So until now, I didn't even have a yelp account..whilst I find yelp useful, I've never  liked or disliked something enough to start an account. Well, as of yesterday, that changed. I walked in and made an appointment for about 3 days later, then I realized the only day I could book my flight home to Los Angeles was on the same day and around the same time as my appt. I made this appt with Sue(think a gothic version of Susie Homemaker) anyway she seemed cool. Anyway I call back the next day and ask to move my appt to early in the afternoon to 1pm she says she booked but she'll make set it up for someone named Rob. Ok cool. So I show up, Sue isn't there, I wait for about 20 mins someone else comes in for Sue but she's still not there. Come to find out this Rob guy isn't even working that day, and Sue calls in to say she won't be there until 3pm all the while there are 3 people waiting for her(no don't worry, no one has anything to do that day). I asked the few people in there what the deal is..and I get shoulder shrugs. I guess professionalism doesn't exist at the uber hipster shitshack that is East River Tattoo. Needless to say I left, won't be back. If you're lookin to get a tat done remember you're in NYC there are plenty of places who will actually give a damn to remember to set up your appt and/or show up on time!
Review Source:I got my second tattoo here about 5 months ago. My boyfriend was living in Brooklyn then so he was able to go in and get a consultation for me. I have long been an admirer of Duke Riley's artwork and his intricate, woodcut style of tattooing, so I wanted him to do my tattoo. I wanted a shell of a fossil gastropod (...neeeeeeeerrd...), and I only had an image of what it looks like from a scientific paper, Â which we gave to him to sketch out in his own style. The detail he did on my arm is incredible, the lines are crisp and clean. It healed beautifully in a matter of days, which was important because I was headed to Africa a week later and did NOT want to develop a mysterious skin infection on my trip. No complications whatsoever.
I'd say that the price was a bit steep (especially for a student like me), but honestly, why would price be a concern for permanent body art? If I didn't live so far from NYC I'd have all my tattoos done here.
It's been 3 months since Duke Riley made his permanent mark and I am one smitten kitten. He lays the ink in hard but not without experience and precision. That really showed throughout the healing process: no scabbing, no infection, no irritation, no peeling. Just perfect, dark, black, crisp lines.
He said some of the detail might fall out and he'd be happy to do a touch up next time I'm back in the city. There's like one tiny, tiny, TINY place that if you wanted to be anal retentive about could use one dot. That's how good his work is. Precise. Lyrical. Impeccable.
Speaking of impeccable: Kitty Joe (Duke's assistant) was, is, and forever will be continually rocking it. She has the scheduling thing on lock down and keeps communication lines open and active. Plus she's just damn nice.
As for the other artists, they seem like a good crew. While I was getting my work done, Liam was working on a client and he cranked that sh*t out. He works really fast and talks just as much as the needle moves (in the best, most gregarious way). The man has stories for miles.
I enjoyed myself for the whole session and not once did I feel like punching someone in the face for saying something stupid, insensitive, or sexist. In other words, this shop is a diamond in the rough of tattoo shops. I also love that each of the artists is just that: an artist. It's nice to see tattooing used as a medium and not an aesthetic.
Who woulda thunk professionalism, warmth, and bad-assery could co-exist in harmony? Great artists. Great ink. The end.
This is where I got my first tattoo and I can't recommend it enough. I'm already planning on going back here to get another one. I'm not sure how many people work there in total, but I've met 3 of them and they're all great. Rob did my tattoo - some lyrics in cursive, and he did a fantastic job. Both in quality as well as patience (i didn't have an appointment and was quite particular about spacing). I also know three people who have had their tats done here and I know they'd all recommend it as well. I'm not very well-versed in pricing - from what I understand their prices are a bit higher than what you might get "elsewhere." But the thing is, with things of this nature (see: permanent body art, or also skydiving) you don't exactly want to just find a bargain place, ya know?
Review Source:East river tattoo is the quintessential Nos-hipster (TM) tattoo parlor. And motherfucker, I mean irony from floor to ceiling, like legit 1890 poopdeck shit. Antique waterlogged driftwood walls? check. Vintage copies of Moby Dick? check. Harpoons and hand blown glass buoys? check. Scabies? check. Listen, I'm really into Herman Melville, and In The Heart Of The Sea is one of my favorite non-fiction books of all time, but dudes, really. It's twenty-muthafuckin-twelve.
Nostalgia hipsters, also known more aptly as Pirate-Hipsters, are the worst possible kind. So deluded are they in their perception that they possess the supernatural power to roll back the clock to pre-whaling moratorium times, or perhaps that somehow there will be some whaling renaissance in modern society-outside of Russia, Japan, Norway. Or maybe even that there will be some techno apocalypse where the outcome will revert all modern technology, trends and ideas one hundred fifty years in the past, that they have clad or prepped themselves in many unusual ways. Including: swash bucking attire circa 1860, taken up hobbies such as scrimshaw, needlepoint, knot tying (try a sheepshank or a monkey fist), and have mastered antiquated maritime navigation. These dudes are legit Victorian SEMEN from head to toe, instead of looking up directions on their iphones they use sextants, hand written charts and compasses.
