I absolutely do NOT recommend Brass Monkey tattoo or Joey G as a tattoo artist in any way shape or form. I had a very large leg piece that I wanted done and because of the type of tattoo design it was, my friend A. talked me into going into to see this guy Joey G since he specialized in this kind of art work. I hesitated because I have two FREAKING GREAT Artists that I already see at Old Tacoma Tattoo (who I DO recommend tremendously).Let me tell you the story of my interaction with Joey G. -On January 19, 2019 I went into the shop to meet him and schedule an appt. I texted him my tattoo design at his request and $60 to hold an appointment. -On January 25th (after not hearing from him to actually set up the appt) I texted him my availability. 5 DAYS LATER he finally responds with February 25th as a date. Which I accept.-On February 18nd I had to leave for California because my mother was in the hospital essentially dying (we brought her home on hospice where she finally passed away late February). I sent him a text on Feb 22 telling him of the situation and that I would need to reschedule. (at that point I didn't know how long I would  be gone for- it ended up being almost 30 days out of state)- On March 6 I sent him a text telling him I would be home soon and what is his availability the week of March 18th.  I had the ENTIRE week off. He said when he got to the shop at noon that day he would text me some dates and times.  HE NEVER DID-5 DAYS LATER on March 11, I sent him a text checking in with him for dates and time. STILL NO RESPONSE-TWO WEEKS LATER -STILL NO RESPONSE- -March 24th I sent YET ANOTHER TEXT asking to schedule. He FINALLY RESPONDED with "what works for you". (I had already given him plenty of dates and times by now. SO, I gave him even more/new dates and times.-TWO DAYS later on March 27th he finally responds back, but by this time I was so put off and ticked off at his COMPLETE lack of response to me that I had already decided to go where I should have gone all along. Andre and Darin at Old Tacoma Tattoo. I told Joey that I ended up having to schedule somewhere else because we could never connect- and then I sent him a PayPal request to refund me my $60 deposit since it was HIS FAULT that a date was never scheduled. I sent multiple requests with no response. Then I inadvertently sent him ANOTHER $60 (total of $120) through PayPal. I thought I was requesting but was sending instead. That was totally my fault. SO, I texted him and he called me. He said he was having problems with his PayPal and would send me the money, I eventually got $60 back but not the other $60.I texted him again and his response was that because I had to "reschedule a few times", he was not going to refund me the money. And therefore the $60 went towards the drawing of the design and his time. And he kept saying "you have to understand this is a business". What I understand is this Joey and Brass Monkey Tattoo. Your business SUCKS. I never GOT A CHANCE TO RESCHEDULE because of Joeys lack of response to my MULTIPLE text messages with WEEKS WORTH OF DATES AND TIMES over several WEEKS!!. Is that how you run a business? And then when my friend A. who actually referred me to him called him out on his "business ethics" (I sent her the screenshots of our interactions) he lied to her and said that I rescheduled "several times"- I NEVER rescheduled. I NEVER got the chance!!!! I had ONE appointment that I ATTEMPTED to reschedule with him BECAUSE MY MOTHER DIED. Then he tells A. that he was booked when I wanted to get tattooed. Which he NEVER COMMUNICATED with me. I gave him multiple WEEKS and dates and times that I was available. It took from March 6 to the 24th before he even responded to me. Then in his text to her he says, "if she would have asked for her deposit back, I would have given it to her". DUDE!! I asked multiple times!! His text to my friend A. said "I'd gladly refund her. I just never got a request for one". Which is BS!! Again, I have all the screenshots and PayPal activity as proof. As you an see he wasn't even consistent in what he told me over several weeks as compared with what he told my friend. Lies and lack of communication on his part as well as lack of ANY RESPONSE to my multiple attempts to reschedule. I CAN'T EXPRESS ENOUGH HOW SHADY THIS BUSINESS IS AS WELL AS JOEY G. I can't comment on his artistic abilities, but his business ethics and morals are definitely in question. If you have gotten this far, please DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME GOING HERE. Go see Andre or Darin at Old Tacoma Tattoo!!! They have done 4 of my tattoos and I couldn't be happier with not only their artistic abilities but their business ethics as well as their friendly atmosphere. I love going in there and they always take the time to respond to me promptly.Side note- Their piercer? Too busy playing games on his computer for 25 mins to stretch out a friend's ear. Read Less

