Live Free Tattoo

Made a Unilocal account just to say that Alan Berg and his work are nothing short of phenomenal. I had my first tattoo done here after finding Alan’s work on Instagram and Facebook. The entire process-​emailing, consultation, and tattooing-​all went smoothly. I showed Alan a few photos of what I wanted, and he was able to sketch out something that was exactly what I had been looking for. Everyone at the shop is friendly and clearly dedicated to their work. I highly recommend Live Free – especially Alan Berg!

Live Free Tattoo is located in Grant Park off Boulevard Street in a short strip of shops. That was a lot of S’s… ssssss. Now say it 3x. #tonguetwister-​ish
Live Free Tattoo was referred to me by a good friend of mine. I kept my options open and researched several other tattoo places before ending up here. I didn’t make an appointment, but walk-​ins are welcome! I had the mindset of getting the tattoo I wanted checked out, getting a quote, and possibly ink’d within the same visit. Although my tattoo was simple and didn’t require shading, etc. I still wanted an experienced artist. It all worked out!
PARKING
Limited parking infront so make that turn on Rosalia Street and park somewhere in the neighborhood.
INTERIOR
Very clean store and decorative, obvs. +++
PRICING
Set rates. Minimum of $ 60. anything over an hour is $ 150.
SERVICE
Richard who worked the front was very friendly and helpful.
ARTIST
Alan Berg is awesome. This guy was aware it was my first tattoo experience. He took the time and walked me through everything. He made sure I was comfortable throughout the whole process. Very engaging and has a great personality.
Instagram: alanbergtattoo

Got my first tattoo from this shop! Found Miguel through instagram and instantly fell in love with his work. I had been looking for an artist for a while and had sent out a couple emails. Miguel emailed back right away and was as sweet as could be. I brought in some reference photos and he sketched up a beautiful tattoo right away.
Miguel was patient with me. as it was my first tattoo and I was really nervous! He even stayed after closing hours to finish up the outline during my first session. My tattoo is beautiful! I love it. The shop was clean and everyone working seemed really friendly. Definitely recommend this shop!

Yesterday I went in to Live Free to get my second tattoo. Cori James is the truth! She took great care of me and did a wonderful job on my ink. I like the environment at Live Free. They are clean, professional, and welcoming. I was greeted by smiles and treated with nothing but respect and care. I’m already planning my next tatt and I will be returning to Cori James. If you are like I was when I was searching for a tattoo artist for my very first tattoo last year, faced with a dizzying array of choices, I encourage you to stop by Live Free. Ask for Cori James. They will take good care of you.

It’s always great to visit Live Free, where all the artists are openly passionate and excited for every tattoo. My girlfriend is working on her sleeve with Mat Welch, while I’ve been getting random fillers from Miguel and Brett. Clean space, walls lined with original work and professionalism lives here!

I recently moved to Atlanta and was feeling a bit indecisive about who I would trust for my tattoos. A coworker of mine highly recommended Live Free so I looked up some of the artist portfolios and while they were all great in their own ways, Alan Berg’s artwork immediately caught my eye. I messaged him about some tattoo ideas I had and he was very polite and quick to respond, which impressed me right away. He got me in for an appointment very quickly and his design greatly exceeded my expectations. He gave me an awesome tattoo so I immediately booked my next one with him. So far I’ve gotten three pieces from Alan and every time he has been very professional and great with translating my ideas into a vision for a tattoo that I can love. I can safely say that he is the nicest tattoo artist I have ever dealt with (and I have quite a bit of work on me). Everyone else that works at the shop seems really friendly and overall, the environment is extremely pleasant. I would recommend this shop and Alan Berg to anyone looking to get tattooed in the Atlanta area. I’ll be returning for much more. Five stars!

