Studio XIII Gallery Tattoo & Piercing

Look, if you’re going to let someone push a needle through part of you, you have to trust them.
Studio 13 came recommended to me, luckily because Edinburgh centre at least seems to have a dearth of piercers. However, Sarah at Studio 13 was available on a walk-​in on a Saturday afternoon.
Reception lady was lovely, made sure she got down the right details of what I wanted (location, side) and sent me off to fill out the disclaimer form/​health check. There was only one person waiting before me and she went in just after I finished filling out the form, so I didn’t have long to wait.
The upstairs of Studio 13 is nice — I don’t know what people mean by intimidating, because it feels more like an upmarket hairdressers, with tattoo art on the walls. After about 15 minutes Sarah came over to me, confirmed my details and got me to pick the size of bar I wanted (I went, as she thought, for the smaller one because my face is little). Then I was taken to the piercing room.
Sarah drew on where she thought the piercing should go, and I had a good check in the mirror to make sure I was happy. Sarah is very direct but not in a perfunctory manner, and I felt really at ease. She cleaned up/​sterilised around where my new holes were to go, then told me to take a big steady breath as she pinched my eyebrow and got the needle through in one smooth move.
I was eager to get out of my chair and have a good look, but Sarah made sure I was all cleaned up (blood does have a tendency to make things messy) first. All sorted and preened in the mirror, I was given my aftercare instructions (and a sticker!) and ready to go on my way. I was pleased with the whole process, and with the result. Which I can’t stop staring in the mirror at — but I promise I’m not fiddling with and getting mucky!

Great tattoo place in the heart of Edinburgh city! I emailed the studio with the design I had in mind, and they got back to me promptly and advised that I should make an appointment. I called up and they booked me in with Tom.
I did the usual background checks and made sure I was confident in the studio doing a good job based on all the reviews and research I did, this studio definitely was clearly reputable and delivers service at the highest standards.
I went in to my appointment, the store front is covered in amazing designs and piercings which were great to look at. Had to fill out a short form and provide ID as proof of being of age to get a tattoo which is standard.
Tom greeted me and showed me the design to make sure I was happy, after he was printing the design out on the transfer paper he showed me down to the tattoo room downstairs. There were two other guys getting tattoos. Tom put the print on my arm and made sure I was happy with the angle. I asked him to do it again as wanted it to be more angled on the arm and could see more of the core part of the tattoo.
I gave the go ahead to Tom and got started. After about a minute into it I got a dizzy spell and had to stop, Tom got me a can of soda and reassured me that this is normal, he was super understanding and just made sure I was okay before he continued. I had food before the appointment but just something that happens. I felt embarrassed but I just gave myself a moment and got my head together. At no point did the tattooists ridicule me, and I felt really comfortable. Anyway, 90 minutes later of gritting my teeth, the tattoo was done, I was super happy with it.
The worst part of the tattoo experience was when he cleaned the tattoo to prevent infection but this is an important part! Safe to say that this studio is super clean and hygienic, so I had no worries there!
Tom talked me through the after care, and gave me some instructions and his Instagram details of I needed to get in touch. The studio have a recommended cream and I would definitely advise getting this cream. After a week my tattoo healed up with the cream and following Tom’s instructions it’s healed perfectly!
Overall, a fantastic studio, friendly and relaxed staff and really enjoyed the tattoo experience there. I would absolutely recommend this tattoo place to anyone looking to get a tattoo, and would like to take this opportunity to thank Tom and the Studio for doing such a great job!

Got a beautiful tattoo here by Noemi, and had a great experience from start to finish. Noemi was super friendly and she had drawn out my tattoo, which exceeded my expectations by far. She was very professional and continued to be friendly the entire time, and afterwards, I was left with an absolutely stunning tattoo! ¹¹⁄₁₀!

Great place for a lasting memory of Scotland! Got exactly what I wanted and Tom was great he did a fab job on my new tattoos!!! Recommend this shop

Worst tattoo experience of my life. Terrible attitude, cramped uncomfortable tattooing environment, £400 completely wasted on a tattoo that was nothing like or even close to what i had asked for, also executed very badly given its style. When confronted about all this, in a nutshell, it was a big F YOU not our problem goodbye.
Don’t go here, there are much better places in Edinburgh with much friendlier less egotistical humans then this place

My second tattoo at the studio and I seriously couldn’t be happier. The studio is cool, the people are awesome, Noemi was brilliant. «Octolady» lived up to all expectations. I would recommend this studio to anyone looking for quality ink in Edinburgh.

