Joe Bass will be my tattoo artist as long as he's still in the game. His level of experience is unbeatable. His technique is honed to perfection. The healing from his tattoos just happened so gosh darn fast and he inflicted as little pain as possible when getting full color saturation. While also working fast. This isn't the place you go to for a Friday the 13th flash sale, this is the place you go when you want a piece of art in your skin. Read Less

Joe is amazing! Being the first girl he's done Batman on he did a wonderful job! And my roses are breath taking! Everyone who sees my tattoos ask where I get them and who does them because they are so amazing and of course I give credit where credit is due and point them to the Jade Mermaid. I can't wait to get my next tattoo here and many more to come. Keep up the good work Joe! Read Less

Came in to get my first tattoo and I honestly was so overwhelmed of how great of experience and artwork Joe did. There's nothing bad to say about him. He was my first and only person who I will ever get my tattoos from. I'm speechless. Highly recommended for everyone! Read Less

Not only was my time at Jade Mermaid the best tattoo experience but also one of the best customer service experiences I have ever had. To begin with, Joe at Jade Mermaid keeps an immaculately clean and super classy shop. It is very tasteful and comfortable. I would feel totally comfortable taking family and friends into this shop. As far as clean, Joe???s shop is the cleanest tattoo parlor I have ever entered. Joe takes care to go the extra mile with all of his sterilization and sanitation, which was extremely important to me. Joe himself is just a great down to earth guy who genuinely cares about his clients and his clients experience at the shop. He and I had a consultation where we talked for almost an hour. By the time we were done I was 100% comfortable and mentally prepared for the tattoo. He took my idea and made it into a beautiful work of art. That brings me to arguably the most important part; he is a fabulous artist! His use of shadowing and color made my tattoo look better than I thought it could have. If getting a tattoo done is a big deal for you (which it should be) and you want it to be a safe, fun and comfortable event; you have to go see Joe at Jade Mermaid. Read Less

Clean, friendly and professional!! Got a new tattoo from Jerry at Jade Mermaid the other day and had the best experience! Joe, Jerry and Joanne are all amazing artists, you'd be lucky to get tattooed by any of them! Or better yet, ALL of them!! Read Less

Portland is over run with tattoo shops and tattoo artists that have too much ego and not enough talent to back it up. Joe Bass, owner of Jade Mermaid, is not plagued by either of these problems. Joe is one of the most approachable and talented individuals I have ever met and I am proud to wear his artwork on my body! For years I had problems finding someone that I wanted to share the experience of body art with. Let's face it! When you are getting tattooed you're spending hours upon hours of time in close personal proximity to another human being. For me, I want someone who's energy and personality adds to the experience of tattoo not a gruff, heavy handed ego-maniac. All of the artists that I approached had a holier than thou attitude and I chose not to give them my money or spend my time in their presence. Then, my good friend (with a beautiful sleeve ala Joe) told me to talk to Joe Bass. I did and I never looked back! After approaching Joe about wanting to get tattooed, he suggested we meet and talk so that he could get and idea of what exactly I wanted. That led to 2+ hours of chatting, coffee and yes, the delicious cigarettes. After spending this time with him he knew exactly what I wanted AND, even better, he expanded and added his amazing creativity to my idea to create a beautiful work of art! I cannot recommend Joe enough! Whether you're a first timer or seasoned and sleeved, Joe Bass offers the best of the best. And, at Jade Mermaid, he only shares his space with artists of the same caliber. You will not be disappointed! Read Less

Awesome place! Awesome people! And beautiful tattoos! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I have had a lot of tattoos in a lot of tattoo shops and Jade Mermaid is by far the most professional and most comfy shop Ive been to. The people there are so nice! And need I say fantastic at what they do. Ill be getting lots more ink from these guys :) Read Less

Everyone says their tattoo parlor is the best. Well no joke, this one really is. They just opened and they totally deserve every ounce of credit I give. I got my first tattoo their by an artist named Jerry Martian. He's a great, funny, personable guy and not to mention, B.A. They have a smaller, more-like-home kind of set up and their set up is quick and easy. I loved every second I spent in their and can't wait to go back! Read Less

