My name is Charles and I just had a half sleeve tribal tattoo covered up by Denis Besnard. Denis drew up an amazing Japanese style dragon to cover up my tribal tattoo. I flew in from FL and he was extremely helpful in helping me get the design that I wanted. Not only is he an incredible artist but he is also very professional. It only took him about 5 hours total to do a complete half sleeve (and I'm a big guy) so I was in and out in one sitting. If your looking for any Japanese style tattoos and your in San Diego you need to holla at my man Denis Besnard. If your not in the San Diego area you need to fly to San Diego and holla at Denis Besnard. The man is really that damn good!
Review Source:I highly recommend Avalon Tattoo 2 to anyone who is looking to get a tattoo! Everyone in the shop is very friendly & accommodating. Alessio Ricci did an OUTSTANDING job on a cover up tattoo. Not only was he very attentive to my pain tolerance but he also made the time go by faster with his sense of humor. Â I would say that this was by far the best tattoo experience I have ever had & will definitely go back for more tattoos. If you're looking for a professional with over 15 years of experience, Alessio is your guy! Thanks so much! I am profoundly grateful & have an extra boost of confidence now that the ugly tree is gone!
Review Source:I just got my tattoo today from Dave Warshaw at Avalon II Tattoo. Â Can I just say that I LOVE him! Â It's been 20 years since my first one and I was a bundle of nerves! Â He was able to talk me off the ledge, listened to what I wanted and drew me something beautiful. Â He has a very gentle, steady hand and wasn't aggressive at all. Not to mention that he's freaking hysterical (if you can handle completely uncensored conversation). Â We chatted the whole time and made the hour fly by. Â I was adamant about making sure my tattoo was subtle and feminine and he gave me exactly that! Â I got a bloomed lotus flower with a bud shooting off the top on my shoulder and don't regret it at all!
My husband also got his tattoo at Avalon II about a week before I did. Â He got his from Chris C. Â He was very accommodating when my husband walked in late one evening. Â He did exactly what he asked and now loves the results.
As far as the shop itself...they're the real deal. Â My husband and I chatted with several artists at a variety of shops. Â I have to say that Avalon II was the only place where I didn't feel completely uncomfortable. Â I would recommend it to anyone who asks! Â Several people mentioned the issue with parking. Â Well...there is a TON of free, non-restricted residential parking around. Â Parking is not a problem at all! Â The only reason I'm not giving them 5 stars is because the waiting area could use some air fresheners because the smoke that comes up from the outside sort of lingers there.
My wife and I walked in July 7th to see if she could get a crappy tattoo she had covered up. We had called around and everyone was booked, but Avalon said lets at least take a look at what you want and go from there.
When we arrived it was late in the day (5ish) and we were told they probably wouldn't have a chance since everyone there who was still tattooing was booked to close. Arnold looked at the tattoo my wife wanted covered up and gave us some solid advice about what was reasonable to use as artwork to get the job done. Since it was a small tat, he said we could come back at 7pm and he'd try to fit us in since we were only in the area for the day. As we hung out for him to finish with another appointment, we found out they had decided to wait and do their work later. SCORE!
In the 10 minutes it took my wife to fill out the paperwork, Arnold had drawn up a beautiful Cherry blossom (now on his website <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Farnietattoo.com%2Fnews%2F&s=742761de254bbaf1fba4daa8498e1e91723921a51bff5bb0d0ba0ded5ea8a153" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://arnietattoo.com/n…</a>) and went to work. Around 45 minutes and the beauty was done. During that time we had a fun chat with a guy who's passionate about what he does and a lot of other things. Who wants a pansy tattooing their body right?
Long story short......Go see Arnie, or anyone at Avalon 2 for your work....but don't be like us because walk-ins are rare. :)
This place rules! Â I've gotten work done twice here, both times with Chris. Â Not only was Chris completely open to all my ideas, but his transformation of them onto paper was ridiculous awesome!
The experience: Â What can I say.... who actually likes the way it feels? Â It sucks, no matter where you go, but the place smells like a typical tattoo shop and I don't mind it (ok, I like it). Â Everyone that works there won't hesitate to drop by your drilling and check out your work, say hello, and maybe throw out a joke or two to help with the pain. Â Chris does a good job of keeping your mind off of it with good conversation.
The work: Â The talent housed in this place is well above par, bar none.... starting with Chris. Â I am very happy with the outcome thus far, and have more on the books with him already. Â I'll let you all know how it continues to go.
Strongly recommend checking this place out!
I just got back from the shop after my first experience at Avalon II. This is my second tattoo, the first one was about seven years ago, so I pretty much consider myself a first-timer. That, and I hate pain, so yeah.
Anyway, the first time I went into the shop for my consult I met Chris Cockrill. I was pretty nervous, but he was easy to talk to, and I gave him the picture of the animal I wanted for the tattoo, and also told him what other elements I wanted, and he said he would draw it up for me. In between my consult and my appointment, I was able to text him elements of the tattoo, and also ask him questions about the process. It was nice to be able to do that.
Today, when I saw the design he had drawn, I was floored, but in a good way. It was beautiful! Fearsome and girly at the same time, just like my daughter, who is the motivation behind the tattoo. :-) I needed the tattoo scaled a bit smaller than he had it, and he took the time to shrink it down to a size that I was ok with. He was easy to talk to once again, and made the two hours of tattooing go quickly. He also has an amazingly gentle touch, which was great, because my shoulder felt like it was on fire at times. He was great about answering my questions about after-care as well.
All in all, a great experience. I can't wait to get the bandage off!
I've had various work done over the years here, and have always walked out valuing the experience with the artists here as much as the art. I haven't been to Avalon 2 for almost five years, but I had my heart set on this. Mike fit me in today on short notice, and nothing about the skills and service has changed a bit!
Review Source:I found this place because of my friend Kim. She did research on tattoo artist and came across Alessio Ricci. She's had quite a bit of work done by him this year and I've accompanied her several times and I've also been tattooed twice by Alessio myself. We've always been pleased when going there. He's fun to talk to, very personable and funny, we laugh constantly. Besides the pleasure of being there because we always have fun Alessio does amazing work, I've always been pleased and am asked constantly where I go. I've always felt like Alessio is considerate to my comfort level asking if I need to take a break when it was feeling a bit intense. I've never found him to be arrogant or rude. It's always a please going to Avalon because I know I'll leave with awesome art all while having a good time. All the guys at this shop seem really friendly. The smoke outside has been mentioned more than once in some of the reviews and all I have to say is .. smoke in front of a tattoo shop... dare you say!!!!
Review Source:Probably one of the best tattoo shops in San Diego. I absolutely love the back piece Arnold did for me. He has such an amazing talent when it comes to creating and executing a tattoo. He takes time and an incredible amount of effort/passion when into his work. I've been to other good places but he really out did them. I definitely recommend getting your tattoos done here and by him. Plus I love all the compliments I get from everyone on a daily bases! Thanks Arnold, you're the best.