Officially my new favorite tattoo shop and a loyal customer of Alan Berg.
There’s a big elephant in the room if I don’t mention this but not only is Alan hot but is also a supremely talented artist. I’ve always heard about Live Free from a couple of my friends who got some work done but also went in sometime last year to get something small. I was ready for some new ink and decided to browse through all of the artist’s portfolios online. I stumbled upon Alan Berg’s work and totally fangirled over it. His work is very intricate and detailed so I knew he would be perfect. I immediately emailed him letting him know that I would like for him to bring my idea of a magnolia flower with cross hatching and hatching with a vintage feel to life. He was pretty responsive through emails and told me to send some photos of the what I was looking for in regards to style, angles of the flower, etc. He had something drawn up before my appointment and by time I arrived, it was time to get it done. He suggested placing it a certain way on my arm and so glad he said something because I love the placement of it and didn’t think to do it that way. Alan freestyled many of the lines on my flower and the way the leaves are treated was unexpected, interesting yet beautiful that I’ve never seen on a floral tat before.
The shop is located in Grant Park, next door to Zibas. The shop itself is super clean, high ceilings, open and airy with tons of great lighting. The shop is well designed as far as décor, fixtures, visual merchandising and even the tattoo stations are open and spacious but still with enough privacy. They also sell Fossil & Hide’s jewelry in the shop along with some other great Live Free merchandise. Everyone is so friendly and professional plus it’s not too far from my house. Whenever I need a new tattoo, I can hop skip right on over! The artist even walked me to my car after the session so I wouldn’t get snatched up. Talk about great customer service!
I’m beyond obsessed with my tattoo and so lucky to have Alan do this beautiful piece on my arm! I can’t wait to get more work done by him and Live Free seriously has some of the most talented artists in their shop!

Thanks, Matt for creating Terry’s tribute tattoo to our dog Sully!!! BRAVO!!!

I had been waiting to get my first tattoo for some time. Maybe about two years with the idea that I had in mind, and I wasn’t entirely sure of where I would get the work done. After a few recommendations from friends of ours, we paid a visit to Live Free for a little consult and subsequently made an appointment.
The whole experience was just rad. We walked in and chatted with the guy at the front desk (Colin — super nice guy) and showed him the artwork I had in mind. He immediately thought that Brett would the be the perfect artist for my tattoo idea. Brett walked up and was immediately stoked about the piece (Link from The Legend of Zelda) on my forearm. He had mentioned that he had done a few pieces from the series before. We made the appointment and waited for another week.
The day had come and we stepped back into the parlor for my appointment with Brett. We walked back and he showed me the tracing he put together and explained the entire process to me. He made sure I understood how he would approach all of the colors, shading, different sections, where he would start, and he made sure the alignment of the tracing was exactly what I wanted. He was super confident, thorough, and really conversationally calm throughout all of the prep.
Then, we got started. For those who have never been tattooed before, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had anticipated. I thought it would have been unbearable pain, but the pain is more of an irritating/​shocking sensation. Now, when he got closer to the crux of my arm, it hurt like hell, but not for long. I sat for about 2 hours and then we were done. Pretty straightforward.
As soon as I sat up, I was shocked at how good it looked. It was amazing. Exactly as I had anticipated and absolutely perfect. Even now that it has healed, it looks just as good. Super vibrant and the line-​work is stellar. Brett is the man.
I was also really thankful for Brett’s knowledge and advice regarding tattoo care. Using a mix of Lubriderm and Aquafor has been the saving grace through the dryness of winter and damaged skin. Really appreciative of that.
Currently, I have one other tattoo idea and I’m looking forward to heading back to Brett sometime later this year. Huge fan of Live Free and Brett. Great stuff.

Cori James is the shizzzzzzzzzzzzz. Love this place. You can get a phenomenal tattoo that won’t break your bank. Highly recommended, especially for anyone interested in traditional style tattoos.

Have been going to Jason Kelly for most of my work. He did a cover up tattoo and I am very happy with his work. He is really laid back and easy to talk to. Nice, clean shop. I plan returning some time soon.

Live Free Tattoo shop is such a fantastic place to get tattoos. The variety of art that the artists provide is incredible. I love the feeling of walking in and everyone saying hello and being so friendly. I’ve been to various tattoo places and had good and bad experiences; but this place remains to be my favorite!

Okay seriously I have to stop rating an establishment based on how hot the men are!!! But hot dam I can look at these tattoo artist all day.
Okay on the real super talented artist, I was kinda worried that my tattoo wouldn’t look like the style of the rest of my tattoo’s but Alan Berg knew exactly what to do. I trusted him with the direction after being super paranoid :).
What I can say is that as a black woman I didn’t feel comfortable at first because all of the styles displayed in this shop were a specific style of tattooing almost everything looked like pinup style of artwork. But it took me to trust the artist to do what he does best.
So I say to all you who have had the same fear, trust your artist, be opinionated and voice your concerns it will play out int he end to be just like you wanted or better.
Currently trying to brainstorm another huge thigh piece to come to life.
LIVE FREE! and get TATTOOED.
I forgot to mention it was clean and safe :). The artist even walked me to my car after he was done to make sure I got to my car safely. Please remember to tip.

