Tattoo Boogaloo

A great crew of people work here, friendly, knowledgeable and extremely talented at their craft. Deanna is one of the few, and in my opinon the best, Watercolor style tattoo artist in the area. Be warned they are often booked out, so don't expect to be able to walk in and get your butterfly.

Great Tattoo shop, the stations are spacious and the lighting is good. They even have squishies if you need them for the pain ;) It's reservation only, which is great because it means there aren't random people just coming through all the time. My artist (DeAnna) did a great job on my tattoo, from our conversation about what I was looking for all the way to actual design and placement she did a great job. I'm super pleased and will hopefully head back for another eventually.

Before going on vacation in San Francisco I did some research ...reading reviews and looking for a good location. Apprehensively, I made an appointment with Kyle still unsure about where I should put my tattoo and how big it should be. Well ...not to worry. I felt very comfortable with Kyle and he was great at explaining the procedure and putting me at ease. When he finished my ladybug it looked so realistic! It's been only one week and I am back home. My tattoo has not been any trouble to me at all. I really love it and it is better than I imaged it to be. Kyle was very good with healing instructions and what to expect. I would highly recommend Kyle as a tattoo artist. 🐞

My JOINT right here. Tattoo Boogaloo is a tattoo shop owned and populated by the nicest, most hilarious, most talented people you'll come across in San Francisco. The shop has a considerably more approachable vibe than many tattoo shops, and wait times for consultations and appointments tend to be much more reasonable than other shops in the Bay Area. I've had dozens of hours of work done here (by Mez) and will continue to for years to come.

This place is amazing! The staff are all so friendly and professional and take a great deal of pride in their work. Katie made me feel right at home and helped me through the process of getting my first tattoo - a full back piece. She made the process as comfortable as possible. Definitely going back for my next tattoo!

I got a FABULOUS tattoo from Stevie!

About 8 years ago I had breast cancer and needed chemotherapy. They wound up putting in a port in my chest. After chemo, they took it back out, and gave me the actual port. I thought it looked rather pretty, like the gel part in the middle was a moonstone.

After awhile, I decided I wanted a tattoo over the scar where it had been. I wound up designing a very bare-bones outline of a sea turtle made out of a port, with the thought of getting a splash of watercolor across it.

Fast forward to the last year, where I finally started shopping for a really good watercolor artist. I was referred to Stevie, and I came in for a consult last month. She was very warm and professional, and helped me parse out what I wanted to do. I left her with a date for the tattoo and the deposit, with the promise of art on day of, with tweaking then if necessary.

I came in today and she'd taken my flat sketch and turned it into a gorgeous 3D turtle swimming up my chest. The splash behind we changed up, since (to my own surprise) I wasn't really happy with the initial splatter, and she quickly altered the design to something closer to what I wanted - which was pretty amazing considering I was having a tough time getting it into words! The friend I'd brought with me to hold my hand pulled up Stevie's Instagram and I pointed out the backgrounds I liked and the colors I was thinking, and Stevie absolutely nailed it.

I was also really impressed because at some point I mentioned the moonstone impression I'd had of the original port, and she offered to change the inner circle of the turtle into a gemstone. We went with opal, and MAN, it made something gorgeous into something absolutely stunning.

Stevie made sure I was happy with the positioning, letting me flip the stain to be sure I liked the way it was swimming, and after some discussion I went with her recommendation. I'm very, very glad I did, but also that she changed the stain so I could get eyes on and be certain about my choice. Then she set to work, and now I have a truly incredible piece of art where I used to have a scar that looked like a shiny pink worm.

To those who haven't had a tattoo before: yes, of COURSE it hurt. But to my surprise, it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting, and she had a good sense of when to take breaks so I could breathe when necessary. Stevie herself is a delightful person, and we all three had a great conversation while she worked, which is a nice bonus. It was done pretty darn quickly for the level of artistry she put into it - about 2.5 hours from beginning of needlework to end product, with an hour beforehand for figuring out the tweaks and the placement.

I am really, REALLY pleased with my tattoo. I'm deeply happy to have found such a gifted tattoo artist with enough time to squeeze my little project in, and she helped me reclaim another piece of my body back from my cancer treatment, which is beyond price. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone wanting a watercolor masterpiece on their body for all time! Do not hesitate to invest in yourself and in her, you will not regret it!

Got the majority of my work done here and it is absolutely one of the best shops in San Fran. Before you check elsewhere check here as each of the artists have their own style and do a world class job.

Chris, one of the owners of the studio, recently finished a half sleeve on my arm. I don't think I can truly put into words just how meaningful his work has been on my life! He's an incredible artist and a fantastic person, which means sessions with him are spectacular.

He's the only artist I've worked with from this studio but over the many hours I spent there I can truly say that you would do well to schedule with any artist in there!!

My artist was Anthony Hampton (@bonytony666) and I had an absolutely phenomenal experience with him. I had multiple full day sessions to complete my sleeve and I loved the entire process. Anthony himself is talented beyond words. He made sure I was comfortable throughout every appointment, talked to me when I felt like talking, and let me zone out with my earbuds when it got a little too intense. Everyone at the shop is always really warm and the other artists were quick to welcome me and so, despite my anxiety, I was immediately comfortable here. I’m grateful for shops and artists like the ones at Tattoo Boogaloo that manage to make someone as neurotic as I am feel totally at ease. I recommend them to everyone that asks about my sleeve!

Sorry about potato quality pictures, they don't do Anthony's work justice at all.

Deanna designed and did my first tattoo six years ago. I had the great good fortune of working with her again to create a much larger memorial tattoo. Because of the style and placement of the tattoo, Deanna created the design directly on my leg using only some reference images and my own topography. This is, hands down, an absolute work of art. Everyone at Tattoo Boogaloo is incredibly talented and wonderfully open and kind.