Ocean Avenue Tattoo

I recently got myself some new ink for my birthday, which was designed and applied by the very talented young artist, Campbell. Not only did my tattoo turn out beautifully in terms of aesthetics, it conveyed the emotion and personal meaning behind the design more than I ever could have hoped.

The guys at the shop are a laugh, very friendly and down to earth, but never force small talk on introverts like me. That shit stresses me out more than getting the actual tattoo itself.  Oh and word to the wise, don't try to use your high school ID to prove your age, as funny as that was to witness, you were wasting the artist's time.

I will be back to support my local business and get more ink from these guys, I just take forever and ever to make a decision about the permanent art that's going on my bod, and my decisiveness has yet to steer me wrong thus far.

p.s. They don't do piercing, and you're welcome for saving you a phone call to ask.

I got my first tattoo done here.  I lost my father and grandmother (his mom) this year and lost them both within 3 months of each other.  It was a tough year to say the least, and I had wanted to get a tattoo in memory of them since the spring time.  After much deliberation as to if I really wanted to get a tattoo to even begin with I made my decision in July.  I knew I wanted a tattoo I just had to find the right artist, I began looking around and its hard because most of the parlors in the city all have five stars.  Ocean Tattoo is close to both my gym and home so I decided to just go ahead and check them out.  The first time I walked in, I talked with another artist I forgot his name, super nice super cool but just didn't click.  I almost ruled them out entirely but then thought I'll go check some different portfolios one more time.  This time entering I was greeted by Joey, super nice and chill guy.  I showed him my design and he even sketched a real real rough sketch up for me real quick.  That got me super excited, also I just felt a really good chemistry with him when I met him.  I trusted him right away, and after looking at his portfolios as well as his art on the walls of the shop I knew i was in good hands.  I came in a few days later and got my work done, super easy dropped some money off with Joey in the morning, than returned that night after work.  Joey had the sketch all done and he absolutely blew me away with his design.  I cant draw at all and Joey was able to make my horrible sketch a masterpiece.  We placed the stencil on my arm and began, took about an hour and a half.  We worked through with no breaks, and I am BEYOND happy with the result.  Afterwards Joey gave me instructions for after care and assured me if I had any questions to just call or pop back in.  Joey is a true artist, and on top of this his customer service is awesome.  He made the whole experience fun, painless, and enjoyable.  With how special the meaning of my tattoo is it had to be perfect, and Joey made it just that.  If I ever do get another tattoo I will definitely return to Joey.  Another girl in there was getting work done by the first artist I met and it looked GREAT.  This is a shop full of capable, humble, honest, and nice artists.  You will be taken care of without a doubt if you chose Ocean Tattoo.  The shop is clean and the artists are top notch.

I found out about Ocean Ave tattoo on yelp (great reviews). I actually just came to talk to them about the cost and design and  ended up getting tatted on the spot. My tattoo artist was Marcel (very friendly and helpful). Like a lot of what the other reviewers said, if this is your first tattoo, this is the place for it. If they know this is your first time, they are more understanding about it and will give you suggestions, tips, etc. I definitely like the open-ness of the place and it doesn't give you an imitating vibe like most parlors do.

They do a transfer of your tattoo and place it on the spot you want so you can have an idea of how it looks like, if you want to move it, etc. Really clean, open, friendly space. After an hour, I was tatted up and ready to go!

If you first timers are wondering about the pain level, it's tolerable. I got my inner forearm tattooed (sm-med size), 3 lines. It felt like a "tickling," like someone taking a pen and dragging it across your arm. It hurts a little bit after awhile. After your tattoo's done, it leaves a pain (like a really bad sunburn) but that sensation goes away after 6+ hours later.

They only accept cash (which sucks) but at least there is an ATM machine inside ($2-$3 charge).