Uptown Tattoo

First and foremost please note the 5 star review first.
So I found an artist I liked and emailed about a potential design. I was told the waiting list was six months. I explained my inability to wait or be patient in any way shape or form and another artist was recommended to me. I then was told their wait was THREE months. I was truly disappointed. But part of me was wondering, how do you get that back logged unless you are a master of your craft. Fortunately I was informed of a cancellation and was able to scoot in two days later. The shop is open, inviting, and friendly. The artists all appear to do amazing work. I’ve been to a lot of tattoo parlors and to date this is one of my favorites. The work done was phenomenal and I cannot recommend this place enough. The artist I ended up with was Dan who did a great job with the design I brought in. One of the best tattoos to date. The amount of detail he was able to work into a tight space was amazing. Props to the shop and all that work there. Also bonus points for the arcade.

My mischievous ginger kid side won the long-​standing internal battle with my goody-​two-​shoes side this past weekend & I finally got inked! My tattoo had been a long time coming & I wasn’t going to just walk in to any shop & let them get to work.
I called a few shops & Uptown Tattoo stole my heart because of their patience. This was my first, probably my only, tattoo & I was nervous about the pain & the permanence, even through all of my excitement.
Chris worked with me all of last week to perfect my design. Despite the simplicity, & all of my dorky questions, Chris was gracious & helpful. When I went in on Saturday for the tattoo itself, I spent more time filling out my paper work than I did in the chair.
If I ever get another tattoo, I’ll definitely be back to see Chris!

I am so bummed to write this review. I have one tattoo, which I wasn’t thrilled with from another shop, so this winter when I was ready for a second I scoured the reviews to find a better place to go.
Uptown Tattoo seemed to be it.
I emailed some details on what I was looking for (I drew my own design) and asked about next steps. Three days later Nic emailed me and let me know I need to stop in to the shop to make an appointment.
So, a week later I made the 30 minute drive to the shop during it’s publicly posted business hours (open 1−9pm, I went there at 5pm). No one was there, no one answered the phone, and after waiting 45 minutes I left.
After trying to call the shop during the hours they list as being open, with no one ever answering the phone, I emailed again at a loss about what to do. They said I need to come in to make an appointment — but yet they don’t staff their open hours… a bit of a catch 22. Nic emailed back within a day and told the receptionist to call me.
I got my appointment scheduled and met with Jon Sweet. I was told to email Jon my tattoo prior to out appointment, which I did. When I arrived for my appointment, Jon was very professional and friendly and tried to sketch out my design. He informed me my design needed to be adjusted because the letters would blend over time (it was a small tattoo on my wrist) — which I was fine with. After playing around with it a bit, Jon asked me to come back in a week so he’d have time to finalize the design and said he’d email a draft to me within two days.
7 days later (the day of my appointment) I still had not received the draft and after emailing Jon a reminder he informed me he didn’t have it ready so we had to cancel the appointment. He said he’d get it to me in the next couple days. That was 3 MONTHS ago. I emailed him checking in but got no response.
I don’t know what the deal was, if they are just too busy or only want large tattoos but I was extremely disappointed with the entire experience.

I knew I was in for something beyond words when I walked into Uptown Tattoo today; the din of needles at work and the death metal band ‘Carcass’ careening through the speakers. I can appreciate the musical qualities of death metal so it truly started out all good. I admit I was a little nervous. My first tattoo session and I was getting two! I’d been waiting months to get these, being as I overslept the first time. Thoughts of tempted fate crept into my consiousness as I sat anxiously waiting for Matt to usher me to his area in the shop. He was quick to greet me and said he was a bit behind due to a late client. The extra waiting didn’t help the anxiety, but in the end my over thinking was for naught.
Once again I was reminded why the original intern manning the front desk said Matt was the artist I should see. She obviously could see modern Suburbia written all over me. Matt was excellent in explaining what I’d expect as he mixed the colors and I won’t soon forget the «You ready? Here we go, Buddy.», as the needle dropped. All this under the pelting sounds of another black metal number.
Tattoo #1 was relatively easy as I got used to the mild stinging of the needle. Tattoo #2? I couldn’t watch as Matt ripped shreds of skin away from my shoulder that he obviously mastered in performing. He explained that phenomena after he completed his latest masterpiece on the canvas of my upper arm; how two tattoos at one sitting on seperate body parts generally gives more pain to the second tattoo at work. Hopefully that wasn’t just something to make me feel less of a kitten. Either way, I felt better for the exchange of knowledge.
One truly never knows a person by their appearance, and so was the case with Matt. What thought provoking and diverse conversations he and I had. What I really appreciated was that despite our political and religious diferences (yes, we brushed against those two forbidden topics as well), it was kept professional between us. Matt is what I do call a true artist.
Its been a few weeks now since I got my tattoos. The healing of the affected areas went way better that what I was told to expect and tattoo #3 is on my drawing board as I put personal touches on my somewhat common but very custom idea. I already know where I’ll get it done and who the artist will be. Thanks, Matt!

