Houston Ink Society Tattoo Co.

I live in NYC and am surrounded by some of the best tattoo artists in the world. That being said I don’t get any work done here because of how good Judith at Houston Ink Society is. She is amazingly professional, fast to respond to appointment inquiries AND a true artist. I’ve had many pieces done by Judith now and am constantly amazed by how great they turn out and heal perfectly!

I had absolutely no idea what this was going to be like, since it was my first professional tattoo, but I am so happy with the results! Julian did such a great job with my tattoo! I could not be happier with his work! I will be coming back for another one from Julian soon! Thank you so much for your great work Julian!

Got two tattoos from Clayton! I highly recommend this place. Completely professional environment. Go to this place if you want an amazing tattoo.

Met their apprentice Sinclaire through Judi’s Instagram. Loved her work that she has posted on IG, so I took a chance. I now have 2 tattoos by her and I am planning a few more. Sinclaire has a great vibe about her, is very talented, and a great artist. She very conscientious and humble. Excited to work with her in the future.
Been to both the Westheimer location and the Milby location to work with Sinclaire. Both locations are clean and have great atmosphere. Parking at the Westheimer location can be difficult, but it’s in Montrose, so that’s to be expected. Met a few of the other artists in passing and everyone seems very nice and welcoming. I think almost all of them actively post their work on Instagram, so find them so you can decide for yourself if any of them have a style you are interested in.

I had a very unpleasant experience getting a big portion of a upper arm sleeve completed here $ 800 worth of work. Long story short I had terrible ink work done, the background to a tiger literally looked like the artist just put black patches of ink on my arm, no detail, terrible uneven shading on the part of my arm (font and back) which is pretty much all people see of the tattoo (the rest was in my inner arm.
I gave my feedback to the artist with no response, so then went to another shop to get this work fixed (luckily was able to salvage my arm) by creating a jungle scene with lots of detail however it had to remain dark because of the previous bad shading… I had to spend an additional $ 1,500 to get this fixed. I was very upset having to spend this kind of money in addition so I reached out to the owner of the Houston Ink Society shop to tell him my story and see if I could get a refund for a portion of the amount of money I paid for terrible work (I thought it was fair to request half, probably about how much the shop owner collected in commissions from the work). The owner said in short that he would have reworked my tattoo for free (the artist did not tell me this when I gave him feedback and complained about my tattoo, he just ignored my e-​mail). This does not do me any good because I already commissioned another artist to fix the work, and I am glad that I did not let the owner fix it anyway because if he hires an artist that does such poor work in his professional tattoo business I do not trust him to tattoo me either.
When I requested the refund I gave the owner 1 weeks time talk with the artist that did my tattoo and told him that I would not report them to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) if I could get half of my money back between the two of them. I received no response so I am updating my review here and reporting them to the BBB. I even e-​mailed before and after pics to the shop owner and he agreed «100%» that the work I received was not that of quality and he claimed that he has had to bring up issues like this with the artist before… so why would you let the artist continue to ruin other peoples bodies??? Very unpleasant and frustrating situation. Please contact me if you would like to see pictures of the terrible work I received, I am happy to show!

Bucket list item #7: Get a tattoo.
Check!
For months, I entertained the idea of actually going through with this. As a chick who cringes over a simple teeth cleaning at the dentist or nearly faints before a flu shot, my chances of sitting still while a high-​powered needle punctured my skin a few hundred times per minute were extremely slim. Also, I have permanence issues. But having found an image that really resonated with me (totally cheesy, I know…), I was hell-​bent on going through with it – hell-​bent and completely terrified at the same time.
So, step 1: find a clean, respectable, reputable tattoo parlor with several artists to choose from, all of whom won’t make you feel like a total wuss just because it’s your first tattoo. That’s where Houston Ink Society comes in. I called a week beforehand to schedule an appointment and got Mario on the phone, who ended up being my tattoo artist. Over the next few days, we went back and forth via email: I showed him the image I wanted and where I wanted it, and afterwards, he told me how much it would cost and how long it would take. For larger, more intricate projects, they may ask for a deposit 24hrs in advance, but don’t worry about this if you have something simple in mind.
The parlor itself is actually pretty big and spotless. There’s plenty of parking in the lot right behind it, and the lobby has a sofa and several places to sit while you wait. Their artwork is EVERYWHERE, so if you need inspiration, you’ll have no trouble finding it in one of their many posters or booklets. Once it was go time, Mario showed me, my fiancé, and a couple buddies I brought for support to one of the back rooms. Since I had company to keep me distracted and entertained, I don’t have much to say about Mario’s etiquette, but he was nice enough to reapply the stencil over and over until I was 100% satisfied with how it looked on my body. Seems like a cool, but quiet, dude. About 25 minutes later (with only a few minutes being a tad unbearable), I was all done, with a beautiful message now adorned on my skin.
I have nothing bad to say about my experience with Mario and Houston Ink Society. As a first-​timer, they made this process as quick, easy, and comfortable as possible and I’m very pleased with the results. You know how they say «once you get your first tattoo, you’re hooked»? Mm, not too sure about that one, but on the off-​chance that I do decide to get something else done, I know Houston Ink Society will definitely take care of me.

not the nicest tattoo shop out there. but i love that theres always someone free for a walk in. the artists seem happy to do whatever you want, and you can look at the computer yourself for designs. it is a casual walk in walk out place. and i like that.

