So, for my first tattoo I looked all over until finding a clean place I felt comfortable and at ease in, and an artist that also put me at ease and made me feel comfortable and heard. I went with Maria and am so so very thankful I did. She was kind, understanding, patience, and just an all around pleasure to sit with for the entirety of my tattoo session. She worked with me to make sure my tattoo was absolutely perfectly what I wanted. The shop and work area was extremely clean and tidy, and the receptionist was fantastic. Maria followed all safety and cleanliness protocols perfectly. She was professional while still being personable. I am absolutely returning and getting her to do more of my tattoos in the future and would highly recommend her to anyone!! Read Less

I've gone to Isaac at Laughing Hyena twice now and both experiences have been so positive and fun! Isaac is an incredible artist who listens to his clients. He makes it clear that he takes the design/placement process  seriously and wants people to be thrilled with the tattoos they get. He designed and inked the octopus on my thigh, and over a year later I still regularly think about how much I love it, and how it looks even better than what I imagined in my head. (And for what it's worth, he works quickly without making things look or feel rushed.) The shop itself is really clean and friendly, and the staff at the front desk and on the phone are so helpful and kind. They helped my friend through their first ever tattoo experience without a shred of judgment or condescension (which, tbh, I have not always experienced in tattoo parlors). They're responsive and compassionate and take their work seriously while also creating a positive environment for one another and for their customers. And this probably goes without saying, but Laughing Hyena is LGBTQ-friendly and have made me and my queer friends feel safe and respected while tattooing our queer asses (not literally). Read Less

I have gotten a septum piercing, a small tattoo, and a medium sized tattoo from here with a good amount of detail. Both Dr. Z and Isaac worked on my tattoos (Dr. Z did my small tattoo, and Isaac did my other tattoo) and Rachel pierced my septum. I love this shop. My tattoos and septum healed perfectly. Definitely would recommend! Read Less

Isaac is an absolute miracle worker. I walked in for a consult with a mod podge of pictures that I wanted to combine into one tattoo. He was extremely accommodating, listened to my ideas and worked with me to really hammer out the details. He knocked the tattoo out of the park. He was incredibly professional and for a tattoo as large and intricate as the one I got, it was very reasonably priced. I can't recommend Laughing Hyena and Isaac enough. I won't go anywhere else! Read Less

I followed Laughing Hyena and Dr. Z on Instagram for a long time before actually booking my appointment, and I was more than pleased with how everything went. At my consultation, Dr. Z was very intentional about making sure he knew exactly what I wanted before he drew the art and, when I came in for my appointment, I was blown away by what he came up with for me. This was, by far, my most positive tattoo experience, and I will definitely be coming back for more. Read Less

My tattoo was done by Isaac. Amazing work!! The shop is very professional and friendly. The artist came on time and ready to work. He was very welcoming. The tattoo was about palm size on my arm. I thought I would be there for a while, but he finished the entire piece with color in about 30 mins. I would recommend this shop to anyone!!! Read Less

I'm lucky enough to live a 5 minute walk from Laughing Hyena, but it's definitely worth traveling for! My artist was Dr. Z - I had done some preliminary instagram creeping, so I felt totally comfortable sharing my concept and letting him put his own spin on it. I ended up with an awesome piece that I'm absolutely in love with, and will definitely be coming back for my next one.Shop is super clean, everyone working there was friendly, reasonable prices for the DC area and great artists! Read Less

I loved, loved, LOVED my experience with this shop! They made booking my appointment super easy (which was important to me since I was driving from out of town to come and get my tattoo) and once I got there I didn't have to wait too long before being serviced. Isaac was AMAZING and I left with a tattoo even more beautiful than what I had in mind. I will definitely be back again. Too-notch place! Read Less

Ehhh, it's a tattoo. Size, placement, artist's input, shop atmosphere, and artist's disposition were all great; I wish I could say the same about the tattoo. It's blown out, a line or two are a little skewed, the black isn't opaque. I don't think my aesthetic really fits tattoo ARTISTS. I like really basic stuff; most of mine are text, not even script. My first tattoo was more than 15 years ago so it predates social media but the artist I chose (after research, which took time because, like I said, pre social-media) had amazing portraits and geometric work in his portfolio. The tattoo I got was GOD AWFUL. I got four more from apprentices and kinda second-tier artists at various well-regarded studios; all much better work, good even. Then this last one from another artist with a great portfolio that I don't hate but ain't gonna show off, it's just there. I had a 6:30 appointment and was on 14th Street looking at NextBus at 6:52. I definitely didn't get an essentially $500/hr tattoo. Isaac does great work; I've seen it on his social media and know people with his art. I know tattoos are handmade art so I'm OK with a little "character." I got more character than I'd bargained for. Luckily, what I got is so literal that people won't really need to inspect it.For artistic or technical marvels, give him a try; 99% sure you'll be pleased. For super basic stuff, I'd go to an artist with something to prove.It's still new. If it cleans/tightens up in the next month or two, I'll update this review. Read Less

