Chapter One Tattoo

I finally decided to get my first tattoo, and I could not be more ecstatic that I decided to go with Chapter One. Albert was my artist and he did a great job with listening to my idea and concept. The place is super clean and everyone there was friendly and laid back. I was the last appointment of the day and I did not feel rushed at all. My tattoo lines looked amazing and I would recommend them to anyone. Could not be more pleased.

Super nice place! So glad I got my tattoo done here! Isaac was great, it was my first tattoo and I was a little bit nervous but he definitely made me comfortable. I will definitely be coming back for future tattoos.

My daughter and I got tattoos here, Isaac and Albert did an amazing job for both of us and we do highly recommend them :-)

I can not begin to say enough fantastic things about Chapter One, the people who work there, and especially my amazing artist Cash Scott. Super nice, personable, professional but laid back and easy to talk to, incredible artistic talent, really cares about creating the vision as it is worked out be himself and his client… Just phenomenal. He was the 5^th artist I’ve had do tattoo work on me, and he will be the last because I will never go to anyone else except him! Worth every minute of waiting (because he is in high demand) and worth every penny spent.
We have currently done 2 out of 3 sessions. I will post pics when we’re all done. I love love love what he has done so far!!!

I got a perfect Phoenix tattoo. Albert is an awesome artist! Unilocal really helped me to find this place and I don’t regret it!

This was my second tat from this shop. Both Adam and Isaac did great jobs! Thanks for the add on’s and touch up! I’ll be back.

My friend and I got our first tattoos which were done by Colton on NYE (walk-​in). Colton really perfected our tattoos and was very professional. Positive vibes, good atmosphere — We’ll be back!

First time coming here but the atmosphere was just great. Everyone who worked there was so nice and friendly! Isaac did my tattoo and it came out even more beautiful than i thought it would! Definitely coming back here for my next tattoo!

Getting your first tattoo might obviously be a source of stress. After doing lots of research, reading plenty of their reviews, and looking at examples of the different artists’ work, I knew this would be the right place to get my first.
Isaac was super nice, inviting, respectful, and talented. He had a mock up when we arrived of the tattoo I had in mind and did a great job mimicking the font and size to my specifications. It was a quick tattoo, he made conversation to make it fly faster, and was super patient with me when I almost fainted and needed a little snack before continuing. (Don’t worry– I faint really easily, and can’t give blood because of it. The tat on my upper arm was surprisingly less painful than expected).
Overall, I was super happy with the location, the artist, and the tattoo. I highly recommend this place for anyone looking to get their first tattoo.

I absolutely loved my experience here at Chapter One!
I went in for my consultation and right away I felt welcomed. I wanted to get a cover up of the tattoo I already had which was supposed to be an outline of a lotus flower but ended up looking like a pot leaf, but that’s besides the point. After consulting with Albert, he listened to what I wanted and he drew up my design. I hadn’t seen the design until the day of my actual appointment and when explaining to him what I wanted, to make it look more like a lotus flower with patterns influenced by mandalas, but he drew exactly what I wanted! It was like he read my mind because it was so hard for me to explain the exact design I wanted.
Actually getting the tattoo was a great experience as Albert made both me and my friend comfortable and the whole time he was tattooing me he was talking to us and making conversation. The tattoo came out looking better than I expected and I couldn’t have asked for a better tattoo artist!
I will definitely be coming back to Chapter One for my next tattoo!

I wanted to get a new tattoo and chose chapter 1, part due to all the positive Unilocal reviews and also not having to leave OB to do it. I had looked up Albert’s work online and it was the style I was looking for. The studio is very clean, everyone was professional and friendly. Albert immediately made me feel comfortable.
I love his interpretation of what I was looking for (lotus/​mandala). Could not be happier with how it turned out. Will be back for sure

Support your local artists!
I love my Rock of Ages piece by Isaac. He is talented, professional, and loves tattooing. Everyone at this immaculate shop is super friendly and highly skilled. I am definitely coming back for more art!

