This is as good as it gets. Every single person here is far beyond talented!
Special thanks to one of BodyWay piercers, Mateo, for his superb patience.
Camille is also a doll and has the most beautiful pieces. I love my tattoo and it's still as bright as the day I got it
The ONLY shop I recommend to friends and family. Solid work.
I have a great story about Chimera Tattoo.
So, I do my research (I'm in Alameda) and immediately fall in love with Jodi Lyford's style. I brought two designs to my consultation and upon seeing them, Jodi knew instantly that she'd love to tattoo one project and that another artist in the shop would enjoy tattooing the subject matter of the other. Â Her referral networked me with Pat Blackstorm. I left that day feeling that I'd had one of the best days ever spent at a tattoo shop and yeah, I'm a frequent flier :)
I'm more than happy with the projects Jodi and Pat worked on with me. Both of them did such beautiful work. I'm actually planning on working with them again in the future to continue what we started. I also had opportunity to speak with Kai and Wyatt during my sittings and liked them instantly. Chimera is one of these rare places where the overall energy is really good and the talent therein is truly worthy of checking out.
P.S. I was reading other posts and saw a few mentions made about "music choices." Related: I ended up with a "P.M.A" tattoo because it played twice during my sitting with Jodi. If you know about PMA, no further explanation is required :) Anyway, this little, unexpected tattoo was the proverbial cherry on the cake; an awesome day spent at Chimera. NOW GO THERE AND GET TATTOOED RIGHT NOW.
This place is sexy, unpretentious, natural lighting, and full of awesome artists that don't judge you at all (unlike how I felt when walking in to Love Dog)...
Also, it's important that the music that's being played while you're getting tattooed be universally appreciated... and they just completely nailed it with whatever playlist or channel they were riding! Â Thank you!!! Â I love my new tattoo!
My first time at a tatoo parlor. Â I researched and researched and decided on Chimera. Â from the first step into the immaculate, friendly place I was sold. Â Jodi is wonderful, caring, careful and fun. Â She took me seriously, spent time getting it right and being compassionate and professional the whole time. Â I recommend to anyone who wants a great experience, go to Chimera and ask for Jodi. You will be thrilled as I was.
Judy
I wanted to get my piece done by Adrian and he was a huge disappointment. I went to consult with him twice about what I wanted and how I wanted my tattoo to be. He made me reschedule once, the second time I went to actually get the piece done he had a drawing that looked like he had done it last minute. On top of that, the drawing he made me was completely different from what I wanted. He kept wanting an explanation of why I didn't want my tattoo the way he drew it. He wanted to do things the way he wanted to and didn't want to put my input into it. I wouldn't recommend getting a tattoo by Adrian, at all.
Review Source:I am very impressed by this place! Â They share a studio with Way Body Arts, whom I've gotten all my piercings from, and I am more than ecstatic to share how great of an experience I had with Chimera and Jodi Lyford.
When I came in to get a quote for the tattoo that I wanted(MANDALA FLOWER), the person at the front who helped me first recommend I talk to Jodi since she pretty specialized in these types of things. Â Once I began to talk to Jodi about all the specifications of my tattoo, she ran me through how much it might cost and pretty much everything I needed to know before I went through with it. Â She traced my arm, we set the date, and I left feeling really comfortable and super excited for my very first tattoo.
On the day of my appointment with her, I was impressed by the fact that she called way ahead of time to reschedule for later on in the day. Â This shoed how professional she was and that Jodi is serious about her work.
While we were on the phone together, she was telling me how excited for this one since it turned out really good and that she plans on putting this in her portfolio. Â From that alone, I was super stoked to see how everything turned out. Â Once I got to the studio, she showed me the stencil, and I was blown away by how much detail she put into my tattoo! Â Jodi did an awesome job with the artwork and I'm glad to say that I have a great piece of art done by a very talented artist on my arm.
Between the time I left the studio and actually getting my tattoo, there was a small misunderstanding in times so we had to reschedule, but it was not a big deal, because in the end she hooked me up with my second tattoo on the same day!
Some of the things that I love about Chimera is that they are very professional, CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN (everything is sanitized and packaged and made me feel safe), amazing people, cool art, and great ambiance. Â They make sure that you are really comfortable in the environment, which made me feel that I was in good hands. Â I like that it's conveniently placed next to New Leaf, so if I were to get hungry waiting, I could go right across the street and grab a bite to eat.
OVERALL, I couldn't have asked for a better experience a better artist to have done my first tattoo! Â THANKS JODI!
MAKE SURE YOU CONFIRM YOUR APPOINTMENTS WITH CHIMERA!!! I made an appointment with Perrin in October for my sister and I to go in this evening to get matching tattoos. Our appointment was at 5 and of course we showed up a few minutes early. The helpful piercer at the front desk told us that he didn't know where all the tattoo artists went so that it would be a few minutes of a wait. After 15 minutes of waiting for Perrin to show up, another piercer came up to the front to let us know that Perrin had left for the night because he didn't have any more appointments. Well.....actually he did!!!! The piercer was really nice and even called Perrin, however he had to leave a message. My sister and I waited until 6 to see if Perrin would call back. Of course he didn't. My sister and I are still planning on getting a tattoo, just not at Chimera. Without having even met Perrin in person, I am extremely turned off by his unprofessional behavior and I don't want to spend my money at a studio with artists like that!
