I tried getting a piercing here!  Called several times and left messages each time.  Yelp said that the location was open and when I got there the place was locked up and never opened that day.  I called a few more times, left messages, left number.  No return call, no response what so ever.  What a joke!  I would not recommend a place like this, they obviously don't want anyone's business!  Too bad because they have a great location on Barracks Tow.  This business deserves ZERO stars but Yelp won't allow that! Read Less

Actually didn't attend the shop in DC but found these guys at the tattoo convention in Baltimore. First tattoo convention experience but these guys were fun and did great work for myself and my friends, making the experience of getting a tattoo at a huge event like a convention as easy and fun as getting it in the shop. Already planning my next piece to get at the shop in DC, highly recommend these guys! Read Less

Butch is working on my Japanese sleeve and he is seriously the best. I get a few people per week asking me who does my work and I point them in Butch's direction! Would rate 6 stars if there were an option Read Less

This place rocks! My wife and I have had tattoos done from this place.  Ian was the artist that helped us out. My wife first had some small writhing done on her arm and I had my very first tattoo with him as well. Our experience was beyond great! He was super nice and made me feel confortable about my first tattoo experience. Definitely going back for more :) Read Less

Butch Johnson - you cannot find better within a hundred miles. He's not a draftsman, he's an artist.I'm getting a full sleeve and will be back for another. Later, my back. I wouldn't trust anyone else to do the work.His work is exquisite. Read Less

I decided to get my first tattoo and. Checked out Champion tattoos first because they are close to where I work. My first meeting was with Butch (I think).  He explained things to this newbie and recommended that I look through the portfolios. What I had in mind involved some line work and I was impressed by what I saw in Ian's portfolio. The following Tuesday when Ian was in, we talked about my ideas. We made an appointment for the following Tuesday, so I could see his sketch and if I liked what he did; get my tattoo. Ian took the elements I had talked about and presented me with a powerful design. I agreed to go ahead and I am very pleased with the tattoo that after less than a week is healing nicely on my forearm. I was impressed with Ian's attention to detail and the help his coworkers gave him on adjusting the placement of the stencil, so I could get the best look possible. I will go back soon for my next tattoo. Read Less

Simply wonderful. Stacie did an incredible job on my line work and even touched up a previous piece. She was fast but incredibly thorough and also just fun to talk to. I wish I had known about this place before I would have gotten some of my previous work here! I thought the price was more than fair. Read Less

Went for a walk-in during the week and Stacy got right to it. The parlor is calm and clean with some music playing in the background, and the artists were super friendly. Stacy was really great, and I felt comfortable letting her ink me. She took her time to make sure it was placed just right, and kept the needle going until the piece was completely perfect and done. 10 / 10 would recommend! I'll definitely be revisiting! Read Less

