DO NOT GET A TATTOO AT RIVER RAT!!! About 3 years ago, my sister and I went to RRT to get our first tat together, a very delicate letter "G" on our wrist. The tattoos looked great as soon as we got them done. However, a few months down the road and our tattoos looked nothing like the original design we got that day.The tattoos are now very raised, blurry, and unrecognizable. It's quite embarrassing when I have to explain what in the world is on my wrist. We are both currently saving money up to have them removed. The removal place said that it could be 10+ sessions before this tiny tattoo is gone because the artist was so heavy handed.I do realize that the inside of the wrist is a risky location for tattoos. But the fact that he messed up not one but two of the exact same tattoos is pretty alarming. Not to mention I know plenty of people who have beautiful art on their wrists, done by other places. I don't remember the name of the artist that did our wrists but he was in the corner station to the right when you walk into the door (not Tracy). This was in 2015, I believe.I have attached pictures of the before and after pictures of our tattoos. I have 5 other beautiful tattoos so thankfully this bad experience hasn't ruined my love for the art but if you are looking for an artist in New Braunfels, steer clear of River Rat! Read Less

I have received two tattoos from the shop. Both by Terry. The first time I was receiving a touch up on my white ink tattoo on my wrist. During this session he tried to convince me that white was not a good color. He also told me that he hates white tattoos and he refuses to do them. I found this incredibly unprofessional and I was embarrassed to be there. About six months later I decided to give him another chance and I went back in to receive script on my rib cage. After I received the script he placed a very wet paper towel on my brand new tattoo and laid it there for 10 to 15 minutes. I was always told not to place anything wet on my tattoos right after my appointment. I was incredibly confused. However in the end my tattoo has bled and it's now barely legible. I have had such an awful experience with this tattoo shop that I tell my friends to steer far away from there. Also Terry was very unprofessional with me and borderline disrespectful. Read Less

I love this place so much. Every tattoo I have I got here. I plan to get a ton more and I plan to have Tracy do them all for me. This place is very clean and has an amazing friendly chill vibe. I wouldn't go anywhere else 😁😁 Read Less

I had my first tattoo done here in September of last year...I've since sent several friends and family members here and every single piece has come out fantastic. Very clean, and lit well. They really have great artists and Tracy is so nice. I won't get work done anywhere else. Read Less

I’ve been to this shop a couple of times with friends and finally stopped by tonight to get a small tattoo. The shop is clean and feels welcoming. The staff is absolutely amazing! Tracy and his crew are great people and I look forward to getting another tattoo soon. Read Less

I had two tattoos done here about four years ago. Both immediately bad one bled and the other is just crooked. Two male artists. One young and one older. I've seen mixed reviews but these guys came highly recommended. I'd advise against this place as there are much much better ones out there.  The one you can't read and the other is just bad. Now I've gotta pay twice to fix the mistake again. Terrible. Read Less

Petra is awesome! She just helped me with an old piercing that was giving me trouble. She made it almost painless, and gave me great tips on how to get it to heal. She was very friendly and really cared about making sure I got the best care. Thanks! Read Less

I absolutely love my tattoo by Jess at River Rat Tattoo!! She worked with the ideas and pictures I had to create exactly what I was looking for and she did the entire piece free hand with nothing but a permanent marker outline- I can honestly say I wouldn't trust anyone else to work free hand but she puts you right at ease with her great personality, eye for artwork, and her attention to detail. The shop was really clean, everyone was really nice so I will definitely be back- but only if Jess is there!! Sorry not sorry, but she's awesome. Read Less

I recently got my Daith Pierced. 7-24-17 I alway research before I get anything done. So I started watching YouTube videos about the Daith and everyone was saying three things Painful, migraine relief and takes forever to heal!! For me it didn't hurt. So far it has helped with migraine relief, I just hope it don't take a long time. I have gotten my nipples, nose, cartilage, tongue (twice), Belly button and last but not least ear lobes(three time)...the Ear Lobes and Daith were the least painful. River Rat piercing shop was very professional and friendly. Petra pierced me. Second time dealing with her and the first time she helped my daughter with a piercing that was done wrong. Thank u @pirate_pete_official I love my piercing!! Thank u, Christina Read Less

Had my Lower Helix pierced and was so impressed! The cleanliness of the shop and care put into the preparation of the piercing put me at ease and I even learned that surgical steel is better than sterling silver! I was so happy that I went back and had my Tragus pierced today and the same care was put into it as my first visit. Will always come back here for my piercings and will refer all of my family and friends! Read Less

