Atomic Tattoo & Body Piercing

I just went to Atomic Tattoo last weekend to get one new one and another one fixed. I was reluctant bc my last one didn’t turn out like I wanted it too, it wasn’t at this shop though. Benjamin was my artist and he was absolutely amazing! He was thoughtful, took his time making sure everything was exactly how I wanted it and an extremely talented artist. I loved every part of my experience at Atomic tattoo. Not only did he do a great job on my new piece but he also fixed my old one and its 100% better. I love them both and will only be going to see him from now on!

I have been to several tattoo shops, called a few tattoo shops, have heard about a few tattoo shops… and, this tattoo shop is by far a breathe of fresh air. The people that work there are not uptight, they’re cool and really freaking nice. I have witnessed their customer service firsthand while waiting for my session (because I arrived early, not because the tattooer was late) and they are really awesome with the customers that walked in. They actually take care of you and help you out– lots of other shops sorry to say it, don’t come close. Everyone there is nice and don’t make you feel like a small bug in a lions den.
I went in the first day and asked for someone that could tattoo me, one of the girls (super nice) recommended DANIEL F. WARD! I made and appt to get tattooed by him the following week. First of, I’m not one to jump into the hands of any tattooer without even reading any reviews first. but, I REALLY wanted this tattoo. When I went back DANIEL F. WARD had drawn up my tattoo just the way I wanted. He was very nice, joked around, made me feel very comfortable and did an amazing job. I went back a couple of weeks later to get a second tattoo and the whole experience was yet again, incredible. DANIEL F. WARD is a bad ass artist with a good soul. He is great! Highly, highly, highly recommend him and this shop…

Hands down one of the best tattoo shops in Austin! I was greeted with a warm welcome immediately when I walked in, which is refreshing, because at most shops it seems like customer service is becoming a low level priority. Definitely not the case here. The interior was gorgeous, super clean, and the walls are covered with tasteful artwork. Again, very refreshing considering how many other places there are that just have things pinned to the wall with no rhyme or reason.
I needed a mistake covered up on my shoulder, and Ray exceeded my expectations! He went out of his way to make sure I got everything I wanted, and made me feel like I was right at home. You can tell he knows what he’s doing, he’s very efficient and can actually carry on a conversation while he works his magic! Ray is not just another tattoo artist. Ray is genuine, extremely passionate about his work and what he does. Those kind of people are very hard to come by, and I have finally found my go-​to-​guy for anything I get in the future!
I would recommend this shop to everyone I know! The people are great, the shop has an awesome vibe to it, and I couldn’t have asked for a more kickass experience! Thanks for everything you guys, you’ll be seeing much more of me in the future!

I just visited Atomic for a consult with Ashley. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to get started with my piece. The shop was inviting and Ashley was friendly, professional and totally engaged. Based on my first impression I can see myself coming back to Atomic (and Ashley) for all my tattoo needs.

Close to my apartment, me and my wife walked in to this location of Atomic, my wife did a small one. Next day for some reason i wanna try some other tattoo store by I35, it was monday and they was closed then i decide to go to Atomic, they was little slow and the guy name «RAY» took me. I show him design. He was working on my design for some reason i showed him different, he was like forget about that old design lets do this, he came with little different then i showed him, amazing and i loved it. He was really a creative and he knows what he was doing, fully trust him, his piece of art on me forever. and he was very friendly. If you want a good portrait done, see RAY. I will def go back soon.

