Had a great experience getting some ink work done by Stephanie. Although the shop was closed I had previously emailed and called the shop and Stephanie graciously agreed to meet me anyway.  The art work was a traditional Sailor Jerry piece that she customized  by tweaking the hearts and stars. I am very happy with the results and would highly recommend Stephanie. The price was lower than expected so again another reason to visit illuminati tattoos while  in SC. Read Less

I got my tattoo by Stef! I will definitely be coming back to her! She specializes in black and grey tattoos! Super clean, and you can definitely see her experience in her work! Now that I found her, I plan on getting both of my sleeves done by her 10/10. Pictures of before, after, and healed! Read Less

Cody is hands down the best tattoo artist I have ever had. He is very meticulous and really takes the time to make sure that you get exactly what you want. Thank you so much Cody. I will be coming back here for ALL of my tattoos. I will post pics after healing #teamhell Read Less

My husband and I both got our tats the same day and we love them! Shaun was very friendly and welcoming and did an excellent job on our tats. Clean lines and a great artist. Would definitely go back if ever in town again Read Less

Cody and Shaun are awesome! I've been getting tattooed by Shaun for about five years, and I could never go to anyone else. He does great traditional work, I have a full nautical sleeve done by him, and many other pieces. I'm always happy with my experience, both while getting tattooed and after it's all healed. I haven't been tattooed by Cody, but I've seen his work and he is a great artist! He's always very friendly and welcoming to his clients. I highly recommend Illuminati Tattoo! Read Less

Everyone at Illuminati Tattoo is super awesome and helpful. They have amazing designs for a sweet price. Cody has personally tattooed me several times and I could not be more happy as a client. To anyone thinking about getting some ink, I highly recommend Illuminati Tattoo! Read Less

A little late to post but Cody was amazing! Took my mom for her first tattoo in August. He helped us out when the shop was closed and had a great experience. Our artwork was small but he made sure we were happy. Mom says IF she ever gets another tattoo we are driving back to Santa Cruz just for Cody. Read Less

My daughter and I celebrated a milestone event by getting tribute-to-each-other tattoos.  We worked with Cody on the design days before coming in.  He was very professional and made sure our tattoos were exactly what we wanted, especially since it was my first!  The shop was bright and clean.  We had simple one-color tattoos, and I'm very happy to be on day 6 of healing and have had no redness or itching.  I don't know how Cody did that!  He gave us plenty of information on after-care.  Nice guy and great tattoo job. Read Less

My two best friends and I were in Santa Cruz last Friday and we got tattoos done at this wonderful establishment spontaneously. My friend called ahead and was interested in a tattoo and upon finding out that there was a time in which she can get one done, I decided to get another one myself before leaving for college. It was an exciting and easy-going experience. This place is definitely a must and I will get another tattoo here next time I am in Santa Cruz. Read Less

Hidden gem of a shop. Jessica made a flower on my kneecap a while back and was wonderful. You can tell her and Niall care very much about giving customers tattoos that will work well with their anatomy and stand the test of time. Read Less

Came here on a whim while in the area.My sweetheart and I both got some spontaneous work by Niall. He is a fantastic artist.He did exactly what we wanted, he was a nice guy, and very gentle with his tattooing.We were both extremely satisfied with his work and I definitely recommend him! Read Less

Niall was great. We walked in with no appointment and Niall helped us out. It took a minute to warm him up but once we sat down he was great. He made us feel super comfortable and did a fantastic job. Shop was clean and so were tools. Check him out! Read Less

Was a walk-in with my two sisters looking to get a phrase from a song on each of our forearms. I anticipated a tattoo artist would think this was a little beneath them, since we weren't looking to create big or unique pieces. Niall was awesome. Engaging, informative, funny, inquisitive, just awesome. He listened to each of our requests, made adjustments as necessary, and offered helpful advice. I'd go again in a heartbeat. Read Less

Came in as a walk-in and had a few questions because it was my first time, and I wasn't quite sure what I exactly wanted yet.  I asked a lot of questions. Niall was happy to answer all of them, and guide me in the right direction. I was able to get my tattoo that same day!  He did great work and I am very happy with my new tattoo. I will definitely go back next time we are in Santa Cruz Read Less

