Big Joe & Sons Tattooing of White Plains

RUN AWAY from this place. If I could have given zero stars, i would have. All the other poor ratings you can read here are on target. Why is this place still in business? The employees are RUDE TROLLs. Here’s the way it goes: you make an appointment (in this case 4 pm). You call to confirm and they tell you they are «a little behind» and you’d better come at 5 pm. OK, you arrive at 5 and are told «it will be a few minutes» and then they ignore you. At 6:15 we walked out and drove 5 minutes to Addicted to Ink which was cleaner, more professional, and they charged almost half of what BJoe estimated. BJoe operates like the customer is always wrong, and I guess the positive reviews are from teenyboppers who don’t know how the real world works, and will put up with anything.
Any by the way, the art work is competent, not special in any way.

I walked in on a Friday night a few weeks ago with a friend. I had been thinking about getting this third one for a while (it’s a semicolon tattoo for a friend that committed suicide a few months ago on my ribs) It came out wonderfully and Slic was awesome. Sheila at the front was pretty great too. It took about an hour for it to be finished, since it’s mostly blue shading around the semicolon, plus I made him stop a couple times. He freehanded the blues and it came out even better than I was expecting. I would 100% recommend them to everyone. Seriously, the work is quality, and the artists were super friendly.
Thanks guys!

Late spring & early summer 2015, I dropped about $ 800 on custom work at this parlor. Sheila, Anthony and the owner/​operator Adam are generally and I do emphasize generally are cool. But management of the business is INSANLEY DISORGANIZED. I found appointment bookings, wait times, artist start times, artist AWOL & lack of attention to work detail due to consistent distractions interruptions to be typical. The response was always the same … «its a tattoo parlor. what do you expect?» Hey I get it. I wasn’t expecting the comforting warmth of a high end spa experience either, but they just didn’t seem to care one lick that your time was just as valuable as theirs; or for that matter that their time was valuable at all. I suppose the store fronts location on a major strip not far from, several colleges and university offer them the foot traffic impulse revenue to afford a response like that. See fellow Unilocal Reviewer — K Vincent D.
Aventura, FL on 9÷22÷2015 whose review I found to be spot on. If going here is a must, book seat time during non-​peak hours & triple confirm your appointment; otherwise be ready to lose hours of your life you will never get back served with inattentive service. Or choose a better run business.

Heard mixed reviews before I made my appointment but did it anyway. Being my first tattoo I was nervous but Basilio did a decent job talking me through. Had to wait about two hours after my appt time to be started on. Very busy shop and my artist was very distracted. Leaving me mid tattoo to speak with people in the front, talk on the phone and answer text messages (without changing gloves some of the times I must add). I was also asked to get up and move several times during my tat so they could get supplies for other projects happening at the same time. Guess they keep materials behind a tattoo station. Overall experience was poor but thought I’d use Basillio again for the second session to finish up as he seemed like a nice guy. He didn’t reply to texts or emails but was finally able to make an appointment. When I went in he told me that he double booked and couldn’t see me. Explained I took off work, had my daughter in childcare just for this and made my apt over a week earlier. They didn’t care and opted to work on the person he scheduled the day prior (who wasn’t even there yet). Asked if the other guy there could finish me and was just told no (even though he had no apt). I decided never to go back here. I wasn’t going to leave a review but wanted to explain this all to the studio so hopefully they could learn from it and make someone else’s experience better, especially a first timer, but I was basically laughed at and they ended by making an odd/​rude Dave Navaro comment (guess he has tattoo show?) and told me never to go back. So much for constructive feedback. So all that said I decided to leave my review here. As mention I heard mediocre reviews so I’m partly at fault for visiting this studio to begin with. Hope others read this and learn from my mistakes. Ask lots of questions up front, triple confirm your appt times and try to go off peak hours so you get the attention you should at the prices they charge. Or do what I am, give another shop your business.

Sheila was amazing. I was clearly nervous to get my nose pierced, but she talked me through it and it was surprisingly relatively painless! Whether that was because she calmed me down or because she just did it excellently (or both), it was quick and easy either way. She let me lie down and catch my breath afterward even though there were other people waiting. I felt very taken care of and would definitely recommend her to others.

I know Adam for Years. His work is amazing and his cost is more than fair. He keeps his shop clean and it’s a friendly environment. Adam has been in the business over 30 years so his art work is amazing. If you looking for a awesome long lasting tattoo go see Adam. You won’t regret it.

