Reviews of Rick's Tattoos (Tattoo Shop)

dakota russell

Ben did a kick @ss jib on my daughters tattoo. Looks fantastic. Will send friends that direction.

Sam Hake

Ben tatted me a couple times so far. Great people there, great atmosphere. I got one and had o come back a couple days after because I was so hyped! Historic! Lit! Come here

Zaque Johnson

Amy and Zac are great. I haven't had extended interactions with other members of the staff, but I'm thrilled with the customer service, quality of work, and price here. The artists are talented and there seems to be a good balance of walk-in ready artists and scheduled artists. There is a real reason that this place is close to celebrating 40 years. I won't go anywhere else in the DMV area.

Kat W

Best friend had most of her work done here. They're pretty bomb

Ucernaim

Even though some reviews might say it's overpriced, from all I've seen, it's actually one of the best prices for the area. The staff are very welcoming and helpful. The walls are full of designs for those that have an idea, but don't know exactly what they want, and their staff has a few amazing artists that can draw up what you have in mind in case you do know. All of the artists are excellent at what they do, but Ben was the artist assigned to me today. The work of art now on my body is perfect. I couldn't have asked for more. It might have been a little more than I was expecting to pay, but all in all, I couldn't have asked for more!

Alissa D'Auria

Amy and Chauna have both done tattoos for me here, and both are amazing! This place hires the best folks. They are safe and professional. There's a reason they've been around for almost 40 years! Highly recommend.

Mariah Brown

Very rude . I called asking for the price of a nose piercings was immediately hung up on . Called back talked to the same lady , asked again was basically rushed off the phone and hung up on again.

Lydia M

Craig is an AMAZING piercer! He thoroughly explained the process and I am more than pleased with his work!

Alexandra Yap

I got my nosed pierced, by Craig, and he did a great job. I was pretty nervous and he did a great job of explaining the process, and getting me to calm down. I would definitely recommend this place to someone, and have a place in mind for any tattoos. I don't have too much experience with tattoo places, so I don't k ow if this is the norm, but it's cash only. There's a pretty good chance that I missed that note if it was on the site, but no need to fear...there is an ATM inside.

Quan Tran

My time with Amy was awesome and wonderful. She is amazing tattoo artist. Her dragon and tiger was really what wanted to be. I will come back here again for my second tattoo.

Danielle Schultz

I went to Rick's and got a navel piercing from Craig. I am completely satisfied and know I'll be going back to Rick's in the future for more piercings and tattoos. Awesome customer service!!

Jesse Maines

Great atmosphere and really talented artists. Ben does amazing work.

Amber Gasdiel-Goldberg

Stopped by to see Blake and he was a huge help!!! Our sister had a crappy tragius piercing done with hoops and wanted to get new studs put in. He was super helpful picking out the perfect piece of jewelry for her sensitive skin. Then took his time replacing the jewelry to make sure it went in correctly. After he finished, he made sure she knew the proper care for her piercings to ensure they would heal correctly. Definitely going back to see him again!!

Sanjeet Parajuli

The best place to get inked. Damn they do best jobs.

Manjunath Ramachandra

The tattoo artist charged me too much for a small simple tattoo. In terms of quality they are good but I dont think a small tattoo on the forearm should cost 300$. This is just ripping people off.

Aly Nikole

I went in two days ago for my birthday because I really wanted a studio level tattoo rather than little stick-n-pokes and I had such an amazing experience! The receptionist was super kind and helpful with the questions I had, as it was my first tattoo so I came into a very welcoming environment. Chauna was my artist for the big day and she is an absolute angel, she was so sweet and she seemed so happy to be doing my first tattoo. She made me feel so comfortable and answered any little questions I had while she was working, her linework is incredible and she just made my first tattoo experience the best it could have been. I'm currently saving up more so when I get my next tattoo, I can set an appointment up with her!

Lisa Sanders

My cover up was awesome!

James L

Rick's is a well known and well established tattoo parlor in N. Arlington. The talent varies wildly from artist to artist, but you can be sure to find the best in the area for whatever style of artwork you're seeking. You can also expect to pay top dollar even for simpler things, as is to be expected with a shop with a reputation for premium work. The guys inside are usually nice enough, though they have a low tolerance for people with little or no tattoo experience, and they are quick to judge people seeking "fad" tattoos or people with ideas that are "cheesy" or aren't logical for transfer to skin. The bottom line is this: for original art or complicated portraits or ideas you can be sure that Rick's will have an artist that can make your dreams come true (if the price tag doesn't kill you before you begin), or if you just want some lettering or you have something already drawn they'd still do a great job, but you can find a different shop that would cost a fraction of the price.