Review Source:I am a veteran with PTSD and I require a service dog 24/7. As part of my recovery, I planned this large back tattoo symbolizing my slow but hard earned recovery because peacocks represent beauty in adversity. So my husband and I along with my service dog dropped by the shop trying to find a trustworthy artist and even though Alessio wasn't very open and easy guy to talk to, I liked his work and decided to put my trust in him. I didn't feel very comfortable talking about the emotion behind my big decision because he seemed all about business. We made appointments, I dropped $100 for the drawing and was asked to come back on the 24th to check out the drawing. I believe, for most people getting a tattoo is an emotional and intimate thing and Alessio treated me more like a canvas than a person. If he is an experienced artist he should already know that. So I figured he just might have had a long day today.
We stopped by on the 24th to check out the drawing and Alessio asked me to walk in the tattooing area to check the drawing. I was about to walk in and he said, "you can't bring the dog back here. In fact, he shouldn't even be in the shop!" I got confused, my dog is wearing a shab that clearly states "service dog" on it. There is a reason I walk around with a 63lbs GSD everywhere.... according to the ADA (federal law) service animals can go anywhere their owners can except for areas where food is prepared (e.g a commercial kitchen). So I explained him the law. He is not a pet but a medical device for my disability. He became defensive and said by law they are not allowed to have dogs enter because of the health department. I thought that was strange because during my tattoo parlor hunt I went to this parlor in Hillcreast that has their pet pitbull in the shop AND in Kat Von D's shop in LA they have a shop cat. Anyhow, I begged him to check the ADA rules for access to service animals instead of humiliating me in front of three clients and another artist. He kept showing resistance and stood his ground even after my husband explained to him that she can't get a tattoo without having her service dog next to her. I felt awfully anxious due to the embarrassment and commotion caused by Alessio that I didn't even want him to tattoo me anymore. This was supposed to be part of my recovery and not a stressful experience. The other artist said he didnt know i had a service dog so now he will call his boss to inquire about the law but until then we would have to wait. Everyone started staring at me as my anxiety got worse and I just wanted to run away. I told Alessio that he has lost my trust and I don't even care about the tattoo anymore. He should learn to treat his clients with dignity and respect. My husband got so tired of explaining my situation to these guys that he decided to just lay it straight out that i have severe PTSD and this was supposed to be a stepping stone for me and now i cant feel comfortable with Alessio touching me due to my hyper-vigilance and distrust in him. He got angry and said I'm causing him too much time and effort and HE IS the victim in all this because he invested time in drawing my tattoo. Long story short- the other artist asked Alessio to give me my deposit back and call it a day because they didn't get a response from the boss yet. I would have been still okay with the result but Alessio decided to tell my husband that he would have never gave us our money back if it were his choice. He kept making himself the victim in all this and couldn't care less about my disability. He was rude, demeaning and arrogant. My service dog pulled me out of the shop to help me cope and control my panic attack and I cried in embarrassment outside the store till my husband walked out the shop and drove me home.
Dear shop owner:
Here is a link to the ADA laws <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ada.gov%2Fservice_animals_2010.htm&s=bb7f0d52684fb51deb0ae49fab20aa5565c8992ad3f1ab6123df81e5ccc7a5c3" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.ada.gov/servi…</a>
and by law, you are supposed to keep your employees informed of such rules to minimize any humiliation to all disabled people that visit your shop. Just because your employees aren't informed does not give them a reason to cause me embarrassment, humiliation or stress. I'm not an emotional chick going through PMS I have a freaking disability and my dog is what a pacemaker is to a heart patient. You can't separate the two without causing stress or illness.
Dear friends:
I don't know how Alessio is as an artist because I didn't even care to look at his drawing after my ordeal so I can't comment on his competence to tattoo. However, if you care to be tattooed by someone who cares about his/her Client's needs and comfort, he is absolutely not your guy. In fact, he is the least interesting guy at the parlor and is very arrogant and rude. Also, if you have low tolerance to the smell of cigarette smoke, i would stay away from the shop. I'm not sure if every artist there smokes but the whole shop smells of cigarettes every time you go there. Good luck!
I love this place! Â Finding a good artist is like finding a good hair stylist, massage therapist, or nail girl :) Â (ladies you know what i'm talkin about!) Â Anyhoo, I see Dave he's really good with fine line stuff. Â So ladies, if you like delicate tatts, flowers, hearts, stars......he's the best!!! Â I was originally referred to Fip, but he said Dave would be best for what I wanted. Â
Dave is awesome, he really takes what YOU want into consideration, but he's also really good about providing input and what he thinks will make the tatt really pop! Â Dave is also a really nice down to earth guy. Â He also has a very light hand, which is important to me, because I've had a heavy handed guy before and I was miserable during my session :(
They charge $150/hr and it's well worth it. Â I mean in all the years of getting tattoos, you really get what you pay for. Â I'm looking forward to my next piece. Â
Thanks Dave!!!! Â
ps. Â they do walk ins, if they have time, but it's best to make an appointment. Â Take your time with this stuff, it's going to be on your body for the rest of your life :)
My wife and I got our tattoos here and we are very happy we did. Â Mike Stobbe did both our tattoos and was the upmost professional. Â Not only was the tattoos he did for us was fantastic, he was also a great guy that made the whole experience fantastic. Â We will definitely come back here for more tattoos. Â
Both my wife and I highly recommend Avalon Tattoo 2!
As much as I want to give this place an amazing review, I can't.
The first strike comes from their posting hours. I called on Friday asking what their hours were and wanted to make sure that if my friend and I were to stop by, we would possibly be able to get some ink done. The guy on the phone told me they opened at 10am, and that they would be there, so my friends and I showed up at 11:45 and went to open their doors to only find out that they were locked. We later find out that the employee who was to open the doors at 10am, left to get coffee... Ummm, EXCUSE ME! If you are told to be at a location at 10am, you are there! GET YOUR COFFEE BEFORE YOU GET INTO WORK!!!
The second strike comes from their snub attitude. I understand that you might be well known throughout the business, but seriously, GET SOME PEOPLE SKILLS! Your staff is so tough and flaky that I hated every minute of talking to the people inside this location. You may only want people of a certain kind here, and not the normal person who walks in from the street, but how do you not know I wanted a whole back piece and I could have dropped $2,000 on something.
The third strike comes from the smell of smoke. Granted, people smoke. I can understand that, but when you are working, please be professional. Don't reek of cigarettes and then turn your head to hack whatever is sitting in your nose while you are talking to me and my friends. God, that was so disgusting and unprofessional.
This place is just so ridiculous and I'm sure they do good work, but just their overall first impressions were strong enough for me to go and get a tattoo out of a van.
Mike Stobbe has been tattooing me for over 20 years. How good is his work? The sleeve he did for me was featured in the December 2012 issue of Tattoo Magazine EVEN THOUGH IT'S UNFINISHED. Yeah, it's that good. I am stopped daily by people who want to look at my arm because it's so vivid and detailed. If you're considering a tattoo, don't bother going anywhere else. The best is right here.