A friend of mine referred  me to Jessica McDermott from Illuminati Tattoo, and after looking at her work on her website, i was stoked to have found her. Tried calling with no response, and when i went there i saw it was because both artists were busy tattooing. I waited until they were done and was greeted by Niall who wanted to talk about the work that i wanted, i stuck with Jessica due to the referral and her portfolio (have seen her work in person as well) and told her what i wanted to do. She referred me to another artist who she said might be better suited for the work. I really appreciated her honesty and went on my way. Later on i decided to knock off another one of my long awaited bucket-list tattoos and get some birds tattooed on my scalp.  I knew exactly who to go to as i had seen that her work with birds was beautiful and so i went  back to Jessica. I had a vague idea about how i wanted the birds to look like and Jessica said she would draw up a few designs of which i could choose from, and i was free to bring my own as well. All of her drawings were great and i picked one of hers instead of the many generic designs on the internet. She has a very good eye and artistic ability, with some awesome tattoo skills to boot. She was patient with putting the birds exactly where i wanted them, but used her own artist eye to make a few adjustments that made the tattoo and it's positioning even better.  I am so happy with her work, it's a joy to see it in the mirror everyday (which i think is ironic because birds love mirrors). I almost wish i would have put them somewhere else where i could see it even after i let my hair grow. I get a lot of compliments on my tattoo and am very glad that i was able to have a fantastic first-time tattoo experience. I will follow up with her referral for my next much bigger piece, and will come back if i need anything else after that. I definitely recommend Jessica for her awesome skills.  I also wanted to add that all of the scheduling and consultation went by smoothly, but i have to admit i was a little intimidated at first, having never been tattooed and dealing with a different personality type with the power of a tattoo gun. I would really suggest to people with meshing personalities to just let it go. She is awesome. Hands down. I know scheduling appointments with people who might potentially flake is no fun, but when it comes down to it she loves what she does, and it shows with the professionalism displayed during the tattooing process. Read Less

Niall keogh. Perfect first tattoo experience.   Came in with my girlfriend  who  had a few tattoos from Illuminati art before.  I was very nervous for first time tattoo. Niall is  very clean very thorough. You are amazing at your craft thank you I truly am ecstatic about my tattoo and a memory that goes with it for my momm.  Denise Robertson Nevada Read Less

Tattoo Artist: NiallMy rating is mainly for him.Stopped by this place years ago, but never got any work done at the time. Was pleasantly surprised to see that the shop was open back in the same location. Went in, wasn't too sure on whether to get anything or not, granted it wasn't a very good first impression customer service wise with the woman there, she was pretty off putting. However, the store is nice and clean, had a chance to go through the flash and even check out both artists work, which is on point. I asked about getting a small, solid, black shark, that was part of the flash there. Niall, told me what I needed to know, BUT what impressed me the most, was that he was willing to make it bigger and design it to the way I wanted. I did not expect this at all. I had found the pose I liked and he asked what was my favorite shark, and from there he created my design. Honestly, I thought he was stern and going to be the strong, silent type, but he opened up and made me feel comfortable and welcomed. Nice plus for me, cause other shops I've been to, well the personality doesn't change I'll just say lol. I love, LOVE, LOVE my tattoo. The detail. The line work. Most of all, the care he took in not only his work, but making sure that I was alright too. He would ask if I needed to take time if it hurt. I recommend this place to anyone and everyone that compliments my tattoo or asks where I got it done. Both artists do top notch work, check out their facebook page or stop in. Personally, I plan on going back to Santa Cruz to have Niall do my other designs as well. Don't often get impressed, but I was, and I am grateful. Read Less

So I've been here twice. The first time was with a gf and she sat with Niall for a huge rib piece. The second time was with Niall for a smaller rib piece on myself. I read over the other reviews and was surprised. People have to keep in mind that in the Santa Cruz party in the summer environment, they get so many drunk people that walk in without really wanting work done, or random people who just want to look because they are curious. Over a few years, that gets old. The pricing is extremely reasonable and the work I've personally seen has been great. There are only two artists here so they definitely stay busy. My piece looks awesome (it's only a few days old) but my gf's looks phenomenal after 2 years and she is completely satisfied with it! Read Less

Jessica and the big dude who work here are great artists- that's not up for debate. But, as another yelper mentioned and as you will be told if you ask ANY other tattoo shop about Illuminati, they are the most rude, standoffish and unpleasant people you will ever meet. Getting tattooed is a personal experience, and it just doesn't make sense to trust someone with such a terrible attitude with your body. Please save your money and go somewhere else.*Cue Jessica leaving a nasty reply on this review, because she is completely unprofessional and tears people apart who have anything even slightly negative to say about Staircase or Illuminati...* Read Less

