First let me state I am not a fan of tattoo's. Â Having said that I would like to say that after two years of begging I brought my daughter into Evolution for her first tattoo. Â We had made an appointment with someone else, but since he was still working on someone we were directed to Vienna. Â After she looked at what my daughter wanted (a dream catcher with a quote), she went in back, drew it up and came out with a beautiful, albeit, big, dream catcher for her back. When it was done I have to say it was beautiful.
Evolution Tattoo is very clean and the staff was friendly and helpful. Â I would recommend this business to anyone, and I would tell them to see Vienna.
Johnny is the best! Moved here recently from the Bay Area and needed to find a new shop to go to. Shop is very clean,nice atmosphere. Â Staff is friendly and warm. Best experience getting tattooed so far! ( coming from someone with a whole sleeve of tattoos) :) still have to go back to get my piece finished but I highly recommend this shop.
- Bald headed scalywag
ABSOLUTLY love this place. I'm from Oregon visiting my bro and decided to get a tattoo here in Reno. Thanks to the other reviews from yelp I found evolution. I was a walk in and was immediately helped. Dave was my artist and was super nice and drew out exactly what I wanted!! Big recommendation!!!
Review Source:Feeling spontaneous I called to see if I could come in right away. I was told to come in a half hour. Upon showing up I had to wait an additional hour. Totally worth the wait because the girl I got was amazing. Did my simple tattoo relatively quickly and did a wonderful job. I would definitely go back again.
Review Source:Just gotta say I've had other tattoos and working with Doug Romano on 2 of my tattoos has been the best experience! He will take the time and ask the questions to make 100% sure you are getting what you want and that he understands it. Not only that his experience with how your skin reacts to tattoo and understanding not to push it so ultimately you end up with exactly what you want. Â Highly recommend Doug. I've already had 2 other people go to him with the same results. Thank you again Doug!!!
Review Source:My first encounter with this shop was with the owner I think. He was so nice and so welcoming. There was none of the pretentiousness or attitude that I was used to from tattoo shops. Very refreshing. Â I ended up scheduling an appointment with Missi. She did a cover up and a regular tattoo for me. She took the time to make sure the old tattoo was completely covered and it looks beautiful. The other tattoo looks great too. I love showing them off! I highly recommend Missi and this shop!
Review Source:WHY THIS PLACE ROCKS:
-the establishment is completely clean
-walked in and he was able to take me then and there but also worked with me for appointments. He was extremely accommodating with me.
-JOHNNY was my tattoo artist and he was completely patient with me in picking fonts
-He never rushed me, in fact, he encouraged that I be 100% sure
-His price quote was absolutely fair
-He was super friendly and made sure I was doing okay during the tattooing
-He guarantees all his tattoos so if there is fading, I can come back in for a free touch up!
This place is awsome. Best shop I have been to, staff is super friendly and helpfull. I always go to Mickey and I love everything I have gotten. Originally came as a walk in looking to start a half sleeve and Mickey got me started and everything has turned out way better than i had imagined. My wife goes to him now also and loves all of her pieces. Constantly get complements on them and have refered numerous people from work that were impressed with all the tattoos.
Review Source:This is the second and third tattoos Missi Robbe has done for me. She came highly recommended by a friend of mine and she deserves that kind of reputation. She's been helpful in planning and her artistry is top notch. I was very concerned with one because lettering can go so horribly wrong. The lettering is even and well placed on my arm.
Overall, I couldn't be happier!
Jonny was amazing!! On a whim, shortly after arriving in reno, I decided I wanted my first tattoo. Â I'm assuming it was the owner, wasn't super friendly and seemed like he didn't want to take on another.
Thank goodness jonny came out!! Friendly, Â understanding, helpful... for my first tattoo, amazing. Will drive back to reno everytime I need s tattoo.
Thank you jonny! You rock :)
I came into the shop around 6 PM on a Friday evening. Â I didn't have an appt, but was willing to try my luck. Â Well, it was awesome! Here is why it is 5 stars. Â First, it is clean. Â This is a MUST for me because they are sticking needles into my skin. Â The place must not look like it is maintained by homeless crackheads, and this place definitely is not. Â Second, Chris quickly came over to the counter to see what I wanted, was engaged while I was explaining what I was looking for, and even seemed enthusiastic about it. Â Lastly, the price was right. Â It was not astronomical at all. Â I will continue to go back to Evolution as long as their quality remains the same.
