Zen Tattoo Art Gallery

I went in for a re-​color of an older tattoo and Melissa did a beautiful job. Their 5 star review is earned. Thanks!

My wife and I came to Maui for our honeymoon and decided to get matching tattoos with the bible verse we used in our wedding. Masao created our piece using the hibiscus. Masao and Marselo were incredible and professional.

Masao is a true artist! Gentle touch and listens to what you want! Can not wait to go back and get more from him! Whether you are visiting or a local you need to go check out Masao Fukayama at Zen!

This is the tattoo shop to go to! Masao took me right in and did some incredible roses on my hip. I will post a picture once I’m healed. Masao and Marcelo were both in the shop the day I went and they were both very accommodating.

This review is for ERIC. He went above and beyond my expectations for the walk in tattoo I got. My friends and I were vacationing, and on our 2^nd to last day, my friend decided to get her first tattoo in the spur of the moment. I told her I would get one with her, so we called to see if they would have time for us before jumping in a cab to Zen Tattoo. Eric and the other artists were very patient with my friend and I while we played with ideas of what to get. I ended up with two roses on my shoulder and I absolutely love it! Eric looked at the two photos of different styles that I liked and meshed the two together, and I am so happy with the results. He also stayed way past closing time to finish my tattoo and even gave my friends and self a ride back to our hotel. Thanks for the awesome experience Eric! (Will update with a pic soon.)

I had my tattoo done by Kevin today and I absolutely LOVE it! He is amazing and talented. I was relaxed the whole time and he never once made me «flinch» Highly recommend! Thank you, Kevin! Clean shop, friendly people. :)

First off, don’t judge my review based on my Unilocal rating (don’t give reviews often but this one deserved recognition). Why can’t I post a pic? Damn. Take my word. Melissa did a fantastic job on a simple idea with ample room for error. I was visiting the island and wanted to get something while there. I visited another shop and didn’t feel comfortable (a feeling you can’t ignore when planning a tattoo). So based on a friend’s recommendation, we went over to Zen. I felt comfortable upon walking in and even more so after meeting and talking with Melissa. She took my idea then and there, drew it up, and inked it in. This is one of my smaller pieces but a favorite. She’s got talent, a steady hand, and creative, gentle touch. Mahalo!
Oh, and the music she had playing was super mellow, Zen-​like. A nice change and pretty darn welcoming.

I was celebrating my honeymoon in Maui and wanted to come back to the mainland with something a little more than tshirt. After doing my research of different shops in the area I decided to go with Zen Tattoo for my first tattoo ever and was not disappointed at all! Everyone at the shop was professional, welcoming and made the whole process a great experience! Kevin is the artist who did my tattoo and he was great! Very personable and made my first piece on my right arm a breeze! If your getting some new ink or your first tattoo ever, I highly recommend zen! Masao has a good team and amazing vibe going on over there and I will definitely be back my next time in Maui for some more art!

A++ rating! Just do it. A little over a week ago I received my first ink ever at 42 years of age and decided to go bigger than most do for a first. I got a black sea turtle (Honu) covering my entire inner calf.
Masao was amazing. A man of few words, but exceptional confidence and skill. He made me feel very at ease, explained what was going to happen and got right to work. A little under two hours later we were done. Little pain — imagine dragging the edge of a paper clip across your skin with a little pressure. And with an amazing result.
The detail on the carapace is fantastic — looks like a pen and ink it has such detail. Since I’ve been back to he mainland, I’ve had at least 30 people rave about it — while getting gas, in the grocery store, my gym and even my physician who marveled at it three times during a check up. I’m very pleased and highly recommend Masao. Icing on the cake was getting my wife and daughter to also thank him for his work when he happened to sit at a table right next to us in Sammy’s at the Maui airport as we were leaving the island.

While on vacation I received my first tattoo, a peony on my shoulder, today from Kevin Reinert. He did an AWESOME job I can’t express how much I love it… when and if I ever come back I will see him again. Thanks you

While on vacation in Maui, I scheduled a session with Massao @ Zen Tattoo.
This guy is good. I wanted a Polynesian Tribal design on my lower leg.
I gave Massao free reign on the design.
There were no templates or flash art here, he broke out the marker and did a free hand stencil on my leg for me to approve. It was better than I hoped for. Once the design was established, he went to work and the result is amazing. If you visit the island, look him up.

I went to Zen to get a Honu tattoo. I wanted a natural looking one and it doubled as a cover up. Masao did a beautiful job and I couldn’t be happier. He had had a long day and ended up doing mine to cover for someone that didn’t have time and he still did it very cheerfully even though it took awhile. I will definitely go back to see him again when I make it back to Maui. Do yourself a favor and go to Zen if in Maui and looking for some quality ink!

I had some work done on my foot and an old tattoo redone by Kevin R and I am just thrilled with the results! My old tattoo looks better than it did the first time around when it was brand new, and my foot is beyond stunning. I didn’t even know what I wanted on my foot beyond a butterfly and some flowers and he nailed it. I will be going back to him for some more work next time I’m on Maui and I would highly recommend Zen tattoo and Kevin R. His ability to work with fine lines and intricate detail is amazing.

