Miami Ink

09/23/2008 Posted by macca73

Best tatto ever, helpful staff and great artist. BUT expect a high price to come with the work. Not hard to find at all if you find the old shop the new one is only five doors down. Glad l made the trip from Perth Australia, do it again in a flash to get a tatt like the one l received. Best to have a good idea what you want and don't expect to get Chris Garver or any of the other guys without an appointment. l got a tatt from Randy and soon will be on the show so hurry!! he was great and his work speaks for itself.

Pros: Great work

Cons: Price

09/09/2008 Posted by alien41

I went to Miami in August on vacation and figured I would stop by Miami Ink to see the shop and who knows, maybe meet one of the famous artists! We arrived and the shop you used to see on tv is now a retail shop for expensive t-shirts and jewelry. The person at the counter did not even greet or acknowledge we were even in the shop. This is kind of hard to do since there is enough room for 6-7 people at max with the way the shop is roped off. So the shop moved a few locations down from the old one " To Better ServeThe Customer" said the sign. My wife and I with our 2 yr. old daughter in a stroller walk down to the next shop which is called Love Hate Choppers and Tattoos. The sign on the front door said must be 18. We walked in and immediately the guy at the counter said " Guys you can't have her in here!" So my wife turned right back around and left and so did I. I could not believe that you can not bring a child in with you at any time! I do remember on the show where people had thier kids in the shop and even when one child drew on thier parent and they made that part of the tattoo. Also, how do you as an artist forget about all the people that drove all that way in hopes to one get a tattoo or even just to see you in person. Are these not the people who got you where you are today? I guess it is the typical I got my TV show , made a ton of money, and now I do not care about what got me where I am! I own a business and I treat every customer with respect and I tell everyone thank you for thier business. I was very dissapointed with the atmosphere and the customer service and most of all that they used the tv and the customers to get where they are and do not take the time to be there to pay the respects where they are do! Do not get me wrong , the artist there create some of the best work I have ever seen and I would get a tattoo from any of them with no hesitation. It just stinks to be so close when you see them on tv but so far away when you go to Miami.

Pros: Best TV artists around

Cons: They are never there!

08/24/2008 Posted by markb504

I went to Miami to get a tattoo from an artist at a local rival shop. I learned that Janos now works at Love Hate Tattoo (Miami Ink). Janos remembered me after doing a piece on me 10 years ago. It was frustrating that I could not speak directly to the artist until I had negotiated a price for the tattoo. Thankfully, Janos took me to his station and drew up a few options first and even placed them on 2 locations of my body to compare. Once I chose the one I liked the shop manager, Lee, asked if I was a local or from out of town. Apparently this really effects the price. My cost went down by over $500 because I live in Miami. Once the money was paid, it was all business. Janos was extremely professional and exceeded my expectations for the portrait he did. Lee was extremely helpful and kept checking in if I was okay, and Darren Brass, Ami, and Yoji were all there checking out the piece as it was inked and talking to me and the 2 other patrons getting tattooed. You should NOT go in to Miami Ink if you think you are going to have one of the TV artists work on you without an appointment, have no idea what you want, or have no prior experience in a tattoo shop, and especially if you are not prepard to pay $$$ for it (negotiating the price down WILL effect the artists effort). You SHOULD go to Miami Ink if you don't mind the first come, first served appointments, want truly unique work by talented artists. I highly recommend getting work by Janos!

Pros: Extremely talented artists, great custom work, very clean, and great atmosphere.

Cons: Over priced and first come, first served appointments.

07/14/2008 Posted by 212transplant

Reading the reviews below I was hesitant to attempt a visit to Miami Ink. It was my first tattoo and I figured that even if it wasn't an artist from the show at least with the show's notariety there would be reputable artists working there. I was disppointed that I couldn't get an appointment in advance, was told it was walk in only - first come first serve, but I was also told that if I came early in the day I would be able to be "seated" that day. I got there at 1pm, showed my idea and learned that my design would not look good in future years as it was very small and would most likely run together after a few years. A new take on my design was drawn and it was better than I could have imagined! The tattoo took about 2 hours ( less than what I was told). The best part of sitting there for a few hours was watching the interactions between the shop employees and the general public. Its incredible how dumb people are. People show up and expect to walk in to an appt with Ami James or Chris Garver. Also many people come in ( I actually saw this happen) saying that they have come from other country's just to see Ami and they get upset when they are told he's not at the shop, like he lives there or something! The number of really annoying questions asked reached 50 in only the 2 hours I was there so I can't imagine what these guys go through in a whole week. I mean really dumb, does it hurt? Come on.... Even after the guy taking the appts told people to bring back some kind of reference for what they wanted they came back with nothing! No idea of what they want - one guy got upset because he was referred to the artists books for ideas. Why would you get a tattoo if you have NO IDEA what you want? I am in love with my tattoo. I think your visit will be greatly enhanced if you show that you have a minimal amount of common sense.