Brittney Sowells

Blake was awesome! Very knowledgeable and so gentle. The jewelry selection was impressive. I will come back for sure! Thank you Blake ❤️

Mandadapu Manaswi

They are cool and hygenic. And tattoo was soo good. Thnq and luv u guys

Kearra André

Me and my best friend of 10 years spontaneously decided to finally get matching tattoos the other day. We decided on Rick’s because they had the best reviews and were close. When we got in we had to wait a while (which was fine because we didn’t have an appointment or anything). But immediately after being helped, we felt we were treated like dumb & naive kids. Our tattoo artist came over and told us the tattoo we wanted would have to be bigger than we initially planned. We understood why and were fine with it. He then asked where we would like them and said he’d be right back. He came back with a rough sketch and told us the pricing would be $120 EACH. But the tattoos we wanted were VERY small (2 inches tops and slim)... We weren’t looking to spend that much on such a small design, so we had to decide on a completely different tattoo than what we initially planned/wanted. We settled on a simple SMALL flower for our wrists. He told us he could do them for $80 each WITHOUT the shading, and $100 each with the shading. The shading was very minimal and by that point we felt like we were being scammed lol. We debated on leaving but instead just decided to spend the $100 each. I have a tattoo that’s 3x the size of the one we got, that I got for $60.. We are happy with our tattoos but the experience wasn’t all that great. We feel because we’re young (19 & 20) we were taken advantage of. Maybe I don’t fully understand how tattoo pricing works .. but a very small and simple design (with minimal shading, that took literally 5 minutes to do) doesn’t seem worth $100, EACH? It doesn’t seem right.

Bam Serrano

I was young and stupid when I paid for the worst tattoos money can buy now I'm paying out the ass to cover up these abominations do your self a favor do a ton of research and find a better place.

Paul Ashton

Amy X is incredible.

walter canales

I got my first tattoo done here by Rick about 12 years ago and it still looks as good as the day I got it!

Mark Johnson

Great place, great work, amazing atmosphere, and great peaople.

Iliana hernandez

i would highly recommend this place!

Antonio Bracamonte

My dad and I decided to get matching tattoos, and we chose Rick's after reading wonderful reviews. When we walked in, everyone was very friendly and attentive, Chauna was our artist, and she was easy to talk to and very helpful, she sat with us and we talked about options and ideas. She tool her time and did a great job, we are very happy with the end result, we would definitely recommend Rick's to anyone looking to get quality ink work and friendly service. Rick's location is in an older building, making it somewhat of a landmark, but the building is in good condition and very clean work areas. although we were walk ins and were the last ones to leave, we weren't rushed at all, we'll definitely be returning for any future body art work!! Briana and Antonio

wendy lobo

Blake was pretty cool. Walked in for a piercing I have wanted for the past year. He made it so easy. Walked me through the whole process.

Rudy B

Went in at 1.20 pm( hours are 12 to 6 pm on Sundays), lady at the desk did not bother to talk to us until after 5 to awkwardly trying to give us a hint about making an appointment for another day( and walked out in the middle of the conversation when I was telling her that it would have been nice to let us know after 1-2 hours if that tattooers would be able to see us that day or running the risk to keep waiting and still not getting our tattoos done- has she said that to us, the whole experience would have been totally different! She eventually came back to us at 5.55 pm to ask questions about our tattoos, we found out that I could get one done but not my partner( because they were out of time). Tattoo artist came to talk to us and made an nice offer( or though I thought: offered to only pay $80-minimum fee for a tattoo--a few years ago, I got tattoos with them and was charged $60 for a bigger tattoo when actually that is what we would have paid anyway! Our tattoos were 2 inches on 1 inch and 2 inches on 2 inches( overpriced, much?). Of course when asked about a way to get in touch with the owner, the lady at the front desk "wasn't sure of any way to get in touch with him." Tattoo guy overheard me, and asked why I needed to contact the owner, I did not want to have an argument in the middle of the shop until the lady shouted:" He wants to talk to him because he had to wait and he is upset". Wrong: I had an issue with your complete lack of communication skills and your lack of professionalism. I was eventually given an e-mail address( probably fake) and got in touch with the owner via another social platform. Let's just say that our exchange was an extent of the unpleasant experience we had at the shop. While I understand him sticking to his employees' version (apparently, their story is "slightly different" they did not see anything wrong with how the situation was handled-- I mean how many employees do you know would admit they handled a situation very poorly with a customer??) the whole " customer service is very important to me" speech didn't make any sense. Like I said on other social platforms, they will still get business regardless of the reviews posted online, but at least I will make some people aware of a not-so-smooth shop. Oh, well! There are plenty of professional shops in the DMW area.