It was my first tattoo, so I wanted a good one and Unilocal really helped me.
I read a lot of reviews, so I was kinda prepared what I was gonna expect.
Everone was really friendly, and for my first appointment there were no any problems.
After speaking with he artist, I made an appointment — just one week later. That was absolutetly amazing. Unfortunatly he got sick, so I had to wait.
At the fiorst appointment he told me that it was going to be around 180 $. After my tattoo he surprisingly told me that it was 120 $.
He did a great job for my first tattoo and I am really happy with his work. It had nothing to do with his style but it was still an amazing work!
4Stars, because it in my opinion everythin must be 100% perfect, and that is almost impossible. So i Would give 4.5 STARS :)

When my hubby and I decided to get our tattoos I searched for quite a while to find the perfect artist. Chapter one had great ratings and all the artists had such nice portfolios. I saw Albert’s work and was really impressed with the level of detail. Even though we were only getting script I still wanted to feel a connection with the artist. We made our initial appointment and had a brief consult with Albert. We showed him some ideas on what we wanted and he indicated he’d work on our script.
A few months later we were back and Albert showed us a few styles for our tattoos. One was exactly what we wanted and we decided to go for it. They both turned out perfect? We are both so so happy with the art and are so glad we did our homework. We will definitely be back for any future work. Such a great experience and Albert is a super nice guy to top it off.

Chapter One is great. Everyone is very welcoming and the atmosphere is really nice.
Adam has been tattooing me and he is awesome!
My first tattoo was Bubbles from powerpuff girls. I gave him a few referrence photos and an idea of what I wanted. He replicated the art style perfectly and tattooed me a unique pose. I love it and I get compliments on it all the time.
I got my second tattoo by Adam earlier today. I told him I wanted a wizard and to include a couple specific items. I decided to let him have artistic freedom with all of it and he gave me the most badass wizard! It is incredible!
Thanks so much Adam! I will be back for more.

After searching for quite some time, I decided to go with Chapter One. It’s a quaint, beautifully decorated shop, with lots of smiling, welcoming tattooed people. I knew from my consultation I was going to love this place. I brought my son, 2 months old at the time, in our ridiculous huge stroller, which was terribly inconvenient for the walkway for other people trying to walk though. Not one person was bothered by it! My consultation went great!
Yesterday was THE day. I was really excited, nervous and anxious. Paul was very kind, and I immediately became a lot more comfortable. I’m traumatized from previous artists on the east coast that felt like they needed to carve tattoos into my body, so I was spazzing out. Paul was not heavy handed AT ALL, which was incredibly pleasant.
With a couple of breaks, my tattoo took about 2.5 — 3 hours, which I feel like is super fast considering it’s a portrait. He is really fast, and an absolute PHENOMENAL artist. Once I saw my tattoo, I couldn’t help but cry. There, was my beautiful baby boy, looking back at me with his toothless smile. He captured my partner in crime’s beautiful, happy personality. Being a single mother with a really tough road a head, I needed a reminder of who it was all for. This tattoo means more to me than I could possibly put into words. I will not be going to anyone else as long as I’m living in California.
I can not wait to get more beautiful art on my body!!! Thank you Chapter One and Paul!

