Side Show Studios

My friend and I came in today because he wanted to get a tattoo. He wanted Jocelyn or Charr, but they were all booked out for 8 months-​2 years. The only available artist was Keith, so my friend decided to speak to him. Keith was very patient and made many great comments and ideas about the tattoo that my friend wanted. After 30 minutes of chatting, Keith told my friend that he can email him and he will draw the piece for him to see if that’s what he would like. Hopefully everything works out for my friend and Keith!
Overall, this is a great little studio and it looks just like a house. Everyone is very patient, very nice, and very helpful. They also play soothing music in the background!
***They rarely do walk-​ins, but if you’re lucky, they might be able to fit you right in! :)

Just finished my thigh piece with Andre Garcia and I’m beyond happy with the outcome. Took 3 sessions total to finish it up and it was reasonably priced. Andre was very professional and took his time to make sure the design was exactly what I wanted.
For my design I gave Andre a lot of room to show his creativity and artistic ability. It was such a beautiful piece that will be with me forever! Im so happy I chose to go to Andre for this piece.

May i just say that their clients are wonderful people but have a lag to them. I started out emailing Andre Garcia and never got a reply back. A week later i called the shop to say I emailed them and still didn’t get a reply and they apologized and explained it was an email problem. Okay… Anyway, I set up a consultation about the tattoo I wanted and Andre was very nice and willing to talk over ideas (I wasn’t quite sure what i wanted at the moment) We sparked up an idea and he told me he’d get to work on it. Problem is, he is a very busy man and my appointment for the tattoo was over a month wait just to get started. I had to cough up $ 40 just so he can draw out the design. He said he’d have it done before the appointment. Every week or so I’d email him inquiring about the tattoo design because I was very curious about what was going to be on my body FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. But every email of his was, «I’m still working on it.» or, «It’s not done yet.» and I didn’t even get the rough draft of it until a week before the actual appointment to put it on my body. I finally saw it and had some adjustments for it, he then said he’ll have it finished by the appointment. Which isn’t what I wanted. What if he showed me the new design he did the day of the appointment and I didn’t like it? But I just let him do his thing because this tattoo shop got amazing reviews and he WAS the expert. The day of the tattoo appointment he showed me the design and I thought it was okay. It didn’t wow me though. I wish I had more time to work on it and talk it over with him. I just felt that he’s either a huge procrastinator or I’m just not very high on his list of people to worry about. In a few years I’m going to someone else so they can change up the tattoo I got from Side Show Studios, it just isn’t what I expected and I need a place whose clients actually care about what I really want.

Yesterday I had my first tattoo appointment with Eric who brought to life an idea I’ve had for some time. Eric is such a nice guy who made me feel comfortable the entire time and was really easy to talk to.
Everyone there were so friendly! I was offered water, juice, and candy. I have never been into a tattoo shop like this. The atmosphere is calm and relaxing. The shop is in an old victorian that has been well maintained and is very clean. They have lots of cool art, jewelry, and fun things for sale.
I will post another review once my tattoo is complete. I look forward to going back!

I was lucky enough to snatch a cancellation spot with Jocelyn at the Seattle Tattoo Expo this weekend. She is such a cool chick with an amazing eye for tattoo design. I gave her a very vague and basic outline of what I was looking for and she took it and ran. It turned out better than I could have imagined. I can’t wait to see her again for a touch up piece when I’m back home in a few months.

I emailed Andre after seeing the work he did on a friend and he was very quick to respond. I went in for a consultation and he helped me come up with an idea that would weave in a piece I had gotten done a couple years ago with a new piece. I never would have thought to do this on my own, so I appreciated his expertise! We made an appointment for about a month later (he was able to fit me into his busy schedule because I wanted to get it done before the school year started — I’m a high school teacher).
When I came in for an appointment, Andre and two options for the tattoo and he totally took what I had said in our original appointment and ran with it. I loved his design! During the entire tattoo, he was so easy to talk to and so friendly. Honestly, it was the best tattoo experiences I have ever had! I felt so comfortable throughout the entire process. I can’t wait to go back for my second appointment to finish the piece. I am excited to see what my math students think about the tattoo, too!

So glad I found Side Show Studios! Keith has been amazing to work with both for piercing and tattooing. Everyone here is amazing, talented and fun to deal with. Just wa

Jocelyn did an amazing job in my watercolor flower tattoo on my back. With her direction — the size, the placement, the essence, and the beauty shines through — her guidance was so important and she made it what it is — beautiful, perfectly placed, and proportioned. She is an amazing artist!
Thanks again Jocelyn for the amazing piece of art I can call mine. You’re attention to detail and congeniality made me feel like i finally found tattoo artist I can be comfortable with.

Great Tattoo Shop! Andre did a great Job on my boyfriends tat! I recommend making an appointment, they sometimes have a long waiting list!

Side show studios is amazing ! I walked not knowing what to expect and left feeling satisfied. I got my 1^st amazing tattoo done by Andre Garcia. Although I have to admit I came in nervous as a first timer he made me feel comfortable and at ease. He took his time and made sure everything was done the right way. I sat for 4 hours and I would totally do it again. His art is amazing and there is also so many other greatly talented artist also. I feel more people need to know about this amazing hidden gem. Also the tattoo artist Keith was polite, I wasn’t getting anything done by him but he was great company and his advice was great. We also got to share some great laughs and they artist made for good company. Definitely look forward to coming back.

