Bitter Sweet Tattoo

I wanted to give Bitter Sweet a great review, because I was happy with my first experience there. However, when I wanted to make a second appointment, I did not really feel welcome. I emailed about a cover up and received a response within the next couple of days asking me to come in for a consultation but to call before I came in. I did not have time to come in right away so I disregarded the email for awhile. In my second attempt to email, I received no response. I called the shop but no one picked up so I left a message saying I would like to come in for a consultation for a tattoo. I received a voicemail hours later and I was excited that someone had finally gotten back to me. But, it said to call before I came in. So I called back the next day and got no answer again. Bitter Sweet does great work and I understand that the artists are busy and can’t get to every phone call while they are doing their work but it just seems that every time I reached out, I got no response.

They did great work, but make sure you get a firm price before they start. Initially, I got a quote of $ 350 (two weeks before the appt). I was in an out within an hour and a half, the price ended up being $ 540 with tip which is absurd for what I actually got.

i need to write this in all caps because i do not have a mountain to shout from. this place is amazeballs. super clean. super awesome. you walk in and it just feels awesome, like warm socks from the dryer. angelle did an incredible job– and she is fun to chat with while expertly adorning your flesh with her gorgeous artistry. truly a pro. so stoked i found this wonderful shop. the full sleeve i wish i was brave enough to get may actually happen because of my experience today. love.

I made an appointment a week or two MINIMUM before my appointment for my half sleeve to be finished. I had the appointment Saturday a 4:00. I called the Thursday of to confirm the appointment. Instead of responding on time, they waited until 3:50 (10 MINUTES BEFORE OUR APPOINTMENT) to postpone until 5:30. We were lucky enough to get this message and agreed reluctantly. We got there at 5:00 and the artist wasn’t there, she was OUT TO DINNER. Even when 5:30 rolled around, apparently «Elle» was still too busy stuffing her face in order to complete my tattoo ($ 1k+ on the line). Shows how much they care about their work. This was completely unprofessional and I will not be returning; there are way better places out there that deserve my money. I just can’t imagine if I did this in my profession. My reputation would be fried!
EDIT: I have proof, including a message from her staff, that this happened. I luckily also have my aunt, who works at the court system. I never thought she would lie about this! I thought, like any DECENT business owner, that she would AT LEAST APOLOGIZE. However, as noted earlier, she is not a decent business owner. I am an accountant for Dartmouth Medical School (part of its non-​profit program for mental health issues; the interns from Dartmouth help with the care) so no, I do not work nor am associated with another tattoo. If anyone knows a DECENT place around here though, please message me! Thank you. :) (PS this has also been posted on the business’s webpage, so she can see that Iw ork for Dartmouth Medical School).

I live in Massachusetts.
It is a $ 40, two-​hour round trip followed by roughly a mile walk.
Each session can only last 5 hours before I must race back to the station.
It is a logistical nightmare.
Worth. Every. Moment.
If you want ink done, you can find ink slingers anywhere.
But if you want to curate a masterpiece of color, form, and style upon your body, you will come here.
Elle is not my favorite tattooist.
She is my ONLY tattooist.
Spend some time in her chair, you’ll see what I mean.

I am at a loss for words after my experience at Bitter Sweet Tattoo.
This was my second time getting a tattoo. After not having the best experience with my first tattoo I decided to do a little research for my second…
Well Let me tell ya … I did my homework and boy did I hit a GRAND SLAM!
Angelle and her crew are the most down to earth people you will ever meet.
From day one I knew that I found a great Tattoo Studio.
Everything from the Ambience of the Studio to the Professionalism of the Staff this is the place to be…
If you looking to get a tattoo and you are in the New England area, you would be doing yourself a disservice to not give Bittersweet a chance.
But don’t take my word for it… Go to a Local competitor get a 2 min consult where they make you feel like another buck… then go see Elle and Slick @ Bittersweet where they will actually take the time to listen to your ideas… I guarantee you that you will book your next tattoo experience right then and there!
I can’t wait to get back in her Chair!!!

I came here for a fairly simple, all-​black tattoo, and couldn’t have been happier with the experience. The shop was clean, and the artists were friendly and welcoming from the start. Slick was even kind enough to take me as a last-​minute appointment.
Some shops seem to rush through the process, but Slick took his time. He seemed to know what he was talking about, and while he offered ideas, he wasn’t too pushy, and ultimately made sure it was what I wanted. The final result: better than I had imagined it would look.
My only advice: schedule an appointment for an off-​peak hour. There were only two artists, which meant they had to answer phones in the middle of my tattoo. It also meant visitors saw my exposed back and half-​finished piece. Awkward.

