I went to get a tattoo with my girlfriend, the guy at the front had an attitude and was so rude to me. Besides that, the tattoo "artist" was even more rude, laughing like it's a joke that I was trying to fix what I thought was wrong with what he drew out. both him and the guy the tattooed me absolutely was terrible with detail My lines and details are awful. Going to get it redone tomorrow m will never ever go back nor will I ever refer my friends to them. Read Less

Brian did an amazing job. It was my first time and I was really nervous, but he did beautifully. Everyone who has seen my tattoo in person doesn't believe how well it was done! Also he was super accommodating last minute. Read Less

You are wasting your time looking for anything better. This place is the best place to give blood at a honest and fair price. If you want headaches go somewhere else. You won't have any here. Now get off your ass and get down to art freak.Read Less

Mike L. is Awesome! Hesitant about my first tattoo, Mike L. put me at ease and designed a fantastic piece of artwork. Now on my third, I continue to receive compliments from many about the line work/detail that he accomplished. It's not the easiest to book an appointment with him (due to his popularity and demand) which in my book is a testament to his excellent reputation. If you get a chance, book with Mike and I'm sure you will be pleased! -Jay S. Read Less

Brian did an amazing job, covering up a truly heinous tattoo from 8 yrs ago from another studio. He is really talented, and very cool to boot. I recommend him and Art Freek highly. I will definitely be back. Thanks! Read Less

Went to art freak tattoo today ! Got my dads name redone by Brian he did an absolutely great job ! He honesty is such a great artist and is super friendly I enjoyed every minute ! Highly recommend going there for your tattoos Read Less

Walked in to talk about my first tattoo and the guy at the front was an ass.   He was negative and told me the artist wouldn't be able to combine letters to make a word from a birthday card from my mom handwriting.   He seemed to have no interest in having a new customer.   I immediately detected his attitude and left.   Went to three other tattoo parlors and they all easily offered to build my tattoo design.   I'll never go back and tell everyone not to go there.   To bad because if the guy was nicer I'd be more apt to stay. Read Less

I will never go back to this shop, or ever recommend it to anyone.I had a tattoo done by Brian a few years ago that came out well, but it was a simple line which wrapped around my calf, so nothing complicated at all. I went back a few months ago to get a finger tattoo. I emailed them the design I wanted, and that seemed to go over well. When he finally shut the fuck up and started actually tattooing (seriously the guy never stops talking), he was really heavy handed, and kept going over the same places again and again, which obviously was really painful. The tattoo scarred a lot, and it's extremely blown out now. Surprisingly, it came out better than my next two visits.I went back to get a quote on a full set of glyph finger tattoos. The guy, Don, told me it would be shop minimum, and that he could do it on the spot, but he had another appointment in 30 minutes (this really made me nervous knowing that he'd have to rush). I only wanted an estimate because I still wanted to make a legitimate design on the computer that would match what I had in my head.. I didn't want him to freehand it. He insisted that there was no point to having a design on such a small area. I took his advice regardless of the fact that I had used a stencil with the other finger tattoo. He barely laid the needle on my skin. After it took about two weeks to heal, I called Don and told him how angry and disappointed I was. He had me come in later that day to have it touched up. I was optimistic, but I really only went back because it would be free. It took another two weeks for the "touch up" to heal, and it looks only slightly better. The lines are completely uneven, different thicknesses, and just plain sloppy.If these tattoos weren't on my fingers, I wouldn't care to have them touched up again. But they seriously look like a five year old drew on me with a pen. Regardless, I won't go back there for a second touch up. Read Less

I was incredibly dissatisfied with this shop. I didn't get a tattoo from them, so I cannot speak on behalf of their artwork, but I went in to ask a few questions for a consultation (placement, price, design, etc.) and I got very snide and rude replies to all my questions. This man made me feel unimportant, stupid, and naive. I went to this shop looking for someone with expertise to help me answer the questions I had.I am severely disappointed and would advise people not to go there unless they feel like being mocked. Read Less

