Friendlist tattoo artist in New York
May 4, 2023 9:35 AM Subscribe
My sister will be visiting me in NY and wants to get her first tattoo. I have gotten a few tattoos here but I wouldn't call them warm, friendly experiences, and that's what I want for my sister. Who is the friendliest tattooer in New York?
My sister is 49, has never had a tattoo, and is also a very sweet and sensitive person. The tattoo she wants is top of the list of every tattoo artist's least favorite tattoos (a simple variation on the infinity symbol). The tattoo being as simple as it is, I don't need to look through books to find someone with a particular style, so I just want to find someone who will be super sweet and friendly and chatty with my sister and not judge her for her choices or act annoyed by doing this design.
I have a handful of tattoos I've gotten from different artists around here and usually the experience has been relatively perfunctory, which is totally fine by me bc I like a straightforward, non-chatty vibe. But not going to take my sister to them. She's a little nervous as a first-timer, so would really benefit from some with a gentle, warm, bubbly personality.
I'm in Brooklyn but open to anywhere in Brooklyn or lower Manhattan.
Looking forward to your recommendations, thanks!
My sister is 49, has never had a tattoo, and is also a very sweet and sensitive person. The tattoo she wants is top of the list of every tattoo artist's least favorite tattoos (a simple variation on the infinity symbol). The tattoo being as simple as it is, I don't need to look through books to find someone with a particular style, so I just want to find someone who will be super sweet and friendly and chatty with my sister and not judge her for her choices or act annoyed by doing this design.
I have a handful of tattoos I've gotten from different artists around here and usually the experience has been relatively perfunctory, which is totally fine by me bc I like a straightforward, non-chatty vibe. But not going to take my sister to them. She's a little nervous as a first-timer, so would really benefit from some with a gentle, warm, bubbly personality.
I'm in Brooklyn but open to anywhere in Brooklyn or lower Manhattan.
Looking forward to your recommendations, thanks!
I'm a big fan of Hillary Blair though I wouldn't describe her as bubbly—she is sweet and easy to be around though. And her books are open right now, which is going to be a limiting factor for many people!
posted by babelfish at 10:02 AM on May 4, 2023
posted by babelfish at 10:02 AM on May 4, 2023
Nice Tattoo Parlor has a reputation for being, well, Nice.
posted by entropone at 10:13 AM on May 4, 2023
posted by entropone at 10:13 AM on May 4, 2023
Response by poster: FYI she isn't visiting until July, so that's why I'm shopping around now.
posted by greta simone at 10:52 AM on May 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by greta simone at 10:52 AM on May 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Rob Banks at 5 Points Tattoo on the LES is a lovely guy who's done two pieces for me. He's friendly, he's non-judgemental, and he does beautiful work. But basically everyone who works there is nice and you can't really go wrong with any of them. They are a bit pricey though, but it's because the owners of the shop are kind of celebrities in the tattoo world. However, I found it to be well worth the money for the quality and for the customer experience. The owners are famous for good reason, in other words.
posted by nayantara at 11:00 AM on May 4, 2023
posted by nayantara at 11:00 AM on May 4, 2023
Ryan Roi at Dukkha Tattoo is fantastic... really good guy and talented artist. I have 3 pieces by him.
posted by kokaku at 1:10 PM on May 4, 2023
posted by kokaku at 1:10 PM on May 4, 2023
Kokaku, I also have a piece by Ryan Roi, and he's definitely lovely and kind (he occurred to me too!) but I think it's unlikely he'd do a piece like this, especially for a new customer—he's cut way down on his hours because of other commitments and only tattoos larger pieces that he's particularly interested in at this point. If you did reach out, greta, I think he'd be more likely to give you a referral to one of his apprentices (if he has one at the moment). But, whoever he referred you to would definitely be nice and good enough; I've never had a gruff/cold or bad experience with anyone who works with him.
posted by branca at 1:20 PM on May 4, 2023
posted by branca at 1:20 PM on May 4, 2023
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posted by whisper_robin at 9:45 AM on May 4, 2023