So i feel as though its tradition that when you're visiting a new city, with best friends, you have to do something iconic. And what's better than a tattoo. After breakfast we were walking in and out of shops hoping they would have the time for some walk ins. And we had heard from some friends that Brass Monkey was the place to try. Luckily for us Joey was available to take all 3. And thank god the universe put us in his hands because wow. His line work is unmatched, i can't stop staring at this beautiful work! Not to mention pricing is also very appropriate. He's really dope, so much so i made another appointment before i hop on a plan back to Buffalo. Extremely impressed with their energy and cleanliness of the shop. Can't wait for Sunday! Read Less

I had my tongue pirced here and I was absolutely enchanted by the people working there! I can see how they could have been seen as somewhat boisterous and a bit over the top, but that worked for me! They were funny and chill and thats what I needed to relax. They were also very clean in my opinion, made sure that everything was sterile and organized. I was pretty impressed. I also appreciated the amount of similarities in personality there was between my piercer and myself, I can't remember his name, but damn I was happy with his performance! Good guy. The piercing went very well, no infection and was fairly painless. He was good to say the least. Great place! Read Less

Chris is a professional and knowledgeable piercer. He's trained in various different body modifications and always gives you the best explanation and experience when you get anything done by him. Super sweet guy. Go to this place for all your piercing needs. Read Less

The guy was very patient and kind, let me keep talking (I do that when nervous) and did a great job on my ankle tattoo. He also noticed my old one from another shop was a little messed up and fixed it for free. I’m definitely coming back here, though fair warning: the music can be pretty loud. (This was a year or two ago) Read Less

The tattoo artists here are incredibly diligent and attentive to your needs and comfort. The space is clean and people are incredibly friendly. Would definitely recommend to anyone loooking for a reliable parlor. Read Less

My sister and I got our industrials pierced here. It's not my usual piercing spot so I was a lil hesitant but everything was done really well and professionally. The piercer was professional and calm and talked my sister and I through everything. The pricing was decent & reflected the price of other places in the area. Would definitely recommend this place to others looking to get a piercing done! Read Less

My sister and I got our industrials pierced here. It's not my usual piercing spot so I was a lil hesitant but everything was done really well and professionally. The piercer was professional and calm and talked my sister and I through everything. The pricing was decent & reflected the price of other places in the area. Would definitely recommend this place to others looking to get a piercing done! Read Less

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE, PLEASE READ. This is what happens to a totally trusting person that ends up with a tattoo artist that just doesn't care and does the bare minimum. I had a cover-up on my ankle & Josh was supposed to be the one to see & of course I was all to happy to finally be getting it done. First of all he forgot to put me on the schedule,  so he said he'd hook it up for my time, but he never did. He actually said flowers were my only option,  then later said I could do other things, he said he'd do the leg band in all 1 setting, but then he was hungover & said he would have me come back, and now it is some silly tattoo that does not look cohesive. He convinced me pink would cover my old tattoo, but it didn't (every other artist has told me that they wouldn't have done that color) & the band, because he did it later,  looks like an afterthought.  Everything I asked for he shot down & I just put my blind faith in him, mistakenly.  The tattoo is ugly & the flowers are some of the most generic flowers I've ever seen from a seasoned tattoo artist, but he took my $410 & hung up on me when I called and told him what I didn't like. Prior to him doing the band,  I told him I was concerned about how it would look, but again he assured me, he just wanted to get it done.  Josh take your 17 yrs of experience & shove it, what good are they if you don't even care about each and every person you tattoo, this is my life and your tattoo sucks and so do you & I'm living proof of your lazy careless work & I will be telling everybody that will listen & do whatever I can to spread the word. You are bad business & people have the right to know what you did to me. Mind you he was to do some more coloring and never finished,  but took my money. Please don't be fooled by the fancy shop, shop around for someone that will treat you like a person and not just another tattoo to get over with. I will be posting pictures soon. Josh...I'm not done with you. This shop is not the TOP shop in TACOMA...look around. There are better artist and way better people out there. Oh and I'm still waiting to see, but I'm pretty sure he scarred me from  going too deep with the needles, using fresh aloe from the plant to see, but I'm pretty sure the raising is from him going to fast and too hard. Thanks for everything, Josh.STAY TUNED for PHOTOS!!! Will re-review w/ photos soon. Read Less