Review Source:Let me start by saying that I went into this experience knowing that whoever got stuck tattooing me would have their work cut out. Â Back in 1998 I was one of those 18 year old girls that got a horrible tribal sun tattoo (with a SUPER dark trinity symbol in the center) on my lower back. Â I pretty much hated it 5 minutes after I got it and have lived miserably with it for the last 15 years. Â I always knew I either wanted it removed or completely covered at some point but I just hadn't taken that step. Â
Then randomly, I had a newborn client (I am newborn baby photographer) that changed everything. Â When I showed up at their home to meet their sweet little guy, I realized that dad was THE Fip from Avalon...I showed him my horrific tattoo while I was there and explained my idea for what I wanted it covered with. Â He said he could definitely do it and to give him a call. Â
After our consult, he sent me amazing sketches using some pictures I had provided...he took my feedback and totally perfected it. Â He did the actual cover up portion in one sitting (3.5 very painful hours) and he planned to finish up the rest in a couple weeks. Â In that time, my mind raced and I changed what I wanted to add to it a million times. I contacted him the day before my appt saying I had changed my plans for what I wanted and he said "no problem just bring your ideas with you". Â SO patient. Â I showed up the next day and shared what I had created in photoshop. Â He took about 15 minutes to draw the remainder up, matching what I brought in, and it was GORGEOUS when I saw it (certainly better than my photoshop work, lol). Â He finished up the 2nd session in about 2.5 hours and I am beyond thrilled. Â It is seriously SO pretty and totally how I pictured it. Â I can't really see my ugly ass tattoo hiding under there unless I examine it closely and even then it totally blends with the new design. Â I requested NO black in my tattoo other than the outline, so he managed to cover my ugly tribal sun & trinity symbol with full color, no black shading anywhere. Â I think that is pretty freaking amazing. Â
Fip is awesome. He is so talented, it's crazy. Â He is kind, gentle and an all around great guy to spend hours getting tattooed by. Â It was a complete pleasure working with him (minus the actual needle in my back portion). Â I have always said I hated my old ugly tattoo and would NEVER want another one but suddenly, after my gorgeous tattoo from Fip, I find myself designing another and can't wait to get a new one! Â Thanks Fip for hiding that ugly ass thing and making my back beautiful again! Â My lovely husband referred to this process as my "tramp stamp revamp", lol.
Sadly, my regular tattoo artist moved to NY. My sister and i wanted to get new tattoos to celebrate my 30th birthday. I had always heard good things about Avalon 2 so we decided to try it epecially because of how close i live to this place. Chris Cockrill did both our tattoos. my sisters was simple font, her lines are crisp and clean. mine was a dandelion, which came out better than i imagined! prices were reasonable.. my sisters was $100, mine was $180. i'll definitilly go back to chris for my next tattoo.
Review Source:Avalon Tattoo 2 is the only place I'll go to get any work done. Â I've been coming here for over twelve years now. Â
Mike Stobbe has done every single one of my tattoos. Â He is a great guy and does a great job. Â I have always been please with his work, his rates, and the amount of time that goes into doing a great tattoo. Â Not to mention he is a very funny guy to talk with as he is torturing you with his needle.
I recent saw an article about Fip Buchanan the shop owner and it inspired me to try to get a little work done by all the members of the Avalon team.. they are ALL extremely talented tattoo artists.
Go in check em out and make an appointment, then grit your teeth and hold on!
I followed Arnold Santos here. His work is amazing so I wanted anther piece by him. Professional, prompt, clean, beautiful tattoos done by someone with the best attitude, doesn't get any better.
He does not disappoint. I tell him what I want/like and I am always impressed with what he comes up with. He will design a custom tattoo for you which I loveeee!! I don't want my piece to look like every other piece out there.
Arnie is worth every mile, worth the 221 miles I travel to get work done by him :)
Love this place!  I had some cleanup work done on 3 of my tattoos.  I was late for my appointment  and they were incredibly patient.  Mike rolled with it and did an amazing job.  I wish I had my tattoos done with him from the onset.  I used to be embarrassed by my unfinished tattoos and now I cannot wait to show off how they represent me.  I plan on having him do my next tattoo!  I cannot state how much I love this place.
Review Source:When you are going to decorate your body with permanent art, it's important to find an artist you can trust. I spent a lot of time researching tattoo artists throughout San Diego for over a year before I decided on Fip Buchanan at Avalon Tattoo II. When I turned 18 I ran out and got a stupid butterfly tattoo on my shoulder without even thinking about it. I wanted it covered, and I knew I wanted a Japanese-style tattoo (a nod to my half-Japanese side) without being typical (e.g., I'm so Japanesey check out my KOI FISH beeatches). I also knew I wanted to include symbols that are important to me--birds and persimmons--in the tattoo. I brought in a sumi-e brush painting of a bird on a persimmon tree branch as a reference point, and Fip found another picture of two birds in a book he had on hand. He used both of these as inspiration for the final design, which I LOVE. It also covers the original butterfly completely.
The studio is clean and they put up privacy screens so I felt comfortable disrobing for the tattoo. Fip completed the tattoo in one sitting, and was very friendly and professional. I absolutely recommend his work and this studio. Getting this tattoo has been a long time coming, and it was something I did to help me reclaim my body and my identity--sounds cheesy, I know, but some of you tattoo folks out there know what I'm talking about--and I'm so grateful I found Fip and Avalon Tattoo II.
I have ben in plenty of shops the majority of which I have gone to in order to get tattooedby my favorite artist, Chris Cockrill. Â Avalon Tattoo II is a great shop filled with amazing artists who don't come off as douchebags. I believe this all begins and ends with the owner Fip Buchanon who is a world Class artist and is the most chill human that I know.
I didn't mention that I live an hour from Avalon Tattoo II. I probably pass 100 shops on my way. Â Every time I go to Avalon Tattoo II either with friends that I have recomended Avalon II to and especially when I go for my own tattoos I truly enjoy every moment of the EXPERIENCE
My home shop recommended that I stop and see Alessio when I was in town and after checking out his online portfolio, I couldn't wait. He is really talented in both Japanese and traditional style work and I had a few spots left on my arm for him to fill. I called Wednesday and he was not available for a week but made an exception for the following Saturday because I was from out of town. Â I stopped in to drop off a deposit, a little nervous about the end result. Typically I throw out ideas and then come back to make adjustments but I was staying an hour or so away. Â The day of, the stencils he had drawn were perfect. Calla lily's wrapped around a nice sleek pistol and a traditional style butterfly. Â Aside from being talented, Alessio is charming and easygoing. Â His sense of humor and adorable accent made the 4 hours of pain a lot more bearable.
The staff collaborated with each other nicely and they were not pretentious. The shop was clean and decorated with fun things to look at. Â I like this place and feel fortunate to have been tattooed by someone so awesome.
Today I was on an adventure to get my first tattoo! I went to four different tattoo shops and luckily I stopped by Avalon. Luckily.
When you enter the door you travel up one staircase and you can see where they do the tattoos. Nice, small, (not THAT small) and comfy place.