I went to Live Free because it was close to my place and I don’t have any shop loyalties, having moved to Atlanta about 2 years ago. I checked them out on Unilocal,saw that they had all 5-​star reviews and decided to give them a whirl.
I could NOT be more pleased with that decision.
I was a walk-​in appointment on a Saturday afternoon. The shop was as clean as you could ever want, had great art on the walls, doors… everywhere AND was playing some really great music (personal preference, of course).
Miguel Olascuaga met me at the counter and was amazingly friendly and accommodating. I was a little hesitant about this tattoo because my design is tribal and there are artists out there who aren’t very enthusiastic about that type of work. Miguel was genuinely interested and (dare I say) excited to work with me on realizing my piece, however.
Miguel worked his magic through a 5.5 hour session and was an absolute pleasure while doing it. Great demeanor and great sense of humor.
The rest of the crew at the shop was awesome as well. Everyone who dropped by Miguel’s booth to watch him work was complimentary of my chosen design, had some well-​chosen jokes and even a word of encouragement here and there as we worked into hour 4.
I am absolutely thrilled with the end result and would ABSOLUTELY recommend Live Free (and Miguel) to anyone in the Atlanta area looking to get ink done. I’m looking forward to going back for more myself.

My usual artist had been out of Atlanta for awhile, and it was on a whim that I decided to stop by Live Free and check out their work.
Studio was clean, very well let and generally pretty laid back. It was nice to be in a shop that seemed more focused on the art than on churning out $ 50 walk-​ins. I had a large Star Wars piece that I’d been itching to get, and after speaking with Brett Pundt for a bit I setup my session.
Each session there went smoothly with the artist on time (which in my experience isn’t always the case for tattoo artists) and always ready to get to work.
Brett’s work was above and beyond what I expected. Smooth lines, excellent saturation and no overworked areas.
Over the course of 3 – 4 sessions I had the chance to see several other artist’s work, and it’s all been top notch and professional. Above all, the shop is simply fun to be in with a good atmosphere that makes the entire event a good experience.

Cori James is the sheeit! I’ve had one session with her and my tattoo is not finished yet. However, I am so excited about how easy it was to communicate with and work with her, and how badass my tatt is already, I have to share the love here.
First of all, the shop is like waaay traditional. Like, as in their décor and tons of flash on the walls, in books, etc. .This is very appropriate and was actually unexpected. because I was getting my very first traditional tattoo. Walking in to that made me feel good about my choice.
Let me back up, I found Cori through Instagram. yea, what?! Isn’t that weird? Go technology!
I started following Live Free Tattoo. and then found Alan Berg. and then found Cori. I emailed her with a description of my idea, and asked if she would be able to do something like that. She enthusiastically responded less than 24 hours later with so much helpful info. Sometimes artists can be vague online, and I understand it — You don’t want to promise time or cost necessarily to a stranger over the internet. She doesn’t necessarily know it, but I’m not a stranger to tattoos anymore (14ish over almost 12 years, now) so I want to know the deets straightforward, and I don’t necessarily want to drive my ass down there (Dunwoody to Grant Park) unless I know what I’m getting into (price, an artist’s personality, etc etc) Speaking of price, they charge $ 150/​hour at this time.
Her art examples are not quite as vast as some other artists I’ve worked with, as I believe she’s newish (but no longer an apprentice, and there is no «inexperience» to be found!) What I saw, I liked. and I really wanted a girly touch to this tattoo. She delivered!
She let me go back and forth with her through email to pick the right date to meet. Then she let me send her pictures of what I liked — I did so through a private Facebook photo album. When I showed up for my appointment, she showed me her drawing and it was perfect.
She set up, which took about 15 – 20 minutes — Normal — and then we were GO! I laid down on a table, on my back, with my left arm outstretched. The little padded stand for my arm was wobbly, so a little bit into the tattoo, she switched it out with another. That one was still a little wobbly, so maybe it’s supposed to be? Didn’t matter too much since Cori was stabilizing it all as she worked.
Back to the shop. It’s not in the bestest area of Atlanta, honestly — which is the only reason why I dropped a star — but the inside is really nicely put together. I’ve seen a few «meh» shops in my day and didn’t stick around, but this one is solid. Someone put a ton of time and love into this.
I had never been tattooed in a shop where there weren’t actually walls on each «room» — but this one has spaces separated by half walls, more like stalls. I did see a sign that said if you want privacy, they can help you with that. I think there’s one or two actual enclosed rooms. The beautiful pictures and paintings on the walls go for miles. which I love, because there’s always something to stare at. something to get your brain lost in. That’s important to me for getting tatt’d. you need to get in your zone, ya know.
The actual sesh — outline and shading on a maybe-​6 inch long dagger tatt on the inside of my left bicep took about 1 hour and 15 – 20 minutes. That’s a pretty good time. I could not sit longer for this super-​sensitive area, so I’ve made another appointment with Cori to complete it in a couple weeks. She was super sweet the whole time. asked how I was doing occasionally. talked about fun stuff but hushed when I wasn’t really responding (because it’s hard to have a conversation when you’re feeling this pain!) She seemed down to earth — a sweet, adorable Southern gal, and she likes good music — (We listened to Tame Impala which totally calmed me!) I’m stoked, and I’d totally recommend checking out Cori! Tell her Heidi sent you!