Review Source:I came in as a walk-in and got lucky there was a no-show. Vienne ended up doing my work. She talked with me about placement and shading and I loved her suggestions. The piece came out looking so much better than I imagined! I will be definitely be making the trek back up here to see her again.
Review Source:I still give it 5 stars. Â I had to do a touchup on my leg that is why there is no aftershots so far because the eyes and face scabbed big time and a little on the mouth. Â Dave kept his promise and kept his word that touchups are for free and I felt bad because he spent another hour on the tattoo on just the eyes and even offered to pay him for his worked, but he refused. The mouth and the hair where I scabbed really bad. Â Dave does work hard for his money for sure :)
Review Source:Funny, the ratings for tattoo shops are either 5 stars or 1. Could this be the sole responsibility of the artist/shop/experience? Or is it that people get inked in haste and regret it, then blame it on the shop?
Getting tattooed by a good artist means that clients should also possess a certain level of empathy toward the operation aspect of a shop. Yes, it's your piece, on your body, but the artists in these shops work HARD, sometimes 12-15 hr days, and it's not just doodling on paper. If you want a good experience and result, a lot of it comes from your approach.
I've been to several parlors, only a few of which I was the one getting ink. Now, sidepiece, foot, wrist, and sleeve-clad, I have a more astute sense of what a good shop is. Evolution exceeds the standards of my criteria listed below as to what this comprises of.
Granted, I've only had work from Mickey, but seeing others come and go and getting to know the artists who give the place its personality, I will say - Evolution has diverse, solid talent.
1. Cleanliness - yes, I want the place to smell sterile, maybe a hint of the yummy balm that's slathered all over your skin after. Evolution has their licenses/whatever immediately visible when you walk in. Each artists takes extensive precautions to clean their space between clients. Mickey once told me how many paper towels he alone goes through in a day - it was nuts. The place is clean, and they still let a good amount of fresh air liven it up.
2. Friendliness: Not overly-bubbly-bend-over-backwards like you'd find at a retail establishment. Tattoo shop friendliness means you are welcomed, promptly asked "how can I help you," and then dealt with honestly and accordingly. This has been my experience each time, whoever's up front is always upbeat and makes sure nobody's standing around aimlessly, even on a slammin' Saturday.
Comparatively speaking, I've been to other shops where they hardly acknowledge walk-ins, let alone, give them the chance to describe what they're looking for or book an appointment.
3. Straightforward communication. Tattoos are a precise endeavor; Mickey and I have worked extensively to complete a sleeve that began with an owl he did inside of my arm 3 years ago. I've never felt compromised, disappointed, or un-trusting that it would come out "wrong". He's consulted with me a lot on different suggestions for placement, shading, color spectrum, etc. I've seen others like Dan do the same thing.
Every tattoo experience is different, but if you know what you want and are forthcoming with your artist, you will wowed by this shop's offerings.
Probably the worst tattoo experience I ever had. I went to the shop because it had good reviews. It took twenty minutes for someone for someone to even acknowledge I was there. After 20 minutes someone staggered from the back to the desk and asked me what I wanted. I explained what I wanted to the person working the desk and they said "well, go through these books until you see something you like." After half an hour the clerk came back and asked wok I wanted to do my tattoo. I told them I didn't see anything close to the style and realism I wanted. The clerk told me keep looking and I'll find something. A patron gave me a suggestion to see at another shop down the street because a person there specialized in nature scenes and the clerk yelled at her telling her to not recommend other shops while in theirs. I took the young girls advice and must say I am glad she suggested who she did because I am very happy with my tattoo and it is exactly what I imagined. Thank you young lady for saving me from costly rework from a sub par tattoo shop!
Review Source:It is not so much the establishment as it is the artists when it comes to tattoo shops. Â Remember when you look through the books of what the artists have done. The pics are usually from work that had just been done and had not yet set or had time to heal. The Evolution tattoo shop is clean and airy. Lots of music. I found Evolution Tattoo to be filled with young artists of varying talents. Not all artists do the same type of work. There are good line drawers, good portrait drawers, and then there are good color artists. If you get Attitude from the artists, remember that attitude seems to happen with some artists in every Tattoo shop. I won't put up with it myself. Interview the artists that will be doing your work. As long as you explain what you are wanting then the answer you get from the artist should make you feel comfortable about the direction you are going. If it don"t feel right don"t do it. Good tattoo artists are out there. The fun part is finding them. At the Evolution shop, one of the most impressive artist there is Missi. Asking for advise from her would be pretty safe in my book. I have had her redo my tattoo's and she works with color very well. .She is real, honest, and professional.
