nose on the opposite wrist and he took maybe ten minutes to illustrate it beautifully too. 100 bucks minimum - paid 500 for both (excluding tip). Extremely passionate about his work and it shows ! Highly recommend ya come check em out and grab some grub down the street ! One love <3“

“Had such an awesome experience at this shop! Couldn’t have asked for a better tattoo, Cooper is professional, kind, and definitely cares about the work he does 10/10 would recommend!!“