Seattle Tattoo Emporium

Big thanks to Jamie, who was an absolute pleasure. I came in, and he was happy to help — prompt, courteous, and just great.
I’d heartily recommend Piercing by Jamie and the Seattle Tattoo Emporium to all.

I went in to 3 shops prior to coming to tattoo emporium. Every shop I went to told me my design would take to long and they couldn’t squeeze me in. But finally after my last try I talked to Tony and he said he could do it in an hour! He was so nice and definitely just a shining light to begin with. He made me feel comfortable, especially because it was my first tattoo. And in total cost me 160 $. I recommended my mom and my friends to come here because the customer service was so delightful and Tony knew what he was doing. Thanks man for just a killer first time!

Came in yesterday afternoon as I’d lost the ball end to one of my barbells. Jamie came down and helped out right away! I wasn’t sure if he would be able to help me get it back in, but that wasn’t a problem either! He was professional, yet funny and put me completely at ease.
This was my first time in here, but after this experience, I’ll definitely be coming back!
Thanks Jamie!

Thanks for the ink!

Got my tongue pierced by Jamie yesterday. Had my belly button pierced a couple years ago. I highly recommend him for piercings. He is so cool and comfortable with poking you with large needles even if you’re not comfortable having it done which is an important quality in a piercer. You will feel confident in his abilities and he keeps the mood light with his sense of humor. Also, he explains aftercare and answers any questions you may have. His equipment is sterile and work space is clean. Go to the Seattle Tattoo Emporium for your piercings. Jamie does a wonderful job.

I just got another tattoo here today. Love the first one I got from Tony… I came in with a concept and he executed the design perfectly! This time I worked with Ed and he was professional, clean, and did great work! A+ tattoo shop! I was happy with the price as well!

Jamie, the piercer, is super nice, helpful, and amazing! Would absolutely recommend. :-)

the best tattoo shop i’ve ever been to. Ed Learner is A MACHINE! he works clean, precise, deep and fast! i live in LA where there are a bajillion tattoo shops, and a couple of them are fantastic, but i’m already planning a return trip to Seattle so I can get more work done by Ed and the gang.

I came here to fix a tattoo done by a very inexperienced artist somewhere else. I really should have known better.
I can always count on Hubba to do an excellent job. His experience shows in the works he does. It took him maybe 30min to fix a tattoo that orginally took 2 hours to do. And the result? Perfect lines, smooth shading and excellent composition.
He has such an artistic hand when he is tattooing, it’s amazing to watch. I have a pretty high pain tolerance and with the last artist, I was writhing in pain… not today! He made it seem so easy and effortless and i was incredibly comfortable.
Hubba is worth every penny. Now I can look upon my tattoo with pride and love instead of disgust and regret.

Hubba did my tattoo and I must admit that it was almost painless. He was great and it came out exactly how I wanted. I was able to just drop in, get it done and was out in 15 minutes. The other parlors I contacted wanted an appointment and money up front and another wanted a consultant appointment and then make another appointment to have the actual tattoo done. Seattle Tattoo was fast and easy.

I originally came to Seattle Tattoo Emporium through a highly trusted recommendation. I had seen there work, and I will commend the employee’s talents. However, my experience was far from professional or even kind.
I called Seattle Tattoo Emporium due to their high recommendation and spoke to an employee. He seemed rather uninterested in my questions and tattoo descriptions, but he asked me to come in the following day (anytime in the afternoon) for a drop in appointment to discuss the tattoo details and pricing. With high hopes, I entered the shop the next day only to be completely ignored for a good ten minutes before being approached. I shrugged off the inconvenience and explained why I was sent to their parlor and the discussion I had with the employee the day before. With a huff and puff the man asked to see my idea. The first words out of his mouth were «we can’t do that» and «I obviously don’t speak that language». So, I tried to negotiate with him on fonts, placing, etc. only to be repeatedly shut down and told that he didn’t speak the language. After insisting that he did not have to speak the language to do my tattoo (I had the exact drawing of what I wanted in hand) I was told to go home and try to print out a copy of what I wanted even though I already presented him with exactly what it was. Frustrated, I asked if I could just talk to any other artist available, as I was promised the night before. The man behind him sighed, gave me another annoyed look, and told me that he didn’t have time to look at it. Not to mention there was only one other patron in the parlor. He told me to come back in a few days to potentially discuss the tattoo. I was fed up and vowed not to return after such horrible treatment.
From unreasonable statements of not being able to speak the language, which has nothing to do with creating the tattoo, to being sent home to draw up my own art, again, to flat out being ridiculed and degraded, I would never recommend this parlor to anyone. Horrible service and flat out rude employees.

P.A. Stephens (owner) Seattle Tattoo Emporium is the standard by which all others should be judged.
All of the tattoo artists there are excellent, led by the Manager, Jimmy The Saint.
Tattoos are an art form, a bit of surgery and most definitely, alive.
IF you pick the right piece, and get the artist that works in that style, you will be happy forever.
IF you are some sort of dilettante who has no idea what you want or what you are trying to say, a temporary tattoo might be in order.
This establishment has the best artists, the highest quality of product and highest safety standards in the realm of tattooing and the owner and manager have massive amounts of time and «skin» in the game to make sure that your tattoo is your «living art» masterpiece.

Tony is awesome. A few years ago he did a Japanese crane on my foot and later a hummingbird on my inner bicep. Tony’s got a way of calming your nerves. When I came to him, I had two tattoos, so not a newbie, but definitely not experienced.
The top of the foot is supposedly a painful place so I was incredibly nervous. We bonded over Johnny Cash and before I knew it, the tattoo was done. It definitely didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.
They are a cash only shop so be aware of that, and tip! Don’t skimp on these guys, their work is quality!

