Always & Forever Tattoo Studio

I have three tattoos from Holly, and am basically ruined for other artists: she is incredible. She was very patient throughout the consultation process and went back and forth via email (I used to live about 45 minutes from the shop, so that was great). The shop is super-​clean, very inviting with bright colors on the walls and Holly’s art displayed throughout. My tattoos have aged so well over the last four years that people think they’re recent. Her color work holds up and her black and gray detail is impeccable. She has always been up front about cost and design and will make sure you leave with a piece you love.

I have two tattoos done by Holly and I love both of them. My most recent one is a cover-​up an awful globe that I got on a whim with my friend. I met with Holly and discussed my thoughts of having some sunflowers on my forearm, showed her some pictures, and let her do her thing. My forearm took two sessions and Holly was, once again, a joy to work with. My other one, I got a while ago from Holly while she was at another shop. It’s located on my lower back and I have to say, was pretty painless to get. Obviously, tattoos are painful, but Holly was as gentle as can be and didn’t dig at my skin like some tattooers. I recommend her to all of my friends. Also, if you bring her cat related things, she’ll love you.
P. S. Check out their fish tank’s nontraditional theme for some laughs.

So sad to leave this because Jaesun is such a nice guy. I have to do it though. I waited a month to see if I felt less angry but alas… still pissed.
One month, 2 three hour cover up sessions and $ 750 later… the work of Jaesun is gone.
I originally called for Holly (who did my friend) but was told by Jaesun’s wife that Holly was not booking until 2016 but Jaesun was «just as good as Holly» and his specialty was Celtic knotting which I wanted.
Jaesun did my husband first and I must say he did a fantastic job. My husband brought a picture, Jaesun copied it and pasted it on and filled it in. Easy peasy… Hubbie is happy and all is well.
For me on the other hand… I asked him to please send me sketches. Mine needed to be designed and I wanted to see it first. I sent 6 emails asking for a sketch and I called. No answers no response. Friends told me that tattoo artists do not send sketches because they are afraid that you will steal their art and go elsewhere. I would never do that!!! However… I get it. At least return my email though.
Because he had $ 100 deposit I thought I should show up. He apologized for not replying and said his phone was broken. Funny… there is a computer in the shop AND his wife was working on her laptop when I arrived. So you are gonna tell me you had no access to your email for 3 weeks? I specifically told him after I was unhappy with the size of my 1^st tattoo that I was not good at making last minute decisions in the chair and he agreed to send me sketches and let me sit on it. THAT IS WHY I CHOSE HIM!!!
He proceeded to sketch an orchid in black and white (of which I wanted several) and then said he would wing the knotting. He said «I think I know exactly what you want».
Yes…he did put an outline in blue of the orchid and a few feathers which with my shitty eyesight and the darkness in the room I thought was the knotting. It is hard to see stuff on your back in the dark and without glasses. My bad… I should have let him keep the $ 100 and left. It isn’t like I could erase it BUT all the pictures he had hung on his wall were beautiful and the portfolio was impressive, so I trusted him.
He did one orchid inside some squiggly lines and a few oversized feathers that looked totally out of place on my existing peacocks. It isn’t bad enough that he did no blending with the original tattoo but he designed a vagina on my back. No I am not kidding. He drew a fricken vagina on my back. A PERMANENT vagina. When I emailed him in tears… he said he would fix it no charge. Really? Like I will ever let you permanently ink me again. I have attached a picture!!! I did add a photo to the library if you want to check it out. It is 2 faded peacocks (that were there) 6 oversized out of place feathers and 1 orchid (of which I asked for several) inside what looks like a vagina. I am guessing those squiggly lines are supposed to be the Celtic Knotting he is so good at? I showed 8 people. 8 people agreed and one even said…“holy shit this guy drew a vagina on your back… did you piss him off?“
Sorry Jaesun. I really like you as a person but this was just not ok and cost me $ 750 to cover.