Now that my tattoo is finished, I can write my review.
Jocelyn is amazingly talented. I came to her with a mere skeleton of an idea and let her artistic talent do the rest and I couldn’t be happier with the result.
Their shop is run by women, so the environment is comfortable, welcoming, and fantastic. Not to say men aren’t capable of that, but you know what I mean.
The shop is beautifully clean and in a Victorian house, which is rad.
I plan to return many times to have more work done as time goes on.

The decision of getting a tattoo is not one that should be taken lightly, neither should selecting your tattoo artist. I must say I researched for a few months before finding Jocelyn and she is a straight bad ass artist. She was able to bring my idea and vision to life and I am so grateful. I was also very impressed with her knowledge of art, tattooing and specialty drinks ;p Looking forward to revisiting her again.

The best place to get yourself tatted up!
I had been wanting a watercolor tattoo for about a year and was so happy to find Joclyn’s work on the wide wide world of the interwebs!
During our consultation she asked me a lot of questions about the design I had in mind and when I went in for the tattoo, I was amazed with what she came up with. It’s so beautiful and exceeded my expectations!
The tattoo is still healing — I’ll post the pictures once it’s all healed.
The studio is just that — a studio with REAL artists doing REAL artwork. The staff are all friendly and made me feel welcome and very comfortable.
My only complaint — they didn’t offer me a pumpkin spice latte. #pumpkinspicewhatever

I knew when I wanted to get my first tattoo, I didn’t want to just drop into a «Tattoo Shop» and get rushed out after an hour. At 30 years old, I’ve been waiting for a long time to get the right work done and done by the right people. I went to Side Show Studio, emphasize on «Studio.» I was immediately greeted and helped within moments of walking in by their very helpfully staff. Shawn Mahaffey did my work and was an extremely helpful artist. Shawn helped me every step of the way and made the process really fun! He was even able to photoshop some different ideas onto a picture of my forearm to get a better idea of what my design would look like.
Despite the very high level of detail and attention, I still paid an extremely affordable price for my tattoo, which made it even better! I will definitely be coming back for future work now that I’ve begun this great journey. Thank Shawn, and thanks Side Show Studios!

I have been thinking of getting a tattoo for a while now. I did a lot of research online before picking one. After reading the reviews I decided on Side Show Studios. I went in last Friday and talked to Keith about what I wanted. I sent him a picture and he got back to me with a drawing. I went in today to get the tattoo done. I could not be more happy with the results. I got a Celtic Cross done which looks great. This place is not your ordinary tattoo shop. It is clean and bright. The people there are awesome. Keith did a great job.
If you are looking for a tattoo I would recommend Side Show Studios

Jen Ponci tattoos me and she is fuckin radical! I can’t say enough about her. She’s very patient, open minded, focused, positive, determined, talented and genuinely cares about your happiness and your experience.
It doesn’t hurt she shares a room with the coolest dude in town, Andre. They’re a great team and work so well together. I’m laughing the whole time. Yes, the laughs are stronger than the pain of a big tattoo. That’s sayin lot! I’ve even fallen asleep… Everyone makes you feel welcomed like family. And takes care of you like you are too.
Even if your not interested in a tattoo you gotta swing by and check out the shop. I’m in love with it. Super clean and professional but wait, there’s a kitchen too! They always have a variety of treats (some home made) AND a beautiful back patio you can enjoy them on! Tons of art to look at, paintings, jewelry, nic-​nacs. Your walkin out with some art. If not on your body, than in your hand.
Best tattoo/​piercing shop I’ve ever visited. Never seen one quite like it.

Very good work … I will be going back to get more done, the shop is clean and there are some cool pictures on the wall to buy … realistic work.

I have had Jenn do work prior to my last visit with, she was good then. This time I was just visiting family in Sacramento but had a tattoo I wanted to get done. I contacted Jenn to setup an appointment and was able to get a perfect time. When I arrived the area was clean and professional looking. Each time Jenn has been pleasant to speak with while getting tattooed, its important for an artist to be good at conversation when you are sitting there for hours.
The price was great! I have a piece that I and everyone else loves. Any time I am in town I will go to wherever Jenn is and you should too!

How have I not reviewed Side Show yet?! I went to the SF tattoo expo several years ago and came across Side Show studios… I was blown away by Char Hall’s tattoos. Beautiful oil paintings on skin. She ended up doing a cover of a horrible tattoo I got at 18. I went from having a terrible, sloppy tattoo to a beautiful piece of artwork I proudly display as often as possible. Come to this shop for top notch tattoos by incredibly skilled artists at an ultra clean, beautiful shop. I cannot say enough good things about Char Hall, Side Show Studios and it’s artists!!!

I came in on 2÷16÷14 for an appointment with Jenn. I was very excited. She took a long time drawing it, which she told me she would’ve had done before I got there.
She was very slow, and didn’t seem to listen to the design I wanted. 3.5 hours later, I had a half done tattoo, that I was NOT happy with. Will attach pics. The feather designs were not at all what I told her I wanted. They just look horrible and blotchy.
I just today went to my normal guy, Jaye @ Soulution Ink, in Elk Grove.& he fixed her mess.
Will never go here again. My husband also has Keith fix his tribal…& it still looks jacked. Mine costed 200, with another 100 to finish.& my husbands mess costed 250. His tattoo looks the same. Waste of money. Go to Royal Peacock or Soulution Ink!