Review Source:A friend and I dual appointments at Chimera, but one of the artists was going to be about two hours late getting into the studio that day, so I got my tattoo from Adrian, who didn't have anything scheduled when we showed up.
He was great about redrawing my design (twice even!) to tweak the sizing of different bits, and he's got an awesome light touch with the tattoo machine (something you really appreciate with an ankle tattoo!) Â I had a fantastic experience and would totally recommend him if you are in the SC area looking for a tattoo artist.
Chimera is the best! Kai has done the only work I have and she's wonderful. Very creative and helpful, very warm and approachable. Her work is beautiful and she has the ability to accommodate many different styles.
Before I was shown Chimera, I went to Staircase several times to discuss tattoo ideas, and went for a few piercings, and when I entered the store the man behind the desk gave a look almost as if I was bugging him? They all seemed to have an attitude of "I'm better than you cuz I have more tattoos than you" and it wasn't a friendly or welcoming environment. Chimera is the shit!
Jodi Lyford is an amazing artist. Her attention to detail, quality and creativity are among the best in the industry. Â I get compliments on her artwork daily. I plan on getting many more from this lovely lady. Â Also Chimera is a beautiful, clean shop that I enjoyed spending some time at.
Review Source:Great studio! The piercers here are super talented and carry a diverse selection of beautiful handcrafted jewelry. I wouldn't get pierced anywhere else in Santa Cruz. As for tattoos, I've had three pieces done by Jodi Lyford. All were thoughtfully designed and skillfully applied. I've traveled four hours from home to be tattooed by Jodi, and will continue to make appointments with her at Chimera. If you're a fan of bold, solid traditional tattooing, she's your girl.
Review Source:Yay Chimera and yay Kai! I've followed Kai from Primary Concepts in Davis to Chimera in Santa Cruz and she's my absolute favoritest. She was the second tattoo artist I worked with and did great touch ups on my old tattoos and even better originals. Chimera is a good shop...clean, nice location with parking, across the street from an ATM and foodstuffs, laid back atmosphere. The employees aren't too intimidating, as they can sometimes be at tattoo/piercing places. Because, you know, people with tattoos and piercings are so much cooler. Or something like that. Music at Chimera isn't as good as it was at Primary Concepts, but they take requests. I think the onset of Spotify has really affected the atmosphere music of most businesses...
My old tattoo artist came highly recommended, and every tattoo artist I've spoken with since has "heard of him" and complimented the tattoos he did on me but I'll tell you right now that Kai is a superior artist, much more personable, and way more fun to talk to. She's a cool chick for certain. If you're a good communicator, Kai will work with you to make sure you're more than happy with your piece. Don't forget to tip well...all that drawing takes time...
I won't make an appointment with anyone else as long as Kai's in driving distance. Right now I drive down from Berkeley.
Mateo just pierced my tragus yesterday and it was the best piercing experience I've ever had. Super sweet and knowledgable, I felt so incredibly comfortable. No pain or redness and the jewelry selection was awesome. Definitely coming back for their monthly deals. Above all a really quality, relaxed and beautiful studio!
Review Source:Kai Smart is an incredibly talented artist and a lovely person. Â I have a full sleeve of her original art and I think it says more than 5 stars that I'm wearing her work on me every day until I die.
The shop is clean and charming. Â The music (as in all tattoo shops) is touch and go. Â They have lovely jewelry and a changing selecting of art on the walls.
The place gets very cold, so if you are baring a large swath of skin, I recommend bringing a space heater or a blanket.
They do not take credit cards. Â Cash is preferred. Â If you must use one, try to make arrangements with your artist to paypal them their payment via your smart phone.
I recommend this shop and especially Kai's work very highly.
I went to Chimera for my first tattoo. It was a great experience. Perrin is a fantastic artist. He was very friendly and drew exactly what I wanted and even better. They were all welcoming and it was a mellow atmosphere. All the artists had amazing sketches around. I will definitely be going back for more!
Review Source:I got my very first tattoo by Camille at Chimera in April and I am so pleased with it! It didn't come out how I initially imagined it, but Camille had such valuable input and it turned out better than I could have imagined. The artistry is fantastic and masterful, this place is a real Santa Cruz gem. Everyone was extremely personable and the whole process was complete ease, not to mention the piece of art on me is worth far more than they charged (leave a good tip). bravo! i'll definitely be back for more soon, keep it up y'all.
Review Source:Awesome place! I went in as a walk-in to get a VCH piercing and was helped right away by Mateo. He made sure I understood everything about the piercing I was going to get: the placement, how the piercing process works, the amount of pain I should expect, the aftercare, the price ($25 plus jewelry, which was about $45), the kind and size of jewelry he was going to put in, the sterilization process... I was left without any questions, but I'm sure if I had any he would have had the answers. The shop was clean. Mateo is a very knowledgeable, friendly guy with a great bedside manner who will put you at ease. I was somewhat nervous and it was helped a lot by how thoroughly he explained everything.