Review Source:Go see Missi, she is awesome! Very clean place, comfortable atmosphere, and great tattoos. Missi is really laid back and cool! Go see her and get a rockin tattoo. This was my first tattoo and I was freaking out or anything....lol. Mostly because of the cool music and cool artist that was able to draw out my tattoo just how I wanted it. I'm going back soon for my next one!
Review Source:Quality work, attention to detail, and reasonable prices. I got a very sentimental and meaningful tattoo after I lost a family member, and came to see Jon Potter with my thoughts. He not only brought an idea into reality, but he listened and interpreted my sentiments into a wonderful piece of art that I am proud to wear. Very clean studio, very nice staff, and very good work.
Review Source:I went to Evolution and saw Dan after one of my best friends told me about him. Â Normally Dan is super busy, but he was able to fit me in after his current client. Â i only waited a half hour and was done in about 10 minutes since my tattoo was small.
The salon is clean and the staff is friendly! Â I'm so glad I went to them! Â I highly recommend them and will be using them in the future.
UPDATE 11/11/12: Since my original review, I was contacted by the owner who seems to be a very genuine, professional, and friendly person. He did not ask me to edit/update my review like many other business owners might do, he simply apologized for the experience I had at his shop and said he would love to earn my business back if possible. Although I was disappointed with my last experience at Evolution, I think that if I still lived in the area I would be willing to give the shop one more try. I know that the artists there are very talented and I was truly impressed with the message I got from the owner.
Original: When I wanted to get my first tattoo I looked around and decided on Evolution because the artists had impressive portfolios and the customer service was good. I liked the atmosphere and if I'm going to be paying that amount of money for something completely permanent, I want to be happy with the entire experience. I went in, was matched with Danny after I explained what I had in mind, and made the appointment. When I went back that weekend to get the tattoo, I was on time for the appointment but I remember waiting for quite a while. In the end I overlooked that because Danny was so funny and personable plus he gave me a great tattoo.
The second time I went back for another tattoo I asked for Danny again because I knew I liked him and his work. I thought it was a little strange how even after I showed him the tattoo he had done the last time, he still had no idea who I was and it was only about two months later. Anyways, oh well. I'm sure he does his share of work and it didn't bother me too much. He was equally funny and did a decent job the second time around.
The third time I went to Evolution I was with my boyfriend. We each wanted only a small tattoo so we decided to go with whoever was available. They were simple tattoos and we trusted Evolution, not a big deal. Vienna was the one who ended up doing our tattoos and we both were happy with the ink we had done but to be honest I was unhappy about the attitude I felt like I got from the artist. She acted like she was so much better than us, for what reason I'm not sure. Typically when I have this feeling my boyfriend will say "I didn't notice that" and I'll tell myself I'm just overly critical. But when he agrees with me about getting a nasty attitude from someone, that's how I know I must be right. He agreed with me about the experience.
The 4th time I returned I was really hoping for better luck. I went in with a friend who had never been in a tattoo shop and happens to be the nicest person I know. We were greeted by someone at the front desk and I was in a great mood, excited to plan my next piece. Whoever was there that night and helping customers gave us a snarky and sarcastic feeling right off the bat. When I told him the quote I wanted to get tattooed on my thigh, he laughed at me like it was a joke. He asked me if I knew how big it was going to be since it had 30 or so words. I was definitely aware of the quote I had picked. He told us to go back and talk to Doug...
When we went back to see Doug, he was finishing up on a client. He took the print out I had of the quote I wanted to get done and asked me what area I was going to give him to work with. I said I wanted it on the side of my thigh. He asked me how much of my thigh I was planning on dedicating to it and I asked him for his opinion about a nice size for the particular tattoo. He handed me a sharpie and told me to draw him marks of where I would want it. I felt clueless. I didn't come into the shop with a map and graph and plan of exactly the way I wanted this done, I came in with a quote and a place on my body hoping for some opinion and guidance from people I thought were experts. I had an open mind and was hoping to get more ideas on how to make this a great tattoo from the artists at Evolution.
So as I'm standing there with the Sharpie in one of the most awkward situations of my life (and it's really a challenge to make ME feel awkward)...the client who was being worked on before me is making rude comments to/about me and laughing just like the first guy we encountered. Are you kidding me? First of all, I didn't ask for your opinion and this is none of your business. Second of all, Doug was right there with him laughing and shaking his head like I was the funniest thing they'd seen all day. You would think I had asked for a tattoo of a gold fish and a dandelion on my butt or something. These guys acted like we were SUCH a joke.