The person who did my tattoo was Chris Cockrill and he did a FANTASTIC job. I got 2 bold black simple tattoos. TWO.
The first shop offered $70 each for BOTH tattoos. The second shop offered quarter (yes, quarter. like, THAT small) for $100. All the money I had. Scam. The Third shop was closed that day.
Luckily Avalon was open. Chris said he would estimate my tattoo would be $120. All I had was $100, so he knocked it off $20! Thank you Chris!
Along with that, they had nice welcoming attitudes. I felt comfortable. One important thing I think about in customer service. All the rest of the tattoo shops? I felt intimidated because of the way they were portraying themselves to customers. SMILE, DAMNIT!
The tattoo took less than an hour and he made sure I was doing fine. He was also nice enough to re-bandage me twice! I paid my money, left, did the normal routine you're supposed to do for tattoo care for customers, and had a good time!
Garrett did my quick little tattoo and it was the easiest tattoo experience I've ever had. The whole thing took about half an hour and I was in love with my tattoo when he drew it out for me. It's inside my left wrist, which was tender, but I absolutely couldn't be happier. It's perfect :) Thx!
Review Source:Mike @ Avalon was amazing!! It was my 1st time getting a tattoo & I was extremely nervous! His down to earth personality & professionalism put me at ease. Everything in the parlor is very clean, no loud music or big windows with people looking in at you while walking by..overall just a great experience. I highly recommend Mike for your art..you won't be disappointed!
Review Source:I went in for my first tattoo a few weeks ago. I chose Avalon II based on a recommendation; however I was unaware of the immense talent at this location. Â
I went in on a Saturday morning as a walk-in and after reading these past reviews, I understand now just HOW lucky I was that Alessio was willing to fit me in that day.
I have to admit that I was incredibly nervous and even a bit emotional. I had just lost my cat and wanted a tattoo in his honor but I was already intimidated and afraid of being laughed at or thought of as stupid but the staff was awesome and accommodating. Â
Alessio worked with the idea I already had and helped me create something I was more than satisfied with. He did an amazing job and was so patient and kind with me. To this day I am very thankful that Alessio took the time to help me and I could not be happier with the outcome of my tattoo. Â I still cannot believe how painless the entire process was! :)
Thank you Avalon II for giving me a great experience with my first tattoo!
Dave ROCKED it.
This review is waaay overdue, as I got my piece done from Dave 2 years ago. The only reason I thought about writing something now is that I'm thinking about getting another one!!! Â
I stumbled on Avalon 2 from a referral from a friend for an artist at Avalon. Going through the portfolios online, I stumbled on Dave's site and gallery. And instantly was intrigued.
I emailed Dave about coming in for a consultation, and he got back to me fairly fast by email. I came in on a day he was working and we discussed the jasmine flowers I wanted on my black - just black and gray. We made an appointment a week out to come in to get it done. I was lucky to have gotten an appointment with him so fast, as it seems to fluctuate how far he's scheduled out.
When I arrived, he had a basic shape to what we were going to do, and ask my opinion on the flowers he did research on. It took him about 45 minutes to finish the rest of the sketch.
On to the tattoo - this is my 4th, so pain isn't an issue for me. Dave was super nice and kept asking how I was doing. The tattoo took about an hour and a half to complete. Midway through, he wanted me to see the outline and how it was looking. And when I saw the finished product, I was absolutely floored. The fine lines that he did, the shading, etc - was abso-posilutely freakin beautiful. I love my backpiece. *sigh.
He was also nice enough to put change in my meter for me. :) I am a fan for life! He left the tattoo open ended so I could add on if I like in the future. And I think I will.
Please, please go.
We chose Avalon II first because it was right down the street from our house. Two minutes spent talking to tattoo artist Mike in the lobby was as far as we got. He was rude, disinterested and generally unwilling to be friendly or helpful in anyway. My wife wanted a very simple tattoo done (a single thin lightning bolt, all in black, no detail) and he treated her like she was stupid, wouldn't even look up when talking to her, and made it seem like this was such a ridiculous request. Not only that, but he said there was no way that he could get it to look the way she wanted. Just not possible. We walked right out.
Maybe an hour later, we went to a shop in O.B. (Full Circle, who will be getting a five-star review) and they were friendly, helpful and enthusiastic to help. The work must have taken all of 10 minutes to complete, and off we went. It was exactly what she wanted, maybe even better.
Sorry Avalon, that could have been your business. Maybe if you encourage your staff not to act 'hipper than thou' you might be better off.
I will strongly discourage anyone from giving Avalon II their business if you prefer to deal with friendly, helpful people.
Well the tattoo was just done today. Â The experience was good from the first time in the door, picking an artist, and the experience with the artist (Mike). Â He was friendly, more than fair with pricing, and did a great job. Â So now I'll baby these two pieces I got done today, and we will see how they heal up..then I'll follow up on this review. Â Only day 1, but so far so good. Â And I have one full sleeve already, so I'm pretty experienced with tattoo shops/artists. Â
-B
---tattoo one week later: healing great, colors and lines look awesome.
Wow, where do I start? I was very happy and pleasantly surprised with the ink Terry Ribera did for me! The only downfall I have was the wait list, but as his website suggests it was no longer than what I expected (6 months) and it was no doubt worth while. I was looking for an artist for some time and had gone on a consultation with a similar yet overpriced studio in PB and ended up cancelling it. So glad I did because I found Terry's online portfolio as a result of my unsatisfied experience.
Terry was very prompt from the get go. I e-mailed him with a brief description of what I wanted and heard back from him within 24 hrs, was in to see him within a week for a consultation. Anytime I had a question he typically got back to me within a few hours. His communication was excellent! This was my first semi-big piece and wasn't entirely sure how I wanted everything to be put together. I brought in a few pictures of ideas that I wanted and he pieced them together in a matter of minutes. After anxiously waiting the 6 months to get my chest piece done he blew me by surprise with the vibrant colors and finished piece. Though it was painful, he had a quick and light touch which will definitely get me back in his chair. It only took him a total of 4 hours to complete (where as the other studio gave me an estimated 9 hours) and his chill, laid back attitude was good company making the time go by faster. I'm looking forward for him to do my sleeve!
All and all, giving this place 5 stars because it's definitely not a snobby shop all the guys here are friendly and welcoming (and quite entertaining while sitting in the chair!) It's not exactly cheap but it's not over priced either, the wait and $ are definitely worth it!
I finished my tattoo in January. It's March.. And I'm just now writing an update. I've been busy! But anyway, to the review. I'll keep this one short and sweet since my last review was hella long. Terry did his thing and the art came out amazing. I'll let the art speak for itself. Check out the progression of my tattoo here: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdannybantam.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F2990952308%2Fthe-progression-of-my-back-piece&s=b07991a5c82c5d863096b1e58e8a2608eb28fd445634981e4a6ad85fd54c24e0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://dannybantam.tumbl…</a> Thanks again, Terry! Trust I'll be making another appointment with you in the near future.
