Moved down to San Diego in February. Tried out a few different barbershops and nothing compares to El Rey - the vibe, the barbers, the price, etc. Daniel killed it...super chill dude with great experience. I pass up all the barbers in Kearny Mesa / Serra Mesa to come to these guys; I highly recommend them! Read Less

Very rude customer service. I called to ask a question and instead of letting me explain myself, the guy was very condescending. This negative experienced showed me that they are not willing to listen to customers. The guy was also full of it, he compared himself to a heart surgeon. He just lost my service. Read Less

Came by to get a haircut and was greeted by Mikey who openly allowed my dog Kenzo and I to enter the premisses. He turns out to have a put himself and expressed the love for the breed that made me feel the good energy. Will come again for more haircurs!!! Read Less

Randy Janson is the best tattooer in town- absolutely amazing. He was very open minded & accommodating, his art surpassed what I provided, he has a light touch, & is ridiculously fast. I was actually able to get more work done than I thought I would due to his speed & skill:-)! My only problem now is that the tattoos he has done on me put the previous ones I had done by others to shame. It made my other tattoo's look like they were done in a in jail. Everyone at that shop is so skilled, friendly & professional- highly recommended for anyone who is looking for top of the line work...... Read Less

Macho is the man!!! Followed him over here from IB and make the short trip out to City Heights every month cause he and his team of barbers know what's up. If you're looking for a relaxed environment with good vibes make a quick appointment on the website and come get groomed up. PS If you're driving just part across the street in the Walgreens parking structure and hop over since street parking might be a hassle. Read Less

The vibe in this place is great. Everyone is so welcoming, so you'll automatically feel as if you've known them for years, even if it's your first time in. The barbers here are legit, and know how to give that classy old school look to anyone who sits in their chairs. Come here for a sharp cut and hang out with the guys while enjoying a nice cold brew. Read Less

Followed macho from good times and can definitely say that the service is top notch and the shop has a great environment. Mickey and Daniel are also two amazing barbers so don't hesitate to book with them.Great group of guys at El Rey. Read Less

This place is amazing and great location.  More importantly, Mike Camacho has skills with cutting hair.  Especially someone who has straight hair.  My hair is extremely difficult to cut but Camacho knows how to get down.  I highly recommend this place for getting a haircut or getting a tattoo! Read Less

My man daniel If i can tell you one thing is that this dude is honest. The owners of el rays are cool af and professional.  I have been getting my hair cuts here for over a year and they go the extra mile by providing a hot towel treatment as well as giving you a complementary beverage. Read Less

The wait is short ,the barbers are really nice and they are super affordable compared to other barber shops . I love the feel of the place and they have some amazing tattoo artist ! Props to Daniel he has been a huge help making sure my boyfriend looks amazing Read Less

First off I have been getting cut by Mike aka Macho for going on 3 years now! I followed him here and I would follow him anywhere! His talent, detail, professionalism, and friendship is unmatched. Mike doesn't just do it for himself, but for all his fellow barbers in the shop. He truly lives and breaths in his craft. I couldn't imagine going to any other shop with out the presence of Macho. It's more than a career for him and that's hard to find. I recommend El Rey to everyone because he has perfected more than just a cut, trim, or correction. He builds real lasting relationships. If your looking for a skilled, professional, warm, and welcoming barbershop than look no more! Thank you Mike and El Rey crew for treating me like family. Read Less

Best shop in the county! The guys here are all down to earth and leave each and every one of their customers leaving with a grin of confidence. Have been recommending then to my friends and will continue to all of my clients. Great ambiance as well, you will be relaxed and taken care of. Can't say it enough, these guys know what they're doing. I hope they keep staying busy. Make sure to make your appointments online! Read Less

First time at el rey great spot. Love the vibe and the service. I've been going to macho for years. Since I started getting my cuts with him I have never gone to another barber. Macho is a great dude and knows what he is doing highly recommend you to the shop Read Less

