Hands down the best tattoo and piercing shop in the Portland metro area... And, yes, I would know... As I have been to a TON of them prior to finding out about Destination Ink.The shop - CLEAN (which,... Read More
Hands down the best tattoo and piercing shop in the Portland metro area... And, yes, I would know... As I have been to a TON of them prior to finding out about Destination Ink.The shop - CLEAN (which, in my opinion, honestly should be one of the most important aspects in choosing a place to get a tattoo or piercing), and the atmosphere is inviting.The Crew - Over the year's (2013-present) my husband and I feel like we have had an awesome opportunity to really get to know the whole DI crew, and they're all not only just amazing at what they do, but just downright chill people too. Nik (owner and tattoo artist) was the first of the DI crew that we met... from the very first time we walked through DI's door he was willing to LISTEN. We knew from the initial visit and meeting with Nik that we had FINALLY found the artist and shop we had been searching for for year's prior. I made an appt with him for the following week to get started... And NO JOKE, we were at DI every month, at times multiple times a month, for a year straight. And now (5 year's later) have only gone about 4 month's without making an appt!! He is an extremely talented artist, point blank. He listens to what you want, makes sure you are comfortable throughout the whole process, he makes you laugh and have a good time in the chair; easy going, and is patient. Christina (tattoo artist) is also a very talented... I mean seriously... Go check out her work!! Although we haven't had any work done by her ourselves (yet), we do know someone who has so we've seen her work firsthand. She's also very welcoming, and easy to talk to.Jason (tattoo artist) is the newest of the crew at DI, and we haven't had too much time to get to know him yet but I can say this... He can draw!... I was checking out some of his sketches the last time I was in for an appt. And just from the one or two times that we have met him I can also tell you that he is very polite, and professional.Megan (piercer) is driven. We literally got to watch her go from apprentice to piercer, and that was pretty cool in itself. About a year ago she pierced my niece's lip... She made it a fun, and memorable experience, for all of us. Like the entire crew at DI, Megan is just easy to be around, talk to, laugh with, and just have a good time.And of course we could not forget Mike (piercer), everybody loves Mike ;). We have not personally been pierced by him (he did stretch my husband's ear's tho). But I had a friend that he pierced. Short version - she really wanted to get her lip pierced, but was extremely anxious due to bad experiences with piercings before... Mike went above and beyond to calm her nerves and explain the whole process thoroughly and answer any and all questions she had. He was very understanding with her, and did everything he could to make it a good experience for her.... And it was. My point - After 5 year's of going here for all of our tattoo and piercing wants... it's safe for us to say (as well as for you to believe) that when it comes to all the important aspects you should be looking for in this line of business (cleanliness, professionalism, skill, honesty, price, and comfort) - ARE ALL AT DESTINATION INK. We wouldn't go anywhere else or recommend any other shop than Destination Ink. Period. Much love and mad respect for these guy's!!!! Read Less