Kelena DeGroat

Went in for my septum piercing and wow! A lot of work has been done to update the shop. The staff was so friendly and extremely nice. Blake did my piercing and I just had a great experience. He explained everything, the room was clean and welcoming. Highly recommend them. I've had several tats done here and Amy (one of the artist) is working on drafting my sleeve now.

Allison D

Walked in for a tattoo on a whim, knew what I wanted and where but not exactly the font. Troy drew it up and within 20 minutes I had the most amazing tattoo. Super clean & professional. Everyone was friendly and helpful.

Eddie Brochures

I was impresed by the work I got here

Arthur Frey

Extremely happy with my appointment I had with Amy last night. The staff was efficient and careful. And 3 hours later I left with an amazing piece of artwork that I am truly proud of. Amy a is amazing

mlkbee genovez

Got my first tattoo here yesterday! Total walk-in! Everyone was super sweet. Def going back to Troy though!! He’s amazing!!

Othmane bedraoui

Amy is an amazing artist, I highly recommend her. Five stars for sure, if I could give 10 stars I would. Great place to get a Tattoo.

Ashley Deering

Been here twice & have gotten tattoos done by Chauna & Troy. Both friendly & are great artists. I've always done walk-ins & the wait isn't super long & totally worth it. Deff will be back again soon!

Ashleigh Warren

Great vibe. Fun people.

Jose Castillo

Ben was just amazing!

Victoria Anderson

Fell in love my my tattoo that Victoria did. It ment alot that she got the details of my sons handprint. Thanks again Victoria!

Jacqueline Bullock

Had a great experience at Ricks- knowledgeable staff, friendly and a super chill atmosphere - will go again and refer friends

Erich von Boeselager

I had a sleeve done by Duong and some other work done by Rhiannon and I am extremely pleased with the work and the prices. I had some stuff done in Adam's Morgan, DC, Cincinnati, OH and Cleveland, OH and the prices, service and quality of work was vastly superior at Rick's. I plan on going back and getting another sleeve done and I know the work will be amazing. I get complements all the time on how good the tattoos looks... 5 Stars for sure!!

Bruno Cerqueira

Amy is amazing...

Evan Schillmoller

Amy does great work and is wonderful to talk to! I really appreciated getting to know her while finishing my sleeve.

Rebecca Hensley

Ben did an awesome job with my tattoo place is very clean and everyone is so nice

Joseph Gallo

Ask for Ben

Caleb Newell

Clean and professional with talented staff who I'll go back to for several more tattoos.

Tom Follman

All I can say is WOW!! I walked in and they took care of me right away and were extremely polite! This was my first tattoo and was supposed to match my older brother's, and it matched perfectly. They definitely deserve 5 stars and I would recommend them for anyone at any time!

Rainy Waters

It was a really clean environment. Everyone was very professional. They had lots of tattoos and jewelry to choose from. We were lucky to have the owner himself do my daughter's nose piercing. He was AWESOME! He was very informative and answered questions. He told us what to expect and to call if we had any questions about the piercing. Over a week later my daughter was nervous about the healing process. She called and good an immediate answer. They weren't even bothered by her inquiry and told her to call anytime she had any concerns.... The most comfortable experience a mom can have! Thanks guys!

Krista Hopkins

LOVE IT HERE. I had Chauna do a simple deathly hallows tattoo on the inside of my hip. It was quick and painless. The lines are perfectly straight. She was incredibly helpful and friendly. I came in as a walk-in knowing what tattoo I wanted but not what size or where I wanted it. We talked about the pros and cons of all of the options. She was so sweet and understanding about any reservations I had. During the tattooing process she maintained conversation and we figured out that her main artistic interest aligns with my next tattoo interest. She showed me examples of that style and told me to contact her any time to start talking about it. I will definitely be going back here.

Jordan Armstrong

Gotten both a tattoo and piercing here and had an amazing experience with both! Ben gave me a flower tattoo on my hip and was an amazing artist and gave me exactly what I wanted!! The piercer is so experienced and makes you feel so comfertable and talks you through the whole process! Such amazing people! High quality people, tattoos and piercings

Vinh Le

i felt like i got blown off by these guys and that they didnt really care about what i wanted i wanted my nipples pierced and the piercer said it wasnt possible well i went to another shop not far and they did an amazing job hope this helps

Jason Heart

I was getting my first tattoo and Rick was extremely nice and was able to give me the best tattoo I’ll ever have! I absolutely loved talking to him and being able to focus on something other than the horrific needles. Definitely gonna come back for another tattoo!