I have mixed feelings after two visits at the shop. I stopped in the shop for the first time about six months ago for some lettering on my foot and went in again this week to have it touched up.  The guy at the front desk isn't very friendly, but the artist Don was very friendly and welcoming. After I left my touch up appointment, I realized that my skin was never cleaned before the touch up was done. I feel like this was a super amateur move--I came in with flip flops so clearly my foot wasn't very clean and could have easily resulted in an infection. Read Less

Had my first tattoo ever by Brian Mullen about 6 months ago and then got another one a few weeks ago.  Brian is absolutely amazing and so talented.  Everyone I show my tattoos to are blown away by the precision and detail.  And his hilarious stories make the time pass.  Not only do I get great work done but I also learn a lot about everything while there.  I'll be going back for a lot more and highly recommend Brian to anyone looking for high quality, reasonably priced work!!! Read Less

I have been getting tattooed for 36 years  and I must say Mike is not only a very good  tattoo artist -but more importantly is a really nice guy who is creating awesome tattoos with no pretentious or rockstar bullshit that many of the tattooist's today display. Read Less

I have to agree with the other reviews that found the man at the front desk highly unwelcoming.A friend recommended Art Freek for my first tattoo, but an allergy test that showed me allergic to cobalt, which is said to be in tattoo ink, had kept me from getting one.  I stopped in today to try to get more information from the experts rather than the internet.  Much to my dismay, I was told by the man at the desk that they have no idea what is in their ink and that I would need to call the manufacturers.  There was no referencing with the rest of the team, no suggestions as to who to call, nadda.  He only seemed bothered by the interruption.  Not only unhelpful, but didn't give me confidence in the shop when it comes to out of the ordinary or challenges.  The artists may be amazing, but I will never know. Read Less

Brian Mullen is basically the best. I got my first tattoo (ever!) from him five years ago and kept coming back since then. The conversations we have while being tattooed are worth just as much as the tattoos for how weird and entertaining they are. His style is pretty versatile -- every idea I've had we've been able to translate to my skin pretty successfully. The shop itself is clean, extremely professional, and caters a bevy of artists, all of which are god damn talented. The prices are honestly pretty reasonable too. Every time I go I bring a wad of cash because for the artwork I'm getting out of these dudes, I feel like I should be paying a lot more -- and every time I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I'm paying, especially for the results I get. So if you're looking for ink, I highly suggest you take a look at Brian's stuff. He's the bee's knees AND the cat's pajamas. Read Less

Art Freak ....specifically Mike L. is a true pro. I brought Mike a print out of the image I wanted on my back. In my first 3 hr sitting he completed the image lines with precision. Lots of compliments from tatted friends on his line work.2nd sitting Mike explained what he had in mind for the shading since the original image I gave him did not have much. I let Mike follow his artistic inspiration.He did not disappoint. Very impressive finished product. I highly recommend Mike. Easy scheduling and reminder phone calls to confirm appointments. Read Less

Had a great experience there yesterday with Brian, called Friday afternoon and got a spot for the next day. I got some simple lettering, the vibe in there was great and I'll definitely be returning. Shop was clean and had an authentic feel. Glad I was able to find a new shop since I just moved here and had been looking. Read Less

Now that my tattoos are healed fully and I can make an honest review on here, I am beyond disappointed with the way my tattoos came out. AND THEY ARE ON MY HANDS. I went for a cover up and Don seemed to have had a great understanding of what I wanted. Mickey Mouse was first and done on my left hand. Came out pretty good. Then forget it. He did Minnie Mouse on my right hand and he made her look like she had a goatee. I immediately said something and he told me "as his artistic view it looks great". I asked him how he could fix it and he said he didn't know how because he thought it looked great and didn't need fixing. Very disappointed and not pleased. I walked out with a frown when I should have walked out relieved since I needed a cover up done. But I didn't. He told me if I go back after it's done healing that I can get it touched up for free. But why on Earth would I go back to someone that can't even do what I ask or even have the artistic/career/experience know how to fix what I wanted fixed? Never. I will never recommend anyone going here. If anyone is pleased with their tattoos from Don at Tattoo freak, congrats because I for one, Am certainly not. Read Less

