Review from my wife:
"I recently started a relationship with Triple Crown and Joey Ortega through the advice of my sister who was getting more work done on a sleeve she has. She went in for an appointment at the beginning of August when she was visiting Austin, and my Mother and I followed along since we both wanted work done. My sister and my Mom set up appointments for the next day with Joey, and since I live in town, the can was kicked down the road for my work.
I brought them to the shop the following day and left them with my $100 deposit since Joey was at least an hour late to the appointment, and I had other family in town. My sister's work is great, and in her style. I was excited to get the ball rolling on my own side tattoo that would also be a cover-up job. After my sister left town, it was next to impossible to get Joey to respond to any of my texts or prompts to see what he had worked on for me so far. I got a lot of "It's a process" responses, or "I'm really busy".
As someone who is doing a cover-up of an old tattoo, I'm not in the business of dealing with someone who can't fit me into their schedule. So at the end of September I (very politely) asked for my deposit back since I had not yet seen any sketches or really heard anything other than excuses. I was told (without seeing any sketch) that he could fit me in to get tattooed that same week! In no way did I want to have ink placed on my body before seeing the artwork. If Joey could have produced anything for me in the way of a sketch, I'd be telling a different story.
In retrospect, I never should have given the deposit without speaking to him that second day. He was late to both appointments that my sister had, and he likes her! Maybe I'm not his typical clientele, but he certainly did not treat me fairly. Busy is one thing, but he was just rude. And, I still want my $100 deposit back. I never saw any work done. The only time he offered to "squeeze" me in, was after I had already asked for the deposit back. I don't want to be rushed into getting another tattoo that I don't like.
This review is happening only after multiple attempts to get Joey to talk on the phone and on text with me. I have no other means of contact with a person who took my money and then ignored me. You can really only beg someone to talk honestly with you for so long before you get pissed. "
I had a great experience at Triple Crown Tattoo. Â It was my very first tattoo and I went in extremely unprepared because that's the type of stupid person I am. Â Ezra is amazing. Â He made me feel completely at ease, and he took my vague description of what I wanted (a seagull loteria card) and gave me exactly what I wanted. Â It's like he peeked inside my brain or something. Â HE CAN READ MINDS.
It is clear that Ezra is a true professional. Â He is extremely proficient, a wonderful artist, and an excellent conversationalist. Â He is also very accommodating. The price was extremely reasonable, and everyone in the shop was very friendly. Â Triple Crown has a great atmosphere, and I am glad I got to listen to Motorhead while getting my first tattoo. Â I already have ideas for my next one.
I highly recommend Triple Crown Tattoo Parlour, especially Ezra, to anyone looking to get a unique, colorful, and well executed tattoo. Make sure you bring cash!
If you're looking for a trustworthy, hygienic tattoo parlour with an awesome attitude, don't pass Triple Crown by. This place is definitely worth your time and your money. I came there to get tattooed by Annie Alonzi last week, and I'm extremely happy with the result. It was a Thursday afternoon and she was alone, so the place was nice and quiet. The whole experience of being there, listening to my favorite music and chatting with Annie while getting tattooed by her has made me a faithful customer. The shop is clean, full of awesome flash, art and taxidermy on the wall.
I will definitely recommend Triple Crown to everyone. I can't speak for the rest of the team (yet), but Annie stole my heart with her personality and her amazing drawing and tattooing skills, and I have no doubt the other artists are just as charming. I'll be back!
I went here for a tattoo cover up after two shops in Austin I pay very regular homage to downright ignored me. Which is fine, because I am vastly pleased with my results by Ezra!
I called at about 1pm on a Wednesday, told him I wanted a name on he back of my neck (read: my married -now divorced- last name) covered up. We discussed meeting, we met, his previous client took a little longer than expected so I gladly came back about an hour later. Ezra told me the bow I wanted to cover the name probably wasn't going to work they way I wanted it to and suggested a rose or a pretty girl (both traditional style). I was very, very wary at first bc none of my tattoos are traditional and although I don't really have a theme per se, girly/swirly/sparkly/paisley would be it. After a bit of discussion we decided on a rose. Then came the discussion of color. I really wanted to do all black but was a bit hesitant to say so since I just mentioned how the rest of my ink is girly. Welllllll as I was thinking about my goth rose, Nate piped up and suggested it. Black it is!