Update (1/2/2015): So after my horrible experience with the artist who did my original tattoo, I came home to speak with Butch, the owner. He looks at the tattoo, and says that he can only touch it up, but it's a good quality tattoo? GOOD QUALITY? GOOD QUALITY? Him and whatever trailer-park-trash-looking co-worker was standing next to him, kept insinuating that there was absolutely NOTHING WRONG with the tattoo. Butch (who was very polite on the phone), was extremely rude to me. His exact words, "schedule an appointment for the touch up or get out." I gladly left! What type of respectable establishment is this? It isn't! Especially for people of COLOR. I was reading another review about how this place might be racist, and I completely agree. I spoke with two nice people on the phone but when I got there to talk to Butch, he was an ass. For my people of color, looking to get a tattoo.. do not go here. They will take your money. But they don't GAF about you. Mark my words. --------I decided to check out a new Tattoo parlor in the DC area, for years I've been going to DC Ink but my favorite artist left, and so I began my search for a new tattoo place. Imagine my surprise when I googled for places to get a tattoo, and Champion Tattoo came up. 10 minutes from home? Decent pricing? Decent review? What can get my better than this?! I thought.. Well.. I made an appointment with an artist, JOHNSIN to get a small tattoo covered up with a dream catcher. According to his website portfolio he'd done a pretty good dream catcher before and so when I went for my initial appointment, he drew out something that I was very pleased with and he told me that he would work on it and I schedule my appointment to get the tattoo the following week. I come in the following week. Even though he told me he'd draft something up, when I came in to see the final design, he pulls out the same draft drawing that he did the previous week. Long story short, he ended up drawing a dream catcher by freehand (which I've never done before), but he made me feel comfortable enough to get it done. I got the tattoo! And loved it! Vibrant colors! the right design, it was awesome!Then it healed.... and all the wonderful things about the tattoo came to a halt. First off, there are parts of the tattoo where the color didn't take, as if he never colored in those parts of the tattoo at all. Secondly, it turned into this dark, ugly, mud looking colors. The tattoo is filled with pink, purple, blue, green and brown. You can barely see the green & blue within the feathers. Thats how mud looking they are. (I wish they'd allow me to put pictures up here.. I mean the quality of work of which this artist did was awful) When I noticed that the color didn't take, I reached out to Johnsin, who said that he would go back and go over the color.We made two appointment, one on which one day he told me the tattoo would have to completely heal first. And the second, to where he wanted to rush and fix it within an hour time frame since I told him I had to be at work. First off, if the tattoo took you almost 5/6 hours to do, what makes you think he could fix it in a hour? An hour and a half at most? So I told him no.. that we could do it another day.. Unfortunately, I had to relocate and couldn't get the tattoo fixed. And as the weeks went on.. the color got darker, and darker. So as I expressed my frustration to Johnsin, he proceeded to blame ME for his awful work. His excuses included, that I (the customer) didn't heal it the right way, he even said he should of used of different needle in one of our conversation.. And Im sitting here thinking.. You didn't know what needle to use the first time?! In total, I have 7 tattoo all wonderfully done, vibrant, detailed (from DC Ink), so I know how to take care of a tattoo and I know quality work when I see it! Johnsin, who unfortunately, did not go to a professional tattoo training school, cannot handle high quality work. He was completely disrespectful to me because I was unhappy with how the tattoo healed. And took ABSOLUTELY no responsibility for his work. Instead, it was my (the customers) fault. And when I requested a refund for the permanent mark on my wrist, he proceeded to tell me that out of the $300, I spent he would only return $160. No sir. For this tattoo, a full refund is definitely in order. So I reached out to Butch, because dealing with Johnsin was a headache, who told me that he would have to see my tattoo in person. Since, I am miles away I sent him pictures of the work...think he wrote me back? NOPE. Sure didn't. No reply. NO alternative solution. Nothing. Im highly disappointed with this place, it had super potential because I definitely did my research before I go to ANY tattoo place, and thought that they would be a good alternative to my normal routine. And now, I have the godawful tattoo on my wrist and just disappointed overall with the way that they have handled the situat Read Less

Came in to get two piercings. Jesse was really professional.  I came back again to bring a friend then again rwo weeks later because the barbell for one of my piercings was too small. She was a pleasure to work with. She replaced it and tried her best to get the right size. We ended up finding something that worked for my situation.  The piercings are affordable and after peeking at the tattoo section I'll be coming back for Butch to do my coverup work. Read Less

Have to say, working with Stacey was awesome. I had been searching for an artist who could do what I wanted for a long time, and happened across a portion of her portfolio on the shop website. She is able to do much more delicate of line work than I have seen from any other artist anywhere I have searched, so I came in one day with a picture of what I wanted. She said that she could do it in the size I wanted, so I put down a deposit for an appointment a week out. When I came in she had drawn a sketch that preserved the detail and delicateness that I wabted, while also making it smaller and more feminine than I thought would be possible. I also changed my mind about placement that day, and she was totally cool with me switching from my ribs to my back at the last minute. She was really patient with how much I wiggle and jump during the whole thing, finished in about an hour and a half, and was really light handed during the entire process. When I went back a week later to get one part slightly altered, she did touch ups on the entire piece to even a few things out that she noticed that I didnt. She was super professional throughout the entire experience,  and the whole staff there seemed like a lot of fun. They also didn't have the usual tough guy shit attitude that you run into in a lot of tattoo places....it had more the feel of an artist studio, which was great. Plus, Stacey keeps suckers for wimps like me! Read Less

Butch is working on a back piece/cover up with me and so far so good!  He's is extremely talented and takes his work seriously.  He explained everything to me on how it would work and as he was doing things.  He got the entire thing outline and I think it's going to be amazing when finished.  I can't wait to go back for more work on it. I will def post pictures of the progress! I had been to a bunch of places talking to different artists and never felt good about any of them whether it was the artist or the atmosphere of the place.  All the people who work there are super friendly and easy to talk to.  It's well lit and doesn't give you that grungy feel like some places do.  I had noticed in a few other places a very poor choice of music (heavy metal and screamo is not something you can relax to when you are being tattooed).  They had great music going all day (and I was there almost all day), a little rock, a little pop, there was some Johnny Cash, just a nice blend of everything. Read Less