I've been coming to see Mike for over ten years; his work is so clean, fresh and durable - I have a decade old sleeve that people still ask if its new. He's also so NOT into the bullshit quasi-rockstar manchild tattoo culture attitude that makes me want to puke. No ego, just a rad dude burning out rad tattoos. If Mike ever stopped tattooing, I probably wouldn't get any more myself. Read Less

Was in Providence hanging with my brother about three weeks ago. He wanted to get tattooed, and because I'm used to New York tattoo prices I decided I'd get a little guy myself. I know Providence has a rich history in tattoos due to them being illegal in MA for so long, and I have long been impressed with Mike Lussier's traditional work. Art Freek Tattoo it was.So we get there and are ignored for quite some time. There is hardly any flash on the walls, making it difficult to come up with ideas. Finally a heavy-set and very surly biker guy comes out. He was visibly annoyed, but hilarious so I'll give him a pass. It wasn't until I took my sweater off, exposing a lot of my tattoos, that anyone gave us the time of the day.Mike wasn't available, but Steve was. I was worried, I know it's stereotyping but usually the guy covered in tribal and celtic shit isn't the dude I'd be psyched to get tattooed by. I told him I wanted a Hannya on my right hip, small and hidden because I was unsure about this.I was right. The hannya has such a thin outline it looks like a pencil drawing. Also, all my tattoos have color. Before I knew it this guy was shading the tattoo brown, black and grey. I obviously would have preferred that he asked me what colors I was into.I'm sure Steve is a good tattooer when working in his style, but this seemed to be out of his area of expertise. Places in NYC like Smith St. are honest about what they are good at and what they aren't.The tattoo isn't awful and Steve seemed like a great guy, very low key and soft spoken. But, I will need to get this tat fixed up a bit by one of my dudes here in New York, thicker outline and some red thrown in there. It definitely stands out as not working with the rest of my tattoos.A good shop all and all, and I was impressed how cool they all remained when five children showed up with a mom asking for a tattoo, not to mention some pretty Chinese tourist girls all asking for the same boring scripture tattoo.My advice for this place would be more flash on the walls to give clients ideas, be less precious about custom work and more accommodating to walk-ins and to be honest about which artists are good at which type of tattoos.Would I go back? Yes, I'm sure Steve does nice scripture tattoos if I ever wanted that and I still want something from Mike. Read Less

Art Freek is the only place in RI that I'll go for a tattoo. I have an anchor on my hip that Steve did, and I love it! I brought a few examples of what I wanted, then came back a week later and he had sketched out some designs and I chose one I liked. This was my third tattoo so I knew I was in for the usual pain, but this was almost my largest so I knew it was going to be uncomfortable for a while. My husband noted Steve would start talking to me and asking me questions at certain times when I was really looking in pain, and it was a great way to distract me. My husband also has a large piece dedicated to RI on his calf that he had done here by Brian. It is the outline of the state, with the Independent Man and a violet. It is such a great piece. They are located towards the end of Wickenden (if you're coming from downtown) and there is only street parking. Read Less

I got something better than my non-artistic self could envision. What more can you ask for in a first tattoo experience? I'll tell you...They were professional, clean and friendly. I had a lot of questions and didn't really know what I was doing or how to properly convey what I wanted. Somehow they figured it out and I couldn't be more satisfied. Can't wait to get my second and third. Time to start picking up extra shifts to pay for all the work I want to have done! Read Less

I have been going to Art Freek since they were at the old shop. How do i know Mike is the best around? Every where I go I constantly get stopped and questioned about my sleeve... nuff said. Not only is Mike a killer artist, Mike Lussier is the coolest mofo around. If you're concerned about price just go to some cookie cutter tattoo shop. If you want the highest quality art work go talk to Mike. Read Less

