Here are my picks for the top tattoo parlours in Toronto by neighbourhood.
THE ANNEX
Tattoo People is quickly becoming an Instagram favourite, meaning that you may have to wait months for an appointment. But trust me, once you've seen what Khan J, Hailey Lee, Zin, G.NO, Jess Chen and Jessica Channer can pull off, you'll be down to wait your turn.
BEACHES
Vision Seeker Studio is hidden away in the space above The Salty Dog. The studio's resident artists have mastered black and grey designs, tattooing everything from complex mandalas to crescent moons.
BLOORCOURT
Lucky 13 is anything but under the radar. Its bright orange signage acts as a siren call to both first-timers and seasoned tattoo clients in the Bloorcourt neighbourhood. The shop currently has four artists: Mark Naraine, Maxine Mahood, Julian Goddard, and The Ferg.
BLOORDALE VILLAGE
Just a few steps south of Lansdowne Station you'll find Pravda Tattoo Parlour. Artists Pawel Pravda, Spencer Harrington, Tania Zhang, Jude and Jordan Warmington specialize in large colourful traditional pieces, but occasionally work in black and grey. The shop accepts walk-ins, but prefers appointments.
Passage Tattoo Parlour is a Village institution. Jay Decator, Kevin Davidson, Joey Ramona, Ash Timlin and Tyson Ward - the shop's permanent staff - have impressive portfolios that include both colour and black and grey etchings in a number of styles. Many of the artists book up months in advance, so don't expect to get a spur of the moment piece here.
CORSO ITALIA
Timeless Tattoo Studio is the go-to for tattoo loving ladies and gents who frequent Corso Italia. Brandon Marques, Jas Singh and Veronica Green are the studio's resident artists.
THE DANFORTH
The Black Pearl Tattoos and Piercings is tucked away on the second floor of a building close to Chester Station. Its head honcho, Mike Storey, is highly regarded for his stellar black and grey realism and has fleshed out his team with artists Hania Sobieski, Matt Vanasse, Tye Trembley, Liza Musselman and Monika Schatz, who have got portraiture (and other styles) down to a T.
DUNDAS WEST
Archive Tattoo Studio is an easy to miss shop right near the intersection of Dundas and Dufferin, marked only with a lone "28" on the door. Inside you'll find David Glantz, Mike Mendes, Amy Bliska Sarah Keeley and Caroline Tattersall manning the tattoo guns. The artists here stick strictly to original designs, so if you're looking to decorate your body in flash tattoos, look elsewhere.
ETOBICOKE
Tat-A-Rama Tattoo Shop has been around for a while. The joint first opened its doors in 1987 and it's had a steady flow of customers ever since. If you don't want something custom crafted, the shop has hundreds of ready made tattoo designs to choose from. See Evan, Joe and Dan's portfolios for inspiration.
Nestled in the heart of Harbord Village is Speakeasy Tattoo, one of the most well-loved studios in town (bested only by Pearl Harbor, according to our polls). Its permanent staff is made up of seven master illustrators: Braden Mangione, Lizzie Renaud, Emma James, Luke Colavecchia, Aaron Hill, Angie Fey and Adrain Menzies. They can handle just about any style, so feel free to pick your poison.
THE JUNCTION
Owner and tattoo artist Jake Cormack handles all the business that goes down at Graphik Ink. He can tackle detailed portraiture pieces, pointillism, cartoons and more. Find the shop just north of where Dundas and Runnymede.
THE JUNCTION TRIANGLE
When it comes to style, Smack Tattoos doesn't put itself in a box. Artists at this studio play around with a wide range of artistic styles including surrealism, portraiture, geometric designs and American traditional pieces. See the portfolios of Steve MacKinnon, Dylan Duke and Jay Ng to get a feel for their stuff.
Pearl Harbor Gift Shop was voted the best tattoo parlour in Toronto, so it should come as no surprise that it made this list. Its expert artists nail traditionally-inspired, one-of-a-kind pieces and usually accept walk-ins. Tim Pausinger, Franklin Reeves, Glennie, Elissa Veinot and Jennifer Lawes make up the shop's current dream team.