Omar Donoso

I got my first tattoo here, customer service was great, fast and very professional. My artist was Tara M. Shes awesome, her work is top quality. The ink quality is great and it healed very well and fast.

Katerin Villegas

I had an amazing experience today getting my belly pierced by Rob. He was sweet,funny and with a great personality. I felt so welcome in the store with the great customer service. Afterwards loved the hyped Rob gave because I was feeling nervous. Especially, the neatness of the store, Loved it and thank you!

Alex Terhorst

Loved the artist loved my tattoo they took the time to get me in even when they were short staffed awesome place I would recommend

Tracy Bennett

Been wanting to get a tat in memory of my grandparents but was nervous because it means so much (not to mention it’s been 18 years since my last!). They welcomed us and were very friendly. Amy made me feel comfortable and did a great job! Brought a tear to my eyes!

Letizia Ceccato

Very friendly

Veronica Webb

Had a great experience getting pierced at Rick's. The staff was extremely helpful and I will be recommending this place to anyone looking to get tattooed or pierced.

Steven Spurling

Top notch artists, very clean facilities and excellent customer service. Definitely going back

Kim Young

Very expensive

Chris Bathan

The atmosphere of this place is very welcoming. Been getting work done here by Chauna and Tara and all I can say is that their work is beyond phenomenal. Please dont hesitate to get any tattoos done by them!

Kate Karelina

Awesome work! Everything was fast and professional

Priscilla Cruz

Came in to this shop a couple months ago to get my belly button pierced. Every other shop i went to, said they couldn't do it because I had a scar and that it would reject even if i used a titanium bar. However, Blake, said he could do it and it would be fine. 2 months later it's still there and healing. Thank you Blake

Jessica Hernández

(Translated by Google) I like armadillos qe Asen (Original) Me gustan los tatus qe asen

Erin Rodgers

Great experience with Zak. I came in with a some dainty text and he let me know that it would not age well (i.e. would eventually just blob together). He offered up a bigger size, restructured the text, and continually made sure this was what I wanted. 100% likely to return.

tshepho tshepiso

Very nice and friendly staff as always. Clean place and professional, Ben did my tattoos and he was patient with me and understood what I wanted and did it great. I'm definitely going back for more.

Jess Arena

I got two coverups here from Tara. She did a beautiful job and I definitely recommend getting a consultation with her if you can. The shop is super chill and clean.

Jika Asankanova

When i called to make an appoinment they said i can just walk in and there is no need to set an appoinment. I got there around 7.40 pm and the frontdesk lady said that all tattoo artists are busy and if i have time i can wait for another tattoo artist. My tattoo was very small so i decided to wait. I've been waiting for 1 hour and 20 min and she came up to me and said that The tattoo artist not able to come. So i had to leave. I felt like i have to ask them to get the tattoo done. It seemed like they dont really care about quests because they are busy anyway. They can tell you to just walk in but dont trust them. Never coming back.

Gabrielle BLANC

J'ai eu la femme. Elle est très gentille. Très douée. Ils ont gagné plusieurs fois le titre de meilleur tatoueur. Je les recommande fortement

James Mckeithan

Hard to enter, fantastic service. Higher than normal cost but good work

Joey Tryon

Awesome shop. Amy does amazing work. She was professional through the entire process and I highly recommend her to anyone looking for tattoo work!

Rachel Sanchez

Thank you, Amy!!! I am thrilled with my tattoo!!! You doing this for me is now a dream fulfilled. Amy is the bomb!!!

Drake Nissen

It was my 3rd time going to Ben and getting work done. Real cool dude and good art work. Clean nice shop and friendly people...but EXTREMELY OVERPRICED. I was charged $200 for a small black rose and A little shading on my leg. Ben told me it would take 30-45 minutes for everything....I know $100-$150 per hour is reasonable price...but $200 for 30 minutes of work is a RIP OFF. I will not be returning back...you lost a loyal customer.

Jay Silvas

Always been a great place for me, and if you really like detailed and personalized tattoos, get an appointment with Tara. She's amazing.

Gino Sanchez

Very professional and polite people. All the tattoo artist seem very talented, can’t go wrong getting a tattoo here

Natalie Robertson

I got my first tattoo today and I had a great experience! It was a little bit of a wait but it was well worth it. Chauna was so patient and understanding when making changes to the design. I was nervous but she made me feel very comfortable. The entire staff was nice and accommodating. Would definitely recommend!

