My second tattoo in this shop to be infected. I have only been to this shop two times. My infection could have been cuz the ink is old and cheap. Plus not a sterilized shop. The artist did not wash his hands every time he smoked a cig. My skin is scared and had to see a doc for very strong meds. I have lots of tattoos, this was a infection that was serious and the smell of my dying flesh and the hot heat from it can really make a person angry. I just got another tattoo from True in Hollywood and no infection. If i go into this shop again i may just loose my hole arm next time.
Review Source:I was having the worst time of my life trying to find the right artist to finish my long-awaited arm sleeve project. I tried researching and speaking with the most qualified artists at all of the locally acclaimed tattoo shops (mostly in Hollywood)...and wiling to pay any price. All I got was pretentious attitudes, emails ignored and never responded to, and artists trying to talk me out of what I really had my heart set on. Â
As an artist myself, as well as a service provider to the community, I understand fully what can and wont work...and so I was baffled as to why these artists gave me such a rigamarole and excuses as to why they couldn't give me what I wanted and had been planning, researching and saving for for years.
So I did a Yelp search for tattoo shops in MY area...the area of Van Nuys, and found this little hole in the wall shop not far from home. Â I read Peter's review and instantly identified with his similar dilemma to find the right artist to patronize what would ultimately be upwards of over 1K worth of a project. I liked what I read, and on a whim, shot over to talk to Frankie Ray, the aforementioned artist with an amazing customer satisfaction background.
Immediately, after speaking with Frankie, and giving him my idea summary...I felt listened to, respected and appreciated as a prospective client. Â He did research, and has been working on my sleeve ever since. Â He's also done additional work elsewhere as I have a plethora of ideas. Frankie never tries to talk anyone out of what they want unless he feels its morally inappropriate and that they will regret it soon after. He has managed to provide me with the most amazing work, because he wasn't too lazy to incorporate the detail I so desired, which other artists' apparently didn't have the gumption nor the "time" to do. Â There's no other artist I'd rather give my money to.
This place is reasonable, friendly, and feels like coming home...which is how you should feel when you're committed to sitting down and putting something permanent and sentimental on your body.
My man has wanted a second tattoo for the longest time but could not decide what to get and what would be meaningful. To make a long story short, he decided the most meaningful tattoo for him would be a tattoo celebrating the Kings' first Stanley Cup. He loved the patch on his jersey and wanted it turned into a "permanent patch".
We looked on Yelp and saw all the reviews of World Famous Emporium of Tattoos. People were right- Frankie is a tattoo god. He took the Stanley Cup patch, recreated it and made adjustments so that it would be suitable as a tattoo. When it as done, my man even showed it to Patrick O'Neal and Daryl Evans (FOX Sports TV announcers for the Kings) outside Staples Center before a Kings game, and they both took photos and tweeted it. Some people we met later who follow O'Neal's and Evans tweets recognized that was his tattoo and said "Hey, I saw your tattoo from (O'Neal's and Evans') tweets!" He's shown it to Kings fans and hockey and non-hockey fans who are all very impressed with the tattoo work. It's all Frankie's work, and he guarantees it for life!
We'll be coming back when we're ready for our next tats. We've recommended Frankie to others as well. He's a very professional and nice guy too! Check out the Kings Stanley Cup tattoo he did in the photos section.
Highly recommended. I actually signed up for Yelp just so I could give these guys a glowing review.
We had made an appointment at another place, Under the Gun in Hollywood, and our appointment had been cancelled without notice. Â So we hopped on Yelp to find another place and I cannot say how grateful I am we found WFET. Â The reviews are all stellar, as you'll see, and it's no BS. Â The vibe is very easygoing and friendly, which is great for a guy like me who now has only 2 tattoos. Â And I'm sure this place would be great for a seasoned veteran as well; Frankie Ray, the main artist, is clearly exceptionally skilled. Â
Frankie made me and my wife feel totally at ease here. Â My wife was thirsty, he brought her water. Â Her tattoo was hurting her, he gave her a numbing spray. Â My wife is an air traffic controller, he talked airplanes with her while she was under the needle. Â He's one of those guys that just gets along well with any type of person, and he strikes me as an honest and principled business man. Â He's the kind of guy that will try to talk you out of something that looks bad, or may cause you regret, but if you insist, he'll still do a great job. We also met the owner, Charlie, who has been doing tattoos for 50-some-odd years. Â WFET is apparently the oldest shop in the valley, and I'm really glad they're still here. Â They were very welcoming, and made it plain that they were glad to have us and appreciated our business.