My husband and I got tattoos done there last week. We walked in and they were able to fit us in for a quick little session. Very clean shop!! Everyone there was nice and friendly. I would definitely recommend. Read Less

I like this shop a lot. I had never gone to this place before. It was pretty easy to find. When I walked in the place was busy with people waiting. The tattoo artists were busy setting up, and my piercer was busy helping another client. When it was finally my turn, I sat down in the chair and told Zach what I wanted. He wanted to start me out in a 16g for a Vertical Labret... I asked if we could go with a 14 as I like to gradually increase the size of the jewelry. He agreed and checked my lip out, spent a good ten minutes marking my lip and explaining how it was going to look. Zach did really well considering I'm a jumper of sorts. I gave him a heads up about this which might have helped prepare him (I'm kind of a big dude so I always disclose these things). When all was said and done, I walked out looking like a wasp stung me in the lip, but the piercing was good.... there was no residual pain once the piercing part was over. Zach has a clean operation, his set up was good. He was organized. I think I might have found my new piercing go to. Read Less

I came to Brass Monkey in September of 2016 for a tattoo, and had a good experience. The woman who tattooed me was kind and knowledgable. Because of the good experience I had with the tattoo, I came back about a year later for a piercing. What a mistake! The guy who pierced my friend and me, Zac, basically just stuck the needle through our ears and shooed us away. The jewelry used was cheap, and we were given absolutely no aftercare instructions (we were not told how to clean the new piercings, we were not told not to sleep on the piercings until they fully healed, etc.), and were not told that we would need to get the piercings downsized--we found this out only after visiting another piercer who was piercing our other friend. As a result, we did not know how to clean the piercings and thought that it would be okay to sleep on the newly pierced ear after it stopped hurting. This led to the piercings tilting in our ears, and being unable to fully heal. We had to take the jewelry out and let the piercings heal over. What a waste of money. Read Less

Very impressed with Shane the tattoo artist. He's very friendly and is willing to get to know you. I gave him a print out of the design I wanted which was the sun on the Philippine flag. His line work is VERY clean and consistent. He matched the picture perfectly. I'm definitely bringing him more customers from my campus! Make sure to check him out, there is also a $60 deposit to reserve your appointment. Read Less

Made my first appointment here after getting tons of recommendations to go here! From the moment I walked into my appointment to when I left, I honestly couldn't be happier. Dan is a genius and has such a keen eye for detail. He took exactly what I wanted and he went beyond my expectations! It was so much fun and Im obsessed with my tattoo. Thank you again Dan for an amazing piece of art! Read Less

Josh has done 4 tatts for me now. To say I love them just really doesn't capture how happy I am with the work he has done. Always a great experience and i will be a customer as long as i have skin to ink! Read Less

Very good experience at Brass Monkey. Finally got to get inked by my old friend Dan. He was beyond helpful and gave up his evening to make it happen. Loved the family vibe in the shop. Made it totally worth the commute from Oregon. #fingerboardsforlife Read Less

I've gotten three tattoos by Alexis and each one is beyond perfect! I give her an idea of what I want and she makes it perfectly! The shop is always clean and artist are so fun! I will continue to go here and recommend to anybody and everybody! Read Less

Seth did an amazing job on my walk in. The staff was super customer service oriented which can be a tough find for a tattoo shop (at least in my experience). I got a wrench behind my ear and he was able to make it more detailed that I had hoped!! I went to another shop and they said they could do it solid black only. Seth was awesome and I will be going back to him for my next tattoo. Read Less