Luke Clemmons

Troy is the man. Listen to his advice and you'll get a great tattoo

Russ Reid-Smith

I've had all of my ink done here. Excellent prices. Once I found the artist Amy, I won't go anywhere else.

March Galloway

Good customer service

Abby Sevillano

Never had a bad experience! Been coming to Rick's on n off since 2005. Usually I have the pleasure of dealing with Amy(crazy popular artist!). This time around, had a pleasant chap by the name of Ben. Did a star cluster on my left wrist. I'm very pleased with the work he did. He was very personable. Very pleasant. I would definitely consider him in the future for a possible next piece!

Larysa Shevchenko

I have had five tattoos done by Ms. Amy, and every one looks as good as the day I got it, even the ones on my feet! She does excellent, excellent work, and if I weren't so far now is the only artist I would ever see. I have heard good things about the other artists as well, but have only ever had a tattoo from Amy and she was just awesome. Go without fear.

Amanda Barnett

Amy did a beautiful cover up Sunflower piece on my back. I was very pleased with the tattoo, and she seemed very nice. She told me to contact her once it was done healing so we could touch it up. She never contacted me back. It's been a few months now and still no response. I planned to come back here for my future art, but customer service is really important. Overall the tattoo is great, besides needing some touching up. She was nice and professional when doing my tattoo.

L P

Everyone here was so nice, welcoming, and professional. I went in for a walk-in and Ben gave me a beautiful tattoo. The lady at the front desk (unfortunately i didnt catch her name) and Tara were very welcoming as well!

J S

Been coming here for a couple years, and I always have a positive experience. Professional artists that produce quality work. I've brought quite a few friends here because of it.

Jason Edinger

Been the numerous times and have gotten several tattoos. Everyone does great work.

Brian Palma

(Translated by Google) The best (Original) El mejor

Amina Ait-Bella

Clean shop, awesome people, and great conversation while getting a small sprig of lavender for scar cover-up. I was a walk-in and it was my second tattoo, but I'm definitely only coming back to here. Update as of 5/17: another floral watercolor design! Tara did the one from last review, and the other day Amy did a beautiful rhododendron. She pulled out this perfectly sized and soft looking design from my really vague ideas. Took some time to get there but she was persistent and flexible with me! Even with two different artists the pieces go together cohesively. These two pieces mean so much to me, this shop is truly the best! Update 4/2019: Another watercolor plant! Got their shirt this time too. Over the past year I continue to get compliments on my pieces from here.

Robin Tucker

I visited the body piercing studio here. Everyone was amazing and professional and the shop is very clean. I'm a health care provider so my standards are high.

Tess Terrible

I had a really wonderful experience with Tara. She was very patient and very kind. We placed my tattoo about five different places on my back before I was satisfied with it's placement - I was honestly very specific with what I wanted and she was very accommodating to all my requests. She's definitely the friendliest person in the shop. I highly recommend her for any first timers or those a little on edge about getting your ink down.

Paige W

Don't know what threw problem is but everyone I talked with was friendly and made sure I was certain I was sure I wanted my tattoo. No complaints here. Great job. Great staff.

Lyz Frey

Amy is fantastic. The best artist there.

cate ross

Rick's is hands down the best shop. I come here every year with a big group of my friends and they are super accommodating, friendly, and do absolutely beautiful work. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for quality ink, especially American traditional work.

Anna Tucker Ashton

Amy Amy Amy. You cannot go wrong choosing her for your work. She is a talented artist, meticulous in her craft, and also just a lovely person to spend time with while she works.

Adrian Ferrufino

I have gotten a few tattoos at Rick's. All of them were done by Amy X. She is great and the work looks like it did the day it was done.I also have gotten work from Troy Brett, he just like Amy is an amazing artist and does great work. Everyone there is great and they are all willing to help with any questions you may have. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a tattoo or piercing. update from my 3 year old review- Everything is still fantastic, two half sleeves working on full sleeves by Troy and everyone there is still as fantastic and friendly as the first day I entered. Couldn't pick a better place to get tattoo'd.

Lalo Elias Fdez

I got my first tattoo there, a few days ago! It was a great choice!

LifeSupport4CRPS

They do amazing work. I would definitely recommend them

E S D

Staff is always helpful, friendly, and fun. Old school feel and great prices. The work done by each artist is amazing. I would always choose Rick's.

Carlita

I didn't get a tattoo here, but some friends visiting me from Ohio did. I was with them when they got their tattoos and the location was clean, the artists were very knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend this place.