I’ve been lucky enough to have piercings and a tattoo done at Studio XIII and I would definitely recommend the shop. It’s already been commented on several times, but I don’t think it can be emphasised enough how friendly and fantastically funny the artists are here. My tongue piercing was done by Sarah and she really took the time to make me feel at ease and to explain exactly what was happening and why with each step. The shop was insanely busy that day and I could imagine her being stressed, since it was also late in the day, but she was honestly wonderful, clean, efficient and really kind. I’ve had a few piercings in my ear changed by Sarah as well and she really made sure that she tailored my replacement piercings to what I needed, not necessarily what I’d decided I wanted, so that I wouldn’t regret them later. Since the shop can seem a bit intimidating at first, with heavy music blasting and walls full of art work, having such friendly staff really made me feel comfortable and less like an imposter — which helped me feel comfortable enough to come back for a tattoo.
It was my first tattoo, so naturally I was crying on the inside, but the staff at the front desk took the time to talk me through the design I wanted — it’s just a small tattoo — and make sure I knew what I wanted. The artist himself was surprisingly quiet and again, when he found out it was my first tattoo, really put himself out to make me feel at ease (water, talking me through the process, etc). The only reason I haven’t put the full five stars is because I feel that the tattooing area would benefit from a bit of privacy (I fully realise that there isn’t a huge amount of space because this is Edinburgh, after all), since that would probably make it easier for the artist & customer to communicate. I had a bit of a hard time understanding my artist because of the loud music and the ‘coming and going’ atmosphere since everything was happening in the same room. That said, I would still recommend 100 per cent. I love my tattoo and I think the way that all artists really take care of their customers is fantastic.

Went to Studio XIII to get my second tattoo done. I got my first tattoo done in Glasgow and was highly disappointed at the quality of it, so much so that I was left in tears!
Studio XIII are on another level. Lovely friendly and welcoming artists, great care and detail in the tattoos and awesome prices! The guy who did mine (a Dutch artist I think) wanted to put a spin on my tattoo and the outcome was fantastic, I love showing it off. The artist was friendly and he was really proud of the artwork he did on my arm, that was really nice to see.
I’ve also had my cartilage pierced here and again, I was put at ease and made to feel very welcome.
The thing I love most about Studio XIII is that they don’t judge you or your ideas, they listen and help you to come up with designs that end up looking amazing.
I can’t wait to go back and get another tattoo (or piercing!)

I vacationed in Scotland this last February (2014). It was such an incredible place I knew I HAD to get a Tattoo there. Problem was everywhere was booked, including Studio XIII but the friendly staff was able to squeeze me in with JFK. He was fun to be tattooed by and did an excellent job, even when I asked him to do the tricky border. My tattoo looks amazing and has healed great! Even though I was no stranger to tattoos, he recommended me the tattoo cream and went over in DETAIL the best care during the healing process.
My experience here was great! The shop was friendly and had a great vibe. The only way I can imagine anybody finding the shop or staff intimidating or rude is if you are completely lacking in self confidence and/​or social skills. My wife waited in the lobby while I got tattooed and felt totally comfortable.
And last but not least, to all the people complaining about price: YOU GE WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Respect the artists and do not insult their efforts by trying to haggle down a price because you are a «GROUP» or because your tattoo is «Small.» Get in line or get out. Find some bum who doesn’t give a sh! t how your tattoo turns out and underpay him all you want.
Thanx again JFK and sorry it took me so long to post my review! Had multiple customers at my work compliment it yesterday and remembered I needed to thank you again.

Sad to say that I was not impressed with this tattoo shop. I was a walk in customer and wanted to get my first tattoo on holiday over in Edinburgh. I found some staff to be rude and dismissive, quoting prices over £100 pound for very simple, very small script. Although my boyfriend was getting a tattoo with me they refused to give a discounted group price. I was given no direction or advice with regards to aftercare of the tattoo and had to seek that information elsewhere. The only positive I experienced was that a walk in service was available.