I wanted to get a tattoo to commemorate the nine years I spent in Seattle. I decided this in Aug and was leaving the state on Sept 1 so I couldn’t wait months or weeks for an appointment or consultation. I also wanted something really simple (a «206») and not very big, so I wasn’t being that picky. And I wanted a shop I could bus to easily. I used to work with a guy that had work done at Tattoo Emporium (by Jimmy) and it was a quick bus ride from my house so I went and checked out the books one day.
It’s a small shop and it was hot out when I visited and it was absolutely sweltering in there (I prefer getting inked in the summer more than winter, but I think spending a few hours in here in the heat would be torture). The guy at the desk was friendly and chatted with me (he was also standing outside part of the time to get out of the heat). I was not very impressed by a couple of the books but one artist had an awesome piece that was entirely text/​script so I decided he would be more than capable of banging out a little area code. I called the next day and we set up an appointment (he didn’t make me come in for a consultation, I think largely because I told him it was simple and I knew what I wanted).
The whole appointment took maybe 45 minutes, including him making the stencil. That was easy! And now I understand why people that get only small tats have so many. Anyways, the appointment went fine, I was on my way in record time, and I have a piece of Seattle with me here in Minnesota. He also did a little fix on the last tat I got (at Liberty in the U District) which makes me happy. But I am not happy because the tat is crooked and the linework is not clean. BOO! The crookedness is slight (the 6 is about a quarter of a inch higher than the 2) and partially my fault. I had him adjust the stencil once and thought it still looked a little crooked with the second placement. But he said it looked straight so I went with it. Oops. It is not straight. But I should have made him do it again so I take partial responsibility. However, two of the three numbers have blurry edges and that is not my fault at all. It’s not a complex piece with many elements or shading or color so the imperfections don’t blend in. It’s pretty obvious he messed up and I’m hoping some white ink can clean it up a little some day.
Is it a terrible tattoo? No. But is it a great tattoo? No. Can I live with it? Yes. I have to, and it doesn’t look too bad from a distance. Would I recommend Tattoo Emporium? Not sure. All the other reviews are 5 Stars so Your Mileage May Vary.
PS – If you are reading a review of any shop and it starts with «I just got my first tattoo here,» stop right there and move right along. I didn’t know how to pick an artist until I got my third tat (which is somewhat unfortunate since my second one is a really big back piece), and as this review demonstrates, sometimes my judgement is still off even though I’ve spent about 20 hours under the needle and am not exactly a novice.

I got my fourth and fifth tattoos here as well as my second and third. I’ve been tattooed by Hubba and most recently Tony.
Great experiences by both! Tony is friendly, safe, a beautiful artist, and I love the work I had done.
I definitely recommend this place!!!

I’m no longer a tattoo rookie, it seems. For my second tattoo, I decided to venture on down to this location to ask after my next idea. It had been about 5 years since my last one, and I couldn’t be happier with the experience.
Eric Marts was my artist, and he was totally accessible and available when it came to my design. I designed my own tattoo, and Eric elaborated on and, let’s be honest, made better my designs, and I’m now the proud owner of a new, giant (in my terms, anyway) shoulder tattoo.
Granted, it’s not a complicated tattoo. Just a compass rotated 90 degrees clockwise, but Eric was patient and understanding of my concerns. And he was able to fit me in shortly after our first meeting.
I don’t know what a bad tattoo experience looks like, but I feel like I know what a good one looks like. And this is a good one.
If you’re serious about your next bit of ink, come on over to this shop. And, it probably goes without saying, ask for Eric. He’s awesome.

I’ve been coming here for 5 years now. I’ve had a tattoo by quite a few of the guys — and I’ve never been disappointed. One day I came in with a painting of some cherry blossoms that I wanted and Kenneth was available to do it. I cannot tell you how incredible it is. It was my absolute favorite until I got two more by Kenneth, and now I can’t decide! I mean I have people stopping me on the street to take pictures of my shoulder piece, I’ve given his name to dozens of people. This is where I bring all my friends and family.
BEST tattoo shop around.

Hubba is the MAN!
I got my first tattoo here almost 20 years ago, and recently got a new one as well as updated the old one. I told Hubba what I wanted, he designed it, gave me a time estimate, got busy and I was out of there.
The spot to go when you want it straight, no chaser. I can’t imagine going anyplace else.

I have to agree with one of the other reviews that indicated this is the shop to go to if you want custom work done. I understand and have to accept the fact I am currently classified as heavily tattooed.
I did the research and stopped by the shop and discussed my current ink and my plans forward with Eric Martz, Eric was able to pick up where my old artist left off. My old artist was great, but the work Eric just did for me is some of the best (Black and gray) work I’ve ever seen, he freehanded the layout and there is so much detail, depth and life to the work I will only let Eric do my work from now on.
I highly recommended the Seattle Tattoo Emporium and Eric Martz, why else would I fly from Denver to Seattle to get my work done?

My first Tattoo at Seattle Tattoo Emporium was on impulse and was done by Hubba. It rocked and I knew my next would be from these guys.
My next was well thought out and I went in with my idea. Sat for Jimmy and I can’t say enough good about how it turned out. Jimmy is «The Man».
I recently got another tattoo at a different location and when the artist there looked at the one Jimmy had done he was like, «WOW that is really good, why are you coming to me? You should be going back to that guy.»
True professional and a tattoo studio like it is supposed to be, no glitze glam or bling, just straight up art and skill.