Great folks! Very clean place! The work Jess did on me is amazing! I had been wanting the tattoo I got for a couple years but hadn't found a good spot. Just happened to just have perfect timing and end up in her hands while she had a spot! Will def travel there again to get more in the near future! Read Less

My sister and I went to River Rat Tattoos for the first time today to get piercings, she did a forward helix and I did my auricle. We'd never been before but I'd heard good things about it and let me just say that it did not disappoint! We had Sarah do our piercings and she was PHENOMENAL! I was pretty nervous (my first piercing other than my lobes) but she was extremely professional and just a really fun person to talk to! My piercing looks great, didn't hurt at all, and the whole experience was great! My sister loved her piercing as well! I would recommend this place a million times over, and if you go for a piercing be sure to ask for Sarah! Read Less

I recently went in to re-pierce my anti-brow and was honestly extremely nervous. The last person I had pierce it was extremely inexperienced and it rejected not even a week later. Sarah reassurred me that she would take great care of me and she did just that. It was a wonderful experience and the piercing came out perfect. She's so sweet and I love that she shows genuine care for her customers and their concerns. I asked many questions and not once did I feel like I was bothering her. If I could give a million stars, I definitely would! She's awesome and I will never go anywhere else. Thank you, Sarah! You rock! � Read Less

Was able to luck into a walk-in with Petra! Loved the color that she put on my little flamingo and her skill and gentleness on my ankle! I highly recommend this shop and Petra, and will definitely be back! Read Less

Can't say enough about River Rat. Great experience beginning to end and Jason does some good work. I will be back and I'm anxious to get some work from Tracy as well. Great prices and the shop has a better vibe than most places. Everyone is friendly as could be. Read Less

My daughter & I went in to RRT today to get a tattoo. I am 60 years old & never thought I would ever get a tattoo. I have an awful fear of needles so was very nervous. Sarah took care of both of us. She was wonderful & very patient with me. She explained everything that she was going to do and made sure to stop & make sure I was Ok. She made the experience a very good one & I LOVE my tattoo. Sarah I can't thank you enough!!!!!! You were great!!!! Read Less

My first visit was great! Tracy did an awesome job on my watercolor tattoo. My past 2 tattoos were done by Jess and she is amazing!! I highly recommend this place for your tattoos and piercings. Very clean shop and the artists are wonderful!! Read Less

Sarah is amazing! She did 2 piercings for me and is clearly a highly experienced piercer who is down to earth n completely informative. She cares about her clients and their comfort. She is very professional and takes the time to go over all aspects. Thank you, Sarah! Read Less

If you haven't found this place yet and you love ink you need to go meet these people! Everything about River Rats will exceed your expectations! Cleanliness, professional, friendly and Unbelievable prices! Ladies you must see Anthony for his permeant make up! He did my lip liner and lipstick for more than half the cost I paid for at a 'specialty shop to get my eyeliner done (Anthony is fixing eyeliner work next week) and he can blend scars. This place is a true jewel that stands above the rest! Read Less

Called last week to get my forward helix jewelry put back on and from the get go everyone was so nice and welcoming. I was seen by Sarah who literally saved my piercing from a jewelry post that was actually too small that had been put in as the initial jewelry for a fresh piercing and sent me in the right direction of what to use to clean it. Both of my piercings now are looking amazing, pain free and on the right track to heal. She even went as far and to keep in contact with me over text and help me get the courage to call the other shop to let them know what happened. 10/10 will be getting any future piercings with her here and will recommended all my friends and family here. Read Less

I'm never disappointed when I come here! Petra has done the majority of my piercings and is always wonderful. I was there the other day and Sarah was so extremely helpful and changed my rook earring out for me, and I was there today and she did my anti-helix perfectly. Jason has given me 2 badass tattoos, and everyone else there is always very friendly. If you're ever looking for somewhere to get your piercings or tattoos, River Rat is honestly and truly the best choice. I will always always always come back! Read Less

The first time I went to River Rats, I looked through the artists' portfolios and then chose Jason for my tattoo artist. He touched up two that were about four years old and was able to correct some of the original line work that was not the best. He added another piece to the same design so I had a set of three butterflies, one for each of my biological children and one for my "emotionally adopted" child (have to go back and get the fourth butterfly for my second "emotionally adopted" child). During the same session he added a piece on my calf that has become my absolute favorite tattoo. I showed him a picture and he he made it his own without deviating from the original photo. I have had two other tattoos designed by him and get compliments, literally, every time someone sees them for the first time. Thanks Jason!! Read Less

Got sibling tattoos with my brother and sister. We were greeted and helped right away. Jess was awesome. She really made us feel at ease and we all LOVED her personality, funny and super nice. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SHOP AND JESS!!! Read Less

