Next ! Piercing & Tattooing

Got my helix pierced from here the other day done by Adrianna. It was very well done and I’m very happy with it! Everyone in there was very friendly, helpful and knew what they were doing. I was kind of scared to get it done because it was my first cartilage piercing but surprisingly I could barely feel it. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend this place for piercings! Oh and if you are thinking of getting a helix piercing, get the ring with the gem on it cuz its so pretty!!!

How have I not penned a review for this place? Whoops! My first tattoo was done here, and I just came in with a friend who’s after their first ink. I love this shop because it’s so laid back, it’s not selling you a thousand retail items, not too bright. Just spacious clean with chill people working here! I just wish they were open a little later into the evenings, but I hate to work evenings too so I understand. :)

Got a piercing here with my friend, and it was clean and well done. However, they were running low on stock so we had limited choices for jewels etc. We also had bad luck and came in right after a huge group of girls, so we waited for over an hour. Which is no big, but the music that was playing was very loud and pleasant to my ears. It made the wait so much worse. I wish the cashier had told us up front that it would be such a long wait. Before we even signed forms etc.

Kass is doing a sexy chest tattoo for me and she’s great! Super friendly and nice! I love the work that she does! She totally took my idea and presented me with a drawing that was even better than I asked for.
I walked in and was greeted immediately. I never had a problem. They kept me informed and explained everything.

Very happy with the fix-​up job Alex did on what I consider to be the biggest mistake of my life so far (getting a tattoo in Vegas). It looked like a child drew it at first (check out my review for Mystical Ink Tattoo in Vegas for a picture) and Alex made it SO much better.
Will be back for more!

First tattoo here 10+ years ago. I would love to see what this place is doing from the inside now that many a year has passed. Please pierce me! The tattoo is still great but I would love to know if touchups are discounted — no?

Do not go here. Total ass-​hat factory.
Made an appointment on Friday at 5pm for a tattoo at 12 the next day. Showed up at 1145am. Was still not seen for my appointment by 130pm. No apology or explanation from artist — they just expected me to sit and wait happily while they wasted my afternoon.
I and my family will never go here again.

I walked in with a poorly drawn sketch of what I wanted. I perused through the portfolios and picked an artist with a wide range of talents; this was my 4^th shop I tried in Vancouver, trying to find a new artist.
The portfolio was Marta’s; she is fast, precise and open to your ideas. I highly recommend her and will be going back for future work.

Customer service was awful when I walked in. I was not greeted, and all the staff ignored me. I eventually approached the man, I’m assuming the owner or manager and said I wanted a piercing. He just handed me a piece of paper and told me to fill it out. His responses were pretty rude too. He told me to come back in an hour. When I went back, I was awkwardly sitting on the bench and was about to get up and leave because it was taking so long. Then a student piercer walked in and the manager or owner told her that she would be piercing me. I was not aware that an inexperienced piercer would be doing my piercing. He then asked her if it’s her first piercing she’s done and she said yes. I began to panic as thoughts raced through my mind like «did she even receive the proper training?!» Regardless, I went into the room because it was a simple helix piercing. Luckily, Judy, one of the staffed piercers, ended up doing the piercing and she was very friendly and went over cleaning routine, etc. Judy was the only staff out of everyone that day that gave proper customer service. Though, I would not go back to NEXT due to the awful customer service I received that day. I went to Adrenaline for my next piercings and I was so glad I did. The staff greeted me immediately and answered all of my questions.

My review may not be of value as I’ve never gotten pierced here before, however, have come in here for other merchandise which is fairly priced in comparison to the other shops. Customer service is hit and miss, however, nothing that I would cry into my pillow about. When you get the best customer service… believe me it’s better than it has any right to be. Got some cool Zombie themed stuff here.

Came here as a walk in for a simple ear piercing, and it was clean, painless, and quick. Everything you want an ear piercing to be! Unilocal check ins also get a free ear piercing cleaning kit!
Staff were friendly and very cool. Almost made me want to get another tatt… ALMOST… :)

Two days ago I was looking for a place to get my nose pierced. This was to be my first piercing and I have no tattoos either, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I walked into Next on Granville and waited to approach a bored looking girl behind the counter. I told her what I wanted to do, she said «ok…» then I asked her which side I should do and she said «that’s up to you». I’d already decided left, I just wanted to see if she could offer any input at all. I then said «ok, well whereabouts should I get it» and she said «Again, that’s up to you. I can’t make these decisions for you.» I said «Uh…ok. I guess I’ll go do some more research», and I left, kinda disappointed that I did not get any advice or interaction whatsoever.
I left sad and found Adrenaline, which made me a lot happier.
I think that it’s important to make your customers feel wanted and to at least *attempt* to be helpful. I mean, I know the girl cannot make any decisions for me, but it’s like she couldn’t even be bothered to try. Not very encouraging for a first timer.
When I went in to Adrenaline, I had marked where I wanted it done, and my piercer actually said «You know what, I’m going to move it a little bit further forward, I think that would look better, let’s see if you like it» and he did, showed me and we went ahead with his suggestion. So I guess it really wasn’t that hard to provide helpful input.