There is really not much more I can say about Masao, other than … spectacular. This man is a true artist, in every sense of the word. My husband and I started getting tattoos from Masao in 2010, when he was working at Maui Tattoo Company.
Every year we have returned, we have sought out Masao for our next work. He has consistently been available and open to our designs. He manages to place his own personal artist point of view, on our designs, while still balancing what the customer wants. Very much appreciated.
Needless to say, we were thrilled when we heard that he opened his own shop. Congratulations Masao … we were very happy to know that you would be running your own shop, with your own creative control.
His superb work speaks for itself.
If you are going to get a tattoo in Maui, you have to allow Masao to use his skill on your skin. Professional, personable, creative, exceptional quality, attentive and very humble about the skill and artistry that he brings.

Zen Tattoo is a clean and professional shop. Great artists doing their thing in a relaxed environment.
Melissa did a great job designing what I asked for, and she did an even better job executing it.

If you are looking to get a tattoo, go to Zen! My wife and I both got our tattoos done by Kevin and he did an awesome job! Thanks Kevin!

Excellent quality. Professional environment. My wife and I got matching turtle tattoos and they came out great.

My boyfriend and I were looking to get tattoos while on vacation and did our research to find the best place. Zen had the best reviews we found and now I know why! Masao and everyone that works at Zen made us feel so comfortable, worked with our time schedule, and did amazing work. Thank you for the souvenirs we will take home with us and carry on our bodies forever:) we will definitely be back for more!

In 2011, I had Masao tattoo my family crest on my arm and he did an amazing job. He even offered to touch it up the next time I was in Maui but it wasn’t necessary and it healed perfectly.
2 years later, my family and I came back to Maui and my wife and I both decided to get some more work.
This year, I wanted to cover up my tattoo from when I was a young teenager. I didn’t have anything really concrete in mind, I just wanted to start a sleeve and cover up the old tat.
My wife, on the other hand, knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted script on her outer forearm that read «Per Sempre Con Amore» which roughly translates from Italian as «Forever with love» in honour of her Father who passed away 10 years ago.
This trip was very special to her as it was the 10^th anniversary of his passing and Hawaii was somewhere he always wanted to visit.
A few days after arriving in Maui, we dropped into see Masao who happened to be away in Oahu and met one of his other artists Kevin.
Kevin was super kind and welcoming and was happy to throw a few different mock ups on my wife to see how it would look in different placements and sizes.
Kevin also explained how the lines of script would become thicker over time which was an important detail. He left the stencil on her arm so she could see how she liked the placement and size. This was a great idea because only by wearing the stencil did she realize that a) she liked the placement and b) she wanted the script a little smaller than the originally script that was designed for her by a friend.
A few days later, we returned to the shop and Masao was back and we discussed what we both wanted. My wife explained to Masao that she wanted the script altered a bit, the lines finer and the capitals not as big but wanted the same script style or look.
As for me, initially, we discussed a Phoenix wrapping around my arm but after a couple of sketches (which he sent me over the next few days) I could tell he was reluctant and I sensed correctly that he felt that it really wasn’t working and I felt the same way.
As a result, I asked him to forget the bird and start a sleeve piece in the traditional Japanese style with waves. He agreed that this was probably a better way to go.
A few days later, on Boxing Day we returned to his shop Zen Tattoo Art Gallery and Masao worked his magic. He even opened the shop extra early for us as we were leaving Maui that evening.
My wife was first and Masao showed her the revised script based on her request and he put the stencil on her arm again to double check size and placement. It was a good thing he did as my wife wanted a slight change to the spacing of the words. Less than thirty minutes later she was done and it looked great.
Then it was my turn.
First, he started out with a couple of felt pens and started sketching out the design free form right on to my shoulder. Then he had me stand up so we could see it from a different perspective; which is quite helpful as a tattoo can appear one way in one position and then totally change in shape and angle when the limb or any particular body part is manipulated.
Once we were both happy with positioning and design he began tattooing. What makes Masao so amazing is not only his professionalism but the complete mastery of his art.
Most tattoo artist would need to trace out a design on to transfer paper and then apply the outline to the chosen body part which they would then follow to accurately tattoo the image. Masao, on the other hand, was able to free form sketch with felt pens and still maintain beautiful lines in the correct proportions of the design. But above all what blew me away was his shading. How he was able to shade from darker to lighter evenly and so effortlessly; it truly amazed me.
Masao is a true artist.
There are a ton of tattoo shops on Maui but I am certain there a very few true artists of Masao’s level. I am not a tattoo expert but I do know artistry when I see it; and as a long time student of the martial arts I can recognize when someone is a master of their art.
As for my old tattoo, it’s barely visible and only if you knew it was there or what to look for. To anyone else… it never existed.
Thanks for another great piece of work Masao! I’ll be back to continue the sleeve for sure. You are a true artist.

Masao rocks! Not only is he a great artist, but he has good people working for him, and knows how to treat customers. I wanted something special to commemorate our Maui trip, so I checked all the shops in the Kihei area. For what I wanted, the price kept going up up up at the other shops, but Masao quoted a price and that was IT, no extra fees. His artistry is 2^nd to none, you’ll not be disappointed with whatever you get some there. I’ll be paying him a visit on our next trip!