The client before me left and Doug, acting like this was such a burden, helped me draw lines for some placement on my thigh. Then he told me how busy he was and when he would have time to do it. I was in shock from being treated so ridiculously, so I told him I would just have to look at my schedule and give them a call. My friend and I left. Let me tell you, I was in a FAR from happy mood. We did not return.
A little late writing this review. My best friend and I went to Reno for my birthday in May.. We both had great experiences here from the time we walked up the stairs to the finish of our tattoos. Carlos did the cherry blossom tattoo on my foot and Danny did my friends first tattoo of a heart on her wrist. Very inexpensive for the art work and entertainment!!
Hopefully I'll see you guys in a couple weeks!!
This review should have been written a long time ago, but I was not on Yelp when I received my tattoo here.
My experience with this shop was in 2008. I was graduating from college and had made a decision to get a portrait of my parents done. I knew it was going to be a challenge to find a good tattoo artist to do the work I wanted. I was not willing to settle for someone who was going to do a mediocre job of permanently inking my parents on my right upper arm.
I searched around Reno for about 4 weeks and even consulted my boyfriend of the time who worked/works in the tattoo biz. He directed me to another tattoo shop where they were pretty disinterested in proceeding with my tattoo because the picture I had of my parents was "too small" with "not enough detail". I was supremely disappointed, but decided I would keep looking.
I walked into Evolution Tattoo one day and consulted with someone at the front desk. I asked them specifically for a person who did portraits in black and white and who would be willing to work with the small picture I had of my parents. They showed me Dan's portfolio and I thought his work was amazing. I made my appointment.
Dan was extremely helpful and excited to do the portrait of my parents. It was finally such a relief to find a competent tattoo artist who was confident about the tattoo. I had a total of three appointments with Dan to complete the tattoo. His work is beautiful and I receive compliments on my tattoo all the time. I also appreciate his efforts to make sure the tattoo was to my liking.
My experience at Evolution was definitely the best tattoo experience I have had and I have 7 tattoos. The shop is clean, the artists are competent, and the prices are decent.
So once again - so many thanks to Evolution and Dan for my tattoo. I loved it then, I love it now, and I will love it always!
after checking out several of the local tattoo shops in Reno and reading several reviews on yelp, I decided on Evolution Tattoo. I walked in and after talking to one of the tattoo artist at the front counter about the piece I wanted to get, he referred me to another artist who was available.... actually everybody was pretty busy for a Wednesday, they're definitely doing something right! Â and everybody seemed really cool, and laid back .
Anyways, Every artist was working on a client including "Doug", after l mentioned what I wanted to get (Michael the Archangel portrait under my left arm) he was able to fit me in at 1pm on Friday. Â
The most important part of a tattoo is the tattoo itself, well what can I say... it's unbelievable! it exceeds my expectations. great f'ing work!! seriously... Â The work Doug is able to do with Black,Gray,Brown & white highlights.....makes the tattoo very much three dimensional & "statuesque" which is what I was hoping the tattoo artist could achieve for this type of "biblical" realistic tattoo. Again, I cannot say enough how phenomenal of an artist Doug is.
Heads up to make your experience easier and better: 1- Time is money for a tattoo artist, so if you make an appointment, keep it! don't be a flake. 2- It's not the dentist office, it's art on a "living canvas" Â which means your appointment might be pushed back if the previous appointment takes longer due to unexpected "bumps" in the work being done. Don't be "that guy/gal" and bitch about it!! lmao.
trust me, you don't want you're tattoo artist rushing the work if it's you in that chair. 3- it's commission work! don't switch artist after your artist has invested time (hours) in working the details of your tat!
Ask for DOUG!! or his wife MISSY or better yet call ahead to make an appointment. I can't say enough good things about this shop... and the reasonable pricing versus a Las Vegas or Bay Area tattoo shop! without sacrificing the quality of the work!! Evolution Tattoo and all of their staff is the sh*t!! I can't wait for my tat to be completely finished and I will post a picture of it for you "yelpers" to compare.
... Got my first Tat today from Jon Potter the owner @ Evolution... He's a natural born artist and did a stellar job!
I've known Jon for a while, but had never been into his shop. Â It was super clean and way mello, he and his crew run a tight ship.