After sketching for about 15 min Ezra got to work on my fine tattoo and OMG I love it. I am soooo beyond pleased with it it's hard to describe. I wish it wasn't on the back of my neck so I could stare at it all day!
Come here and be happy. Prices are very reasonable for the quality and the shop is super nice. No douche bag artists here either!
Cash only, street parking.
I recently got my first "grown up" tattoo at Triple Crown Tattoo- Lee Bullock (artist) I will say if you are looking for that special piece of art to tattoo on your body you must go see Lee Bullock. Lee can truly get in your mind with you and create the most magical work you'll ever see. I consider my work more of a piece of art before I consider it just another tattoo on my body.
Review Source:I love this shop. Everyone is incredibly friendly and the ambiance is great. The music is always enjoyable and there's so much amazing art on the walls to look at while you're getting tattooed.
All of the artists portfolio's in this shop are amazing including the apprentices. I would feel at ease with any tattoo from any artist here. They are all very talented and know what they are doing.
One last thing -- Some people have given this shop bad reviews based on the artists not wanting to tattoo a certain drawing or not feeling comfortable. As an artist, I can definitely understand where they are coming from. I don't want to put my name on something I'm not proud of or just all around don't want to draw. So please, keep that in mind when going to a professional tattoo shop such as Triple Crown. These people are true artists and know their trade. A "bad" tattoo not only makes you look like an idiot, but it makes your artist look bad too. Nobody wants that.
I got my first tattoo here, and then my next four. In fact, I haven't been to anyone else except Zach Nelligan.
I went in during the east austin studio tour a few years ago, and saw some of his stuff and decided he was the best for what I wanted. Which was lots of color, and very bright. His card reads "brightest colors" and its true. I have a fancy lady with a red background, and you won't believe how bright it stayed.
He's pricey, but freaking fast!! So don't worry about the hourly so much.
The shop is sharp. Its clean, great art and colors, and the people are always nice. Which is important if you're gonna be there getting poked for a few hours. I've also perused the work of the other artists in store, and feel that anyone one of them would make a fine artist. I'm fighting the urge to see if they are doing christmas tattoos again...!
I wanted the best tattoo artist for my first big tat and found Joey at Triple Crown. He designed exactly what I wanted and was very professional and service oriented. He showed me the design before he started to ensure it was what I wanted, which it was and more! He is an excellent artist and really puts all of his talents to work to make your tattoo a one of a kind and fit your body beautifully. We just done the outline so far, but it looks amazing and I'm so happy I went with him to get it done. Triple Crown is clean, professional and the atmosphere is calming, which is exactly what I needed for such a large piece.
I highly recommend Joey Ortega and Triple Crown Tattoo for anyone looking for that perfect tat and a really awesome experience. Thank you!!
I wish I could give this place 10 stars!!!
My first tattoo experience was when I'd just turned 18. Â I walked in to a "street shop", picked a small design from a book, and 30 minutes later, it was done. Â Though a cute little piece, I regretted the decision almost immediately. Â Since then, I've wanted to cover it up with something large, unique and artful. Â After years of trying to decide what to get and searching for the right artist (thinking I'd found one or two along the way, only to be disappointed with their lack of interest in helping to create an original piece of art), I came across the Triple Crown webpage. Â I sorted through all of the artists' works, and decided that JOSEPH ORTEGA was to be my next attempt at finding an EXPERIENCED YET DOWN-TO-EARTH, TALENTED ARTIST. Â
I shot him an email, and even though he was in Europe at the time, he responded right away. Â As soon as he returned, he followed up with me, and we had our first consult. Â I went in with a vague idea of what I wanted my tat to be. Â HE LISTENED PATIENTLY, we looked at pics, and he sketched out a couple of rough ideas. Â Within two weeks, he had created an original design that was infinitely more amazing than anything I could've dreamed of! Â We set an appointment for first inking.