Review Source:Not sure why my adrenaline/endorphins weren't kickin in but I just couldn't tolerate the 2nd session as much as the first. Had to think to myself, "f*ck this sucks." :P Despite the pain, I'm very impressed by the final product. I was somewhat concerned with how the color would turn out since I'm pretty tan but it turned out more awesome than I had expected. Denny did a great job working using the colors (which were all the primary and 2/3 secondary colors) with my complexion. The pain was pretty shitty this time around so I had to think to myself, this probably isn't anything bad as getting ink'd in other places such as the ribs and inner fore arm done and especially compared to giving birth. :P
So...fuck the pain, get that piece at Avalon II and be merry! :) You'll regret not getting one at all or going somewhere else.
For a living, I listen to life stories, personal issues, and teenage drama all day long. But, no matter where I go I can't seem to escape it! Like the time I went into Petco and the saleslady started telling me how she got raped in a 3 minute long conversation. So, when I went to get my tattoo done I heard all about my artist's love life, but this time I didn't have to really listen or respond because he was talking to another guy for the 3 hours he was working on me. I am hesitant about calling him out because his stories were actually very sweet and endearing and I think he's a genuinely nice guy. Just found it slightly unprofessional and kinda awkward that I was listening in on some intimate stories. Luckily, his work totally made up for it!
I did a google search for Japanese-style Tattoo artists and came across Fip's portfolio. I was super impressed and knew I had to get work done by him! I didn't give him much reference material, but asked him to work around an old tattoo I got (and kind of regretted) almost 10 years ago. I was able to book an appointment for about 6 weeks later. When I arrived, he had my tat all drawn up and it looked great. He worked very quickly for all the detailing he did and despite the chatting that went on. I can tell he's been doing this for years! Â He also was accommodating to me when I needed to stretch and take a break. When he was finally done, I went to look in the mirror and it looked wayyyy better than I could've ever imagined! The colors, clean lines, and shading were all on point! His prices were very reasonable too! I am more than happy with the outcome!
When it was time to pay, the machine was jacked up and charged me twice. It was a little scary to have been double charged and luckily it didn't overdraw in my checking account! Fip was very conscientious and made sure to call me everyday until it was fixed to make sure everything was ok on my end. The tattoo gets 5-stars, but my overall experience was probably closer 3-4 stars since the shop is a little outdated looking (but that's a given based on the area it's in), my card went through twice, and I third wheeled it there for a couple of hours. Very talented and genuine tattoo artists here here at Avalon 2 so go there if you're looking to get a really nice piece on your body from an artist that really cares about producing good work!
I was a walk-in and got setup with Chris Cockrill. My tattoos were very simple, just some lettering on my wrists. Chris was very professional and friendly. Both of my tattoos turned out great and I am fully satisfied.
Big thanks to Chris for his work, and thank you to the other artists for being very welcoming. I highly recommend Avalon Tattoo 2.
Luckily, I listened to a friend this go around when looking to get some more work on my present tattoos. Somehow, I had gotten lost on what I wanted the "finished product" to look like. I had a tribal Buddha on my left arm and some lotus flowers and vines on my back. Here's the kicker. The first artist I worked with in San Diego closed shop and bailed with part of my money. So.... I was left to search for someone else. The issue here is that most artist do not want to work on previous work (think painting over a painting), so finding someone who is willing to do so is quite a fete.
Denny took one look at my unfinished product and listened to my situation about how I felt ripped off, lost in direction, and frustrated. I have gone to him twice since the consultation. And already he has morphed my two pieces, which looked completely unrelated into a true piece of art. He is always flexible with my schedule and is prompt with replying when I need to get in contact with him.
I have NEVER in 10 years of being tattooed left a shop this satisfied. The owner Fip has a great group of artists working for him. I can tell by the way he treats them that he respects and appreciates their work. These guys truly have it done to a science. Professionalism, Service, and Artistry blend perfectly at this establishment. Don't even bother going anywhere else. Unless you want to learn your lesson the hard way like I did.
I got my FIRST tattoo here. Â It was a great experience. Â I had Dave tattoo me. Â He was very patient and attentive with planning my design. Â My appointment was two weeks away when I placed it, because he was so busy. Â Ended up to be totally worth it. Â I'll post a picture as soon as I can.
I had a friend come for emotional support, and Dave, her, and I had fun chatting while he was worked on me. Â I came in at 10am, he edited the design for me until it was just right, and I was out of the shop at around 12:40pm
I got my tattoo on Wednesday. Â It's been four days and it's been healing wonderfully. Â I was so worried and anxious, since it was my first tattoo. Â But Dave assured me that it was it would look awesome. Â His confidence and positive attitude helped ease my nerves.
I heard from other friends who have tattoos that some artists can have "heavy hands" and press down a bit harder with the needle, causing more skin to peel in the healing process. Â I don't know it it's because my tattoo has such fine line work, or because Dave has a light hand, or maybe a combination of many things, but I haven't experienced any peeling yet. Â I got my tattoo on my side, above my hip. Â Yes, it hurt, but I just kept going to my "happy place" and actually after 15-20 minutes it didn't hurt as much. Â Dave told me that I was "in the zone." Â It a good feeling when your body gets used to the pain. Â :)
If you're looking for a good artist to put a beautiful work of art on your body, I'm positive anyone at Avalon II would be perfect. Â I couldn't of asked for anything better.
Lots of talent at this shop. Terry, Fip, Mike and  Alessio. I have had Terry do two pieces on me and have a third scheduled for next year. All I did was give him a couple ideas of what I wanted and Terry went to work. I am extremely happy (get compliments all the time) and even recommend them to my Mom!
Review Source:I got my 2nd tattoo in July and am just getting around to writing a review. Â A friend and I decided that together we would go get another tattoo (my 2nd his 6th). Â My friend called Avalon gave them a brief description of what we wanted and made an appointment for the next day. Â
We both went to see Denny and could not have been more pleased. Â He convinced me to go a bit larger than I had originally wanted and was so grateful that he made the strong suggestion since my tattoo turned out amazingly beautiful. Â I couldn't have been more pleased with the result. Â Denny was personable and really nice since, even though this was my 2nd tattoo, I am a total wuss and was extremely nervous.
My friend is a bit more of a pro with tattoos than I am and he also really loved the way his tattoo turned out  Overall we both had an excellent experience and would recommend Denny to anyone looking to get work done. Â
Parking is mostly meters in front of the building and at a busy time could be scarce. Â The studio itself is small but in a good intimate way. Â Everyone there was extremely friendly!
After a year of thinking of what I wanted to put permanently on my body, I took my ideas to Avalon 2. Â The desk person told me look through the books and pick an artist. Â So I did. Â
Apparently the guy I picked was too good and booked for the next 5 years or something so he passed me off the the next guy. Â I tried to relay what I wanted be he just said make an appointment and I we'll get to it in about three weeks or so. Â Apparently what I wanted was too simple for their time.
I went to Full Circle, they took the time to listen to what I wanted, said they would workup the drawings for what I wanted. Â I'm sure Avalon does good work, but they get to the simple stuff when or if they can.