Went into this place with a friend of mine to get our lips pierced. The guy was extremely nice and he made me feel right at home. Can't wait to go back and get more piercings and tats!!!!! I will recommend this place to everybody!!!! Read Less

Had an appointment on Sunday with Alexis she was absolutely awesome! She went way beyond my expectations I would highly recommend this shop. overall very clean shop, awesome atmosphere and people. I will definitely be coming back Read Less

i had a great experience!! I got my tongue pierced here and the process was smooth and the people who work there are nice and welcoming, so i took my girlfriend there to get the other side of her nose pierced and it was a great experience again. I would highly recommend this place to any person who is looking for great body modifications Read Less

I went as a walk in with my daughter in law to get tattoos. While waiting for her to get hers drawn out I wanted to get one as well but the lady told me she did not have time to do mines . But while I was sitting there waiting for her to get done they took 4 more walkin . Oh I for got this they were all white and I m black I have nothing nice to say about this never will I use or send any one there I will let people know how I was treated at this place. No way no how I'm good oh buy the way I got mines done buy a different tattoo shop and told them how I was treated good luck Read Less

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! The watercolor "Always Keep Fighting" was my first tattoo, done by Alexis and she is seriously my favorite. She is really cool and sweet and a great artist! I just went in to get the cross behind my ear and mentioned that I wanted more but didn't have the money and she let me get the dachshund for the same price since it was so simple! She's just a doll and the atmosphere is really cool too. If this is your first tattoo or your 100th tattoo, go!!! Read Less

I was a walk in and they got me in an hour later with it all stenciled and ready. Matt did an amazing job and it's by far my favorite tattoo yet. These guys are professional and amazing artists, I'd recommend them to anyone. Read Less

Had a great experience with Lexus! We literally walked in after our appointment elsewhere fell through and she had an opening and took time to pick a design, draw it out and tweak it to how we wanted it. My husband and I both got crown tattoos and she did really well and she was super nice and easy to have a good conversation with. She worked way longer than she anticipated on the pieces and she wasn't in a rush or anything. We'll definitely go back to her! Read Less

Just finished up with my third tattoo with Lexus, She has done a great job on all of them, they look awesome. Lexus not only does good work she is fun to talk with while work is getting done. I will be going back again, we have 3 more to do. I said "we" because  when you work with her it is a partnership to get you exactly what you want or even better! Read Less

So for my very first tattoo and my husband and I's anniversary gift to each other, we went to Brass Monkey Tattoo. Josh, who was booked out was very kind to fit us in right away. The tattoos turned out very tight and actually turned out better than we could have expected! We will definitely go back for future tattoos, thanks Josh! Read Less

We got two tattoos here- one was a touch up/fix on my wrist and the other was a butterfly on my wife's leg. All of the staff were very nice. Our tattoo artist did an amazing job and the prices were reasonable. The shop is clean and has some really cool decor. Overall we were very pleased. This will be our go to place for now on. Read Less

I am so huge on customer service and after walking in other establishments asking simple questions and getting snarky remarks and rude looks I am very impressed with brass monkey. My gf and I randomly walked in as they were closing up. They actually stayed open to give us each a simple tattoo. They were nice, quick and professional. My heart tattoo turned out very well and I have no complaints. I will definitely be going back and will continue to recommend them. I feel bad however that I cannot remember the name of the artist that did the work! Read Less