I went in nervous as all get-out, but Joey did everything to put me at ease. Â He'd set my appointment for late in the day, so that there'd be less traffic in the shop, rendering me less exposed. He switched the music that was playing to a soothing/sexy down-tempo mix (which did wonders for the experience). When he was working on an area that was painful enough to make me tense up, he'd ask me questions and make conversation (I enjoyed hearing of his experiences-- he's quite an interesting fella). He worked quickly, and was gentle. In short, his bedside manner could not have been any more comforting! And when it was done, MY ONLY DISAPPOINTMENT WAS NOT BEING ABLE TO SIT IN THE CHAIR FOR TWO MORE HOURS!!! He even messaged me the next day to ask how I was feeling.
About the art: I can't stop looking at myself in the mirror! We've only done the black/line work so far. I'll go back for the first color session in a couple of weeks. But even in grayscale, this piece is fantastic! Better than I'd hoped for!!! It's ORIGINAL, CLEAN, STYLIZED, BALANCED AND FITTING TO MY SHAPE... BEAUTIFUL! I am thrilled with it, and everyone who's seen it says it's inspired them to get to work on their next piece.
About the shop: Â Yes, the neighborhood is, well, "hood". I was somewhat apprehensive about leaving my car unattended. But the shop itself is cozy, warmly-lit, with tons of intriguing art pieces donning the walls. Everything about it, and the folks working there, gave off GOOD VIBES. I'll never go anywhere else again.
TRIPLE CROWN TATTOO, and JOEY ORTEGA will be where I go from now on, and where I'll refer anyone else who's looking for a quality experience and stunning piece of body art. Â ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT BE HAPPIER!!!
I could write "Agree with everyone else", this place is absolutely fantastic. I chose it because the reviews were this good and don't regret it.
I went in as a tattoo virgin, after having googled every place and every artist in Austin. Zach Nelligan just seemed like the right person to ink a big colorful russian doll into my skin. I went in on a Friday, chatted with Zach for a little bit, checked out the place, reviewed the portfolios (but really, I had seen all of these pictures online plenty of times while making a decision) and got an appointment for the next Tuesday. It was really fast.
The place is indeed really nice and clean. Because it was the first place I ever went into in Austin, Everyone was friendly enough, not condescending as it apparently happens a lot. I had my own design and Zach adapted it a little bit, making it EXACTLY what I wanted, even better actually. It was perfect. It took a little over 1.5 hours to get it done. Â Zach kept me comfortable the entire time, talking to me about France (where I'm from)
The tattoo heeled really nicely and now, almost 5 months later, the colors are as bright as ever. I still get asked (including by people covered in ink) who my artist is because the colors and lines are beautiful. I love it! If I was still living in Austin I would definitely get my next tattoos there.
Pricewise, it's not cheap (which is a good thing). I paid $250 (+tip) for a large and completely colored custom tattoo. It was definitely worth every dollar.
I was here about three months ago before I had a yelp account. Now that I have one, I'm taking the time to write about how badly I was treated when I came in to get a traditional tattoo. I was at the Austin Tattoo Convention trying to find an artist to do my half sleeve. I came across their booth and flipped through the portfolio and was impressed by all the artists.
So, I saved up some cash and strolled in here in April and was wanting to get a tattoo. I was greeted right away, and was talking to one of the artists about what I was wanting to do.... right away, "No, can't be done." So I through out another idea i wanted... "Nope, still can't do it." When I asked why, "It just can't be done." WELL WHY AND THE HELL WON'T YOU TELL ME AND EXPLAIN TO ME WHY IT CAN'T BE DONE INSTEAD OF TREATING ME LIKE I CAN'T COMPREHEND SIMPLE THOUGHT?!