Ok, my wife got me a gift certificate for Avalon 2, because she knew I wanted a tattoo, but I just wouldn't actually ever get one if we hadn't already paid for one. Â So, I got the certificate and last week I finally took the plunge.
It was my first tattoo and I was a complete novice. Â I knew a little bit about what to expect, but I was still unclear about the tattoo's size, placement, lettering style, etc... Â I made an appointment with Alessio and showed up.
It was a phenomenal experience and Alessio is seriously great. Â He had all kinds of patience for my questions, and he was so intentional about walking me through the process. I never felt as though I was asking a dumb question or taking too long in our discussion. Â He also really walked me through what he was going to do and when...so I always knew which part of the tattoo he was working on.
It turned out great and I'm so stoked with what I got. Â And, when we were done he also took some time to walk me through the after-care instructions and make sure that I understood them. Â Simply put, if you are looking for a place to get your first tattoo...this is top of the list. Â Make your appointment, spend your money (and tip!) and go home in full knowledge that you got your first ink at the best tattoo place in San Diego. Â Heck, whether it is your first or just your latest tattoo, Avalon 2 should be your place.
"They didn't have an appointment for 2 weeks so I went somewhere else"..."They were in a shady neighborhood so I went somewhere else"..."The guy I wanted wasn't available so I went somewhere else"....and you got a jacked up tattoo, didn't you??
Way back in 1994, I did my research and decided Fip was going to do my first tattoo. This is when he was still at Avalon in PB and I think still married to Patty (I could be wrong). Anyhooo, tat #1 hurt like a biaaaatch. Did you know you have about a million nerve endings in your lower back? Well, you do. Every time Fip wiped it though I swore I was going to tongue kiss him. Honestly tho, it's not so bad once it gets numb.
When I decided to get tat#2, guess who I had do it?? Yep, Fippers again but this time at Avalon 2. When you find something/someone good, don't mess with perfection.
Go ahead & ask me about tat#3. Go ahead. Well, Fip wasn't available so I decided to have Rich/Rick (can't remember his name...maybe I blocked it out) do it. BIG mistake, huge. I went in for a scorpion since I'm a Scorpio in every sense of the word. I should have sensed there was something wrong when he tried to hurry up and tape it up before I could get a good look at it. I waited the standard few hours before I removed the bandage only to see that my scorpion only had 6 legs and was now too thick (despite the template he drew for me) and I couldn't have it fixed or he would lose his tail. If you're wondering, yes, people do notice that he's missing 2 legs. I have to make up stories that he got them blown off by a land mine in Vietnam or we were foiling a bank robbery and got 2 of them shot off. This is something I'm going to live with FOREVER so I'm not too happy about the error. Oh sure, I can get it covered up but it's going to have to be a huge, dark, mostly black tat. Do I really want that on my stomach?? Nope.
I'm still giving Avalon 5 stars because it was really my fault that I got a jacked up tattoo. I should have waited for Fip. That will be the last time I trust someone who isn't a legendary name in the tattoo world to come near me with a jackhammering needle. Do your research and ask to see their work. This is something you'll have for life & life's too long to have a bad tattoo.
***If you're in the Atlanta area & looking for some ink, go to Jason Kelly at Memorial Tattoo. I've posted a review for him as well. He did a great job on the replacement scorpion on my foot.
The first TATTOO
Everyone always says that your body is a temple and has to be worshipped and not desecrated. Â But it's my body, I will do want to it what I want to. Â As I shopped around for someone to be able to create the original photo of my puppy's early year, it was hard for some to sketch and do it justice. Â I guess portraits are a specialty for some.
Until I hit upon Avalon 2, I have read the reviews and of course I trusted them enough. Â However, when I first contacted one of their more popular Tattoo artist, Fip, his recommended artist was also unavailable for another 2 weeks. Â I was ready now so I decided to go up there and check out if anyone can do the portrait of Apricot justice. Â At first, since I was wanting this done sooner, Mike who talked to me when I entered the shop said he was not available until Mon this week. Â I wanted to get it done over the weekend and Mike asked two other tatoo artists if they can do it. Â Signs of a good tattoo parlor, honesty, they said they cannot do it or were not good enough to do it. Â So I made an appointment with Mike when he was best available.
On the day of the appointment, Mike showed me the sketch first and I thought it was a great approximation but it was only a sketch, the question on my mind was how it turned out as a tattoo. I decided to put it on my chest, the area closest to my heart. Â Besides my partner and family, Apricot is the nearest and dearest to my heart despite his stubbornness sometimes.
The tattoo only took more than an hour, Mike advised me to relax and I did. Â Sure for my first tattoo, I thought it would really hurt but there was highs and lows in pain but you learn to relax which was very important. Â After Mike completed the tattoo, I stood in front of the mirror and saw the art on my skin. Â It was a good approximation. Â I wouldn't say it was exactly the photo but it was recognizable to be my Apricot and that was the most important and the work was good.
Thanks Mike, I appreciate that my first tattoo experience was original and smooth. Â If I save some more ducats, I will try for something bolder and bigger next time. Â :-) Â I would give them 5 stars but a tattoo is still not cheap so I fully recommend the place with the understanding, quality comes with a cost.
Denny is such a talented artist, that I saved for what seemed like forever to be able to have him do a back piece for me. Â Each session was more fun than getting a tattoo should really be. Â Denny has a great touch (because he's French, he claims) and very adept. Â Chatting with him and Chris made the time fly.
I have gotten tattoos from other "artists" at other "shops" and learned my lesson! Â I will never cheat on Denny again because his work is that superior to all others.
And to the people bitching about being ignored or treated poorly, please realize that the artist's time is money. Â When he's working on me, I don't want him to stop when I'm in the zone, to give you an on-the-spot consult about the chinese symbol you think you may want on your ankle when you can afford it. Â Learn tattoo etiquette, have a trusted friend accompany you, or quit your sniveling.
I love this place! Every single time I've been there I'm not treated like a shithead... you know how most tattoo shops you waltz into treat you like you're a pansy and you don't know what you want and they know everything, blah, blah, blah... not these guys. They want to see your vision, whether it's something you see everyday or something you, yourself, have been working on in your mind for months. They work with you and want you to be satisfied. When you are in the chair getting worked on they include you in there conversations and camaraderie. I won't go any place else.
Also, Alessio is the shit... he's amazing and really has a great touch. My husband and I went in there with an idea for what he wanted and when we returned later to see the drawing... we were blown away. So, please go in there and check them out. It's a real quality joint!
Certainly not a high class spa setting, but a functional (though a bit cramped) tattoo parlor. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable very laid back. Pricing is fair.
With some artistic direction, Denny created my beloved masterpiece tattoo. It was worth the pain (entire top of foot covered).
His artwork is "wow" and I would absolutely recommend him.
Dear Fip, Alessio, Denny, Mike, Dave, Terry and Danielle,
I would like to thank all of you for such good times while being in the shop while getting my work done. Â It's a funny group you have going on there and I am gonna miss it.