This is hands down one of the best barber shops in town. The guys here have crazy talent and are very professional. I don't let just anyone cut my hair and once i have my reservation set, I can rest easy knowing I will be well taken care of. The shop itself is awesome and the vibes are unmatched. If you are in need of a great cut or are thinking about finding a new barber, this is your spot. I reserve my place using the app Resurva which makes it super easy, but they also accept walk-ins. Come and check out Mike "Macho", Mikey, or Daniel. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Read Less

What a rad spot! My first time to El Rey but I've been getting my haircut from Mike aka MACHO for awhile now. The location has the barbershop up front and the tattoo spot in back. You know what makes this place great...the people! These guys love what they do and they're all talented. The interior has a long bench to hang out while you wait essential if you have someone with you. The pricing is affordable and reasonable. I'm so hesitant to share this place because it's definitely a hidden gem in San Diego. I've been booking Mike aka MACHO on the app RESURVA where you'll make your appointment. Mike is a genuine and talented barber. He listens to what your looking to do, provides feedback but is also on point that you can let him do his thing. I highly suggest you see him or any of the crew @ El Rey. Read Less

Followed my boy Mike Camacho from another barbershop. You just can't beat the kind of service they offer. When I first walked into the other shop you can just feel the chill atmosphere. Their attention to detail was superb. Well mike has taken all that and added his own at El Rey plus you can't beat the fact that it's a two for one. Get a haircut and tattoo on the same day (if you schedule it right) Read Less

Followed Macho/Mike from another barbershop and I get the same precise haircut and beard trim that I did before. Great customer service and love that I can book and change appointments online with Resurva. Read Less

When you find a great barber you stick with him. My barber, Mike Camacho, is now at El Rey Tattoo & Barbershop. Mike has many years of experience and it shows in his professionalism and expertise. Make an appointment through 'Resurva'. Mike's my guy but everyone here is a licensed barber with great experience. You won't need to find another Barbershop. Read Less

Mike was cutting hair at Good Times Barber and he has always done an excellent job as I have tried for many years to find a barber who could cut the hair the way I wanted it. When he left Good Times I have 15 miles to travel but it's well worth it because he does a great job. So now I will be coming to University Heights even though I live in Imperial Beach Read Less

Awesome shop! Super chill place. Great service, very talented tattoo artists and barber. Appts and walk-ins welcome. Cash or credit cards accepted. They even have gift certificates available. Hair products for purchase as well. No piercing.Read Less

Worked with Sean on a quarter sleeve tattoo I've been wanting to do for years but had a bunch of other work already on my arm I couldnt figure out how to piece together. After a 10 min convo w Sean I went home, texted him a bunch of pics/ideas and he shot me back a design next day that I loved. I scheduled with him the next week and am SO pumped on the work he did, it's way better than I could have ever imagined. I really appreciate all of the thought and detail that he put into it. If you're looking for quality work and a friendly/comfortable environment this is the place to come for a tattoo in San Diego. I highly recommend these guys and will definitely be back! Read Less

Mark Claunch gave me a beautiful wolf tattoo (the second tattoo from him) two weeks ago.  I appreciate that he made sure it fit my shoulder blade area and did not look too large for me.  Mark always makes sure that you are comfortable during the whole process and listens to what you want to ensure that you have the best experience and an amazing tattoo.  I highly recommend Mark! Read Less

One of the coolest shops I've ever been in, and I've been to a lot. Solid tattoo work without any rock stars performing, except for the one guy in the corner has a drum kit so he might qualify. I didn't get to hear him play though, so I have no idea. Killer barbershop in front, and I could park across the street in the garage which was great, made it easy to get in and out. Read Less

Great people. Good attitudes. Real helpful and knowledgeable. Beautiful clean shop. Amazing artwork on the walls. Barbershop is the real deal. Traditional. Hot towel straight razor shaves are a once in a life time must try thing. I recommend it. Men's spa type thing. Hands down Randy has been doing great tattoos in San Diego for over 20yrs now. A master of freehand. Read Less