Some one else walked in and they were helping them out for a bit. I waited till she was done and when I walked up to talk to the guy he told me, "He had to take this," a phone call. I could hear him talking about how annoying this annoying lady in the lobby is and how she wouldn't leave. What professionals.
To hell with him, I'll leave. And on the way out the guy has some nerve! "Good luck finding a guy to do that for you." Never again. With my bad run of tattoo and piercing shops over the last few months, I've given up wanting to decorate my body due to a profession that has so many ASSHOLES in it. My skin will be bear thanks to the shops in Ausin. At least they kept their promise of being a memorable... JERK!
Attention to detail is important to me when it comes to INK on my body. I have known Zach Nelligan for over 15 years and appreciate the time, effort and imagination he takes when he creates a tattoo for YOU and you alone. Angle, position and size are things he takes into consideration as he consults the client because it seems to me that good communication is paramount to Zach.
I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Zach Nelligan and Triple Crown Arcade for those of you thinking about INK. I LOVE my new tattoo, thanks Zach!
First, I'd like to draw everyone's attention to the fact that there are 24 filtered reviews for this business and ALL 24 OF THEM ARE FIVE STARS. Â That doubles the number of 5 star reviews Triple Crown has received. Â I've watched the video but I still often do not understand exactly why Yelp has filtered some of the reviews it has but I know it would drive me crazy if my business had had 24 filtered 5 star reviews.
Anyway, on to the ink! Â As many reviewers have already mentioned, Triple Crown does not have a too cool for school air about them. Â Everyone there makes you feel really comfortable rather than really lame like many other shops tend to do. Â That's nice, but I guess it really comes down to the tattoo in the end and mine is AWESOME!
I approached Joey Ortega with quite a task. Â I wanted a cover up but had literally no idea what I wanted. Â I mean, I was most unhelpful in the creative process. Â He took on the challenge and we scheduled a consultation. Â I think we discussed the tattoo for two and a half hours. Â I do not envy him for having do deal with my complete lack of an idea or even a direction. Â Joey was very patient and reassuring and never made me feel bad or even unusual for being so unhelpful.
In spite of having to deal with the huge obstacle I was presenting, Joey came up with the perfect tattoo design. Â I still don't know how he was able to create something I'd love out of the nothing I was giving him to work with. Â I've never been so happy with a tattoo in my life. Â I hope he's up to the task again because now I'm hooked on his work!
Finally, I felt the price was more than fair. Â Very reasonable. Â My tattoo is beautiful and artistic and in my opinion, quite classy. Â Adios bad flash art tattoo from ten years ago. Â Hello art!
I'm apprenticing to tattoo myself, so it's safe to say I'm more than picky.
After nearly a month of shopping around via on line review, word of mouth and just scouring portfolios on line, I found Zach Nelligan at Triple Crown and thought, "yep, that's it"
I sent him a message on facebook and he was prompt at getting back to me. I explained that I was coming there for vacation in a couple weeks from Kansas City, and that I liked his style, but had my own design.
I called for a follow up a few days later and the girl that answered the phone, and Zach himself were so friggin polite, I thought for sure it was the wrong place.
Day of appointment I get there and hand it over. He takes it and made it more than I imagined, and just knocked it out of the park.
Fun guy, great artist, mega talented. I'm so happy with this piece, and even though I am heavily tattooed, it stands apart, and EVERYONE comments on it.
Shop is very cool inside, impossible to get bored looking at the walls.
Talk about Sasquatch with Ezra while you're there. Fair pricing as well.
FANTASTIC all around.
Go there! I know if I make it back I'm getting another.