The shop is definitely old, and very small, but they are very clean and professional, which everyone knows is important. Â They do all kinds of work, from elaborate sleeves to little cartoons like my wife and I got. Â Another one of the best things about this place is that they are downright cheap, which is amazing in L.A. I got a full color Super Mario that's about 2 inches in diameter, and it only ran $80. Â Very reasonable, considering most tattoo artists in L.A. will charge you $200 or more just to put the needle to your skin. Â UTG was going to charge me $150 for the exact same thing.
Getting tattoos is totally addictive, as most people will tell you. Â And the World Famous Emporium of Tattoos is the kind of place you go back to. Â I will be getting my ink here as long as I live in L.A.
Patience. Â That's what the fellas at WFET have in spades. Â I walked in on a slow Friday night, without an appointment, and they were able to take me pretty much right away after they finished with somebody else. Â My heart was pounding as I watched them effortlessly ink this guy. Â He never moved, and I think he may have even been carrying on a lucid conversation. Â This was going to be my first tattoo, and I was trying to absorb everything around me so that I could get a general idea of what to expect when that needle touched my skin.
The place is small, very small - but clean. Â And the artists do their work right there behind the counter. Â When it was my turn to sit, I could literally see the street from my seat. Â And on occasion, I thought about just booking it back to my car. Â Pain was never a friend of mine, and while I knew plenty of people who had tattoos, the consensus was that it's no Swedish massage. Â I showed Frankie Ray my design - a simple phrase in Yiddish that would span the length of my right forearm - and in minutes, they had the stencil on my arm, ready to ink in. Â The low buzz of the needle switched on, and as soon as it descended onto my flesh, my eyes shot wide open, and that patience that I mentioned earlier began to make itself evident.
They were soothing - but in a professional, guy kind of way. Â Not a motherly, I'll-leave-the-light-on-for-you-until-you-fall-Âasleep kind of way. Â It's hard to explain. Â But as I clenched my fists and curled my toes and made all the guttural noises I'd imagine a burning, writhing goat would make, they calmed my nerves by talking to me. Â When the pain became more than I could stand, Frankie stopped and went into the back room. Â I was suffering from nausea brought on by the pain, and Frankie surprised me when he came back out with a large bowl of chocolates. Â "Eat this, it really helps," he told me - and I immediately felt like Harry Potter after having wrestled with his first boggart... And that might sound dorky, and it probably is, but I felt way better after that. Â When he continued, I got my roommate (who'd come along for the show) to dig his heel into my foot and give me a different pain to focus on. Â It sort of worked... In any case, when the ordeal was over and I'd survived, the work Frankie'd done was amazing. Â It was a very simple tattoo, but the phrase itself had so much meaning to me, it really made me feel accomplished. Â Like I'd taken a huge step forward.
He suggested I come back in a month to retouch it because the gigantic baby that I was, I apparently wasn't 100% still the entire time. Â Go figure, right? Â And while I found myself busy and unable to return in a month, I do plan on going back soon to have it touched up and the lines made fuller and crisper. Â But even as it is now, I love it. Â Thanks, Frankie! Â If I ever decide on another design and can convince myself to endure this again, I'll definitely be coming back to WFET. Â Because as it stands, this was probably the single most painful experience that I can remember (knock on woo--- OW! Splinter.
If you are seeking a great tattoo, this is the place. It is small, but very clean, Frankie Ray has been tattoing my entire family for over 10 years. He really knows what he is doing.
The shop is very clean, a tad on the small side, but who care? They do great work at a wonderful price.
This really is the greatest tatto place ever.
You can't go wrong..
I have wanted a certain tattoo for a couple years now. Â Today I decided to get it. Â I came onto Yelp and saw this place had good reviews so off I went.
The place is small but air conditioned and comfortable. Â I was not skeeved out (as I can be even in doctors' offices). Â I felt comfortable and Justin was just really sweet and gentle with me...since this was my first tattoo.
We decided to just get the outline done today and I'll be going back in about  5 weeks to get the color, but Justin is an AMAZING artist.  I absolutely LOVE my tattoo.  It was an awesome experience.
Terrible place!
. . . Â Or not! Â Actually, on the contrary, this is the greatest place ever, and I can tell you that I'll be going back here, specifically to Justin, to finish my quarter sleeve!
So, let me tell you a little story about an impulsive trip to get tattoos with the missus. While I am a resident of the San Fernando Valley, I'm still rather new in town, and all of my previous tattoos have come from one shop back in San Jose. . . Â Now, SoCal has no shortage of tattoo shops, but most of them carry a stigma of sorts-- Â You just assume that it's not the type of place you want to go to. . .