My brother wanted to get a simple, small tattoo (just the outlines of something). I accompanied him to the Laughing Hyena during their walk-in hours where the personnel said it was too intricate and required an appointment.. We were puzzled and surprised because after all, the pic my brother wanted was very simple and small. The shop was empty and they just opened, so it's not that they were extremely busy or just about to close either. The same day, few hours later, we walked in another near by tattoo parlor that had walk-in hours as well, and my brother was able to get in immediately. The guy serving him checked and printed the picture while my brother was filling in the paperwork. Inking time was tops 25 minutes, we were in and out of there within 35mins. I’m still not sure why the staff at Laughing Hyena thought that the pic was intricate. I suppose our faces or money just wasn’t good there. I hence rate them one star for showing us the door for basically no reason. Read Less

I got my first tattoo at Laughing Hyena today and I couldn’t be happier!! Both the tattoo and the experience were top-notch. I heard about Laughing Hyena through the Facebook event for their Planned Parenthood fundraiser to celebrate International Women’s Day. I had been thinking about getting my first tattoo for a while, and this felt like the perfect time to do so. The flash art for the fundraiser was beautiful - I chose the design that resonated most, but it was tough to choose! I was the second to last person to get tattooed for the fundraiser, and my artist Isaac was so friendly and professional (and patient with a noob!) after having done the same designs on dozens of people for hours already. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I highly recommend Laughing Hyena, and I’m definitely coming back for future work! Read Less

I had the & for &pizza tattooed here. It was my first tattoo ever and Isaac was very informative and professional! The tattoo was only 3/4 inch and I don't even think it took over 5 minutes. I thought it was done extremely well and it's healing quite quickly (he put a medical wrap over it and told me to wash and put a+d ointment over it). I would definitely get my next tattoo here in the future! Ps also they have fun dispenser of chocolate covered raisins or m&ms while you wait. Read Less

I would give 3 stars - 1 lost for the prices bring in the high side for basic replacement jewelry and 1 lost for the lack of bike parking posts in the lots of curb space between lamp posts (and the no bike symbols on their sign), but the piercer from 3 months ago was really great with giving the right balance of free advice and then paid-for help so it's up to 4 . Read Less

This was my first tattoo experience here and it was great from start to finish. Clean, professional and fair priced. Isaac was great with helping create the design I wanted. He is skilled and efficient. I definitely recommend Read Less

I spent an enjoyable 3ish hours with Dr. Z while he worked on my extraordinary forearm tattoo. The entire process, from consult to design to tattooing was highly professional. The location is easy to get to and parking is plentiful even though it’s in DC. Dr. Z himself is the utmost professional: approachable, kind, skilled and genuinely enthusiastic. The facility is clean and plays great music. The prices are great(definitely fair)and the quality is extraordinary. I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Z and Laughing Hyena Tattoo overall. Read Less

I walked in today to get a triple forward helix piercing. Despite being desperately in need of lunch, Rachel was amazing. She talked me through every step of the piercing as we went, and asked several times if I had any questions or concerns. I had heard that this was a very painful piercing and Rachel did a very good job of making it relatively painless. In addition, she gave great aftercare advice and makes sure to make herself available to clients for questions and concerns after the appointment. Super happy with my decision, and I can't wait to go back and get these balls switched out for something a little more sparkly in 3-4 months! Read Less

Issac and his crew are amazing! I just got my first tattoo and I'm so happy with his work. My friend also got a tattoo and she loves it! Thank you for the great customer service, patients, and beautiful tattoos:) Read Less

Talk about an AMAZING first tattoo experience! I did my research before choosing both a shop and an artist and I am so glad that I did. Dr. Z's work is amazing! He read me very well during our consultation and designed me exactly what I had envisioned. He made my first experience so positive that if I ever get another, I know I'll come back to him hands down. I feel very lucky to wear his art! Read Less

I came here to get a couple ear piercings last week. Rachel, the piercer, was amazing! Not only was she super kind and friendly, making sure everyone who came into the shop was being taken care of, but she was a real expert. I have some bad scarring (treated keloids) in both my ears and Rachel took a look and discussed with me what she thought the best approach should be. Once in her piercing room Rachel explained everything she was doing and was meticulously clean, changing her gloves multiple times throughout the process to avoid contamination. She was friendly and chatty while she was doing the piercing. And at the end she talked to me about after care and insisted I come back or message her even if I have the tiniest little question. I would HIGHLY recommend going to Rachel for your next piercing. She's a real professional (as well as an awesome human).Only con was the tattoo artist in the shop didn't seem very nice and wasn't helping people who walked in, even when he wasn't busy. I think his name was Dr. Z or something like that. I totally would have deducted stars for this guy but Rachel deserves all 5 stars. Read Less