I AM SOOOO HAPPY that Yelp led me to this place. I was going to another highly reviewed shop here in Austin, but too many "crap happens" experiences finally made me realize it was time to part ways with my artist. It was a very long, tedious process trying to find a new artist-it's like trying to find just the right hairstylist. After much time spent online and walking into various shops in the area, I checked the profiles of all the artists at this place online, and for some reason was IMMEDIATELY drawn to Mo Malone's work. Well, I'm pleased to say that Mo Malone is my new bff, whether she likes it/knows it or not. She's friendly, really, really cool, and oh yeah, talented as h-e-c-k!! The first impression of the high level of professionalism is right from the first phone call. Scott answered the phone and was super-friendly. That friendliness just kept on while talking to Mo. I went in a week later for my consultation, then scheduled my first session shortly thereafter. The place, given it's location is AWESOME. It's like an art gallery-even the bathroom is super-cool. I wanted to take pictures, but didn't have my camera-I wasn't expecting to want to take pics of the place! I was there long enough to realize that I could have chosen ANY of the artists and came out a winner. They're all really great-it was cool to walk around during breaks and check them out and see what the other clients were getting without feeling like you were intruding. They were all really open and seemed cool with you checking out their goods.
I really appreciated the fact that since she was working on my calf, it was awkward to try to have a conversation laying facing away from her. I feel like she really understood that and was just fine with not making me feel like we had to have constant conversation. General shop talk was fun and interesting to listen to, and we were able to talk quite a bit during breaks. Â I will post a pic of what she did once it's completely healed,( we just finished it this past weekend) or when I can find someone to take it for me. For anyone looking for a "cheap tattoo"-don't come here. There's a saying that goes "Good Work Ain't Cheap and Cheap Work Ain't Good." In other words, you get what you pay for, and man, am I happy to spend my hard-earned dollars in that place. I am super-excited to get more work done by Mo and will do so as soon as the cash flow lets me!
I came into Triple Crown in hopes of getting a memorial piece for my grandfather who passed away earlier this week. I walked in with no appointment, and was greeted by Zach and Ezra. Zach agreed to ink me up even with no appointment. The end result: a charming, handsome little tattoo. It was exactly what I wanted. I plan to go back to Zach to finish up my arm. They do take walk ins, but it's best to plan ahead with an appointment.
Review Source:I had put off getting my first tattoo not through lack of desire but from fear of the unknown and visions of seedy tattoo parlors. I decided to get over my fear and give Triple Crown a call after meeting them a couple of years ago at a tattoo convention. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Ezra was great, my tattoo looks amazing and he kept me talking the whole time so my mind was distracted from the ouch factor. I will definitely be back.
And Sarah.B, thank you for writing such a "great" review, the fact that Scott wouldn't work on your tattoo actually finalized my decision to give Triple Crown a call as obviously they're not just about the money if they think working on something could be a bad idea. Oh and super mature about the text message update. wow.
I meant to sing Triple Crown's praises a while ago when Zack took my tattoo virginity a couple months ago, but oh well, better late than never.
This place was awesome. I got my first and only tattoo here and I never felt that "Oh, why don't you already have your entire body tatted up yet?? Can't you tell we are SO much cooler than you?!" vibe that I've gotten from some other places. Another awesome quality... It was super clean. (Tip For Life: Wanna know how sanitary a place is? Check out their bathroom. If they don't bother to keep the bathroom clean, chances are they don't keep their kitchen/needles/etc. clean either)
They didn't line the walls with stenciled examples of Tweety Bird like some places on 6th street I've seen. Instead, the place was covered in actual artwork.
Zach did an amazing job drawing up exactly what I wanted, which was fantastic since I probably gave the world's most unhelpful description of what I had in mind. I think my exact words were "Bluebonnet. Not cartoony. Go." When I came back the next week to check out what he had crafted...BOOM (that's the sound of my mind blowing up). It's like he was in my head. It was perfect.
Every time I look in the mirror I am still just as giddy about my little work of art as I was the day I got it. Thanks Triple Crown!
To clarify, since apparently my original review wasn't clear enough:
I do not have an issue with the tattoo artist telling me something will not age well. Nay, I in fact WELCOME that sort of input. I do have issues with the tattoo artist changing things about the design that would have no effect on how the tattoo aged, whether it was
-unintentional, which means the tattoo artist wasn't listening to the specifications
-intentional, which is a shitty, passive aggressive, and unprofessional way to do things.