My experience with Bitter Sweet Tattoo started when I called them up to see if they had any space available for me to come in and get a tattoo that week. I spoke with Slick and was seriously surprised at how nice the guy was on the phone. I have been to a few different tattoo shops and too many times have come across artists with a bad attitude– showing absolute no interest in what I am there for and acting like they must be rolling in the dough and clearly don’t need my business. Slick asked all the right questions and scheduled me to come in for a consultation. I met with Angelle who was so open-​minded and helpful. I ended up choosing to get my tattoo done by Slick and scheduled an appointment that week. I handed them a somewhat bland sketch (I’m no artist), emailed my inspiration, and when I arrived at the shop that Tuesday I was completely speechless looking at what Slick had drawn up for me. Not only was the size perfect for the contour of my shoulderblade (on the first try), but it was clear that Slick had taken the time to think about what this tattoo meant to me, incorporating all aspects I had wanted incorporated and then some. Slick was genuinely open-​minded to any changes and feedback, letting me know that if we had to place the sketch on my shoulder 500 times before it was just right, we would do so (even though once again, he got it right the first time). He gave me breaks when I needed them so I could stretch out and was in no rush at all. Aside from the tattoo part of the experience, Slick is seriously one of the kindest, coolest guys I have ever met with an incredible perspective and outlook on life. My tattoo is more beautiful than I could have imagined it, and I am so grateful that I chose this shop. I have definitely found a home for my tattoos and would never consider going anywhere else. Definitely looking forward to getting more work done from Slick in the future!

I came here looking to get the paw prints of my recently deceased dog (my baby more than my dog) tattooed. Slick was the artist I worked with. I emailed him several paw prints I had taken before she died and told him some came out neat but very light, some dark but messy, and he might have to combine parts from each into one good print. He was able to come up with two prints that were perfect!
The studio is extremely clean and a little sterile-​ish, which I appreciate. Everyone in the studio is so friendly and you can tell they really love what they do. They are all very professional.
I will continue to drive an hour to get to this studio for all of my future ink! I LOVE my paw prints by Slick, and I watched Angelle working on another customer while I was there – they all do a fabulous job! Love this place!

So, my fiancée always wanted a tattoo but had never come up with a concept/​design that she could live with forever. Being a comic book art collector with a strong network of creative people to call on, I commissioned freelancer Sara Richard (
) to design a dragonfly with her fluid art nouveau style. Long and short of it, the dragonfly was the perfect, iconic image for my fiancée and she loved it.
A bunch of people who had no ink recommended a variety of tattoo artists to me without my asking. While I respect their trying to help, asking someone with an eye for beautiful art and design and who has gotten tattoos would be a more compelling referral for me. So I asked Sara and her art liaison Bob Shaw (
) who they would recommend to ink this design. In unison and without hesitation, they said «Angelle L’Estrange.» Both Sara and Bob have hired Angelle for their tattoos. Madamoiselle Dragonfly and I took a cursory glance at the website and booked an appointment without hesitation.
Angelle is an experienced pro and will work with you to come up with a clean and totally awesome design. She books about 4 – 6 weeks in advance and takes a $ 50 deposit up front. If you can’t wait, she’ll put you on a call list and contact you if anyone wusses out and cancels an appointment prior to your set appointment.
This clean, well-​lit shop is located on a quiet street and was not too difficult to find. While you’ll see a number of attractive designs adorning the walls, they serve more as inspiration than template. That’s totally cool because quite frankly, there’s nothing better than getting custom, one-​of-​a-​kind art just for yourself. (It’s terribly addicting in fact). If you’re going to adorn your body with something as permanent as a tattoo, be original and be stylish. If not, save some cash and have a buddy trace some doodles on your body with a sharpie. It’ll leave the same impression as a bad tattoo. ;)

I don’t have a lot of experience with tattoos, but I did know that I wanted to work with an artist who would listen to my ideas, while still providing the knowledge, experience and artistic sense. Angelle did all of that. She offered ideas but really listened to what I wanted, and in the end, we had something unique. I can’t tell you how happy I am with Angelle’s work. The Atmosphere at Bitter Sweet Tattoos is very friendly, even neighborly. The salon is clean and well maintained. She worked quickly, but not in a rush. Angelle tattooed both my daughter and myself and we both got exactly what we wanted.
Angelle does primarily custom work, she has a lot of graphics to look at, but that is mostly for generating ideas. she doesn’t have a cookie cutter approach, and was able to handle the variety of work, which was unlike anything she had done before, easily and with great results. I am constantly being complimented on the quality and clarity of my tattoo.