I got a "goodie bag" with aftercare instructions, the shop's card (which looks great, btw), Mateo and his co-piercer's card, a copy of my waiver, and CANDY! Awesome. If I get the itch for any more piercings I'll definitely go back to Chimera.
This place is SUPER SOLID!
It has a relaxed vibe and a nice unique setting; not the "Same old tattoo flash on the wall PIRATE BAR" that Santa Cruz often offers. It's more like an art gallery that does GREAT tattoos.I have some larger pieces that take lots time and  I've seen lots of great tattoos and piercings happen while under the tattoo gun here. These guys and girls are very talented at all art not just tattoos. Some of their canvas work is literally breathtaking. Worth every penny. Hopefully I can get these pics on yelp.
Ask for Perrin, Pat or Adrian, although I've watched Kai do some awesome work including an entire head piece, ouch! She made it look comfortable to say the least.
The owner can do great work obviously that's why SHE owns the joint. I highly recommend it to everyone, the only reason I didn't give it five stars is because it's next to a yoga and a spiritual health center; I think a tattoo parlor is similar although if another member comes outside and tries to "preemptively inform me" that once upon a time some dumb drunk Barney was loud and swearing and it was hard for them to meditate. Now every time I go w a friend or two and we begin talking outside an old hippie woman reminds me verbal truculence is still alive and working.
Chimera does have a solid waiting room indoors and out. Not  to mention fresh water and even candy for all u who might need a little energy boost mid tattoo. A little sweet goes a long way.
Thanks Crew
Start a reality Show since LA INK SUCKS and is done.
Smell ya later
DA MUSKATEER
I am so glad I found this place! The piercers are so knowledgeable and friendly...and cute too! The inside of this place is decorated with awesome artwork and has an overall better vibe to it than a lot of other shops I've been in. Â and what a sigh of relief it was to see some funky, unique, non conventional artwork done by the majority of the tattoo artists there. I think they all have a better understanding and broader thinking of art, Â and aren't one dimensional when it comes to tattooing. They were very professional and clean. Prices are a lot chapter here too; they have $30 thursdays, and after my first piercing here they gave me a $5 give certificate to come back! I was pierced by Mateo (the hottie with the black arm) and he was so clean and explained the process so thouroughly. I love how the location is pretty low-key (they aren't BEGGING you to come in, but it's friendly enough to walk by and WANT to go in). They also don't have any majorly discriminative sign out front saying "no children, no homeless people" or whatever that high-priced snooty "other" tattoo shop has out front. [Won't mention any names - cough, Staircase, cough].It's also nice not to have to walk down Ocean street past a slew of tweakers with a fresh hole in my face. I have been recommending and referring my friends to this place since I first came here, and will continue to do so. Good job guys!
Review Source:WOW! Â I will never go back to Staircase ever again. Â Thank goodness Chimera and it's employees exist. Â I went into Chimera on the recommendation of my housemate, who has some amazing subdermal (?) piercings on the back of his neck. Â He raved about how clean, professional, and also friendly all the employees are there. Â
I've had many piercings in my time (no tattoos) and i felt the urge to get one of my nipples repierced. Â I took the jewelry out about 8 years ago because I was over it and it was definitely crooked and not the best job- that's what you get when you are 16 and go to Venice Beach to get pierced without an ID.
I walked in without an appointment and was helped out immediately. Â Why do I bother to make note of this? Â I can't tell you how many times I've gone into Staircase just to buy some jewelry, only to stand at the counter for AT LEAST 10 minutes waiting to be acknowledged by someone who works there. Â When I finally have been acknowledged, they have never been friendly; there is always some degree of "i'm too busy for you, let's get this over with" in their faces and tone of voice. Â At Chimera, I was first helped by Pat Blackstorm (awesome guy!) who directed me to Samantha, the piercer on duty.
Samantha is a gem!! I can't believe how thorough she was at explaining everything. Â What i really loved was that she showed me how everything had been autoclaved/sterilized properly. Â She took some measurements, made some marks to ensure this time the piercing would be as level as possible, and we were on our way. Â She definitely put me at ease from the beginning. Â
I thought maybe this piercing would hurt more since we were going through a bit of scar tissue, but it was a breeze... probably because Samantha definitely knows what she is doing. Â Here I am, only one day later, and I'm not sore at all. Â I think I'm going to heal in no time.
Chimera can definitely expect me back for more business. Â I couldn't be happier :)
I've had some piercing done before, but none were as awesome and smooth as when I got my conch pierced at Chimera by Samantha!!! Not only are they great artists there, but they are knowledgeable and helpful on everything you need to know. I imagine they spend their days explaining similar things to people, but you can see their passion for what they do.
On top of all that, the actual piercing process was super great...It was the least difficult piercing I've ever had, really clean and quick...and now I just want to go back and get another one :)
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