Made an apppointment with Terrence for Sunday afternoon, which should not be a big deal because Champion Tattoo Company is supposed to be open seven days a week.  Got there at the agreed upon time but it was closed.  Left a voice mail asking them to call me back so we could figure out what happened and reschedule.  My call was never returned.  For me, this does not inspire confidence. Read Less

Unreal to me that there are two bad reviews here.  One from a guy who never talked to Butch and one from a lady who can't show up when the shop is actually open.On to better stories, .............mine!In 1994 I got a really crappy tattoo in Germany while stationed overseas in the Navy.  I liked it for about a week and then I was like, "wtf was I thinking"?So for the next 20 years or so I thought about what I would get to cover it up....Over the same 20 years I walked into 20+ shops and each time I thought, "I'll hit it off with an artist...he or she will help me with my design ideas and give me the perfect tattoo"...well that never happened....until....yes, you guessed it....until I found Champion Tattoo Company.I met Butch about a month ago and I was immediately comfortable with him, the atmosphere of the shop, and the other artists who work there.Butch gave me some ideas based on my own ideas and I knew I had finally found the perfect shop.I decided to get a leg sleeve;  and tonight I will arrive there for my 3rd session!The prices are reasonable, the appointment offerings are always flexible and accommodating.Butch isn't the only kickass artist here either, there are plenty of other seasoned veterans in this little shop that have incredible talent.  If the 5 star reviews aren't enough, check out his work online at championtattoocompany.com or follow the shop on Instagram @ChampionTattooCompany Read Less

Fit me in on a Saturday because I went in early and waited.  Stacey did a great job and drew on a tattoo to cover up an old one.  Very chill, very clean and in a cool neighborhood.  Very reasonably priced.  All of the artists that were in there were very nice and personable.  I love my new tattoo! Read Less

I had the most excellent experience here!! A friend and I walked in on a Saturday afternoon. We were hoping that we could both get tattoos that day because she was visiting from out of town only for the weekend, but we thought it was unlikely we'd just be able to walk in without an appointment.We met with Anniatole at the desk, and by a stroke of luck, were able to get both of our tattoos that afternoon! My friend knew exactly what she wanted--Tibetan lettering on the wrist. Anniatole was very attentive to her size, and even her ink color preferences. He was very precise and careful, making sure it fit perfectly on her wrist and explaining everything he was doing along the way, as it was her first tattoo.I had an idea of what I wanted, but hadn't brought in any artwork to work off of. Although my design was a little more intricate and detailed, Anniatole came up with some beautiful artwork and did a fabulous job. He was very careful and mindful, taking into account my skin type and how various inks/needles would react with my skin. All along the way he was friendly, chatty, at ease, pleasant to work with, and flexible about his price range. I can only give him the highest praise possible. Read Less

I took my husband to COLBY to get tattooed as a birthday present! Colby was very professional and he is a perfectionist which is so important when getting something that will be on you for life! He is such an amazing artist!!!!! He gave us the best customer service and told us to come back in two weeks for touch ups! The shop is very clean and organized and has such a fun vibe. Everyone in the shop was so friendly and they all came over at one point to talk to us. Needless to say my husband absolutely loves his tattoo and we will be going back to Colby and Champion Tattoo every time! Which will be many more times I'm sure because my husband loves tattoos lol Read Less

I went to Champion this past weekend with a friend to get our first tattoos. We went in on Saturday to inquire about Sunday availability. While they are normally not open on Sundays, they squeezed us in anyway after I explained that I was from out of town and only had the following day to get it done in DC. So awesome of them! Colby was our tattoo artist. The following day, we ended up being delayed significantly. Colby was incredibly gracious and patient when I called to reschedule our appointment for two hours later than we originally planned. Once we made it in for our appointments, Colby was exceptionally friendly and professional as he walked each of us through the process. The studio was clean, well-lit and welcoming. He explained how our respective designs (a Scottish luckenbooth for my friend, a quote in my mom's handwriting for me) would actually work on the areas we wanted. The actual tattoo process was relatively painless and Colby was very attentive the entire time...he knew that we were both nervous as they were our first tattoos!  We are both incredibly pleased with our designs and the overall experience. If you're looking for professional and friendly tattoo artists, this is the place to be! Read Less

Two days in a row (yesterday at 5:50 PM and today at 12:45 PM) I visited this establishment and each time the "closed" sign was up during the advertised business hours of 12-8 daily. I needed some piercings temporarily removed for a medical procedure and was pressed for time. I left a voice mail message and as of 9:11 PM, I did not receive a courtesy call back. I looked on Yelp to locate another tattoo and piercing parlor today; and I was very appreciative for the customer service (and being open when they said they would be open). I will never visit this establishment again. Read Less