I just got my first tattoo with Jaesun and I’m totally in love! Not only did he perfectly execute my vision but he was a sweetheart and HILARIOUS — which put nerves at ease. The shop is spotless and I would recommend them hands down to anyone. Consummate professionals — as cool as hell. :-)

BEST TATTOO SHOP EVER!!! No really sometimes you walk in and just know that someplace is the real deal and A&F is that place for sure. I had a consultation with Jaesun who was awesome, friendly, knowledgeable and a fantastic artist. 2 weeks after our consultation I got tattooed from him. He brought my vision to reality better than I ever could’ve imagined. He worked quickly but was still able to get a ton of detail into the piece. He was super friendly and answered all my questions with ease. I can’t wait to get back to this place and have Jaesun do more incredible art.

One word: AMAZING! I just got my first tattoo with Holly a few weeks ago. (not my first tattoo, but my first with her) and I am beyond thrilled with the experience and the end result. The whole experience, from the consult to the actual tattoo was great. She is an amazing artist, and created the design for my tattoo exactly to what I was describing. I’ll definitely be going back, and would recommend her to anyone. I actually already have! I’ve been stopped by several folks in public wanting to know where I had the tattoo done, and I’ve given Holly’s information out each time. :)

I have been going to tattoo shops for a long time. This shop is my absolute favorite. They are not afraid to guide you in a better direction with your tattoo. The artists are great and very friendly. They include you in the jokes right away. I love this place, love the work and love them.

Awesome from consultation to inking! Met with dietsch (who has now moved to back to TN) who helped me figure out the design and I wanted. He was unavailable to do the actual tattoo so I was introduced to jae. Jae was so nice and accommodating. He was so professional and funny. The tattoo was a pleasant experience with laughter and good times. Sure to go back soon !!

My bad for taking so long. I craved a tattoo for a year, had to wait. End up at this cool little place in Watertown after seeing & hearing about Holly’s work. I just walk in, Holly’s free, we talk — she’s amazing but… what I want isn’t really her specialty. She refers me to the über talented Deitsch. Turns out the tat of my dreams (very ornate dragon) is his specialty. I like & trust him immediately, great, draw what you want, no, really, have at it. And I end up with THE most beautiful piece of art. Clean lines, clear colors. My total vision. Can’t wait to add on to it! If you’re thinking of adding a piece of art to your body, this is the place.
BTW: It’s cash only just so ya know.

I was referred to Always & Forever by a friend who has two beautiful tattoos that were done by Holly. The shop is both extremely clean without feeling sterile and blah, and also very comfortable and well decorated. I knew what I wanted to get for my tattoo, and brought in photo examples of styles that I liked and did not like and discussed in detail with Holly. I had seen her portfolio and knew I could trust her to create something fantastic, and she did! The tattoo took about 3 hours, and Holly is an easy person to talk to, so it was a (relatively — it’s still a tattoo, after all) painless experience. The aftercare instructions were very clear and thorough, and my tattoo healed beautifully, with no irritation, and in less time than I had experienced previously with my first tattoo (from a different place). I get compliments on my tattoo all the time — a few from people who claim to not even like tattoos. Can’t wait to go back for more!