Kat Fullerton is the bomb! She specializes in black and grey and script, but can do it all! She’s a total babe with incredible talent. She immediately puts you at ease and makes you feel comfortable and confident that you made the right choice by having her put the needle to your skin. Myself and several of my friends have gotten tattooed by Kat and we always go back! Do yourself a favor and go check out this rad lady.

Just started on a piece by Miss Jew. She is an amazing artist with a really cool personality. This place has a lot of artist to choose from. Everyone here seemed pretty nice and laid back.

Not from Houston. Shops look a little shady here. My fiancée tried the place last year and I took the plunge this year. Clean shop. My tatoo was simple. I appreciated Vito service. I’ll be back.

I had my first rib tattoo today but my 3^rd overall, and let me say I had the most amazing experience! I wanted a quote in script but in a more whimsical, feminine style– KAT FULLERTON gave me exactly what I wanted and more. The tattoo flows with my curves and is so beautiful and not as painful as ribs I heard are! She is amazing and can only praise her! If you want script in any style see her!!! You will not regret it! She works mainly at the N. Milby location– Brandon the owner is extremely nice and welcoming!!! By the way it is more than sanitary at both locations!

Brandon T. is a great owner and operator! The crew that is in his shops are amongst the finest artists in all of Texas. I personally only get mine done by Brandon! If its your first time they are VERY clean and friendly to guide you and walk you through the entire procedure.

I was very nervous about getting my first tattoo, as a 36 year old suburban mom. I scoured recommendations and went to 5 different places to check them out before deciding where to go. I met Brandon at Houston Ink Society and he was my choice. He told me to look through all of their artist portfolios and choose an artist i liked, while i did he took the time to talk to me about my design idea, explain the process, discuss the cost, and made me feel very comfortable. He even had some ideas to add to my design concept. On the day I got my tattoo, he had 3 or 4 designs drawn before I got there and they were way better than I had ever imagined. He made any changes I requested without any problems and he calmed me down by explaining things as he did them and distracting me with chit chat. I am definitely sending my husband there and will probably go back in the future to get more ink.

My daughter and I decided to get a pair of tattoos, and we wanted to talk to several artists to find the right person for us. We walked into Houston Ink Society and we’re greeted by Judi. We were impressed with the cleanliness and setup of the shop. We gave Judi an idea of what we wanted and looked at her portfolio, which alone would have been reason enough to choose her. She is an incredibly talented artist.
As we talked to her, she was able to take what we described and pull out the really important elements for what we had in mind. She was clear about the process of paying a deposit and working on a drawing that she would finalize with our input. We were amazed when her first sketch was almost exactly what we had envisioned!
We were impressed again when it came time to do the tattoos. Judi has a great hand, her line work is so precise, and color work is awesome!
She is definitely headed to be known as a top tattoo artist.

This pertains to their piercing staff, not tattoos.
My two friends and I got pretty tame piercings (cartilage) here, all done by Chris. He was okay, he said he was one of 3 (it was a few, I don’t remember the number?) certified piercers in Texas. Which board of certification, I don’t know, but I’m sure it was pretty shady.
What he told us at the end was that we should clean the piercings with hand soap and then put Neosporin ointment over it for about a month. Every single website and person I have talked to has said that you should absolutely not do that. All three of us that got piercings have had some issues with bumps/​possible infections.
So, uh, take what they tell you with a grain of salt and do your own research.

Hi Tattoo lovers! :)
I got my first tattoo by Richard De La Cruz. He is very talented, kind, and patient. I went to two artist before him and they were very rude, and impatient. I thought this was maybe how most artists are. Going into this shop all the staff were extremely friendly, helpful, and approachable. I wanted the word love but not in a particular font. I wanted a handwritten font. It was not something I could find online, but he was patient in asking and finding out exactly what I wanted. Although it was simple and small he still noted the details I wanted and created the perfect sketch. He makes you feel very comfortable. I left the shop and took a look and noticed I wanted the tail a little longer on the ‘L’. I went right back and he helped me add on that part. He was still very nice, and made sure I was happy with my tattoo. His pricing is very reasonable and gives great service! I would definitely recommend him and refer him to your friends! Thank you so much Richard for making my first tattoo experience a great one! :)