KING WEST
Black Line Studio isn't your run-of-the-mill tattoo joint; you'll have to walk far past its selection of clothing and jewellery pieces to even hear the sound of the machines. Not only does the shop offer tattoos, it also removes them - you know, for those of you who made the mistake of inking yourself with something a little subpar. Check out the artists' best work here.
LESLIEVILLE
Leslieville isn't exactly a hotbed for tattoo shops, but of the few it does have Oni Tattoo reigns supreme. It mainly does Japanese-style pieces, but also dabbles in American traditional. The shop's three main artists are Bert, Carmin, and Loorin.
MARKHAM
Hon Tattoo Studio is a Markham studio that specializes in Asian designs, realism and cover ups. Shark, San and TK are the studio's main artists.
MOUNT PLEASANT
Chronic Ink has been in the business for years. It previously had locations in Pacific Mall and near Yonge and Eg, but has since closed both shops and moved to Mount Pleasant and Eglinton. Its artists include Tristen Zhang, Marilyn Nguyen, Steve Chen, Damon, Karen and Danny. If you're looking for detailed portraiture, go here.
OSSINGTON
Bellwoods Tattoo is a welcoming little parlour on Ossington co-owned by Justin Murphy and Alanna Mule. Murphy mainly works in the traditional style - with colourful roses, skulls and swords dominating the his portfolio. Mule bangs out awesome black and grey floral design, if you like a more contemporary look.
PARKDALE
Just a few steps east of where Queen and Roncy meet you'll find Black Widow Tattoo Arts. The parlour specializes in black and grey, single needle fineline pieces. If you're not sold yet, scope out the work of dreegz, Mason, Brendon, Chino, and Roumen.
QUEEN WEST
FY Ink Tattoos is a spacious shop at the foot of Queen and Ryerson where the name of the game is portraiture. Thanks to its sweet location, the studio tends to get a lot of walk-in action, especially in the summer. Want to see what they're working on? Check out the team's portfolios here.
REGENT PARK
Hydra Tattoo Collective is a smallish tattoo shop in the Regent park area. Johnny Russo, Clint McDowell, Julie McCormick, Zimmo Lu and Teresa Villalobos helm the machines and are capable of complex coloured designs, portraiture, geometric pieces, watercolour and more.
Lewis Family Tattoo Company is an inviting little operation just north of where Roncy meets Dundas. It's got two main artists: the shop's owner, Derek Lewis, and Elless, who can conquer both colour and blackwork. The parlour has also hosted the king of salacious tattoos, Curt Montgomery.
SCARBOROUGH
Toronto Ink Tattoo does tattoos, cover ups and removal - so whatever you need, they've got your back. The artists here -- Roumen Kirinkov, Mark Prata, and Sarah J. -- tend to do larger pieces, but if you're in the market for something on the smaller side, they'll probably oblige.
UPPER BEACHES
Here you'll find Elevated Ink, a modest-sized shop staffed with stellar artists. If you're looking for some inspiration check out Jonny Cakes, Willy Wales, Jerry Buckets, Brian and Bibi on Instagram.
YONGE & EGLINTON
Seven Crowns Tattoo is a tattoo parlour with some serious old-timey vibes just North of Eglinton Station. It's got five artists who knock it out of the park it when it comes to realism (and just about everything else). Check out Mike Beddome, Matthew Ellis, George Brown, Robyn Lee and Savannah Parent to see their latest and greatest.
YONGE & LAWRENCE
Golden Iron Tattoo Studio has two locations: one near Hogs Hollow and another in Chinatown. Both studios are staffed with kickass artists who kill it when it comes to florals. Scope the porftolios of Helen Xu, Lindsay April, Unklegregory, Vera Blvck, Yi, and Ronald to see what the two studios can do.
YORKVILLE
Smack dab in the middle of Yorkville you'll find The Village Ink set up in a below ground studio. The shop has four resident artists: Destiny Rensen, Matthew McLaughlin, Jason Hawes, and James Williston. Each are skilled at everything from portraiture to simple floral pieces. If you're looking to get a septum or some new ear bling, its piercing specialist Tyler can help you out.
What did I miss? Add your favourite Toronto tattoo parlour to the comments.
Photos (in order) by Jesse Milns, Dennis Marciniak, Jordan Nahmias and Jesse Milns.
by Alice Prendergast via blogTO
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