I was looking to get another tattoo (that I have been planning since my last one 17 years ago) and underwent my typical meticulous research. I went to the Boston Tattoo convention, researched their awards, best of Boston, Unilocal,and google searches. After all was said and done, there were a few good places around (Boston has a good scene). I chose Always and Forever bc it was close and I liked their reviews the best.
So I called to talk about tattoos, spent some time with a very pleasant young lady on the phone and discovered that I could come in for a consultation for free. Awesome. So I scheduled that, had to reschedule it (given no guff), and then came in to chat w Holly about my ideas. My consultation was great and she totally sold me. She asked great questions, both to get to the essence of what I wanted and why. I’m a psychiatrist and think holly could have a future in it if she wanted. But I expected her to suggest how big and where — what I got was a really thoughtful evaluation of what I was really after and how best to represent my ideas through a tattoo. She opened my mind out to really cool ideas I hadn’t considered — a muse for my creativity, if you will. It was awesome.
I also told her about wanting to get old tattoos touched up (dragons) and she suggested Dietsch, the dragon guy. After the consultation, Holly could have told me having my eyeballs tattooed would be a good idea and I would’ve considered it, so definitely trusted her on Dietsch. Set up the appt and came to meet Dietsch a few weeks later. Dietsch is an interesting guy, passionate and dedicated to the art. We talked about what to do which was an interesting process as I’m very anal and have a need to know exactly what’s going to happen while Dietsch works more as a feeling it and doing it kind of guy. After an interesting and at times difficult conversation, we came to an accord and got to work. We spent the time chatting, both Dietsch and I and the other artists/​clients. It was quite an enjoyable afternoon. Anyway, it quickly became clear that Dietsch knows his craft and I’m left now with a tattoo that is even more badass than I could have imagined. And I’m hard to please. And throughout, Dietsch was very attentive, professional, and made the entire experience a pleasure.
It wasn’t cheap, but this isn’t a burrito, you don’t want to skimp on permanent body art.
When I’m ready, I’m going to have him rework my other tattoo and get something incredible done with Holly.
If you want quality (for the rest of your life), do yourself the favor of checking out Always and Forever.

Just got a tattoo done by Jaesun, and it is beyond awesome, nothing big, I wanted a 13.1 on my foot to celebrate my finished a half marathon, I didn’t know a style all I knew was I wanted it to be pink and black (color of my sneakers). Jaesun came up with a super awesome design and incorporated the colors perfectly. I really couldn’t ask for better, also he is super pleasant and just nice to chat with. I will be going back to Jaesun for all future tattoos.

I have worked down the street from Always and Forever Tattoo since they moved to Watertown a couple of years ago. I had no idea they were there until a friend mentioned that was were she had been going for her last couple of tattoos. She is a stickler for cleanliness and has a lot of really clean lettering so I figured it would be a good place to try out. I sent an email with a stock photo of what I was looking for and Holly told me I could swing in whenever. I went by that night and they were able to see me immediately. They went over all of the paperwork and Volker Dietsch sat with me and gave me my options for the tattoo. He truly made it a work of art. It is so feminine and original. I was worried about having the same stock photo (two clefs in the shape of a heart) as a million other people but he really made it his own. I wish I could post a picture on here to show the amount of detail that was done FREEHAND! I have been told on multiple occasions that it looks like I have a piece of lace on my arm. I was also told that it makes my first tattoo from a couple years ago look like shit. I have been telling everyone I know in the area about this shop. It was so clean and the quality was amazing. I am already planning out my larger next tattoo and can’t wait to go back!

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to write this review. I got my tattoo done at Always and Forever by Holly on September 19^th 2012, (talk like a pirate day, Arrrrrg!)
Holly brought to life the tribute piece I wanted to honor my Nana.
At the intake visit I described the concept and the key elements I wanted in the tattoo, Holly listened to everything I had to say and explained the entire process to me, I paid my deposit and booked my appointment
I was so anxious the day of my appointment but when Holly showed me her drawing I immediately loved the design she came up with, it was beyond perfect. You can ogle it on her website; it’s the Teapot, artichoke, rose with spool of thread and needle on a large calf, I have huge calves, it’s ridiculous.
6 hours later of lounging on her awesome sparkly pink vinyl table I had an epically amazing work of art etched into my skin forever.
It truly made my heart happy when my Nana saw the work Holly did. My Nana immediately said «these are all things that represent me» even before I explained it to her.
I get a ton of compliments on how beautiful my piece is and I couldn’t be happier with how it came out, it is everything I hoped for and more.
On a side note, I don’t know what kind of witch craft Holly was using but the stencil she created fit my calf PERFICTALLY on the first try! Holly saw my leg once before during the intake when I talked concept with her, I was super impressed.
You don’t need to check out any other shops, you won’t be disappointed with the talent and skills of the artists at Always and Forever.