Luckily, though, we were not only searching for a decent tattoo shop, but we were looking for something with a cheap shop minimum! Â (Sidebar: Â Don't ever get a tattoo at a place on Ventura-- Â Ridiculous, and not worth it, from what I hear.)
To yelp we went, and did it ever help us out! Â We saw the reviews here, and were immediately impressed-- Â Our only requirement was that people commented on the cleanliness of the place, and the reviews are definitely correct; Â This place is clean, tidy, and all that jazz!
With a cheap shop minimum, we were gouged for getting very small, discreet tattoos, and again, Justin was a hell of a guy.
I would say the only thing that doesn't get a 10 out of 10 with me is. . .
. . . Â Well, nothing. Â I can't think of anything-- Â I had a great experience here, and will surely be back! Â I can't imagine you'd find a better, cleaner, cheaper, more quality experience anywhere in the valley.
Place was super clean! Small and neat! Anyway, I was looking around the valley for a good quote for a small tattoo. I ended up at this shop because I just loved the atmosphere and the price. They keep it real here and they don't look as shady as other tattoo shops. Frankie and Charlie were very friendly and professional. Frankie also has a lot of patience and I liked that about him. He just won himself a new customer and I'd come back here next time I get my second tattoo. Try this place and you'll love it!!! I believe this place has been here since '74. Crazy old but still probably the best. :)
Review Source:LOVE this place, first off, you always want where ever you go to be sanitary, these guys totally are! Next, you want undivided attention, especially when having help to put a design together, these guys give it. Took my son for his first tattoo since he just turned 18, Justin was awesome! Our son said the whole experience was great and the quote he got looks perfect. My better half got the start of a partial sleeve, Justin again to the rescue, he designed something so awesome with just paying attention to a few ideas we had and the rest, history! Love this place, the cleanliness of it, the hospitality, the prices...
You guys all ROCK!!!!! thank you yet again, see you before Christmas!
I had gotten my last tattoo at this shop quite a few years ago, and really liked it (it was the best of my 3 tats I've had done) so I decided to stop in and get a couple quotes on Friday after work... since I was determined to get some ink that day.
I had a picture of a Gargoyle statue that I wanted to get done and the artist working gave me an estimate that was way better than expected and less than other places I have been recently, so I dropped off the picture and ran down to the bank for some cash. Â
I got back and it turns out that the guy's name was Frankie Ray from previous reviews. I have to say what a really nice guy. I was immediately comfortable and at ease here.
It's an older, small shop that has been there for years, NOT some pretentious upscale place or a shop that specializes in mostly Flash which is how I ended up with my worst tattoo that looks like a giant ink spot on my shoulder.
Anyway, Frankie Ray was great. I was very happy with it. Â And it was less than half of what I was quoted elsewhere.
Just because some-one charges a lot of money, it does NOT mean their work is better. Trust Me! Â
I will eventually get my other work cleaned up and fixed over here and that crap cost me more than what I paid here and it was a long time ago. So go figure.
ANYWAY... after getting my tattoo, Â yesterday, I had the hankering for another one today but it was not any picture I could find... more like a couple ideas I had that I wanted to combine.
So, I stopped by kinda late, due to a misunderstanding on my part, that I had about the hours. I explained my ideas and Frankie was kind enough to stay and do the tattoo for me as I am sure he knew I was really wanting to have it done right then! ... Okay, I used a little guilt, manipulation / pleading on my part to justify why it should be done right then, but hey.. sometimes you just really want something and you want it now!! LOL
So with my half-assed explanation and no pictures to go by, except for a couple of tiny images off my cell phone that I used to describe my idea, he was able to create me a piece and give me my tattoo.
I am so grateful that he "got it" that I had my heart set on doing this right then at that moment. Seriously, it was MUCH appreciated ! As I really did completely misunderstand the hours. Or maybe I just heard what I wanted to hear. Either way, it was really cool of him to stay and do it on the spur of the moment like that!
I will definitely go back there again. For one, to fix the other stuff I already have, but also whenever I get the hankering for another tat. But  the next time I will make sure I plan it better time-wise.
I also really appreciated the honesty I received when I asked about a particular idea I had. Â Oh and also he gave me info that I never received when I got my other tattoos. So it was a really great experience all around..... Obviously.... as I have been there twice in 2 days.
Since I have not been very lucky with my previous experiences getting tattoos, I am really glad I decided to stop back in here rather than go somewhere else just because they are "popular" .... and end up paying far more for something equal (or maybe even inferior) , just because of their location or because people think that since it is more expensive it must be better.
So until my next one... Thanks Frankie !!
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