Came here on a snowy day a few years ago with a friend of mine.  I think the artist was drunk by the quality of the work.I brought in a basic blue star design that I put on my backside.  The artist said that it was simple enough and began working on me.  He was pleasant enough, though discussing business with other customers of selling guitars that he makes out of wood for money.  My star was blue alright, but for some reason all of the corners were BLACKED out.  It looked nothing like what I had brought in.  I was furious.  I have had several artists try to correct it, it looks a little better, but nobody has ever been able to make the light blue cover the black that I didn't want in the first place.My friend was getting his first tattoo and was too excited for us to go somewhere else.  He had a string of music notes wrapped around his arm.  Oh my god... did this guy ever screw it up.  The lines were so crooked and almost ran into each other on the back of his arm.I will never come back.  I hope the other artists are better and they get rid of this guy.  The shop itself was very clean and promising.  Very disappointing. Read Less

Another awesome review for Brian Mullen at Artfreek. I've had a few tattoos from other places but I don't think I'll go anywhere ever again, Brian was amazing.I went in for a pretty large (for me) tattoo and Brian was super nice about my slightly neurotic self, not so internally freaking out about the size of the tattoo. He made me very comfortable right from the start. We adjusted a few things about the tattoo then got started,As mentioned by other yelpers, Brian is a talker! He made me laugh the whole time, there were even times that I forgot I was getting jabbed with a needle over and over. I can't wait to go back to get this piece finished, and get more! I've found my man and I'm not switching anymore! Read Less

The worst treatment I've EVER gotten in my LIFE! I went in at the beginning of the year to get a white tattoo. My first impression wasn't the best because the guy behind the counter was extremely rude right from the start. He told me i wouldn't be able to see it, but the tattoo i was getting was sentimental and it was for me not the rest of the world.   Before the artist started I asked if the blue ink from the stencil would run into the white ink in my skin, the answer was no, it would only be in the top layer that scabbed off. A few days later i went back with my friend because she was getting one and the artist looked at it and said he could see the blue healing into my skin and it was no worries he would touch it up for free.  Well my tattoo is healed and I'm extremely unhappy with the ugly blue/grey wings I now have on my wrist. I called to make an appointment to see the artist again and the guy behind the counter told me he had never heard of the blue getting caught in the white tattoo and that it would be $50 minimum to fix it up I asked if i could talk to the artist and he said no.  I decided to take matters into my own hands and I drove into providence to see if the artist could take a look at it and when I went in he said the artist couldn't meet with me and that he had just sat down with someone. I showed him my tattoo and his response was I told you this would happen, a tone in which someone would scold their child....um no lets recap first he said I wouldn't be able to see it, then when I called on the phone he said he had never heard of this happening, and now he was telling me he told me this would happen?!?!?! I don't know if he's just extremely misogynistic and thinks he can push me around because I'm a younger girl, or the man is just trying to cover his own ass.    This was my 3rd tattoo and I'm now traveling 2 hours to a different place where I got my second one at to touch this one up. I rather spend my money there because I honestly don't feel comfortable stepping foot in this parlor after being so mistreated. Read Less

It's been a couple years since my experience at ArtFreak. I got my first tattoo at the old location (near RISD) and my second at this newer location... So here goes...Location: This place is on Wickenden St. and it's hard to find parking. The shop is set up with a reception desk and the actual studio is divided into parlor rooms. When no one is at the reception desk it's hard to get anyone's attention. Granted, they might be working, but I feel there should be someone to greet me.OK, I'm going to write the good stuff first: Brian Mullen rocks my socks! He's amazing with line and black/shading. He did my second ever tattoo, a small piece on my arm. He is super friendly and talkative and joy to get work from. I've also seen his work on other people and I am always very* impressed.Keep up the good work, Brian.Now... I docked stars because I did get a small piece added to my tattoo. Brian wasn't there so I went with one of the other guys. I was not very happy with his professionalism or artistry. In honesty, I don't even remember his name, but I remember he acted like I was a nuisance, and didn't really want my business. It was a huge turn off. I struggled with this guy to give me what I wanted. He insisted that a small part of the design had to be changed to a certain way. I finally gave in, but of all my tattoos, that section is the WORST. I hate* it and I will definitely get it covered up if I can. The tattoo overall wasn't very good, and when I went back to get it touched up, I felt very unwelcomed. Overall, I'd give this place 3 stars... And they're all for Brian. ::HEART:: Read Less