Adam did my first and only tattoo on my right shoulder in 1991. People were amazed at how the colors held up after all this time. Went yesterday to have it redone with some additions and another on my left shoulder. Adam’s son was helpful and really nice as was all the staff. Again, quality work for a great price. Don’t understand how reviewers say they didn’t get what they wanted because Adam shows you the image on paper to check it, and has you check the stenciled image on your body before he begins. I had to wait bc the place was packed when I got there. This is a laid back family business built years ago. If you want Manhattan chic, go there. I live in and drove from Manhattan to get my tattoo done here.

I got my first ever tattoo here. I entered with a design and Adam improved the tattoo more than I could ever imagine. The tattoo itself was amazing!
A problem I did encounter though was that I was not pleased with the service. I got the tattoo done on my back, and they made me sit for 2 hours and 15 minutes on a steel chair. Also, Adam was distracted by his phone every 15 minutes.
The tattoo itself was amazing, but the service was below par!

So I went in to get a small gemini sign done on my ribs. I was taken care of at the front desk by the female piercer and was directed into one of the rooms to be tattoo’d. This was my first tattoo so of course I was a little scared. The guy who walks in is apparantley the owners son (forgot his name) and I asked him «I heard that if youre really ticklish you wont be able to sit still, is this true?» and he kind of just brushes me off and gives me an attitude. As he starts tattooing he says with more of a cocky attitude «oh it doesn’t tickle now right» and as a 18 year old girl getting a tattoo for the first time it didn’t make me feel good. I also noticed that he used a SINGLE needle for the entire tattoo when he should changed to a i guess what you can call a fill in needle for the black coloring. The tattoo was done and went home to take care of it. As the healing process went on I noticed that it was a taking a very long time to heal longer than it was supposed to and it was also scabbing A LOT. It finally healed and noticed that it was kind of a light shade of black and it had white spots but didnt think anything of it until a few months later. I went to get a much bigger piece on my right side from my rib cage down to below my hip at a place in the city 34^th st and Herald sq. The guy did a phenomenal job and i showed him the tattoo i got at big joes and the artist said that the guy messed up my tattoo! He said it should not have looked the way it did in such a short amount of time. The artist redid it for me for half of what i paid for at big joes and it hurt like a bitch because of all the scarring my tattoo from big joes had. It is now about 10 months since i got the tattoo Redone and it still has white spots. This tattoo can never be perfect no matter how many times i decide to redo it. I will NEVER go back to big joe and sons again. It was a big mistake.

Done a really good job, fair price as well. I had my forearm sleeve done by Adam, fantastic shading

I got my nose pierced here for only $ 40, jewelry included. The first time I had my nose pierced, it was done wrong! The guy saw the mistake and fixed it all up by piercing the correct way. No blood gushing out (like my first time in the other place), no pain, and no jewelry sinking into hole. Definitely coming back for more piercings!

Great place very clean, everyone was very polite. I got a costum tat, they asked that i e mail the design to them they drew it right there and took me right in no apointment no nothing i was in and out in 2 hours with a great tattoo in my inner arm. Overall i recomend this place im going back for another one soon.

Adam did a really nice piece on my left arm about 6 months ago. I was really impressed with the quality and the pricing was fair. Everything went so well I was keen to get a second piece, but it didn’t work out.
I called to schedule a consultation to discuss the tattoo, but was told that I should just stop in ‘anytime’. That’s a bit of a problem due to my schedule, but I still I managed to pop in a total of three times over the next 2 weeks. Each time though, Adam was busy with other customers or on the phone and could only give me a minute or so to talk about what I wanted to do, He did promise to get back to me, but unfortunately, he never did. Ultimately, I went to a different tattoo shop.
In the end, I would definitely recommend Big Joe and Sons and Adam in particular based on pricing and work quality. But be prepared for aggravation trying to plan things out and reach them. It’s really tough.

Went for the first time yesterday was pretty busy but was able to be squeezed in Joey did my tatt and it’s amazing. Friendly environment felt right at home. Would definitely recommend. Can’t wait to go back but will definitely schedule an appointment.