Oh my goodness, we had the best experience here, and I just have to share it.
We had a bit of a bizarre request. My 79-​year-​old grandmother, my up until very recently extremely anti-​tattoo mother, my sister and I all wanted to get my grandfather’s airplane tattooed. The same tattoo, and one after the other so we could be together.
After looking at Unilocal reviews and seeing images of the beautiful and intricate tattoos coming out of Chapter One, I knew we had to go there. We sent a rough sketch I made up, and a photo of his plane. I didn’t choose and artist, because each artist’s work was more impressive than anything I’ve seen locally. (Not to bash other local tattoo shops, but these dudes are just super talented.)
I was a bit worried about the kind of experience we would have. Both my sister and I had pretty bad experiences at tattoo shops with the artists just not exactly being kind, and when you’re putting something that most likely means something important to you on your body forever, you really don’t want to associate too many bad memories with it. I was especially worried because I was afraid my mom would back out if she wasn’t completely comfortable. (Not my grandma; She probably wouldn’t think twice before jumping out of a plane, let alone getting one tattooed.)
But from the moment we walked in, it was a great experience. We were so warmly welcomed and immediately offered water on that toasty day. We had been assigned Isaac, who was incredibly sweet from the get go. I was a bit scared to see how he interpreted the plane, not because I doubted his talent, but just because we are four extremely picky ladies, but it was beautiful. He was so enthusiastic and easy going and listened to any requests we had.
There were four of us, and with my grandma having a walker and them providing a chair for each of us so we could comfortably watch the other get inked, we definitely crowded Isaac’s work area and their walk way a bit, but neither Isaac or the other guys seemed to mind at all.
We each wanted ours tweaked a bit, and Isaac was more than happy to do so.
My grandma went first (surprise, surprise) and Isaac was just great with her, making sure she was comfortable, and listening to whatever she wanted. He was this way with each of us. Needless to say, my mom didn’t back out. (She got it on her shoulder, and now only wears sleeveless things. I think she likes it.) I absolutely love mine, and have received so many compliments on it already. Everyone says the same thing, «It’s beautifully done!»
Oh, and it should be added that they’re very clean and take all the necessary precautions at the shop. They also play some dang good jams.
The other artists were so friendly as well, and happy to chat for a second when we were wandering about the shop being nosy and seeing what they were up to.
The reviews don’t lie. This shop is fantastic. If an artist can do four of the same exact tattoos one after the other and do an incredible job on each one and make four very picky ladies completely happy with the whole experience, that should say something.
I can’t wait to be back.

I got my first tattoo done by Albert a few weeks ago and I genuinely have only good things to say about him and this tattoo shop. I got a small mom and baby elephant on the back of my neck for my mom on Mother’s Day. I decided to get a second tattoo done the same day of the Gemini Constellation.
Albert was so friendly and he was extremely comforting for someone who has never gotten a tattoo done. All of the other artists were so friendly too and helped make my experience far less terrifying than I had always anticipated. Albert is a genius when it comes to detail so if you have something small and you think it’s impossible to insure that it stays detailed, give it to Albert.
I am so in love with my tattoos and I would genuinely recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a clean, well-​priced, and overall phenomenal tattoo shop. Thank you for everything!

Albert is super friendly & an amazing tattoo artist!
After doing my OCD research on the perfect tattoo place in San Diego, I chose Chapter One Tattoo. I came here 2 years ago & after looking at Albert’s work on the website, I decided to go with him. He did my first 2 tattoos & they turned out great! However, within the healing period, I noticed that a part of one my tattoos needed a touch up.
A friend of mine recently got her tattoo done here & told me that they do touch ups within 3 months of getting your tattoo done, which I had not known at the time. Unfortunately, since I was 2 years out, I assumed that they would turn me away but when I came in to ask, Albert said he could do it! Thank goodness! Albert informed me that a part of my tattoo may have scabbed during the healing period & that is why I needed a touch up so as always, always make sure you take great care of your new tattoos!

Came here without an appointment, with half a concept, tight budget, and an unclear idea of where I wanted to get tattooed.
I was a walking nightmare. Shame on me, I know, I know.
Luckily for me though, everyone (…literally everyone) was very friendly and accommodating. The guy at the front desk asked me a couple of questions and referred me to one of the artists that was in the back.
I got to work with Albert and it was so very easy. After taking a look at his portfolio I pretty much let him do his thing. And we came up with a simple yet awesome design (if you don’t agree I don’t wanna hear about it!)
I would never recommend doing what I did, shoot at least make an appointment! But I would certainly recommend this shop to anyone looking to get inked in OB.

Graças ao Unilocal,descobri o Chapter One e o Albert. Foi a melhor escolha que já fiz na vida. Ele é um artista sensacional!
Becca e Michelle esclareceram todas as minhas dúvidas por e-​mail, enviei foto da minha antiga tattoo e as referências do que gostava. O resultado não poderia ser melhor.
A minha tattoo está linda e ainda marcou a melhor viagem da minha vida! Obrigada Chapter One! Obrigada, Albert!
——
Thanks to Unilocal,I found Chapter One and Albert Rivera. It couldn’t be better! He is the best artist I ever met!
Becca and Michelle helped me by e-​mail, I sent a picture from my old tattoo and references of what I wanted to this cover up. I couldn’t be anymore happier!
Thank you Albert and Chapter One team! You guys are awesome!