I visited Laughing Hyena yesterday to see how much it would cost to have an old tattoo of mine colored in. I was told that they don't touch up tattoos that were done outside of the shop unless you pay to have a new tattoo done. So, I decided to get the flower on my tattoo covered. I was given Raff as an artist. He didn't talk much & wasn't very welcoming or friendly. It didn't seem so bad at first, though, because the person up front, Rachel, had enough personality & friendliness to fill the shop with. Truly, she is a sweetheart! The reason I came to a tattoo shop is because I wanted a tattoo with depth & a dark, vibrant color. I didn't want to risk getting a cover-up tattoo that looked cartoon-like or amateur. So, I checked Yelp & decided Laughing Hyena would be the place. The shop itself is very nice & clean...it's also in a great location. I actually like the place. I am giving it one star, though because my experience outside of the friendly welcome from Rachel & the brilliant facility was extremely upsetting. The tattoo that I wanted to fix was of a butterfly & a flower. I wanted one white line to be added to the body of the butterfly, & I wanted the flower to be covered. Raff told me that the flower would cost $80, but that my total cost would be about $250 if he added the white line to the butterfly. When I asked why, he told me that it was because the butterfly would make the tattoo move to a different size. That's absolutely ridiculous because I wasn't asking him to make a tattoo of the $250 size, I was only asking for a very short line to be added...never would I pay $170 for a line. I didn't want to fuss about it because if that's the shop policy, that's just what it is & I accept that. So, I decided to just cover the small flower part of the tattoo. My original tattoo was a light blue color & it faded quickly. It also did not look so great on my brown skin. I explained this to Raff prior to him doing my tattoo. Per his request I emailed an image of the flower tattoo I'd like to get. I asked him a minimum of three times if he would be able to make it look like the flower in the picture. The specific things I wanted to ensure were that the translucent type look with the variation of the purple colors would be there & that the depth & detail would be there (the dark vine etc.). Raff assured me each time I asked that the tattoo would be the same, & I was comfortable with that. I tried to make small talk, but Raff never responded so I just stopped trying & decided to watch videos on my phone instead. Eventually, Raff said "Ok, so we're just going to leave it at this." The tattoo was not colored in. There was so much of my skin still showing. I asked him to add more color & make it look like the picture...after all, the dark color & the layers of the image is what I was going for. He colored it in a tiny bit more & then refused to do any more. He began to tell me that my tattoo couldn't look like the picture because it was smaller & adding dark color wouldn't work. He also told me that the picture didn't have different shades of purple in it & that it just faded. I was so upset! He was so rude & nonchalant in his delivery as well. He said "let me show you something." I told him that I was very upset & that I didn't want to discuss the tattoo anymore b/c I was going to cry. He said "ok" & continued. He went & got a pen & began to circle portions of the tattoo on the picture. I don't know what he was getting at, but whatever it was didn't concern me. I am not interested in hearing why you can't give me the tattoo from the picture, when I asked you several times if you could & you assured me that it was doable. I began to cry & I just couldn't talk any more. For me, this tattoo meant more than just getting some ink on my skin just for the heck of it or just to cover up something. A lot has been going on in my life lately including the passing of my father, me having to get surgery, being robbed a few weeks ago...& lot of other stuff. This tattoo, for me, was the first thing I've done to symbolize new beginnings essentially...coming out of a dark place in life & letting go of the past as best I can. Fixing a tattoo that I have hated for so long was really going to do a lot for me. It really upset me so terribly to have a person listen to what was important for me about the tattoo (vibrant color & depth) & completely disregard it, do what he felt like doing, & show no remorse at the end. Just rude! Even while I was crying, he kept talking as if I wasn't. I was also disappointed by the fact that no one in the shop (the other workers) even tried to help rectify the situation. Maybe it wasn't their place to do so. I'm not sure. All I know is that I am very upset with this tattoo & I feel like I've taken a step backward. It's really just unfortunate. Read Less

My friend and I came here for our second and third tattoos, respectively. We came in for a consult with Doctor Z in May and made appointment for today (June 12). We didn't see our art until we arrived but he didn't disappoint! I selected a cross-stitch design, which isn't an easy thing to do. He was honest about how this was only his second one in ten years of tattooing but he did an amazing job. He had four options for me in terms of design and waited patiently while I hemmed and hawed before deciding. So thrilled; he definitely has found a life-long customer in me. As others have mentioned, the shop is cash only but is close to many banks in Columbia Heights. Ignore the purple in the photo, that's just the stencil. Read Less