Did I get tattooed at Next? Nope.
Did I get pierced at Next? Nope.
So why am I writing a quick review? Because their customer service rocks.
After more than ten years of having both traguses pierced, I wanted them removed for the sake of convenience. I wasn’t willing to take pliers to my ears on my own and risk causing a bleeder, so I popped an e-​mail to Next and asked what they would charge to remove the piercings for me.
Next’s response? «No charge. Stop by anytime!»
Um, yes please. I popped in the next day, was in a piercing chair within seconds and both piercings were out in under a minute. And, as they promised, there was no charge. I left a tip, natch.
While I can’t validly recommend Next for piercings or tattoos, I can say that the staff there is completely awesome and they’ll remove your piercings for you in no time — safely and effectively.

Considering that I’ve gotten most of my piercings here, it only made sense to return for my first tattoo experience. I got to check out different fonts, sizes, and colours for text (it was script I was getting) on their computer so I don’t have to wait for the artist to draw/​write out different versions of the design.
The lady I had spoke with during my consultation, Allison, was wonderful. She was very approachable and answered my numerous questions very well without being intimidating or pushy.
I ended up returning a week after the consultation as a walk-​in because I just felt like getting tattooed that day. Unfortunately, Allison wasn’t in on the day I decided to walk in, so it was done by Marta instead. She had to apply and wipe off the stencil about 3 times before I was satisfied with the placement but then again, it’s something that’s going to be on me forever. I was absolutely nerve-​wracked even before I followed her into the room since it was my first time. She was very interesting to chat to as well, which definitely took the edge off.
When I got home, I was feeling dizzy either from the adrenaline rush or the intense nervousness before. To be on the safe side (and me being paranoid), I decided to call up the shop just to be sure. The guy who answered the phone happily told me it was a combination of both factors and that it was nothing to worry about.

I’ve gotten two of my tattoos here done by Paul and several piercings from a few of the other employees.
I’ve always had excellent service here — the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. They make sure that everything is done just the way you want.
I recently got a tattoo in Hawaii and the service at that shop was nothing compared to what I get here.
Another thing to add, the prices are really decent for the area — last time I checked they were the cheapest but the quality is just the same if not better than other shops around.
Make sure you check out the crazy art on the walls too.

I have been pierced at Next! on a few occasions, including my very first piercing. The staff is knowledgeable, friendly and the shop is extremely clean. I felt very confident in their sanitation standards and their level of professionalism, and I have never had any problems with the piercings I have had done there.

Walked into this shop with a friend looking to get my nipple pierced and her nape pierced — there was a store full of employees, one of whom was helping another customer, another of whom was getting ready to do a piercing and one behind the counter who had his back to the floor.
Walked in, talking to each other, waited at the counter and were ignored by everyone in the joint. Nobody even looked at us, let alone bothered to give us a «we’ll be right with you» or anything. We were standing at the counter, talking about wanting to get something done and waiting for the employee behind the counter to turn around and say ANYTHING or y’know, at least acknowledge our presence. But he didn’t. After waiting for a few minutes with everyone in the entire shop ignoring us, we walked out — still nobody said anything.
Been a long time since I’ve encountered a store with such shitty customer service, so walked up the street to Adrenaline and was so happy I did. Will not attempt to visit this place again and have been telling all my friends looking to get pierced not to bother with this place. They clearly don’t care about your business that much.

I had a really good experience at Next. My piercer was cheerful, accommodating, and gave a very thorough aftercare talk-​through. The process itself was quick and barely painful and the piercing hasn’t been red, hot, or sore at all yet.
I appreciate that they seem to actually care about your piercing and healing process, instead of just getting you pierced and out. The Troubleshooter and Info booklets really do help and the fact that they encourage check ups is really comforting.
Definitely will be back :)

Clean, reputable shop. I would recommend getting your first tattoo or piercing here.
*Where’d you go Kat? If anyones seen this red-​headed pixie tattooing up a storm, call me up please!
Last spotted: May 2010. There was a certain monarch butterfly on the right side of me ribs. Whoever decided to mess with the exquisite detail of a butterfly, just didn’t have the right skills to do the job. Kat made it happen.

I’ve gotten a couple piercings over the years, some of which have since been taken out. I got my nipple and my tongue pierced here, the staff were great and explained the entire process to me in a way that made me feel a lot more relaxed about the whole needle through my nipple thing.
Based on my experiences with other piercings salons I have to say that next was by far the best in terms of a «years later» perspective. I felt it was time to take my jewelry out after many expensive dental bills and a yearning for my nipple of yesterday. They both healed with no problems, quickly and without experiences of rejection or infection.
I was an idiot to get my belly button pierced at a leather shop on granville that is now closed, you all probably know the place and yes I’m well aware of how dumb that was of me to do. I had multiple infections that thankfully healed, but the hole in my navel has never gone away. I’d had my ring out for 2 years and there was no difference in the piercing, to this day I can still put in jewelry with ease. It sucks.
I wish I had gone to Next for ALL of my piercings, because they seem to be the only place that has given me a good experience from start to years after leaving the salon.