I went to River Rat for a tragus piercing recently, and while the piercing placement was fine, I was not impressed overall. The employee who did the piercing stuck the 16 gauge piercing needle through her latex glove to keep track of it while she was readying her other materials! Nothing about the piercing itself was horrible, but nothing about it was particularly good either, and aseptic techniques were only followed after a fashion. The environment was acceptably clean, but my piercer took no extra pains to make me comfortable, explain the procedure, or go over aftercare instructions. Would not recommend for piercings here!! The gem came off the bar of the stud after less than a week, and my skin swelled over it. Went to Wicked Ways off 1604 in San Antonio, Justin fixed it for me, and took plenty of time to go over everything. Only charged me $10 to fix someone else's mess as well as replace the jewelry, and I had complete peace of mind walking out! Read Less

Got my smiley piercing done here today and the piercer did a great job! No shaking, no awkwardness, barely any pain. The artists that were hanging out at the shop were laid back and cool as f**k. Highly recommend this place for piercings! Stay sick guys! Read Less

The artist's themselves had really nice work to look through, but when I requested having a masterpiece done, Tracy told me to set my dreams aside for another piece. I would have paid BIG money for the piece I wanted, but he would rather do what he wants to do and not what the customer wants. Read Less

River Rat Tattoos is a cool, fun, friendly, and clean place. I walked in to get my first tattoo and was greeted by Tracy (the owner). He asked what I was looking to get. I explained that it was my first tattoos and wanted to try out my side to see how well I can handle the pain for a bigger piece I have in mind. He was super nice about it while he asked how I wanted it and all the details. Jason did my tattoos and they turned out better than I expected. It was $75 for my side, which I thought was reasonable. Everyone there talked to me while I was getting it done and kept checking up to see how I was doing. I definitely recommend to go check them out if you want to get a something done. Read Less

My husband went in for his first tattoo tonight. We had talked to Jess earlier and discussed his idea. She completely took his idea and turned into a masterpiece! He is beyond happy with the amazing work she did. She is professional and very pleasant to work with. We will definitely recommend her & go back! Read Less

I went in for my first tattoo. They didn't tell me anything about the procedure and literally laughed at me when I asked questions- like how long it would take. I got one initial (smaller than a dime) and it was $60. I had to ask about after care and the guy seemed annoyed by the question. After showing my husband, he suggested we go back and get the rest of the initials- 2 more small letters, done with a stencil, next to the first letter. So we went back later that evening to add the other initials and the same man was there to do the STENCILED tattoo. IT IS COMPLETELY CROOKED. I know he could tell and didn't offer to fix it. I didn't want to be talked into any  shitty cover-up they might have talked me into so I left. I am meeting with another artist to fix my CROOKED 3 initialed prison tattoo. Worst tattoo shop ever. As I have told my story around town I hear terrible stories about them everywhere I go. Run- do not walk- away from this place. Read Less

I had gone to a different tattoo shop and made an apt 3 weeks in advance. Somehow we didn't set the time just the date. I tried to call the guy several times to pin down a time with no return call. So that sent me looking elsewhere, he didn't have the time to call me back, he wasn't going to have the time to do my tatt. I was told by several friends to check out River Rat tattoos. I walked in and met with Jason. He showed me the books of all the artists and told me to choose and I ended up choosing him. Thank you Jason for making this a good experience. It had been awhile and I didn't know what to expect. The tattoo looks so much better than I imagined. I love it! Read Less

went in to get my second lobe piercings. they were fine at first but since the swelling went down you can clearly see that the piercings aren't even. one side is a lot farther out from the original piercing than the other. going in to get them redone. Read Less

Fanastic, I walk in on a whim. Showed my Pinterest picture. And Jason went to work. I am in love with the results absolutely perfect. He was wonderful, staff was friendly. Enjoyed my visit and will be back soon. Read Less

I went in to have my nose pierced. The service was great! The employees seemed like they were having a good time. Petra did my nose piercing and she was quick, efficient, and careful. I will absolutely go back and get another piercing. Read Less

I am always treated with the upmost respect and care when I visit River Rat Tattoo.  Tracy has done 2 beautiful water color tattoos and was patient with my ideas and is so creative.  Jessica did a beautiful colorful cover up piece on my back and went above and beyond to consider my taste and placement on my back.  I hear Christian and Petra are talented artists and look forward to getting future work done with them,My favorite tattoo shop! Read Less

