I approached Kristing with several ideas about a larger chest tattoo that would also pull together some other work on my shoulder.
What she created is a beautiful piece of art and it not only tied together my other tattoos, but enhanced and pulled out more energy and beauty from them. Â In her composition she also used my body shape as part of the canvas.
So far beyond my expectations!
Lastly, this was the fourth piece of work I have had since South Seas opened their doors. Â Kevin, Simon (x2) and Kristin have all worked on me. Â I have always been listened to, considered seriously, and the artist has realized my intention exceeding my expectation. Â A joy!
Came to south seas on my last day in Hawaii, Rob was super nice and a absolutely incredible artist. I was wanting a colorful piece, a hibiscus flower and a orchid to tie in with my art I already had on my arm and he did exactly that. He's got that super gentle touch making the experience very relaxing throughout the whole five hours of my arm piece. Loved all the great artists and vibes at south seas, I'll defiantly be returning for more artwork soon!!
Review Source:I'm giving this place two stars due to poor customer service. Â After doing a bit of research, I was looking to get a tattoo in Hilo during my vacation. Â My grandfather and both my parents were born in Hilo so it's always been a very special place to me. Â
I found South Seas via Yelp and when I checked out their webpage, I found a perfect example of a simple script tattoo that I loved. Â I called the shop and they recommended that I email the store's email address to speak directly with the artist.
I was hoping to schedule an appointment with her the following Saturday and she told me she was booked for Saturday but recommended her co-worker. Â I booked my appointment with her co-worker and spoke with him a day or two later. Â He mentioned that he was going to get a sketch to me but was fairly busy. Â I told him not to rush but was looking forward to hearing from him. Â I never got a response. Â
I wasn't feeling super pumped about this place and decided to cancel my appointment when I walked by the day before my appointment and the studio was completely empty. Â
What upset me was that on Saturday morning of my appointment, I saw the original artist I was interested in walking around the farmers market and then passed by the studio twice...both times she was standing at the front counter with NO clients. Â She explicitly told me she was "all booked" on Saturday when that was clearly not the case. Â
Maybe it was just that my the tattoo I wanted was too simple? Â Or maybe she had another reason, but pretty frustrating to know that she lied about being booked when she was open.
I ended up going to another studio, the tattoo took 5 minutes and I couldn't be happier. Â Yes, it's a simple tattoo as it's just my last name but it's meaningful to me and I had been looking forward to going to this studio.
It's a bummer that I had such a negative experience as number of people seem to love this studio.
I had a tattoo done by Kristin and she was awesome. Â I brought in a handful of pictures and she sketched out a perfect juxtaposition of what I wanted but had hard time explaining.
The shop is really clean and she was a professional. Â She was really patient with my fidgeting and toe wiggling. Â A whole lot of hours later I had a beautiful tattoo that I love. Â I will definitely go back to her and make my husband switch shops because his guy isn't so fantastic.
We were in Hawaii for our ten-year anniversary, and I wanted a tattoo to commemorate the trip. After checking around and looking at some artist's work, I decided to contact Kristin. After spending most of the week before my appointment changing my mind again and again, I finally settled on a concept that Kristin did an amazing job realizing. I was absolutely blown away when I arrived for the appointment and saw the color work and drawing she had created. I already have a number of tattoos, and I have never seen color work like hers. My tattoo is so life-like and realistic that so far most people who have seen it are convinced it has to be fake.
The shop is very clean and inviting, and happily is located not far from a grocery store for when you need to refuel mid session. Prices are spot on for the quality of work done, and it seems that the other artists are quite talented as well based on the tattoo my hubby got from Matt at the same time. If you are thinking about getting a tattoo and you're local or visiting Hilo, go to South Seas and find what you need. Just make sure you find out ahead of time the form of payment your artist takes.
My wife and I came here on our vacation. We wanted something special to remember our time in Hilo. The shop is very clean and pleasant for a tattoo parlor many of which have a few too many flaming skulls and naked women artwork hanging around. Not to mention I appreciated the lack of death metal screaming in the background. Â I worked with Matt on a tribal design I had sketched out. Matt took my idea 11 and made it a work of art. He was very thorough and professional throughout the whole experience. I would recommend South Seas to anyone who wants some ink they can be proud to show off.
Review Source:Round #2. I have a love/hate relationship w/ these guys. Love the work that they do, but hate that I keep coming back because they're so friggin good. It's all good tho:) Matt did my tat this time... A Japanese folklore inspired tat on my tricep. Matt was very patient w/ my ideas. Awesome work and smashing happy w/ the results!
Review Source:I arrived to see Simon for my first tattoo. Â He was incredibly patient, crafting my vision for my tattoo on my rib cage. The place was very clean. Â Loads of beautiful art and jewelry catch your eye in the waiting area.
Simon was very professional: honest with the sensitivity of the selected area and  clear with after care instructions.
I would highly recommend Simon for any work you are planning to have done.
For true, unique tattoo art, don't go anywhere else
A fabulous shop with fabulous artists. I had the pleasure of working with Kristin on a large and complicated half-sleeve. The design process really turned into a true collaboration, although I did make the wise decision to let Kristin really take the lead on the design specifics. Frankly in the end this wasn't very difficult as the more the design progressed the more I absolutely loved it. I couldn't imagine it looking any different, which I think is a true testament to Kristin's skill as an artist.
I met most of the other people working at South Seas and they were all super nice. There is a nice range of artistic styles amongst the staff so I think all tastes would be well represented. The shop specializes in unique designs so come prepared with ideas and a willingness to collaborate.
Added bonus (especially when putting in 17-18 hours under the machines): great music!
It's also definitely worth mentioning that this is  probably the cleanest tattoo shop I've run across. Always an important consideration.
So when getting work done in Hilo and the Big Island, South Seas is your best bet, in my opinion and experience.
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