I actually found Illuminati via Yelp.  I was checking reviews and then looking at the work on their websites.  I was specifically looking for someone who could do birds and understood how to work with negative space.  I wanted a tattoo that didn't mean filling in all the space possible.  I really liked Jessica's work and contacted her via Facebook to set up a consultation.  I wanted 3 Hummingbirds to represent myself, my mother, and my sister who had just been diagnosed with cancer.When I came for the consultation, Jessica was not shy in telling me what parts of my idea would not work and I was happy to listen to her expert advice.  I was a little hesitant on some of the points she suggested, but was willing to trust her.  I gave her the pictures I had found as examples of what I was looking for and paid the deposit for her to start on my piece.We did my tattoo in two sittings.  First was the outline which was about 2.5 hours and then the next sitting was the color which was about 6 hours.  Not only had she taken my ideas for what I wanted, but recommended including some flowers to fill some of the space without cluttering it.  It was an excellent suggestion and really tied it all together.  The outline alone was gorgeous and I had people telling me I should keep it black and grey for how good it already looked.  Her line work was amazing and she has an excellent eye for creating depth.  I was very happy that I went with color as her color work is even better than her line work.  She used at least 4 shades of blue paint for the tail feathers alone!  My previous artist on a different piece had just used one shade for each color in the piece, so having such a variety of color was astonishing!  Not only that, but she knew exactly where she was going to put each color.  As she layered them on, she left blank spaces that she later filled a little with the next color, then more with the next, so was not layering color onto color, but planning ahead how she was going to color the piece as a whole.I get compliments constantly and am ever thankful that I chose Jessica to do my work.  Beyond her skill as an artist, she was also professional, easy to work with, the shop was clean, she made sure everything was done sanitarily, gave me clear care instructions, and even had little travel soap and lotion kits available which I needed because I had forgotten to buy some ahead of time.  I got the outline done the day before my sister passed away, and she loved it.  The color was done the week I went up for her memorial and was an amazing way to honor her.  I'm very grateful for Jessica for helping me through this process and for doing such an amazing job for me and for the tribute that it is.  I would highly recommend Jessica and her shop to anyone looking for good quality work and art worth having the rest of your life. Read Less

Simply put, Jessica did an amazing job designing and applying my tattoo. I know what I wanted was not her style, but she nailed it anyway. Her sense of artistry as well as what makes for a good tattoo is outstanding. She will tell it like it is in order to give you the best tattoo, and I appreciate that. Two of my friends have gone to her, and I wouldn't go anywhere else. Read Less

I got a tattoo done by Jessica of a neo-traditional buck and wow! She did an AMAZING job. she worked with me during the consultation and did several drawings for me, since i was picky about something. The color looks amazing and the everything about it is perfect, there is nothing I would change. Shop was really clean and Jessica was a cool cat! She is an awesome artist. I will definitely be going back to her for my next ones! I highly recommend her. Read Less

Not only was the art incredible and exceeded my expectations, but my artist Jessica was so down to earth and calming. I really enjoyed her company. I defiantly recommend finding the artist that is into the work you are getting and letting them have some creative control. I had very little pain considering the size and time I spent in the chair (9 hours, 3 sessions). The place is very clean and comfortable. Also just a tip - look for an artist that has a professional chair, better for you and them which equals a great tattoo - I learned this the easy way by loving Jessica's chair! Read Less

Jessica did my first tattoo, and I will definitely make the trip back to Santa Cruz when I'm read for another. I had an idea of what I wanted, and she took off from there to create a beautiful tattoo. I was somewhat nervous and had no idea about the whole process, but she was very patient with me and explained everything. As others have said, the shop is small but very clean and bright; Jessica is friendly, smart and funny, but she's definitely professional. The process was really pleasant, and my tattoo healed well and looks great. Read Less

ive been a bit lazy about writing a review. but here i am. Came here towards the end of august for a tattoo. I was going to be in Santa Cruz anyway for a birthday party, so i figured i'd get a tattoo here as well. The shop is nice, real close to the boardwalk. clean and what have you. I came in with an idea in mind. I got a hanuman in bali/thai style/mask done. I was thinking black and some color, but jessica gave me her ideas and i loved it. it ended up being full color version of the picture i came in with. She did an awesome job. it healed wonderfully--no scabbing. and i would definitely come back. Read Less