Pros: great artistry, helpful insight, fun atmosphere.

Cons: parking, little expensive ( worth it!)

06/17/2008 Posted by moe10

My wife and I thought it would be a good idea to go to Miami Florida, South Beach for our honeymoon. We also thought that this would be a great time to get a tattoo at from the guys at Miami Ink. I just got off the phone with the receptionist after I told her that I would like a certain artist to do some work for me and before I could finish telling her what I wanted she told me that this artist had a $1000.00 min and if I was still intrested.

05/29/2007 Posted by mountainrider

The guys here opened late the day I was here. About 2 hours late. I was kind of ticked off by then, but I thought, "what the hay," this is a tatt from "Miami Ink". I waited about an hour and a half for them to stop B.S.ing and get down to business. Finally, Darren Brass produced a picture of my design idea and I was put in the hot seat. He actually is a very good artist and tattooist, (probably one of the best in the biz) and I was quite pleased with the outcome. I arrived at noon and was not on my way back to the hotel until almost 5pm. The tattoo only took about an hour and 15 minutes. Rediculous amount of wasted time. A few months later, I had a trip to Miami again. Thought it was time for a second tatt. The wait to even get in put me off the second time I went and now they wanted a $200 minimum. This second time they seemed quite full of themselves. So, I went around the corner on 14th to "tattoo's by Lou". The guys at Miami Ink even recommended this guy. An equal (at least in my eyes) to Miami Ink artistry and talent and half the price. The guy at "lou's" drew up what I wanted, placed it perfectly and went to work. Didn't stop until he was done. Now, I just say, " i went by (passed by) Miami Ink and look at what I got!"

Pros: good artists and tatooists

Cons: expensive, no original work on display. overrated.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/16/2007 Posted by alicatcan

I personally loved my experience at miami ink. i went to the walk in session at 9, got my name written down, and was in and out with my tattoo in under an hour. the guys were sweethearts, and the design james created was amazing. people need to realize, however, that because of their shop's fame they have limited time with each customer. if you're looking for a huge, intricate tattoo designed on the spot you've come to the wrong place. if you're rude and pushy, don't expect much...it's really an honor for them to be doing your tattoo in the first place. believe me, they don't need to take walk ins to stay in business.

Pros: talent, service

Cons: expensive

01/15/2007 Posted by saleen332

MIami Ink is totally overrated! Their customer service is a joke and the guys spend more time bullshitting and taking smoke breaks on the sidewalk than actually tatooing. I went on a weekend vacation from Pittsburgh and wasted three trips to this pathetic business. I stood there while fifteen people waited and none of the artists were even working, it was unreal. Trust me, it's the worst. I was so turned off that I will never even watch the show. All Lee did was write my name on a piece of paper three different times and never made an effort to talk to me. The guys from the show were nowhere to be seen, go figure!!!!

Pros: Nothing

Cons: three trips and no Tat. customer service, waste of time, no appointments

08/19/2006 Posted by drainbamamge

After being wounded in Iraq I thought I'd go get a Tattoo that meant a little something to me and what I left behind. My artist was cool and expensive...BUT...He was bumped once screwing up my ink and did a couple weird marks himself...after many smoke breaks. I've called several times to try arrange a repair and the follow up service has simply SUCKED! DAN R. if you're out there...how about a call so we can fix this pig. Try answering your shop phone, follow up on complaints, maybe just good ole' fashion customer service would make someone happy. I hope you enjoyed the $200.00 tip though. I learned never to tip first again!!

04/24/2006 Posted by zootsmom

You pay for the noteriety. My tattoo was done by one of the guys not on T.V.(the famous guys are only there during the week). The guys were really nice but my artist spent a good chunk of time texting on his cell and going for smoke breaks. The Tat was goood but not fabulous. All this would not matter if they didn't charge double what you would pay anywhere else (In cash no less).