Before I begin, I’d like to clarify that I am writing a review about Nathan Hebert, an artist at Atomic Tattoos on Burnet Rd.
Now, I have gotten tattoos before at other establishments and most of my friends have tattoos. In other words, I believe myself to be a credible source since I’ve been around the industry for a few years. Usually, when a customer enters a shop, he/​she tells the artist about his/​her idea, gets details on pricing and the number of sessions required, etc… Then, the artist will work with the client on producing an amazing sketch of the tattoo, focusing on what the client wants. Finally, the tattoo will be forever engraved on that client’s body and everyone lives happily every after.
OK, none of this happened when my fiancé came to atomic tattoos on burnet rd. Ok, maybe only the first part about # of sessions/pricing…but that’s standard. Everything else, was a complete disappointment. The customer service as well as the lack of enthusiasm and professionalism was appalling. From the moment my fiancé told Nathan about his idea for his first tattoo (which was a sleeve that had extreme sentimental meaning to him), Nathan immediately shut down the idea and tried to talk him out of it. First strike aside, we decided that Nathan’s work was worth the poor customer service and we could just put up with his little tantrums. After the first session, we noticed he had made a fundamental mistake in my fiancé’s portrait of his mother. Nathan was obviously sloppy and must have not cared about his work because he included flaws from the reference we gave him. Now, I’m no tattoo artist, but I think that if I were given a less than pristine reference for a portrait, I would try and lessen the flaws and do my best to compliment and honor the subject of the tattoo. jussayin…
It was obvious that Nathan didn’t want to do the tattoo because he said so in one of his tantrums. He literally said, «I am not excited about doing this piece anymore». He also mentioned, «it’s a stupid idea, I’m not even going to put it in my portfolio». And when another tattoo artist came into his room and asked, «what are you working on?», Nathan replied with, «some bullshit». He was so unexcited, that he stopped doing the tattoo before he even finished it! That’s right, he stopped tattooing because he didn’t like the concept! Now, again, I am no tattoo artist, but if someone is paying me $ 150.00 per hour to do a tattoo, I would put on my big girl pants, and get it done, regardless of how I feel about the piece. Also, from a customer’s standpoint, would you want to pay someone to get something that you don’t want on your body? Seriously think about that question if you decide to go to Nathan. If he doesn’t agree with your concept, he will try to talk to out of it. For instance, we wanted to go with an angel crushing a demon theme as an element for the sleeve. This was so that it would have a certain meaning for my fiancé. Instead of working with my fiancé’s idea, Nathan tried to talk him out of it completely by suggesting some random, left-​field idea that had absolutely nothing to do with my fiancé’s concept. He suggested that he add some skulls and flames around the tiger (another element in the sleeve) and that to go big with it. Skulls and flames have nothing to do with an angel stomping out a demon. Another suggestion he had was to include an ‘all seeing eye’ in the sleeve. This was actually offensive because after we told him that it’s against our religious beliefs, he continued to push the idea (of the eye). Aside from the tattoo nightmare we experienced, the managers there weren’t much better. While we were waiting for Nathan to set up the station, we made small talk with one of the guys where we showed him a photo of our dog. The manager then started disrespecting us by saying that we «have a bitch dog». Totally uncalled for and extremely disrespectful. Another note on how poor our experience was with atomic tattoos, was when my fiancé accidentally knocked down something in Nathan’s room. Immediately after the object fell, another employee ran into the room as to start a fight with us. Really?! So, let me recap, we got told that our idea/​concept is stupid, the tattoo artist doesn’t want to finish the work, the manager disrespected our dog, another employee rushes in as to jump us, and now we have to go to another shop to pay more money (Approx. $ 1000) to finish Nathan’s work. Bottom line, Nathan Hebert needs to learn some customer service skills and understand what it means to be a professional… you’ve been warned, there’s much better out there.

worst place ever
I went in to change my dermal jewel, it took 30 mins really?!!
it took max 5 mins to get the actually piercing. This guy was horrible did not know what he was doing and he never screwed it in right. They said because it was long its going to be sticking out. Bs I went home it screwed it in myself.
He also cut my skin, and moved the plate underneath around.
its now all swollen and irritated.
The only man I will ever let pierce or touch my skin is Joe at Classic tattoo in San marcos. I would rather make the drive.
This place is dirty and grimy.