It is worth the wait to get in at Uptown tattoo. Trust me. You’re gonna have your ink forever. No need to rush it.
I have spent about three years working on a full sleeve here that I just completed about a week ago.
Best shop ever. They are honest with their talents (which are incredible) and take good care of there customers. They do great custom work which is what, in my opinion, tattoos should be.
I have been tattooed at three other places and this is by far the best. I see Nic Skrade and he is a tattoo God. I give him my ideas on generally what I would like him to create for my tattoos and I’ve never been disappointed with what he has come up with.
So pleased to give this place my business. Can’t wait for more! See y’all in May.

There is a guy that works here that creeps me out. He had always crossed boundaries and seems very unusual. Never have got a tattoo but it was because that guy was so weird.

Without a doubt, Uptown Tattoo is the best shop I’ve ever been to…
Unbelievably gifted staff/​artists. All custom work. Unparalleled quality.
If serious about getting a quality piece of art done, look no further than Uptown Tattoo.

Incredible work and really friendly staff. I met with Brandon and he finished a sleeve that I had started before I moved here. He did great work and I’ll definitely be back!

I put a photo up of my backpiece. I absolutely loved what another Unilocaler wrote– «if you’re looking for a cheap tattoo, you’re an idiot»
I found them affordable, and have since been tattooed out here in the Bay Area. Yes– affordable. God damn steal considering the quality.

Uptown Tattoo is the best place to get a tattoo in Minneapolis, possibly the Twin Cities, and I’ve gotten some work done at a few of the others, so I’m actually comparing. not just talking.
If you want flash work, they’ll do it… but where they really shine is in creating custom art and it shows. That’s why they’re booked out months and months in advance.
I remember going in and talking to Jon about the idea for my sleeve and coming back and seeing this amazing sketch and then just tossing around ideas about what would make the design even better.
What I like about everyone at Uptown is that they’re super friendly, amazing artist and very real. There’s not a lot of bullshit and I love it. I’ve been working with Jon for the last few years, maybe longer, and continue to get comments and questions about my sleeve.
If anyone ask about where to get a tattoo in the Twin Cities, I always recommend Uptown.

My girlfriend got her first tattoo there with Dan. Love that they explained the process and had a great vibe. The people working there are talented and we both love her tattoo. Also, they were not pushovers… they know what they are doing, they listened to what she wanted then made suggestions on how to improve… Thanks guys.

I met Tom at the Paradise Tattoo Gathering. I felt he was full of himself! The work I watched him do was good, not great like he thinks. I laughed to myself when he quoted his work at $ 200 per hour. He was sitting in an area with some of the best around. I was glad to have an appointment with Kynst and Acker.

Dan did such an excellent job on my tattoo. I was very impressed. Very artistic who use the body as a canvas. I wouldn’t go anywhere else. He was very reasonable on price too. You will need to do a consultation and then schedule your tattoo which could be booked out a couple of months but it is worth it.

I love it here! Never leave unhappy. I obviously trust them since I have them permanently alter my body. I think everyone that works here is great and would recommend them to anyone! Great environment and you might get lucky enough for them to be playing some 50 Cent when you are in there! :)

This tattoo shop is far and away the best in Minneapolis. The artists are committed to quality and take pride in their work — those are the attributes I look for in someone who is going to place something permanent upon my person.
I have huge trust issues with body art — I won’t go anywhere else.
PS — I didn’t rate the price, because if you’re looking for a cheap tattoo you’re an idiot.

In my opinion Uptown Tattoo is the best shop in town. All the tattoo artists working there are amazing. All custom work. They are all really talented.

I came to Uptown Tattoo an emotional wreck when I broke up with my boyfriend who hated tattoos. I was going to show him! I was going to get tattooed and he couldn’t do anything about it!
Luckily, they are usually pretty booked and I actually had to wait a few days to get what I wanted. Thank god, or I might have like, 666 on my ass or something retarded.
My first and only tattoo was done here, and I loved having it designed just for me. It was done by Brandon, but I am not sure if he is at the shop anymore because his page doesn’t work on the website.
On the another note, one of the other tattoo artists, Jon, used to be my neighbor and he helped my little VW get unstuck from the snow once. Character points there.

Uptown Tattoo is a fantastic tattoo shop. It’s all custom, no walls of flash to flip through and figure out what you want. The best part is that if you have an idea of what you want or what you like, the artists are able to create something beautiful for you. They will take the time to create the perfect piece that you 100% love.
I am currently in the process of getting a chest piece from the awesome Tom Strom and he is literally blowing me away with it. Part of the tattoo is a cover-​up — one that several tattoo artists have said was impossible to cover. Tom said to me, «No problem, we can cover that». That was very refreshing to hear.
The service is excellent, the facility is very clean and sanitary and there’s an all-​around great vibe in the shop. If you want a unique, satisfying tattoo experience, go to Uptown.

Tom did my first and only tattoos about a year and ½ ago, and they are AWESOME! I had a consultation, told him what I wanted — bats in a Mark Ryden style — and he drew up the PERFECT bats… even better than I expected. Tom was so great during the process. Talking to him was so entertaining that it provided a real distraction from the pain to the point that it really wasn’t that painful at all. I heart Tom and Uptown tattoo!!!

I received ink 3 times (including my 1^st ever) from Tom. They turned out excellent and the consult and service were great. Reasonably priced and professional. That’s all I got.