Joanne and Jerry are great, friendly folks and they do amazing work. Joanne did a very large and very intricate diagram on my arm and it looks so good! They are very willing to help figure out a design and get the placement perfect, and the shop has NO FLASH! HOORAY!!! Everyone go here. Read Less

have received tattoos from artists in Medford, Salem, Portland, and Seattle (9 total), and Jade Mermaid is by far my favorite place to go. Joe Bass, the owner, is friendly, knowledgeable, and talented as all heck. His approach to tattoo is very artistic and concepual. There are no flash books to choose from - you go in with an idea and he works with you to develop a design. He knows tattoo like the back of his hand (probably because he has tattooes on the back of his hand) and isn't afraid to tell you what will and won't work with your design idea. He is especially good with color, layering colors upon colors to create incredible depth and movement. He is halfway done with a sleeve on my left arm and I get rave reviews on the art from friends, family, and complete strangers. The atmosphere of the shop is more like a coffee shop than a traditional tattoo parlor. There is a pinball machine, comfy chairs, screens for privacy, and free hard candy. The decor is warm and inviting, with original pieces on the wall displaying not only Joe's dedication to tattoo but also his skill as an artist. As far as Joe himself, you probably couldn't find a nicer tattoo artist. Not only is his artistic skill hard to come by, he is also very smart and a great conversationalist. When you're sitting for a 3-4 hour piece, it's good to have an artist that can hold a conversation. All in all, The Jade Mermaid and everyone that works there is a class act. Go there. Now.Read Less

Syndrome- a disease that almost took my life. After years of being horribly sick, struggles with the healthcare system, losing 100lbs and a head full of waist-lengthed dreads, and an eventual stem cell transplant - I was left all but wasted away before my disease was finally kicked into remission. After a couple of years, I gradually gained my health and strength (I'm working on the dreads) and finally became strong enough to again travel- and decided I deserved a vacation. To commemorate my travel after the years of Hell and torture, I decided a tattoo was in order. I did a bit of research, asked a bunch of questions, and was lead to Joe Bass. I sent him an email, discussed ideas with him, and decided that he was the man for the job. When we finally met, it was like talking to an old friend. Not only because Joe is possibly one of the coolest people I've ever met, but because the tattoo he designed for me was EXACTLY as I had imagined in my head. Before I was tattooed, I had planed on it being my last. But it came out so beautifully that I'm now planning on traveling back to Joe to get more work done. If you take nothing else from this review- know that Joe Bass, as an artist and a person, is worth coming back from Hell and traveling from Washington, DC to Portland, OR to see. I would travel anywhere he was to get him to do my ink, and any shop that houses him is one that deserves your patronage. Read Less

Jerry and Joanne are the dynamic duo Tattoo Team! Artistic and so talented! Joanne is an expert on color and Jerry can freehand anything! I get compliments on my tattoos everyday! People cant believe they are real because they are so vibrant! I highly recommend either Joanne or Jerry to make your tattoo dreams come true!.. Read Less

Joanne Sigmund is not new to tattooing, but is new toThe Jade Mermaid Tattoo Parlor. I have been lucky enough to get some amazingly colorful tattoos from Joanne over the past couple of years. Joanne is awesome at color and has an incredibly light touch. She is meticulous and has great attention to detail. Her color work is the best I've ever seen and people often stop me to ask if they can look at my tattoos closer or to compliment me on them. I quickly take credit for having beautiful tattoos, but Joanne is clearly the one who deserves the credit! She is quite simply an incredibly talented tattoo artist. On my first visit to The Jade Mermaid, I was impressed by the sleekness and cleanliness of the studio. It is a very inviting space, with none of the intimidation factor of some other shops. I felt very comfortable there. I would highly recommend both Joanne and The Jade Mermaid to friends, family and anyone on the street who stops to look at my tattoos!! The Jade Mermaid is a class act all the way. Read Less

I just got my third tattoo done at Jade Mermaid by the lovely Joanne. She drew a beautiful multicolored Dahlia for me for the center of my upper back. It turned out perfect and better than I had imagined it in my mind (and just in time to show off during my wedding later this summer). The detail is amazing and I have had lots of comments of how gorgeous it is already! She also has a great light touch - it didn't hurt nearly as much as I would have thought. The space is great too - it's very professional and clean, and as a bonus they have a pinball machine! The other artists that work there have great portfolios to look at for ideas too. It seems like a winning team to me! Check 'em out! Read Less