I went in as a walk in in the morning and I was attended pretty quick. they are cash only so I had to go to take out cash, luckily theres an atm across the street. mean while one of the guys was sketching my tattoo. I love how I got to pick out the font the way the words flowed on their iPad. it was my first tattoo and he was extremely helpful ( I don't remember his name). he even suggested putting hearts at the end of the sentences instead of periods which turned out so beautiful. already planned my next tattoo  idea once this one heals up. highly recommend!!! Read Less

I got my first tattoo here by randy last week because my husband has known him for a couple of years. He's easy going friendly and a great artist. He pays attention to detail and does his absolute best. Im planning on going in next month for my second one. Great shop i highly recommend it guys! Read Less

I have been going to Randy since he was at the original Avalon in PB. I get stopped all the time on the street and asked where I got my sleeves done.... I always answer RANDY JANSON!!! Now I say Randy at El Rey Tattoo and Barber....... His shop is clean and fun....always good music playing...always a cool and friendly vibe.... no pretentiousness there. The rest of the team are always worthy as well....you can't miss! My friend goes to Dave and swears by him! The Barbershop is awesome too.....always look forward to seeing the dudes get a clip and a bit of the straight razor!! Read Less

My friend referred me to Dave @ EL REY for a tattoo and we went because I live close to the shop and the reviews and pics were 5 star. She had a lot of work previously done with Dave-EL REY stands out! You can tell the shop is amazing from the street - I love the art and vibe. Dave was professional and took his time- work clean/price fair. I brought my son back for a haircut (I'm a hairdresser but I always like a barbershop experience) dL homework A+...... Read Less

This place kicks @$$.   I go to Dave and he ripped it up.  He is way professional. He listens. He puts all his energy and love into his work. You can tell these guys were born to "draw on people".  Their shop is rad!   The team is bad@$$.  Im sending all my peeps there!!! Read Less

Randy's the only person I trust to tattoo me. He has does over 20 pieces on me over a 13 year span and six locations. Every single time the tattoo is better than I could have imagined. His portraits capture the soul of the person and everything else he does is above the rest. Amazing person all around. Read Less

Randy has started fixing a majorly messed up and (emotionally) painful tattoo that covers most of my back. The lines were originally done by my ex who used my back as a practice board when he was learning to tattoo so you can only imagine what they looked like. I was referred by my someone who has a full back piece done with amazing detail by Randy, so I was pretty confident in his work going in. When I walked in to the shop, he could tell just how stressed I was and made me feel at ease without focusing on the problem and just got right in to the solution. I thought I was going to have to cover it a up but he told me he could save it and make it what it was supposed to be - and he is doing just that. He breaks out a whole arsenal of Sharpies at the beginning of each session and takes the time to hand draw in what the end vision is and then does whatever my body can take. He ends each session when he thinks my body has had enough and he's been right each time. He is professional, genuine, doesn't need to look like a bad ass, entertains the entire time with some hilarious stories about his epic youth, and just makes you feel okay to be you. Seasoned ink lovers and newbies alike will love him. Just go and do it. Read Less

