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Finding a good tattoo artist is mostly about knowing yourself. There are plenty of skilled people who make quality work, but not all their styles will suit every client. What starts as a reflexive “like” on an Instagram post might turn into a piece of body art you hate after six months.
The good news is that San Francisco has a tattooer for every taste. There are surly, old-school shops where you can get a bold trio of Pharaoh’s Horses (opens in new tab), and there are young artists tattooing lighthearted doodles out of bedroom studios. We asked tattooers across the spectrum for their expert recommendations.
Ross Jones (opens in new tab), Idle Hand
Favorite competitor shop: Black Heart Tattoo (@blackhearttattoo (opens in new tab)), 177 Valencia St., Mission
When he first started getting tattooed, in the 1990s, Jones would go to Ed Hardy’s legendary Tattoo City in North Beach (now closed) and Freddy Corbin’s Temple Tattoo 13 in Oakland. His first shop job was at Spider Murphy’s in San Rafael. “Then Black Heart opened,” Jones recalled. “When they started that shop, they were like the top dogs in the city, and what they were doing was impressive and new and interesting.” Jones is loyal to Idle Hand, where he’s worked for 13 years, but Black Heart would be his other recommendation. Most of the artists there specialize in traditional styles — thick lines, classic designs — but that doesn’t mean they all look the same. Scott Sylvia and Jeff Rassier have owned the shop for more than 20 years. “Anyone there is gonna give a good tattoo, or they wouldn’t be working there.”
Selin Cetin (opens in new tab), independent studio
Favorite artist: Nayelli (@nayellitattoo (opens in new tab)), UNDRGRND, 3191 Mission St., Bernal Heights
Cetin is known for tattoos of buttons, butterflies, and big eyes. And as someone who taught herself the craft and never apprenticed at a shop, she feels at home in the city’s “alternative” tattoo scene. So it’s no surprise that she chose Nayelli, a fellow purveyor of playful designs, as her favorite artist. But it wasn’t just artistic kinship behind the decision; it’s also Nayelli’s bedside manner when she’s inking dolphins or Beanie Babies. “If you’re ever feeling anxious about getting a tattoo or it’s your first one, you should go to them.” Nayelli has clear favorite themes — baby animals, cute objects with smiley faces — but Cetin recommends them too for their ability to create custom tattoos based on clients’ ideas.
Bryan A (opens in new tab)., independent studio
Favorite artist: Chris Sugino (@csugino (opens in new tab)), Raven Eye Tattoo, 4355 A California St., Inner Richmond
Bryan provided a PSA before giving any recommendations: It’s on the clients to figure out what they like, whether that’s just scanning social media or poring over old flash books. “I suggest people do their research on artists instead of just jumping into it,” said Bryan, who got his first tattoo at 16. “That’s coming from someone who just jumped into it.” For anyone who likes American traditional, though, Bryan’s choice is Chris Sugino, who works at the Inner Richmond’s Raven Eye Tattoo. “Right now, fine-line is popular, but American traditional is always going to stay popular,” Bryan said. “The thing about tattoos, man: Bold will hold.”
Rocío Reveco (opens in new tab), UNDRGRND
Favorite shop: Castro Tattoo (@castrotattoosf (opens in new tab)), 3991 17th St., Castro
When Reveco came to San Francisco from Chile in early 2020, she didn’t intend to stay. But she ended up spending the first year of the pandemic in her van as an itinerant tattooer before settling in the city and falling in love with its tattoo scene. “Here, it’s more open to be creative and take risks,” she said. Reveco shouted out a ton of tattooers and studios, including her home shop UNDRGRND, but she’s especially fond of Castro Tattoo. “These are people I would send my little brother for a first tattoo,” she said. That recommendation holds particular weight for Reveco, whose own experience was a nightmare. As a teenager, she went to an artist for a tiny rose on her back. He plied her with alcohol and pressured her to supersize it. When her dad saw the enormous tattoo, he kicked her out of the house. “It’s something sacred, what we’re doing. It’s very disruptive for the other person,” she said. “These are all people I really trust. They’re different in their art, but they all have great ethics, and I love the way they work.”
Gabriel May (opens in new tab), Black Heart tattoo
Favorite artist: Stefan (@didyourtattoohurt (opens in new tab)), One Shot Tattoo, 555 Irving St., Inner Sunset
Even in a shop full of veterans, the most gratifying thing can be seeing a young artist come into their own. “I tattooed him like seven years ago, when he was an art student,” May said of Stefan. “Fast forward a few years, and he’s working at one of the premier spots in San Francisco.” Stefan has carved out a niche by applying fine stipple shading to traditional imagery. “It seems he’s very interested in a juxtaposition in styles,” May said. “The soft shading, pairing it with bolder lines and simple designs — that combination is what makes it look a little more modern.”
Wyatt Schuster (opens in new tab), independent studio
Favorite artist: Paul Urich (@nowheresvilleoakland_ (opens in new tab)), Trudy’s Tattoo Parlour, 3373 A Mission St., Bernal Heights
Schuster and Urich are more than tattooers. Schuster makes wood cutouts, masks, and shelves; Urich draws on clothes and builds tattoo machines. But while Schuster works out of his Oakland apartment and prefers tattooing cute, somewhat spooky doodles, Urich is most strongly influenced by the folk art roots of American traditional. Urich’s shop, Nowheresville Oakland, closed after a 2024 burglary, and he now works out of Trudy’s Tattoo Parlour in the Outer Mission/Bernal Heights. “I would tell anyone to go get tattooed by him,” Schuster said. “He has tons of original flash ready to tattoo, has great texture with his pepper shading, does a variety of line thicknesses, and makes tats that are gonna last forever.” Schuster put his money where his mouth is and had Urich tattoo a big dragon and castle design on the back of his leg.
Galen Leach (opens in new tab), UNDRGRND
Favorite shop: Seventh Son (@seventhsontattoo (opens in new tab)), 765 Clementina St., SoMa
Leach is the only person on this list who has tattooed a Costco hot dog labeled with the words “$1.50 to the DEATH.” Many of his designs are like this; one is an angry pizza box asking, “You wanna piece of me?” That gives him a unique perspective on recommendations: “Usually my first step is to steer people away from me.” But he refers shops based on specific modes. For fine-line and the trendy “cybersigilism” style, go to UNDRGRND, he said. For American traditional, go to Black Heart. For Japanese-style tattooing and huge back pieces, go to Seventh Son in SoMa. “They’re cultivating a style and a look,” Leach said. “Everyone’s heard of them, and they’re really good.” Of course, that’s for other people. “The reason I got into tattooing in the first place was to get free tattoos — from myself,” he said. “I didn’t care about quality, I just wanted to have more and look scary.”