I think in my situation things were unintentional. EITHER WAY, it was NOT what I wanted in a tattoo. So, to reiterate, I'm open to suggestions if something will not age well but my tattoo ended up totally reworked without me really wanting it that way, and I do not like people telling me (directly or indirectly) what to do with MY body. End of story.
As far as deposits go, of course I know they go towards the artwork. I have three tattoos. The deposit on all of them went toward the total cost of the tattoo. For the record, I conferred with my friends that have tattoos and they've all had similar experiences. If I had received a detailed sketch (or, you know, a sketch that was WHAT I ASKED FOR in the first f'n place), I would understand the cost of the deposit. But I did not, and the deposit was apparently not going to factor into the total price of the tattoo. THAT is my issue. Do you get paid if you don't do the work you're supposed to do? No, of course not.
If you like Triple Crown, by all means, get tattoos there. I don't care. I was just sharing *my* experience, since that's what Yelp is for (last I checked anyways!).
How can you not love this place??? If your looking to get something while you're out drunk somewhere GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!!!
However if you've done your homework and know what you're looking for.....but by no means an artist .....this is the place to go!!!
I have been trying to get my back piece started for 6 months, after years of figuring out what I wanted....as well as finding a shop i liked and trusted to do such a big piece.
I had emailed Joey Ortega four months ago, and unfortunately couldn't work out a time to get together. But rather than, forgetting about it, Joey kept in touch with me via email and texts! He was ready whenever I was which was a great feeling, not to mention good customer service!!!
I finally had my consult on Sunday, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised!! The shop is a little small, but it has an intimate feel, which i think is good, because getting a tattoo shouldn't feel like you're driving through Wendy's!
It is beautifully decorated and extremely CLEAN!!! Which is highly important. Too many places think they can just set up a shop and open for business....do your homework, visit some other shops....you will see what I'm talking about. This place has set up shop the right way. Triple Crown has a unique and professional air about it.
Although I had one small picture of the style I wanted, Joey was able and WILLING to do some research on the style, just to make sure that the interpretation was going to be accurate and achievable. I am certain that he is objective and will give me an honest response and I trust in his artistic talent. The consult went well and I'm really excited to finally get the ball rolling.
I'm stoked to see what he comes up with and I'm so glad that I picked Triple Crown to get it done. I haven't even gotten this one done yet, but I'm already planning two more I want done at Triple Crown. I've seen a lot of the custom work that comes out of there and I must say it doesn't get any better! Good Luck!
If there was an option for giving more than five stars I would.
I have been tattooed at some amazing custom shops across the country. Triple Crown is one of them- one that I have gone back to. When you go to a shop like this you are going to get a piece of art from one of the artists. It's that simple. Check out their art and if you have something in mind that you think they would be great at- talk to them. This is a simple concept.
The boyfriend and I have gone back to Austin several times to be tattooed by Scott Ellis. He is incredible and so are all the artists at his shop. The shop itself is beautiful and so comforting. After being tattooed at a place like this it is really hard to go back to a rowdy crowded street shop. You become a convert.
And I have to add- after reading other tattoo shop reviews- yes you pay a deposit for a drawing. DRAWING is actually a time consuming part of creating the piece of art they are permanently tattooing on your body. Think about your own job- is there any part that you do for free? It's rather sad that one should even have to defend or justify that concept.
This is by far the best tattoo studio in Austin. Â Its clean, beautifully decorated and well, the artists are top notch. Â
Joey Ortega did my arm based off a painting of his I loved. Â It won first place in best traditional at last years Star of TX Tattoo Convention. Â Hes incredibly talented and really friendly.
All the artists there are friendly and extremely talented. Â They arent your run of the mill street shop where you can pick a crappy tattoo off the wall. Â Everything is custom. Â But like one of the other reviews points out - they will tell you if youre idea will not work. Â But Im shocked she was offended. Â Thats a blessing! Â You WANT someone to tell you if your idea makes for a bad tattoo because most shops wont and then youll end up with a jumbled piece of crap in 10 years. Â So when they say they cant do it and they can draw you something better, just trust them to do their job. Â You wont be disappointed! Â
This is my favorite shop in Austin, highly recommended.