My friend and I came here for our second and third tattoos, respectively. We came in for a consult with Doctor Z in May and made appointment for today (June 12). We didn't see our art until we arrived but he didn't disappoint! I selected a cross-stitch design, which isn't an easy thing to do. He was honest about how this was only his second one in ten years of tattooing but he did an amazing job. He had four options for me in terms of design and waited patiently while I hemmed and hawed before deciding. So thrilled; he definitely has found a life-long customer in me. As others have mentioned, the shop is cash only but is close to many banks in Columbia Heights. Read Less

Dr Z is spectacular. He recently completed my 5th ink work and I am scheduled a 6th this week to complete the collage. The guy is amazingly good at his trade! The shop is a great atmosphere for the novice as well. I took my 72 year old mother-in-law in last summer for her first tatoo. She now has three! I highly recommend Laughing Hyena! Read Less

Their communication over Yelp is amazing. Got my tattoo from Dr. Z. He was really nice and answered all of my newbie questions. He also adjusted the design until it was exactly what I wanted. I never felt rushed and enjoyed the experience. Price was super reasonable and now I'm addicted and want another.Shop is super clean. Should go without saying, but I've been in shops that do not feel clean. The owner is on the DC Tattoo Advisory Board, which is a big plus for me. It means that he really cares about making sure it's regulated, that everything is clean and safe. Read Less

I had a tribal band around my left ankle that I just did not like anymore. I was going to be in Washington DC for a week and thought that would be a great time to get a cover up. After doing a little research, I contacted two shops. Laughing Hyena got back to me almost immediately. Did not hear back from the other place for a week. The crew at Laughing Hyena worked with me from across the country to get something set up for when I was in town. Isaac did the work for me and did an incredible job on a cover up. I've now got a great piece of art on my ankle/leg that I'm proud to show off. Would highly recommend this shop to anyone. Read Less

I go my tattoo in December 2016. Absolute tattoo newbie here. I went to Laughing Hyena because it had excellent reviews online and happened to be close to my apartment, and it did not disappoint. I worked with Isaac, who was friendly, down-to-earth, and knew exactly what he was doing. He drew up my design in two minutes and my tattoo was done in another two minutes. Since he knew this was my first tattoo, he gave me very clear instructions and advice for caring for it. He also guided me along in the tattoo process, emphasizing the sanitary measures Laughing Hyena always takes, and giving me tips for what to look for in a high quality tattoo shops for future reference. I was a bit nervous about getting my first tattoo and wanted to make sure I was going to an establishment that took their work and their customers seriously. I found both of those qualities in Laughing Hyena and would definitely go there again/recommend it to others. Read Less

Knowing that the top tattoo places in DC are booked weeks and months in advance, I emailed 8 weeks in advance the two places (to remain unnamed here) that were personally recommended to me. Artists from the two shops emailed me back to say they had no availability during my time frame. I work abroad and am rarely home. When I'm back in DC, it's usually for 2-4 weeks at a time. Thus, my time frame was very limited.Laughing Hyena was the third place I emailed. Someone responded immediately and explained their consultation and deposit process; the first appointment is just a consultation and the client is required to put down $60 deposit if they want to proceed with the tattoo. The work is then done on another appointment. This process seemed very formal to me, especially since I was able to get my previous two tattoos done on the same day as the consultations (they were done in NYC--check out my older reviews). I explained my situation and my tight schedule, asking if I can do my consultation and appointment on the same day. They responded with, "Usually no, unless it's a very small tattoo." I agreed to a consultation anyway, hoping for the best.When I went in for my consultation, the artist I requested was busy. I think they might have double-booked. I explained my dilemma again, asking if I can get my tattoo done that day. The consultation seemed rushed (probably because the artist wanted to get back to the client who was waiting to finish a touch-up) and I ended up making a second appointment with a different artist (Isaac) who had more availability. Before I left, I asked the receptionist to make sure she passed my Pinterest board to Isaac so he can get an idea of the designs, styles, and elements that I was looking for since he wasn't at the shop that day to do a consultation. She reassured me it will be done.When I returned for my second appointment, Isaac was confused as to whether I was there for a consultation or to get the tattoo. I was beyond exasperated at that point, but I took a deep breath and explained my entire story from beginning to end, how I was promised that he would take a look at the Pinterest board since he and I never did a consultation. So he went into the emails and found the one where I sent the board, scrolled through the designs, discussed what I wanted... It was a consultation all over again! At that point, I was extremely nervous about the time since they were closing in a couple of hours. Isaac reassured me the job would be done quickly which made me worry about quality; I didn't want him to rush through it either.This long story has a happy ending... Isaac was very patient with me as he had to correct the stencil (it was missing a word), made sure it was placed exactly where I wanted it, and even squeezed in another last-minute change--the placement of the second tattoo. The entire job cost much less than I had estimated and took only a quarter of the amount of time I had expected. Isaac has a reputation for getting tattoos done quickly and done very well; he completely exceeded my expectations and I'm glad things had worked out the way they did. Read Less