I wish I could write a good review for this place. I wanted so much to have a good experience - it was my first time, and my wife's first time, getting tattoos. I don't doubt that there are good artists working here - Butch's work is impressive and it was his portfolio and the other good reviews that brought me here - but I really just had a terrible experience with Champion. My wife and I both wanted pretty simple tattoos. Our daughter's name. She wanted it on her wrist with a ladybug, and I wanted it on my shoulder in a particular font. I called ahead during the week to see if we needed an appointment, and after I spoke to someone (pretty sure it was Butch) and told him what we wanted he said it'd be fine just to come in and have it done, but that we might have to wait an hour or so if they're busy. Fine, no worries, that's perfect. So we came in around 4:30pm on Saturday, two weekends ago - my wife's birthday. We had been talking about the tattoos forever so I knew she wanted it, but it was a surprise to actually take her there for her birthday. I figured they'd be expecting us, even if we had to wait. We didn't have to wait long until Dr. Mookie started helping us. My wife picked out a cursive font and a ladybug picture for hers and was good to go, then we started sketching mine with the font I wanted. It was a fairly simple Celtic font and I had an image for it that we looked at on their computer, but he was unable to trace it so that it was straight. For some reason this was a big struggle, and it took a long time. Eventually he thought it was okay and put the little sticky/temporary thing on my arm but it turned out that it wasn't straight so he'd have to redo it again. So instead he did my wife's tattoo first and got that out of the way. After that, he comes back to me and says that he doesn't think he can do my tattoo that day. It's now about 8pm and they are closing up shop, but even if he stayed late he couldn't do it because he was having an allergic reaction to some kind of disinfectant that were using in the shop - this is where it got weird. He says it was his first day working there (great) and he didn't know they used that stuff. Came off pretty sketchy to me. He was apologetic and said that he'd work on my design and I could come back next Saturday, and took my email address to discuss with me throughout the week. I paid for my wife's tattoo and we left. I'm totally blown but try to maintain for my wife's sake since it's her birthday and all. So I wait until Thursday, don't hear from him, and call the shop. But then I'm told Dr. Mookie doesn't work there anymore. I didn't find this terribly shocking, I have to say. So I said that I still wanted to come in and get my tattoo, and it was just a simple name in a particular font so anyone should be able to do it. Stacy told me - okay sure, just come in around 1pm and it'll be no problem. I told her I couldn't make it at 1pm but it'd be more like 2pm-3pm and she said fine. I wait until Saturday again and go in the shop, eager but nervous from already getting burned once. I told them I spoke with Stacy about coming in and that I was the guy who was there last week with my wife. They didn't seem to know who I was, and were not very welcoming in general. The only woman working there - I have to assume it was Stacy - says that she's now all booked up for the day, as are all the rest of the artists. So I'm screwed again. At that point I couldn't be more done with this place. I started calling around and found out about Rick's Tattoo in Arlington - which has been in business for 30 years, has walk-ins on Saturdays, and Amy (whose been there 5 years) could see me as soon as I could get there. So we rushed over and I got the whole thing done with the font I wanted and no trouble whatsoever in about 30 minutes. It was a night-and-day experience, and Champion was just a nightmare. Meanwhile as all this is going on, my wife's tattoo has healed since she had it done on the first Saturday, and it leaves much to be desired. The lines are not straight and the weight of the font is not even. I will be taking her to Rick's next weekend to have it fixed. Champion Tattoo might be a decent place if you have experience with tattoos and manage to actually get the attention of some of the more skilled artists, but they are not the place you want to go if you're looking for someone to help you along the way and make your first experience a good one. Read Less

It's more than fitting to say that I will be frequenting this parlor for ALL of my tattooing needs... and I foresee an abundance of needs in the future. The first day I walked in to get an estimate and make an appointment I was promptly greeted and taken care of. Kyle was my artist (I strongly suggest his services!), and he did a beyond excellent job of bringing to life the design I had been envisioning in my mind. My tattoo turned out way better than I had expected, even after I made a few last minute adjustments that he was still able to accommodate. The quality was great and the price was even better, which is music to the ears of a semi-starving graduate student. It didn't take that long to finish either.Overall the shop was very clean with a nice and inviting open layout. Pretty easy to find too - it's right above the Popeye's on Barracks Row. My ONLY qualms - 1) they aren't yet open on Sundays because they currently only have a few artists (I wanted to get my tattoo done on Palm Sunday), and 2) Kyle was a tad bit late for our appointment. However, that wasn't his fault, so all is forgiven :) If you're looking to get a quality tattoo done with a professional artist for a pretty good price, I would highly recommend this place. Loved it! Read Less