I’m so in love with my new Atomic/​Craig Sheets tattoo! And it’s not even complete yet.
We’re about six hours in to what will be eight hours of work. Craig has taken my very large arm piece and broken it down into segments. The first sitting completed the brightly colored outline. The second filled it in. The next will complete the background and details. And I’ve been pleased with this Atomic location since I took my first step in the doors.
The place is spacious, comfortable and clean. There’s a couch and TV for relaxing, a break room for a quick drink to re-​caffeinate, and each artist has their own office/​room for some privacy while working.
I met with Craig the first time to talk to him about the vague idea that I had — a bright floral tattoo including flowers that don’t actually exist in nature. He ran with the idea and now I have an incredibly colorful, cool and feminine alien flower piece that is causing strangers to stop me and comment on the beautiful detail and color.
Though I’m excited to get it finished, he’s insisting that we wait until the skin is completely healed and healthy before we jump back in. I like that about him. And I’m already brainstorming about my next Atomic/​Craig Sheets tattoo! No doubt he’ll make that one incredible too…

Just got my first tattoo there and the whole experience was fantastic! The shop was very clean and spacious. Definitely a very professional and non-​intimating environment The whole staff was very friendly and inviting. I had a killer idea and Ray Strickland made it come to life. He clearly had a knack for macabre style I was going for. He also seemed as genuinely excited for my idea as I was. A three hour tattoo can be grinding so having a fun atmosphere is a definite must! It didn’t hurt either that he had a bad ass set of music playing. His Misfits playlist helped that last hour fly by. I highly recommend this shop for anybody looking to get work done. I know I’ll be going back there.

I visited Atomic Tattoo, last Saturday, and was very impressed with the friendly atmosphere and the top shelf professionalism. I’ve been in many shops over the years; none of those shops were nearly as welcoming, as clean, and had the wide variety of talented artists as Atomic Tattoo (2800 South I-​35).
I planned this trip to Austin only cause of the crazy skills of Ashley Thomas. A few years ago she did a piece for my grandmother (in CT), a few months ago she did a piece for my stepfather (in NYC), and these pieces for my mother, father, brother and grandfather (in TX obviously) to complete my ½ sleeve. Though there’s nothing Ashley can’t do, she specializes in custom color and black & grey tattoos. She uses only high-​quality vegan ink made with organic pigments and a 100% vegan tattoo procedure. Her procedure is held to the highest industry standards in which she removes all equipment from sterile packaging in front of you. With a little brainstorming, she’ll put your ideas big or small on paper and before you know it the same masterpiece is on your body. Since you’re about to put something permanently on your body: why settle for anything but the best!!!
I highly recommend the outstanding artists at Atomic Tattoo. If you are not sure where to get your ink done, there’s no harm in going to the shop (2800 South I-​35) and looking at each artist’s portfolio. I more specifically recommend the amazingly talented Ashley Thomas: you can visit her page at
or email her directly at
and take the first step towards your epic tattoo!

I’m really conflicted about this place. I like my tattoo. My friend likes her tattoo. I think we were both just put off by the idea that the artist treated the whole ordeal as if he was doing us a favor.
So my friend and I both decided to get tattoos, we stop by Atomic Tattoo since it’s right across the street from where we live. We both discuss what we would like, the artist says he’ll draw something up and to come back in back about hour. Good deal.
We come back an hour later… he’s done nothing. Can we come back tomorrow? Ok, cool.
Next day rolls around, he’s stil not done drawing our tattoos. He finishes up, we get started, my friend goes first. He didn’t have any vaseline, so he has to run to the store. We wait some more. When he finally starts my friend’s tattoo, it was fine. They took more breaks than she would have liked since he’s a smoker, but not a big deal. It did take three and a half hours, and we both thought he could have been done in about two, but not our call.
My turn comes up, he doesn’t have any gloves. So he goes and borrows a pair from someone else. We take a break, he tosses his gloves… and then has to go to the store and buy some. Seriously. He took two trips to the store while we were there.
Overall, we’re both really happy with our tattoos, but I wouldn’t come back here. I have my fair share of piercings and tattoos, this is the first time I’ve been to a place where they didn’t go through any of the cleaning/​aftercare procedures, and my friend’s tattoo took three hours, mine took about one, yet we were there for six hours? I don’t know, the guy was just kind of a spaz and the whole time we both felt like we were in our friend’s basement getting a tattoo for free or something. The professionalism was lacking, but oh well, I guess that’s what happens when you get impromptu tattoos.