The squirrel went over like a "fart in church" as we all predicted. The look on her face was priceless. Â Nothing a few beers and nights on the couch couldn't fix. Â I have to admit, just talking about it makes me laugh. Â Since he is gonna be around for a lifetime, I have decided to name him "Woody."
Thank you Fip and Alessio  for the awesome japanese and traditional work!
I've had work by Terry, and it is amazing. Â My best/favorite tattoo by far. Â AND (at least with Terry) they work so fast that it ends up being cheaper than other places. Â (hey, i'm stingy)
I can also recommend Mike (amazing shading) and Fipp, though work they have done on friends.
Go to this place if you want a tattoo that you'll never regret!
My big day finally came!! Went in to see Fip Buchanan (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fiptattoos.com%2F&s=9176e185133bc8151122013049ba61b5c875e4fcd09a75a86b6689d857cb9538" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.fiptattoos.co…</a>)  yesterday for my lotus flower tattoo. Now...keep in mind that I was a tattoo virgin. We spent about hour with the design...making sure it was the right size, shape, color, etc... Fip was very patient with me as I tried to explain exactly how I wanted it. He did a sketch that was just perfect!
Then came the really, really hard part! OMG...can you say pain! For those of you who say it doesn't hurt...you're lying!! Fip made quick work of the tattoo - about an hour and a half. He didn't mind that my DH was taking pictures to document the big event. He has a great personalty and made me feel so comfortable (even though i had to keep reminding myself to actually breath!).
I am so glad I waited my 6 months to get my appointment with Fip. The tattoo couldn't have come out better! I have to agree with Abigail G. on the service! They have excellent service and take great care of their clients...if you didn't get that, it was probably your own fault!
I'm sitting here with the bandages still on my back because I'm being a lazy mo-fo after six hours of lying around at Avalon II.
Dave Warshaw [www.davewarshaw.com] was my arteest-extraordinaire and he did an AMAZING job... I still can't believe how good everything came out after just describing a few things to him about what I wanted in a custom piece.
He was personable and professional - and did a great job at making sure that I didn't give everyone a nice little side-show since he was doing the area from my front right rib to the back of my left shoulder.
This was my first tattoo, so during the moments when I was a whiny little crybaby (SHADING HURTS, MANG!) ...he reminded me to breathe and find my happy place. When I turned into a 4 year old in a car (Are we done yet? How about now? ....now? ...um... what aboutttttttttt NOW?) - He was very patient and let me know where we were as far as progress went.
and to all of you who are complaining about their customer service... I say, stuff a sock in it. Chances are, they're helping a PAYING client or working with someone who very well could be in pain... and you're not the center of the universe. Suck it up, baby - because this place is well worth the wait - and their artists ARE great at what they do... which is why they've been around for so long.
Avalon II... ohhhhhhhh, I love you....
My friend had been talking about getting a tattoo for a while, and I had an old faded tattoo that I wanted to have covered up. My cousin had also been contemplating another tat. Last night we all stayed up late getting all of our ideas together. The plan was to call Avalon first thing in the morning to see if we could somehow get in. We were told "Deny" was available for walk-in hours, which surprised us. Apparently someone cancelled. We rushed over and Deny looked at the rough sketch of what I wanted. He was very straight forward and told me it wouldn't work to cover the old tattoo but said he could sketch something similar. So of course my heart broke for a moment until he returned with the same concept but BETTER and more appropriate to cover my old tat. He went straight to work. I am very satisfied with my new tattoo and I am SOOO happy the old ugly one is no where in site. Deny was professional and still fun which made the experience cool. My friend got the tattoo he always wanted and so did my cousin. We will all be seeing Deny again soon! Â I gave 4 starts because I won't know what the final product looks like until it's healed. I am confident I will be 100% satisfied. :)
If you care to see my before and after, the pictures are in my profile.
UPDATE
My poor tattoo is already faded on the top! I am soo sad. Everyone that looks at it says "EWWWWW that's really faded." I have  a low pain thresh hold so that makes it even worse. :(
Dave Warshaw is the best tattoo artist in San Diego. At least, that is my educated opinion. I've gone to a few other places in SD and was always disappointed. When I went back to Dave for my ginkgo leaves, I realized I would never go anywhere else ever again.
I have 3 large and one small tattoos all done by him. He is amazing at fine line work, and super professional---no sleazy tat shop dudes at this place, only highly qualified artists with tat guns in their hands.
I have an anatomically correct Western tiger swallowtail butterfly, and anatomically correct ginkgo leaves done by him. I know of other people who have had nature tattoos done as well, Â and they were thoroughly impressed.
Plus, he will NOT let you get a tramp stamp unless it is fitting (I don't have one but almost put the silhouette of a cat there (it's on my upper right arm now)). Dave is honorable and is a serious artist. He also makes great conversation. It turns out he is also from the South Bay! Plus, my first tattoo I got was from him when he tattooed a special design of a mommy and baby snail on my mom and I---yes my mom and I have matching tats, and nobody would have ever thought I would be getting body art.
i drew this ambigram for my sister awhile back, and she decided out of nowhere (with a little persuading from a friend that's visiting town) that she wanted to get it done this week.
so she rolled into this shop around 420 yesterday afternoon. and asked to set up an appt. the guy she talked to responded: actually, i had a cancellation today, so if you're ready for it now, i can fit you in at 530.
sweet!!!
the tattoo artists here are very friendly, talented and accommodating. they even get it done with a quickness! he finished her foot piece in about 15 minutes, and it looks great!!
my sister knew it would hurt, and at one point mentioned that she's gonna try to fall asleep so she wouldn't feel the pain. hahahaha, so he wagered a little bet: if you can fall asleep, i'll give this to you for free. my sister's eyes lit up. but she couldn't do it.
overall, great experience, even if i didn't get any ink. i want to come back here for my next piece.
This is one of the best tattoo parlors I have been to.  The location is great  - right off the 805 on Adams and ample street parking.  The store is really clean and the employees are pretty friendly (I've been to tattoo parlors before where the employees are snobby and only want to talk to you if you're getting major work done or if you're a guy.  For some reason women as not taken as seriously as men).
Mike was my tattoo artist and he was super cool. Â I felt like he knew exactly what he was doing. Â He listened to what I wanted, didn't rush me and gave me exactly what I wanted. Â The tattoo came out great and he charged a fair price. Â I will definitely go back to him for my next tattoo. Â **bonus - he's a dog lover - always a good sign.**
This has got to be one of the finest tattoo parlors in San Diego, and the owner, Fip Buchanan (who, as far as I know, stopped taking appointments until October) is a phenomenal (really) tattooist. He works quick without sacrificing quality, so when I have awesome pieces that took two hours apiece and I look at others' scratchwork that took six hours, I can only feel bad for 'em.
The prices were comparable to others, and Fip himself charges something like $160/hour, but whether it's that or $250/hour, I would lay off of drugs and booze for a few weeks, save up, and get awesome tats from that place instead of getting some scratcher for a hundred, which is most of tattoo shops around.