So, I went in there several years back to get a coverup done on a gnarly tattoo I got when I was a kid, it was more difficult than it may seem because of the location of this particular tattoo. SO instead of the coverup I opt for a distraction tattoo, one that will take the focus away from the old, more gnarly one.
I brought in my own art, perhaps in some way influenced by the specialty of the house, and my own less annoying love of maritime history. I get a whale. Problem is they had this young kid with a caterpillar mustache working there at the time; he was clearly an inexperienced apprentice, but they allowed him to take the helm (no pun intended) on my project. I had no real problem with this, because there was seemingly no real risk, but even though I had my own art, which was really quite simple, this little douche decided to do his own thing on my flesh, and what was supposed to be a whale turned into a catfish. I've lived with this catfish on my arm with growing contempt for the past six six years, and I thought it was high time to get it off my chest. I called East river probably a dozen times over the course of the years to get this thing fixed, i had hoped free of charge, but whenever I've called nobody picks up the goddamned phone, and I've never gotten a callback when I've left messages.
This experience represents perhaps one of my most profoundly visceral anger evoking experiences I've had as a consumer, because now, for the rest of my life, I have the ill fortune of being reminded that I actually paid passage for a fateful voyage on the whale ship catfish, and now from now to kingdom come, I'm stuck with the tattoo of a pro-angler from central Florida.
Context: My best friend flew in from Seattle to get his first tattoo from the owner, Duke Riley. He was a bit nervous; he flew in the night before, had to fly home shortly after the tattoo would be finished, and needed to consult remotely. I accompanied for moral support (and I suppose to talk him out of it if it seemed like a Bad Idea). This was his first tattoo, and I've got none, so it was a new experience for the both of us.
Review: First off, the shop itself is--in the best way possible-- an utter contrast to the harsh neon lights and garish veneer of the last tattoo parlor I'd been (long story). Tons of awesome art hang upon the walls, a plethora of old sailor jerry posters everywhere, strange taxidermy, and old antique bottles line the wall. Kind of like getting a tattoo in a nautically themed curio shop--if your curio shop had an autoclave, a nicely sterilized tattooing location, and some seriously awesome flash.
Speaking of working conditions, everything was great. The person receiving the tattoo is a doctor, and would not have allowed things to proceed otherwise. Super clean work environment.
There was an hour consult before things got started, where the tattoo was resized, feedback integrated, and redrawn to ensure that the lines and details were perfect.
During the tattoo, we shot the shit with Duke, heard some great stories. KittyJoe, his majordomo, was extremely nice, and went out of the way to make sure everyone was comfortable (she even stopped by Duane reade and got us water. it was 90 degrees this weekend. wtf).
The tattoo itself turned out so well. The drawing looked great, but--not to sound lame--really came to life in ink. Took two hours to do, and my friend made his flight on time.
The tattoo was "pricey," but only because the artists here are truly that--artists. Come here if you want something well-done and unique. However, if you're looking for something very generic, you might be better off somewhere else. I mean I'm sure they'd do it, but why hire an architect when you want an A-frame?
Going Forward: If I finally grow a pair and get a tattoo or three, I'd start here first.
Well, in direct response to the previous review, now there IS a female artist at East River Tattoo. Ronda.
I used to go to her at Venus, a great shop in the East Village, but I was happy to hear that she started at East River in Brooklyn (much closer for me)
The experiences have been bittersweet though. Ronda is way cool, a super talented artist, and she gave me, my friend, and my MOM completely amazing tats over the past year. As an artist myself, I was really happy with the work Ronda did for me on a large original piece, she's very talented, and has even been tapped to do the tattoo art for a few movies and celebrities.
However, She takes FOREVER, literally stretching a one hour tattoo into a five-or-six-hour project. I'm not kidding. She always seems stressed and strung out, and there is definitely a major A.D.D. aspect of her personality. She paces around, talks a mile a minute, and needs about a hundred smoke breaks, and this is before even getting started.
She took a long time in the East Village shop, but it's nothing compared to the time it takes to get anything done now that she's at East River in Brooklyn, close to her home. The shop's owner, Duke, has never been around that I've seen, so Ronda seems to have full run of the place. Her strung out tweeker husband is always around, distracting her even further. I tolerated this for a while because I had been so happy with Ronda's work, but the last time I was there, while I was getting some work done, he kept coming in and out of not only the shop but the room where I was being tattooed! I have to say he made me nervous. He kept screaming in her face, WHILE SHE WAS WORKING ON ME, pacing around and bumping into things, bringing friends in, SMOKING IN the room, and fighting with people on the street right outside the window.
As my tattoo healed I noticed alot of imperfections in the detail work, that I attribute to that day's craziness, which I think is completely unacceptable. Some coloring and shading is sloppy and even unfinished, and some line quality is definitely not up to par. I'll definitely be going elsewhere to have it fixed though.
The shop itself is cool, and cozy - with an old-school nautical theme. I've never met Duke and I don't know his work, but be warned, getting a piece with Ronda, although a talented artist, is a bit of an adventure. I will sadly not be returning to her.
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