Guru Tattoo

I wish I could recall the name of my artist, as he's probably not at this location anymore.  Who knows, maybe he is?

In 2005, I had just returned from my first deployment overseas and wanted--you guessed it--a tattoo!  Imagine that.  I knew what I wanted, and where, but not exactly how to place it.  The artist was patient with me and we moved the outline around three times before settling on the final location.  I will say, that out of all my tats, this one is probably my favorite.  Why?  Because the artist was patient, professional, and wanted ME to be happy with the outcome.  (This has not always been the case at other tat shops I've gone to--I've walked out of those.)

I imagine that even if my artist isn't still there, that the mentality is the same in the shop?  When I get back from my third deployment (here now), I'll find the itty bitty business card I've held onto and see if his name is on it.  Will update review if so.... but I want to say his name was Dave?

I can't say enough great things about this shop. I have about 15 tattoos, with almost all of my back and ribs covered, as well as some other little random ones.

For the larger pieces I have, I made sure to go to well respected artists in the area I was currently living. I have been tattooed in New Jersey, New York, and Arizona. After moving to San Diego and being ready for my next tattoo, I knew I needed the best.

Having lots of friends with serious tattoos, I asked all of them where they got their work done and everyone said Guru. I immediately did some research and it was clear that they were the best in San Diego, and possibly all of Southern Cali.

I looked through portfolios and really liked Champ's work. I set up a consult and we discussed doing a huge lower back piece for me of a deconstructed version of my family's coat of arms with a lion statue.

i had an idea in my head, and Champ transformed it into something better that I could've pictured - which is exactly what a talented artist does. The tattoo ended up looking like nothing like I had pictured in my head, instead he had showed me all the ways to change my design to elevate it to a better tattoo.

I trusted his word and I couldn't be happier with the result. It looks incredible and I always try and send people his way when they ask where I got it. If you're looking for a quality tattoo and Champ doesn't really do your style, every artist in that shop is the best at what they do and regardless of who, you're in good hands.

I highly recommend the shop in general, but especially Champ for rockin out a sick lower back piece for me. I can't wait to go see him for more.

Took me a very VERY long time to look for a tattoo shop that had a great reputation and is a tad friendly with a student budget. I don't live in SD but I was told by a couple people that this establishment is full of flawless artists, all with a different style to bring to the table. I ended up looking at the work of Kyle Walker and decided to go for it. Not only was he enthusiastic about creating the piece that I wanted, he kept an organized schedule, gave me a personal contact for any concerns or adjustments and most of all, absolutely nailed my tattoo (outline for now) . Put it this way, I wouldn't be surprised that I would get the rest of my ink done by each and every artist at guru. Friendly front desk staff, cool area to walk around if you're not local. You won't be disappointed.

"If you don't get a tattoo by Guru...something is wrong with you"