I thought long and hard about whether I really wanted to get a tattoo. Â Then I thought long and hard about exactly what I would get. Â
And then came the hard part...finding a place that I would trust enough to etch something permanently into my skin.
I researched online, I asked friends for recommendations, I weighed my options...and everything converged and pointed to Avalon II.
I didn't have an appointment when I went in, I really just wanted to check the place out and see how comfortable I would be. Â It was the Saturday of a holiday weekend so I figured, no way would anyone be available. Â And it seemed like I was right, until the person waiting decided to pass (don't think she had decided on what to get) and voila - Dave had an opening! Â I was pretty excited since he'd been recommended by a good friend AND I loved his Sleestak art.
So I presented Dave with my drawing - not a typical tattoo, probably way too plain for most people. Â He was cool, gave some ideas to make it pop a little more and we got started. Â I was happy since I'd been afraid a tattoo artist would turn his nose up at me but Dave was chill...he even put up with me being such a baby about the pain.
I completely love my tattoo and I do get compliments on it from random strangers. Â
I realized how great this shop was after visiting a few others with a friend (he was trying to find place he'd had his first tattoo done years earlier). Â Other places had rude people at the desk, eating lunch and chatting on cell phones...or tons of sketchy guys just hanging out, smoking outside the door.
Highly recommend Avalon II and I'll be going back for my second piece!
Well, I was looking for a place to get my first tattoo done and a lot of people recommended Avalon Tattoo 2 for the place to get work done. One of my friends had some work done here and the tat looked awesome! So I went down a few weeks ago to talk to someone and get pricing, etc.
I spoke to someone and they gave me a general idea of how much the tat would cost and time involved great! The one artist that was there was booked til May and could not get me in so I was told to come back and speak to another artist and maybe I could get in sooner. I could not set up an appointment then. I kinda understood since the artist would want to see what he would be working on.
About a week went by and I stopped in to see if I could get an appointment set up. I walked in and there were two artists there working on some clients. No one else there. I felt bad that I would have to interrupt them to talk. They both looked up at me and ignored me for a bit then finally the one guy looks up as asks me if I needed something. I told him I was looking to get a tattoo and he kind of looked at the other artist and they kind of just looked at each other with a look of "crap, which one of us is going to have to talk to this guy." Did not make me feel comfortable at all as a customer. The other artist stops the work he is doing and comes up to me and asks me what I want done. I showed him the image of a symbol that I wanted and told him  where and how big. He did not seem real enthused about working with me and did a half assed attempt to make an appointment. He would tell me what dates he was available but then say, but I think Mike could get you in sooner, but I could do it if you want, but Mike...etc. It did not make me feel comfortable in having this guy work on me and something that would be on my body for the rest of my life. The customer service of this place sucks, even if they do awesome work.
I think they need someone to schedule appts. for them, even for a consult so they are not interrupted  and treat potential customers like crap. Will not go back there and will not recommend this place to anyone.
A lot of tattoo shops I've been to and heard horror stories about start off with snobby tattoo artists who don't really have the social skills necessary to make someone want to get tattooed by them.
Thankfully, Avalon II is a great exception to that trend. From the moment I walked in to talk to an artist about what I wanted to get done I was greeted with smiles. I ended up getting my worked done by Dave Warshaw.
Dave is amazing. The piece I wanted was very complex because it was a water color drawing mostly and I had a lot of artist tell me they wouldn't even do it because they weren't sure they could make the image come out the same on skin. However, Dave made the tattoo better than I expected. He's amazingly talented and easy to get along with.
I definitely recommend him.
Mike did a large back piece for me based on artwork from one of my favorite comix, "Love and Rockets." Â He really rocked it out. Â I was glad to find he was a fan of the book as well, so he chatted in a friendly manner for a while, but when it came to the inking he concentrated and got it done faster than I had hoped. Â I need to go back for color...and I look forward to future tattoos at this establishment!
Review Source:I just got my arm worked on by the "newbie" Chris. Â He actually is not so much a newbie to the field, ten years is a seasoned vet. Â I was lucky that he had a cancellation and was able to fit me in on the same day I walked in. Â He listened to my jumbled ideas and created this MASTERPIECE that I now so proudly display on my upper left arm. Â Although there are many great artists at Avalon 2, Chris is definitely my hero and will soon be booked months in advance like the rest of his cohorts. Better watch out Fip! ;) Â If you are looking for someone professional, kind, skilled and good spirited, Chris is your man!
Review Source:This is a great place - last time I was down in San Diego, I got a tattoo there, and I will again next time I'm down that way in October. The reason it strikes some as aloof is that the people there are professionals and artists; rather than just throw whatever damn-fool idea the customer has on the skin and then go off to count the money, they work with the customer carefully to makes the composition works with the inherent limitations of the medium (skin and needles isn't photoshop, people). The reputation of all the artists is unimpeachable, but all my Avalon 2 work has been done by Alessio Ricci, and he's the one I'll be returning to next time.
Review Source:I dont know why the last girl was so butt hurt (all of her reviews are shitty) but my visit to avalon tattoo II last night was great. The artist ALESSIO RICCI did my tat and it turned out amazing because hes a ridiculous artist. He was very easy going and willing to brainstorm with me until I was happy with the design. He made the whole experience very fun crackin jokes which took away some of the pain but not much. Â
The last person mentioned that they didn't like how long it took because of talking all i have to say to that is when you get a tattoo enjoy the experience its going to cost money and who cares its going to be on your body for the rest of your life. I don't mind forking out an extra 100 bucks because someone takes their time on the tattoo to make it look perfect or wants to chat for a bit. That might just be me but if i just sat in the chair and he knocked the tattoo out fast and didn't say anything I would have been really bored and wondering if he wanted to just get me out of there. All in all i had a great experience there all the guys were cool and I couldn't have been treated better.
I would recommend this place to anyone!
I love this place. it has that confident, if somewhat aloof, tattoo parlor vibe but the art and people skills to back it up. I've seen Dave for several tats and he is always friendly and professional, does great work and is reasonably priced. Plus you don't have to wait three years to get your frickin tat done well. bonus!
Review Source:went here for my second tattoo, the first i got 2 years ago in arizona. since i'm relatively new to the area i looked around for reviews and photos and then tried driving around to different shops. i ended up settling on this one for the comfortable atmosphere, another i went to had this whole chrome/glass dentist office feel going on and smelled very chemical-y and i just couldn't get comfortable there. i know chemical smell could very possible be a good thing, signifying cleanliness, but i have issues with the whole sterile doctor's / dentist's office feel.
anyway, i was a bit worried because my first tattoo turned out so well that i wouldn't be nearly as pleased with my next one. this one hasn't even fully healed yet but i've been completely in love with it since day one.
also, kudos on the people skills. again, it's very important for me to feel comfortable when i'm getting something permanently etched into my skin and the artist who worked on me, denny, was an all around nice guy.
p.s. i was a random walk in, but it seems that you generally have to book well in advance with these guys. guess i got lucky.
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