I wish I could give zero stars I feel so sickened  about this establishment and the way they carry business that words can hardly do justice the disdain this shop has for its customers and the art of tattooing.  I went in a couple months ago for my first tattoo I even got two done that day. My "artist" was Dan. I got a pyramid on my arm and a very basic smiley face on my other arm. The pyramid healed fine but the smiley face seemed to heal really nasty and the stabbing was ridiculous. After 75 days or so they pyramid looked alright, the lines were a bit sloppy but it was fine but the smiley face was something horrid. Ink was everywhere it just looked like a toddler took a tattoo gun to me. I went back and Dan told me it simply wasn't done healing. I didn't think that was the case so I went to receive some second opinions. After gathering research and professional opinions from other shops I learned that my tattoo was "blown out" that is when the artist drills to deep in your skin and pierces a layer of skin he is not supposed to and that leaks ink all in your inner layer of your epidermis which cause scarring and random ink all over your tattoo. My arm is now a scarred mess with different colored ink all over my tattoo. The scarring is so bad I can't even cover it up. My scars will always be visible. I went back to the shop and demanded a refund and an apology. Dan said he would try to fix my tattoo i told him he would never touch me with a needle again. Me and Dan stepped outside and were arguing but not fighting we were being adults. Then out of no where a customer of his hit me in the face! After that happened one of the tattoo artist came outside and pushed me as if I did something wrong. This is so unacceptable that I cannot fathom that a business would allow this behavior. A artist assaulting a customer is the most out of line thing you could possibly do. This place scarred me for life. The business ethics are also more than questionable. I received no refund. I left with a swollen nose a ripped shirt and 250$ on them tearing up my body. If you want a crappy expensive tattoo then by all means come here. If you want to not be scarred I would certainly stay away from Dan and all of the questionable artist in this business. I'm so devastated about my arm I wouldn't let Dan draw a picture on me. I recommend Tattoos by the Russian. Great work really affordable and you don't leave with disgusting scars from artist who don't know what there doing. It's a shame that this place is even considers a reputable business. Read Less

I got my first tattoo from Brass Monkey after visiting a couple other shops. The folks there were much friendlier than the other shops we visited and were super helpful when considering the idea I had for my tattoo. I told the owner I was interested in getting an elephant tattooed on my forearm and he recommended I talk to Dan because he had previously done some elephant pieces. I set up an appointment with Dan a week and a half out and it was all easy from there. Dan was friendly and relaxed throughout the whole appointment and I couldn't be happier with the results!! If you're looking for a great tattoo, I definitely recommend checking out Dan's other work. Read Less

Went to this shop on a whim and ended with a great experience. Scott did a great job of taking my picture and idea and turning it into an even better sketch. Quick, easy, and I'm super happy with the final product. Read Less

Note: I have not and will not get a tattoo here. I called to find out shop rates and get appointment info. It was a demoralizing conversation, in which I was talked down to when I asked about deposits and appointments, "How many other shops have you called? I can't tell you that information over the phone. Not to be rude, but that's how tattoo shops always work. I don't know if you've ever gotten a tattoo anywhere before. I can't see anybody's schedule. It's first come, first serve." Read Less

This place was a right away pick when walking through the door. It has great vibes and some really talented artists. A buddy of mine and myself got tattoos from Bismark, he's only been at brass monkey for a month now but he's a great artist who use to do work in Texas. Both our pieces came out crisp and his lines and coloring are awesomeWARNING- if you're going for your first tattoo I would try another artist or let him know. Of my six pieces I've had done he's a little tougher with the needle. My leg was sore for a couple days after Read Less

When it comes to collecting art that will be with you even unto the grave, and viewed by sexual partners forever, one must take special precaution and choose wisely as to whom they allow to alter their meat suit.  These fellas are absolutely top notch! After the first time walking in and discussing my ideas with Dan and Josh, I felt completely stoked about my large 3/4 sleeve project. Dan is about 5 hours in on my arm at the time of this post and everything is taking shape amazingly, I'll be extremely proud to show off the finished project. Shoot, I'm proud to show it off right now! If you're looking for an exceptional shop with fantastic artists you've found it! And, absolutely great pricing to go along with the incredible artwork! Still have any doubts, I dare you to call them or stop in and see if you don't walk away from that experience with a goofball grin! As a matter of fact, I double-dog dare you! Read Less

I went here for my latest tattoo and Dan B did a fantastic job! I gave him a few examples of what I wanted and when I came in for my appointment he was ready to go and I was so impressed with the work and his professionalism that I will be returning to him for my next tattoo. The shop is clean and looks great, the staff is friendly. One of the best shops in town! Read Less

Kick ass guys that do awesome work. Thought their shop closed for good, then looked it up....new locale!!! Jonny did a large, awesome piece on my upper arm. Going back to him for all my future work, and I recommend him and that shop to all my friends. Can't wait to see the new place! Read Less