It's impossible to get a bad tattoo at Triple Crown. All of the artists are preternaturally talented and great people to boot. You are greeted the minute you walk in the door and you don't get any of the attitude you get at a lot of other shops here in town.
If you are looking for a point-at-the-wall-and-pic-a-tattoo experience, this is NOT the place for you! If you are looking for an amazing custom piece, Triple Crown is your shop. Scott Ellis did an amazing sleeve on my arm. I told him my idea, and his interpretation of it was better than anything I could have imagined. You won't find a better shop in town.
We got our tattoos today (matching but not identical tattoos with an anchor/phrase/date, mine on my calf, my husband's on his upper arm). Â I'm leaving the amount of stars the same.
Our tattoos look really good. Â We had to communicate back and forth over email with Zach for quite awhile to get them how we wanted, and even then, mine involved quite a bit of compromise (and I don't think what I was originally asking for was impossible/would cost much more than what I got). Â My husband was able to get his prettymuch exactly how he wanted it though, and well, I like my compromise tattoo. Â At least Zach was pretty patient about the whole thing. Â
Also, when we first went in weeks ago, Zach told us that he charged a certain amount per hour ($105 or $115 or something like that, I know it was less than $130 because that's what my last tattoo artist charged), and that our tattoos would probably take 2-3 hours apiece, so we were looking at around $600 total. Â Well, we went in at 11am and left at 2:30 pm, and were still charged $600. Â Part of the reason it didn't take as long is because my husband requested that his tattoo be smaller than the original design so that it wouldn't show at work. Â So it doesn't seem like we were charged by the hour exactly, unless email exchanges count.
Overall though, I think we got great tattoos, and Zach seemed fairly friendly and helpful in person. Â We'd consider going back for tattoos in the future.
EDIT: after much reflection on what went on, I now think that Zach's hourly rate must have been $150 at the time and not one of the lower amounts that I apparently misheard. Â That would explain why the total was $600, because we were there for almost 4 hours.
A pal won a gift cert to this place and I tagged along got her tattoo session, and I'm so glad I did!
This place takes classic American-style tattooing and mixes it with Juxtapoz-style modern art and a lot of humor. Combine their style with the talented staff and you will come out with a great custom piece.
My pal was tattooed by Scott Ellis, the charming, mustachioed owner. She got three lucky cats doing the hand gestures for "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil," and Scott did a fantastic job.
There's no flash on the walls, just art. The bathroom is a pristine treasure.
Scott Ellis, I love you. Â This is the only place in town that I will recommend folks go to. Â
Have you ever had this experience?
YOU: (Walking into a tattoo parlor) Hi there (to nearest person working there)
THEM: (Look you up and down and then go back to whatever they were doing before) ...........
YOU: Uh, hi... do you work here?
THEM: (annoyed) Uh, yeah?
Seriously, I am sick and tired of tattoo artists with the bad attitude from hell. Â What is WRONG with them? Â Like what makes them so freakin' awesome and also grants them some special douche-right? Â Uh, I submit nothing. Â So there. Â I like my tattoo artists talented, ok, that's a must, but I also like them to be humans. Â You're not going to get that cooler-than-thou bullcrap attitude from these people at Triple Crown, and you're going to get quality work. Â
Check out Scott Ellis, the owner's website:
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscottellistattoo.com%2F&s=c00fa8f6accf163cc78c15e122d5af88203c1a8011195f73d7a7f6640f6b4e46" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://scottellistattoo.…</a>
Scott Ellis is the owner of this new tattoo shop in East Austin. He is a great guy- very professional as well as friendly. He is a brilliant tattoo artist-- I say this because he can a) draw wicked tattoos, b) get the design in your skin FAST (and he's not heavy-handed) and make it look even better than it did on paper, and c) he'll actually do a friggin' consultation... as in, "Hey! This is what's going to happen to the tattoo in five, ten, or twenty-five years..." and then he works with you!