Met Jae and Dietch on 5÷4÷2013 Saturday night and had a great conversation with the both of them. They listened to my stories and offered some of theirs. My wife and I were visiting and exploring ideas for art/​tattoos to celebrate our twelve year wedding anniversary. They took the time to help us visualize what we had in mind for my wife’s second tattoo in 11 years and my very first tattoo. We were able to get the concepts out there and schedule time with Jason the very next day, Jason even volunteered to come in early on a Sunday to suit our needs. That is what I call going above and beyond. They had become Friends by the time we left on saturday night. We started celebrating our 12 wedding anniversary at Always and Forever and now have permanent reminders of our happiness together on our anniversary Cinco de Mayo. We cant wait to go back, they have customers for life.

When it came time to bring my idea for my second tattoo it only took a few minutes of talking to Holly to know that she would be the one to do it! She was great when I told her my budget and the area I wanted and I have to say I never knew having such a beautiful piece of artwork on me would have so many people stopping to ask me about it and even my girls, the inspriation absolutely love it! Well after that how could I go to someone else for my next one and when I brought Holly the 4 inspiration photos it didn’t take her long to come up with another great memorable piece. I also got to work with Dave on a photography project and quite enjoyed the envirnment of the shop, including chatting with Jaesun and his client. With 2 unique pieces from such a great artist I will have a hard time going to anyone else in the future! She has an amazing talent and I’m very greatful to have found her!

I came to Holly at age 41 for my first tattoo. When we sat down for a consult, she took the many ideas I had flying around my head and edited them down to an absolutely stunning and dramatic portrait of Captain Ahab. Six months later and my other shoulder has an equally stunning image of the whales eye and brow emerging from the water. She’ll grab your ideas, run them through the spin cycle in her head and when the ink dries, you’ll have a timeless tat that is better than you ever imagined it to be yourself in the first place.
Don’t even consider hesitating!

What can I say? This shop is the BEST!!! So clean you could literally eat off the floor. Owner, Holly Azzara is an amazing artist hands down. She has taken many pains to make this shop (her dream) a reality. She has done most of my work & I get compliments almost daily when I’m in short sleeves. Photographer Dave Marden & fellow tattoo artist Jaesun Duggan are very talented & have great vision, not to mention they are great company. Both Holly & Jaesun have tattooed my husband extensively (no they’re not done yet) his pieces done by them are amazing. Keep on keeping on, you guys rock!

Holly is simply amazing! After seeing her work on a friend, I knew she was the artist I wanted to have do my long waited third tattoo. She was still getting her shop ready to open, but we emailed and shared image ideas and concepts over email. She always had time for me and gave me nothing but her best ideas and suggestions. I wanted to bring 2 ideas to one tattoo in honor of my son and my husband. How do you make a rainbow without making a rainbow? Holly’s design and artistic ability brought it to life and I am simply exhilarated! I always thought I’d stop at 3 tattoos, but with someone like Holly around to create with, tattoo 4 is most likely coming in my future.
Her shop is fabulous. Her design skills are very obvious. She and everyone at the shop are patient, polite, and so much fun to talk with. As soon as my husband finally settles on a design, he’ll be seeing Holly to make it permanent as well.

Suburban middle-​aged mother of three driving evil mini-​van down main drag of hometown when cheeky monkey child reads store front title «Tattoo». Mom says «What … in Watertown».
I got one tattoo 15 years ago in Portsmouth in honor of my oldest son, three kids later and I am thinking (mostly because the bastards are asking for «their» tattoos) that it is time to add on.
This week decided to «test drive» this new studio with a small tattoo of two intertwining hearts in honor of my 20^th wedding anniversary. Jaesun was very polite and did not talk down to me. It was not busy but probably because it is relatively new. It was clean and everyone seemed happy to be working there. I explained to Jaesun what I wanted, he designed it and we were inking it, baby.
I definitely will be back for the next two I am thinking of getting.
Bring Cash, that is all they accept right now.