Earlier today I got pierced here by Sheila. I got a nipple, cartilage and lobe piercing.
I was in and out in 20 minutes, most of them spent getting worked up about the piercings themselves (my fault). Sheila was extremely polite, professional and quick. She talked me through the whole process beforehand and was never annoyed with my questions or nervousness. She was fantastic and though it’s only been a few hours, all my piercings feel great. Highly recommend her and this place.
Only downside, they did not have many options for earrings– only a ring, small stud and slightly larger stud. Understandable though since their primary business is tattooing. They definitely still deserve 5 stars though because of the efficiency of the whole process and their great customer service.

Went in here with my brother one day when he was on leave before deploying to Iraq. He showed them a few possible designs, including the logo for USMC 3^rd Reconaissance Battallion, his unit. The employee in charge got angry and said the USMC Recon logo was in fact a Hell’s Angels symbol, and that my brother was not allowed to wear it. He also told my brother he didn’t believe he was a Marine.
First of all, the logos are superficially similar, but they are clearly different, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Second, if we’re going to have a discussion about who is «allowed» to wear a skull and crossbones logo, then the claim should go to men who fight for our country, not a group of pseudo-​criminals squeezing into leather chaps during a midlife crisis. And lastly, respect the Marines.
For his part, my brother calmly took out his wallet, displayed his military ID to the morons going on about the supposed Hell’s Angel logo, then took his designs and left. Avoid this place, especially if you’re military or someone who cares about the way our service people are treated.

Got my first tattoo here almost three years ago on my ankle in memory of my father (pink rose). Joey tattooed me and he was so gentle and made me feel so relaxed! That I had to come back and get another tattoo. Sheila at the front desk was so nice and accommodating. She answered all my emails and called me to verify my appointment. I love my second tattoo with Joey that he did on my lower back that I actually have an appointment for this Tuesday for the second part of my lower back tattoo. I don’t know about any of the other artists but Joey Kaplan is who I recommend to everyone! He’s so patient and kind. I don’t know why some say they’re rude and take breaks, I didn’t have any problems. My artist didn’t not take one break in either of my tattoos that I got done there. And there prices are reasonable. I love this place and I recommend it to everyone!!!

The art here is okay, but artists never want to draw something to for you… you need a pic of exactly what you want and/​or the exact font. They are also rude to their clients. They don’t engage in conversation and take cigarette and phone breaks in the middle of a tattoo. Highly unprofessional.

Just finished getting a cover up from at Big Joe’s in White Plains. They did an amazing job.
Sheila handled the appointments and they kept all of their appointments, no cancellations, no long waits. Pete handled my tattoo and it blew my expectations away.
I had an old faded tattoo I got when I was 18, which was almost 15 years ago. I gave them a general idea of what I wanted to turn it into (from a cross to a sword and shield) and he drew up his own design, which looked better then anything I could come up with on my own, and went to work.
I told them how much I wanted to spend and they worked with me on it and gave me a fair price. The tattoo took two sessions, everything was clean, everyone was nice and friendly. Highly recommended.
If I ever got another tattoo I wouldn’t go anywhere else.

I walked in to see if they could do a tattoo for me. I started telling the guy at the front desk about what I wanted, he asked if I had a picture I could email, I said sure I can email it. Right then some other guy walked up off the street. He starts talking to the guy behind the desk, and next thing you know he starting to pull up concepts on the internet to show to him. I interrupted their conversation and asked «Can I have the email address please?» Because clearly I was there first.
The guy there says «I dont even know the email address, its some long email, but there will be a girl here soon so just wait»
I am sitting there waiting for another 25 minutes, and a big guy walks in, looks like the owner. He yells at the kid that cut me in line, and tells him to lower his voice.
Then the kid walks out to get a bottle of water while the other guy that worked there starts drawing up his stencil.
So I politely asked, «how long do you think it will be until that girl gets here, I have been waiting here for a while»
The owner says to me «well if thats the way you feel about it, the door is right there, feel free to use it»
I said «okay, thank you» and proceed to walk out. As I close the door, I over hear the owner say «F@#& You» I walk back in and say «What did you say?» He says to me as his tone goes from low to screaming while walking over to me «You heard what I said! I Would love for you to try it because I AM READY FOR IT»
He gets in my face and I said to him «Really Man? This is how you treat your customers?» «You are a Joke Man!» I laugh and I walk away, as I am walking down the street he is still yelling obscenities towards me.
If this is the type of behavior you can put up with, then go, if not, then I would leave them alone. This was a total let down!