Went in with my girlfriend to get two small script tattoos as a mark of our holiday in Scotland.
When we went in we were told that we would be able to get the tattoos on the day as a new special guest was starting. When we showed him the script he was willing to charge us the two for £120. We thought it was a bit steep but agreed to it to have the owners tell us that it would be £100 each. I was very frustrated cause they tried to rip us off because we were tourist but I myself have a few tattoos and know that something that small would only be € 50 max in Dublin. Many way we persuaded them down to £75 each which is still very expensive but we got them done. Each tattoo taking 15 minutes max.
Now back home less than a month after I discovered that some letters on mine were starting to fade and I would have to get it touched up. I’m not saying that the place is full of talentless artist but I felt that we were completely ripped off because we weren’t from Scotland and I would not go back there again for a tattoo if even if it was free!

I didn’t think it’d be possible to feel so warmly towards someone who clamps a part of body, pierces some metal through it, makes it bleed, takes my money, and it’s all done, in-​and-​out, in 10 minutes.
She did give me a lollipop afterwards though I suppose. Like giving candy to a baby. And she told me I had the nicest tragus she’d seen.
And I have to give Unilocal a hard time here. Or perhaps Edinburgh Unilocalers. When searching for a place for a piercing, and recs and reviews, hardly anywhere had reviews of Tattoo & Piercing parlours for the piercings rather than the tattoos. So I was a wee bitty stumped.
But Studio XVIII came up trumps, and I was only secured in my belief 10 minutes before the drop-​in when I was chatting to a girl at Black Medicine who had at least 5 piercings that I could see and she smiled and nodded approval when I said «Studio XVIII» and also told me to ask for Sarah, and Sarah only.
Luck would have it on my drop-​in that Sarah was working. Like Steph has said, the atmosphere in here can be a little intimidating as it’s so badass. I’m not badass, I don’t have any tattoos, I just wanted some metal in my ear. The staff, for the most part, were friendly although I think there was one person who maybe had had a bad day and was a bit weary and worn and giving folk a hard time.
Sarah herself was awesome. I immediately felt comfortable. I’ve been pierced before, and not scared of pain. She was quite to the point, perfunctory, quick –so if you’re someone who’s nervous, needs some time, I’m sure if you said to her «I’m nervous» she’d take her time and be slower. But I like wripping the band-​aid off –or jabbing the needle through, quick and easy. So I thinks he immediately picked up on that and was happy just to wham, bam, crunch, bleed, and thank you ma’am.
They do drop-​ins, I just had a 15 minute wait at 5.30pm on a Tuesday. The appointment itself lasted 10 minutes, I only bled a little. The piercing itself was quick, and as pain-​free as it could be. The clamping was the most uncomfortable bit, it was more the crunch of my beautiful tragus being pierced than any pain itself.
And did I say she gave me a lollipop after?
It’s the day after, but so far so good. There was no pain after, and I suppose I’m a bit of a piercing noob, but as the girl in Black Medicine was telling me, Sarah really is one of the best for it. She’s quick, clean, hygenic, professional. She knows what size bar or hoop to use for swelling, she knows whether you’re going to keep bleeding so to keep you sitting longer, she’s friendly but efficient and really responsive to how you react to the whole thing.
Total girl crush. Compliment my tragus, give me a lollipop and I’m yours (it would seem).

I was in Edinburgh for all of 36 hours back in ’07. It was my only stop in Scotland during my 9 day trip to the UK. While I was there, however, I *had* to get a tattoo to commemorate being there.
I liked the looks of this shop, and had heard good things about it. While I was in there getting my tattoo (set up the appointment the first day, came back the next to get inked), I come to find out that one of the owners is from Wisconsin. We swapped stories, I got my ink and had a great time!
The shop wasn’t huge, 2 tattoo chairs and a chair for piercings (with a curtain to draw around for privacy). The chairs are in the back, separated from the gallery up front. Prices were comparable to what I would have paid in the states, but not sure how they measure up to other shops in town.
I love my tattoo, it’s vibrant and cheerful, and was the best souvenir I brought home.