Awesome experience! clean and professional atmosphere and welcoming to walk ins. Beau hit the nail on the head with what I envisioned my tattoo design to be, and is a great artist. thanks for the great experience guys! Read Less

Absolute best tattoo experience. Petey at the front desk is a delight. Every single artist in this shop goes out of their way to make you feel welcome and feel comfortable regardless of how tattooed you are. The owner Holly is an absolute murderer. She slaughtered the shit outta my arm (in a good way). I’ve also been tattooed by Austin and Ross. Good god, this is the hall of fame of traditional tattooing. I’m gonna be real with you, just show up, with cash in hand and allow these professionals to do what they do best. Don’t bring in bullshit ideas, stick to tattoos that look like tattoos and you can’t go wrong. One Love, Benton Read Less

Wanted to give a shout out to Ross for a great tattoo experience a few weeks ago. Idle Hand had been on my radar for a while, and after a previous artist of mine recommended the shop I was sold.After a few emails with Ross I put down a deposit via PayPal (which is super convenient and seems to be a rarity in the tattoo world.) A day before the appointment I dropped in to check out the shop and he took some time out of a packed schedule to discuss some last minute concerns. He invited me to show up early to the appointment the next day so we could iron out any last minute details. He re-drew the image I had supplied for reference to make it more suitable for skin, and it was exactly what I was looking for. When it came time to discuss money he was also very reasonable and respected my budget without cutting corners in quality. He placed the stencil 3 different times on my leg to make sure it was as a good flow anatomically (damn chicken legs) got opinions from the other guys in the shop to make sure everything was 100% perfect, and then we hit the go button. When I started to feel light headed he grabbed me some water, a cool towel, and some Reese's Pieces, and told me to chill out until I felt better. The rest of the appointment went swell, and now that everything is healed it looks even better than the day I walked out! Props to you Ross! Read Less

Idle Hand is a rare example of a tough ass shop with really kind and down to earth people. The artists are extremely professional and the talent is overwhelming to say the least. This is an American traditional Mecca, but the shop owner Holly Ellis has created a diverse talent pool with a broad spectrum of style. You won't be disappointed with the money you spend here. Read Less

I found this shop on Instagram and knew I wanted my next tattoo here! I had a concept sketch I emailed to Ross and he got back to me very quickly saying he'd be happy to do the piece for me. I'm so happy I did! He did such a great job and was very friendly to me and my friend who accompanied me! Everyone else in the shop was very friendly, the shop was very clean as well. (Also the bathroom was pretty neatly decorated!) The only tricky part was parking! (But let's be real it's San Francisco and there's NEVER parking!) with a quick google search I found a parking lot about .8 or .9 miles away, like a 15-20 minute walk. I'd recommend the parking lot if you plan on being there for a larger tattoo. Otherwise you'll just have to move your car every 2 hours if you drive there! There is also plenty of cafes and restaurants around the shop to keep your blood sugar and energy up!! Read Less

This is an awesome shop with awesome people. I love this place. They treat you like family. Matt Howse is my man and he's a mad talent. You want some ink? This is the only place. I travelled from Georgia and worth every mile. Read Less

Amazing tattoos and perfect customer service! I've been to many different shops in SF but this one is my favorite. The artists are courteous and accommodating, and take the time to explain their processes such as why they put the stencil on at a certain angle to flow with the body, or making helpful suggestions on what to add or remove from the original tattoo concept. I got my first tattoo from Idle Hand with Jeff Gleason who was a guest artist at the time. He was super polite, friendly and professional. He reapplied my stencil a couple of times upon request ( whereas some artists I've had in a different store would have gotten annoyed). But he did so happily and was attentive and made sure I was satisfied with the way it was placed. He did an amazing job on my thigh piece!Got my next couple of tattoos from Ross K Jones (Ross if you're reading this, YOU'RE THE MAN!). What I like about Ross is that he consistently does amazing American Traditional pieces but also has great customer service. He took time to explain his color choices and how it would harmonize well, checked in with me to see if I needed a break (unprompted), brought me water and thoroughly explained the aftercare process (unlike some stores which just hand you a card). While I was getting tattooed I told him I liked tea. The next time I got tattooed with him , he even made me some tea! He went above and beyond in terms of customer service and his work is amazing (checkout his portfolio ) . Highly recommend him! Read Less

This shop is home to a super talented group of artists. Before moving to the neighborhood, I surprisingly hadn't heard too much about them. But walking by their shop and appreciating the aesthetic of the store front, I started researching online. I highly recommend checking out the shop's Instagram (as well as the individual artists, once you get a feel for their specific styles), where you'll get to see one amazing piece after another. Holly's stuff is of course incredible, but for the piece I had in mind for myself, I knew Austin Maples had to do it. Setting up the appointment via e-mail with Austin was easy and when I got to Idle Hands the day of the appointment, he quickly drew up my idea and transformed it into something even better than I imagined. I was impressed not just by how it came out but also that it only took a couple hours.I highly recommend anyone interested in getting a new piece stop by or check them out online. You won't be disappointed. Read Less

I followed a recommendation from a local bartender while vacationing in San Francisco, and I'm glad I did! They specialize in traditional style tattoos. My artist was Ross Jones and his work is amazing! He was very friendly, and his work on me exceeded my already high expectations. I will definitely see him again for more work in the future!! Read Less

I went there with my father and my brother to share in a very special moment; actually a few special moments. Our artist, Derick, took great care of us and really helped our bond grow stronger with his amazing tattoos! Great place! Read Less

After 54 years I was ready for my first tattoo. I wanted a tribute to the San Francisco Marathon, which I did not finish in 1985 but finished in under 4 hours in 2013, on the back of my calf. I met with Joel Baca and told him the text I wanted and asked him for a recognizable San Francisco graphic. I'm no artist, so I left everything else to him and we set up an appointment. He came up with an awesome design and we were off. The atmosphere at Idle Hand is very relaxed and fri...endly. The process (pain) was about what I expected and Joel was great about asking how I was doing. After 2 hours of solid needlework I had a freaking awesome epic tattoo. Joel was very clear about care and follow up, and showed his new work of art off to the other artists,making me even more proud. Thank you Joel Baca and Idle Hand Tattoo for an awesome epic tattoo and a great experience!!!! See More Read Less

I LOVE Idle Hand Tattoo. First my favorite artist (Jason Grace) works there, but in addtion it is without question the friendliest shop in town and has the most ecclectic and talented group of artists around. Everyone there is welcoming and the owner (TJ) is one of the most enthusiastic cheerleaders for his team I've ever seen in a tattoo studio. It's very refreshing to see a group of very diverse and talented artists come together in an ego free, cohesive zone. The studio is clean, funky and in a great location. There are several artists at this studio I would collect work from, but my favorite is Jason Grace. His talent is boundless and he's one of the nicest people I've run accross in the tattoo business. I interviewed a lot of artists before deciding to work with Jason and while many of them were very talented, they were not personable or service oriented. It's really clear that TJ has assembled a truly unique crew at Idle Hand. If you need ink ... this is the place in SF to go. DO IT NOW!!! Read Less