I would most definitely suggest Evolution based on my own experience...
//DJS
I want to Thank Missi at Evolution Tattoo in Reno for doing such a fabulous job covering up one of my tattoo's. I went to about 4 other locations in Reno and was told there was nothing I could do with what I had. I was very discouraged and upset about the responces' I was getting. I found Evolution on the computer and wrote to the manager. He listened to what I had to say and sent me to Missi..She did not hesitate to tell me that she could fix it, she gave me suggestions and I left there with hope! After 2 visits she turned the most ugly tattoo into something beautiful. I am sooooooooo happy with her. I am sending my friends and family to Evolution for any future tattoo..Thanks so much Missi:)
Review Source:Came here again from the Bay Area because it is now the only place me and my boyfriend will get tattoos.
My boyfriend decided to get a sleeve on his lower arm done. Doug is so creative and he seems like such a perfectionist that it is so easy to trust him with this permanent piece of art on your body. The sleeve, which is unfinished due to time constraints, is coming along differently than my boyfriend expected but it is SO MUCH better than what he initially had imagined. Doug was able to enhance the tattoos he already had on his arms and is making everything look amazing.
My boyfriend's two best friends also came up from the Bay Area for tattoos and they were absolutely amazed with the work that Missi did. Missi and Doug are incredible.
First off lets start by saying, I'm from out of town. My best friend recently moved to Reno and we decided that we wanted to get a matching tattoo for the road trip we took getting her moved here last winter. We started planning this out months ago, what we wanted, researched for picture ideas, Â placement, and where we were going to get it done. I relied heavily on Yelp and thought that Evolution was going to hold so much promise. We looked at their website and absolutely fell in love with everyone's work. Unfortunately the actual experience didn't hold up to even one's average standard.
The time came when we wanted to go get it done. We were walk-ins and must have picked a good time because the place was dead. We received a warm welcome from one of the male artists. He asked us what we wanted and then threw us on to the female artist, I won't name names but there is only one there. We told her our idea, showed the picture and she was very cold through out the whole situation. Her demeanor made me not want to get a tattoo. We left completely depressed but after thinking we changed our minds and went back the next day. With more than 2 hrs left until they closed they told us that no one was available to do the tattoo. We were shuffled inbetween different people and told to come back the next morning.
Basically the whole experience was very off putting, especially for first timers. We weren't looking for someone to hold our hand and go over every single detail since we already knew what we wanted, but we wanted a good experience and some creative input rather than being shown tattoos they had already done with general idea. It seemed as though the woman expected us to want the pattern she had already done. I was under the impression that tattoos are about creativity not copying.
One star just because yelp doesn't let you have zero.
Took my sister in-law to get her first tatt. We looked on line and saw their myspace profile. We looked at pics and loved Jon's work. We went in and told the guy up front what she wanted the guy drew it up and before we knew it she was getting inked. The guy ended up being Jon. The price was right and he did an amazing job. I will be going back to get my right wrist done soon!
Review Source:Being new to Reno I keep my eye out for tatts I like and asked where people got them. Headed to Evolution based upon a guy's suggestion who had an awesome sleeve. He also suggested the artist Mikey who was who we coincidentally ended up talking to. My fiance wanted to get a particular tattoo - Mikey was really helpful and patient designing it exactly how Carl wanted it and where.The tatt turned out great. I will defiantly be going back to Mikey for my own large piece... when I get the money. We were really happy with the work and the shops atmosphere in general.
The shop is clean and tasteful - sure the color of the walls were not my favorite but that can easily be over-looked. They have several artists - lots of selection of artist's styles to choose from. The front desk guy is actually friendly and helpful! thats often rare in a tattoo shop. There is enough parking as well - always good. I highly recommend this place!
I went here with a friend to get a tattoo about 2 weeks ago.. It was my third tattoo and my first from the Reno area. I have to say that it is very inexpensive compared to some other places we looked. We both got our tattoos from Dan and two days later my boyfriend went and got one from Carlos. So I have to say they are very professional and can make any tattoo unique.. I would recommend this place to anyone looking to get a tattoo!!
Review Source:My best friend since high school was in town for a visit. We decided to get matching tattoos. Since it was a simple "X" we just called around town and whoever could get us in immediately got our business! We got Matt from Evolution and I'm glad we did! He got us right in, made a deal with us on the price and did a great job for us! He wasn't bad to look at either. ;) But really, he was really nice. The place was clean and orderly. Would recommend to friends for sure!
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