I've been going to randy for 12 years.He has done somewhere in the ball park of 15 large and medium pieces on me.Not only does he have the most interesting of story's and tails to enjoy and keep your attention off the needles he is poking into your skin, he does the best work.I mean THE BEST work. Sure some people get that one perfect tattoo where the moon lines up with the stars, the ink and flesh are perfectly aligned and they get a great tattoo.Randy literally does every single tattoo perfectly. I have seen him tattoo countless people in those 12 years and everyone of those tattoos are highly above anyone else i have come across.I am a walking canvas of Randy's work to the point where i really think if i hadn't met randy so early on i don't think i would have gotten so many tattoos because I do have challenging pieces I know 90% of the tattoo artist could not replicate like randy can. I really just kept pushing him for harder, weirder tattoos and he killed it every single time making each one better than i thought possible.HIS PORTRAITS ARE PERFECT.He can catch the soul and emotion of a photo in a tattoo. Most tattoo portraits i see are lacking the same soul and emotion from the photo. I don't know how he does it but i now have three portraits, all which are better than the original photo hands down.I really couldn't say more great things about Randy and his tattooing. NOTES FOR SUCCESS:- Randy wont give you a crappy tattoo, he will tell you the truth if the placement, design, size, shape, etc is not going to make a perfect tattoo. Just like a book made into a movie, you need to be flexible and adapt the medium from a picture to a tattoo. Take his advice, its 22 years worth of doing it daily.- Listen to his advice, its really not as simple as you think and it going to last forever.- Talk to randy, he does a lot more than just tattoo people, he is truly a one of a kind and he might blow your mind but will definitely make you laugh.- If you don't want to take his advice he will understand and give you exactly what you are asking for. It will undoubtedly come out better than you hoped but its likely his idea would have been more artistic. Just saying. Read Less

Let's start off with the understanding that a tattoo parlor is at heart a customer service organization. The quality of the experience is almost equally as important as the quality of the work itself. The quality of my tattoo was  "pretty good;" maybe a 4/5. Some of the line work is not fantastic, doesn't match up quite right, etc. The guys that were in there the day I had my work done were cool nearly the entire time, but the last 10 minutes of my experience pissed me off so much it is hard to explain without expletives. The guy that was tattooing me had his gf or female friend, whatever, sitting next to me. They were having their own conversation almost the entire time I was getting worked on. Eh, that's ok. Not MY ideal situation, but whatever. If I'm the client, you should be paying attention to ME. That's not what pissed me off, though. What pissed me off was when he was done, I was getting a little nauseated/dizzy, so I took a minute to get up. He decided to ask me if I could "get the hell up, because his other client was waiting." ...uh? Excuse me? Do you want me to fall on your floor and pass out? I'm sure that will get you started on your next client faster. A friend was also getting work done, and she was starting to be in some pain, so I went to see if I could do anything for her, and her artist straight up yelled at me that i was being a" f*****g retard," and that I needed to "get out of the f*****g way." Let me just throw in there, this wasn't my first rodeo. I have several other tattoos, and I understand that people need their space. I was not hovering or getting in the way. I approached my friend to ask if I could get them something. Not to mention that the artist wasn't picking up on the fact that my friend was about to puke and needed a break for a second. How do I know my friend was going to puke? BECAUSE AS SOON AS WE LEFT THE PARLOR, MY FRIEND PUKED. I could see it in my friend's face, and was trying to give the artist a heads up. Cleanliness: 5/5Prices: 3.5/5Ambiance: 5/5 until someone decides to be rude to you.My opinion after the last 10 minutes? 0/5I don't care how cool the place looks, if you're going to be a jerk, I am not giving you money. There are plenty of other places that put customer service above being a hipster tattoo artist a**hole. I can see how a lot of people like this place, but God forbid the artists don't think you are cool enough for them... Read Less

Ok I want to start off with the fact that this shop is the cleanest most legit shop I have ever been in and I've been in alot of shops. He has three raddest ambiance of any shop and the old school barber is the icing on the cake.Second off Randy Janson is one of the best tattoo artist in the bussiness professional, creative, friendly, and inspirational... Many of my friends have even said that was a great experience getting tattoed by him...Third off he sells male enhancement pills that actually work...Best tattoo shop in SD Read Less

I wanted to find someone to tattoo over my stretch marks and loose skin on my stomach.  After speaking to a handful of artists and hearing, "Look at my book, I can draw anything, pick a date, leave a deposit", I finally went to Randy.  He was the only artist that took into consideration my body type, the location of the damaged skin and offer creative suggestions that would make the tattoo look like art versus a picture that is trying to hide something.  Randy gave me a beautiful tattoo AND I now have a beautiful stomach that I am no longer embarrassed of.  Thank you RANDY -  Much success to you at El Rey! Read Less