I will completely agree the staff was friendly and prompt and prices would've been reasonable had the quality of piercing work not been so very disappointing. I went in to have my tongue re-pierced after having it out for a few years. First the piercing was done with a barbell too long to close my mouth around, although they did send me home with an extra smaller one to switch out in a few days if I tried to close my mouth the barbell they used leaned over sideways in order to to fit between the floor and roof of my mouth and tugged on the piercing site. This isn't my first rodeo and I understand room for swelling but if my tongue had swelled that much I would've had bigger issues than the barbell getting tight. After they finished they did not offer a mirror to look at placement but I paid and left figuring it couldn't be that hard to do correctly since I still had holes on top and bottom from the prior piercing and just needed the middle reopened. When I got home I looked to see if I thought I could change the jewelry out already since it was so long only to discover the piercing went through to prior top whole but was a full ¼ inch from the correct place on the bottom and slanted both forward and to the side. It was so crooked I took the jewelry out immediately so it could close back up. To top it off the jewelry they used was externally threaded and very harsh on the just pierced tissue. Had I waited three days to change it for the shorter one as advised I would've seriously disrupted the newly healing tissue. Very disappointed on many levels. Now I've put a needle through my tongue for absolutely no good reason and have to wait for it to heal to get it done right. Read Less

I love this place and i love the work and the quality. everyone is super friendly and they actually know what they're doing. their goal is to give you a good tattoo that'll last and you'll be happy with, not make money. i recommend this place to anyone and everyone. on another note: their fish tanks are super clean. Read Less

I love this shop. Super friendly and knowledgable staff. Very clean and bright, which is a very different experience, and I loved it! I was able to get a custom piece that was well executed. I will recommend them to everyone I know! Thanks Andrew!! Read Less

I was recommended to river rat tattoos by a friend that has gotten many tattoos from there. For my 18th birthday, I've been wanting to get my industrial done, on the night of my birthday, nervous all as can be, I went to this place, and was completely disgusted. This so called "great" tattoo place was awful! They had a bird in a open cage, not cleaned. They had a salt water fish tank, that was dirty and stank up the front door. The smell of the place, was so horrible.I walked in a began to ask the man, if they did industrial piercings, he answered back, "why, yes we do!" this man was very nice, and talkative. He told me I had to speak to the lady, she does all the piercings. She was avoiding eye contact, while not even trying to speak to me, she was rude. I told the man I called earlier to get a price, the man on the phone told me, $40. I asked him if that's correct, and he said no that's only during happy hour, 1-5, after 5 o clock its $55. The man was talking to me more than the women who was suppose to pierce me. I felt completely uncomfortable, and very upset. I left that place in a rush, I was disappointed. I would not recommend going here AT ALL. After I left there I went to body impressions behind HEB, They took GREAT care of me, well cleaned, and I had a great experience Read Less

I love this place the owner and workers are super friendly. I get all my work done here and I will not go to another tattoo shop. Looking for a clean and nice place this is shop to go to! Their work is amazing and they never let me done! GREAT DEALS & NOT OVER PRICED! Read Less

I was in the mood for a tattoo , so I decided to give River Rat Tattoos a shot; best choice I made!  The staff was friendly, warm, and energetic. This place is well lit and clean. Casey ( the owner) was the tattoo artist that helped me, pretty awesome & down to earth guy. If you live in the area or drive by new braunfels regularly definitely try to get your tattoo here. I will be back to get my next one soon ! Read Less

If you are looking for some new ink this in the place in New Braunfels. It's clean, laid back and professional. This is the tattoo shop where you are likely to run across a doctor, lawyer or teacher getting some ink done. No matter what your background is Jessica and the guys will make sure you feel comfortable and leave whit the tattoo you were dreaming of. Read Less

River Rat is by far the best shop around, Great friendly service, Clean and professional work. They treat you as family, not just as a client. I would recommend River Rat to anybody around. I have personally gotten a piercing and a tattoo from them, and definately plan to go back for more.Read Less

River Rat Tattoos is an extremely clean, friendly parlor. I got my first tattoo there, and I felt very relaxed in the hands of extremely capable artists. They did beautiful work, and this is a wonderful establishment that I hope to come back to again and again. Read Less

I had a tattoo done last night at River rat Tattoos and I am not one of those people that gets them and was rather worried about the pain. They handled me with kid gloves, took the time to find out what i wanted, helped me design it. Very professional and clean. I truly enjoyed my experience with them and would recommend anyone to go to them for their body art. Read Less

tried to get a tatt from a couple of other places an was disappointed with the way i was treated found river rat on the net gave them a call was talked to with repect got to the place loved the atmosphere real laid back when getting the tattoo the artist did excellent work paid attention to the details and made sure my work was perfect i would recomend to anyone even the tattoo virgin great work river rat Read Less