He's got a great group of artists there with him-- Zach, Erza and Joey-- and they are all polite (*cough*handsome*cough*) guys who really know what they're doing. Excellent, stylish work. They also have movie nights almost weekly-- lots of fun!!
A+ for this shop. Clean, friendly, professional. Whether its your first tattoo or your fifth, you should definitely check them out.
Scott did an awesome job adding a background to an OLD tattoo. Â He is super nice, down to earth and professional. Â The shop is cozy and full of great paintings, prints and people. I felt like I was hanging out with my best bro's.
Ive been to a few different shops and Triple Crown is TOPS. I highly recommend Scott Ellis.
Scott Ellis is an arrogant jackass. I went to see him about getting an old tattoo covered up, and instead of just telling me that *he* didn't feel comfortable doing it unless I got it lightened with laser treatments first, he told me that *nobody* would be able to do anything with it.
He turned out to be totally wrong. I went to another shop and saw another artist who was honest with me and told me that he didn't feel comfortable doing it, but he recommended someone else. I ended up getting a badass new tattoo that completely covers the old one, no thanks to Scott Ellis.
Edit: This is so precious. He just sent me a text message to tell me that his lil feelings were hurt by this review. That's how badass he really is!
Scott Ellis is a genius. Seriously.
He has designed and tattooed sweet-ass art nouveau pieces on both of my arms and they are truly gorgeous. My friends sway between being amused and annoyed at the number of gawking people who stop me everywhere to stare and compliment his fabulous work. Seriously, a lady followed me into a bathroom stall at IKEA just to get a closer look.
The shop itself is clean and incredibly comfy with great artwork all around. They specialize in custom, high quality work and everyone who works there had an impressive portfolio. Triple Crown is at Rosewood and Chicon on the East Side and they are open during daytime hours only, so you won't find drunks stumbling in off the street looking for a totally sweet tribal band, nor will you have to listen to anyone talking about "tats" or "getting inked". Everyone is nice, fun and down to earth.
Make an appointment NOW if you'd like to get in before the end of '08. These kids are busy, but it's because they're just so damn good at what they do.
Austin is not lacking in tattoo shops, this is true.
But, what about a shop that is clean, comfortable, talented, and not full of rude, pretentious, holier-than you tattoo artist? Â Â I'm not saying they aren't there, cause I definitely haven't been to every shop in town. But I have been to a handful of other places as a client and as a support person where I've been treated like crap. Like I should kiss their butt cause they have more tattoos than me... or somethin.....
But, I don't have that problem anymore. Â Cause, I've found my permanent shop in Triple Crown Tattoo.
Triple Crown is a brand-spankin-new shop opened up on the east side by Scott Ellis, formerly of True Blue.
I started getting work done by Scott about a year ago while he was still at T.B. I loove Scott and his work. Â I had a crappy-ass tattoo I got illegally when I was 16 and Scott did the most amazing cover up last year. Â (see photos) Â Â He has never made me feel anything but comfortable with him and I always know I'm in good hands.
I plan on sticking with Scott as long as hes in the area and I'm getting tattoos but, hes a got a great crew of other tattoo artist working there.
While Scott was working on my newest, 2 of the 3 other artist were there and everyone was really cool and friendly. My boyfriend started talkin with Ezra about a piece he'd like to do eventually. Ezra was really cool and had some great ideas. Â Â It was just totally relaxed and chill, with good music playing! Its important to me to be in a nice, calm environment while I pay for someone to cause me massive pain!
I know Scott doesn't take walk-in appointments and I'm not sure if the other guys do, so call ahead. Â Â Scott is booked pretty solid, especially if you can only come on the weekends, in which case you should probably expect to wait a month or more. Â I take a day off and schedule during the work week and can be seen much sooner that way.
So...... if you are ready for a new tattoo stop by, check out the shop, talk to one of the guys and make an appointment!
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