I went to Live Free Tattoo to see new artist Cori James about a cover-​up tattoo in July of 2013. Before my first appointment, I told Cori that I wanted to see her interpretation of a mandala style that I liked. She also asked for photos of my existing tattoo, and asked some questions about what I liked about certain mandalas.
The shop itself is neat, clean, well-​maintained and has always had a parking spot available when I went there. I found that while Cori was working, the other artists would walk over and make observations about her work; each and every one of these gentlemen were kind and cordial. I’ve seen a lot of gruff, rude individuals in tattoo establishments and it’s a huge bummer, but the entire staff at Live Free seemed entirely uninterested in keeping up an air of hardassery.
Cori worked on my tattoo in three sessions, over a course of seven hours, and in each of these trips to Live Free I was treated really well, the artist was professional, clean, confident and funny, and my cover-​up looks incredible. The tattoo is a memorial, and the loss is incredibly new and raw – I needed a place I could go that would treat me with dignity and maybe even a little gentleness (yes, in a tattoo parlor, I get how that sounds, let’s move on) I found all of that at Live Free Tattoo and I will recommend the shop and Cori James or the gentlemen there any time the topic of tattooing comes up.

Jason is great. I’m getting a good sized piece on my forearm and he did the outline and some shading in a little over an hour and it looks awesome. He let me split up the outline and color into two sessions so it cuts down on the pain and how much cash I’m throwing down at one time. I definitely appreciate that cause I’m kind of poor and a bit of a wimp. I get compliments on the tat all the time and it’s not even finished yet. He’s tattooed a couple of my friends and their stuff is stellar too. He’s also donated gift certificates to charity poker tournaments which is pretty cool. I think the other artists at the shop are good too and they have visiting artists from time to time as well. Check it out bro…

wanted to get an american traditional tattoo, knew what i wanted but couldn’t exactly picture it in my head. i was on a road trip and visited/​emailed a few places in florida and georgia but everyone i talked to seemed too busy or had too big of an ego to work with me.
i read about live free tattoo on another store in atlanta’s review and they talked awful about the other store and they said they went to live free and it was outstanding. i drove by live free but they were closed for easter, so i decided to get a hotel room and come back the next day.
i emailed the owner, jason kelly, that night and said i was interested in getting a tattoo. he was very quick with a response and said he would be out but told me his guys would be there and they could take care of me. very nice email
i emailed boxcar and he was quick with a response too. he seemed very excited via email to work with me told me to come in the next day and he would be happy to chat with me.
i went in the next day with a picture of a statue and told him i wanted it to look like sailor jerry did it. he drew it up in about 30 mins and it was perfect, exactly what i had imagined. the shop was very clean and had a very unique feel to it.
the tattoo was great and i love it… i am planning to go back and get another one soon

My artist was Jason Kelly, the owner of the shop. I spent a couple of years getting tattooed by him; he started on my sleeve while he was at Memorial Tattoo and my last session took place at Live Free. He’s a great artist to work with and he has a very professional business sense. The shop itself is a great space too; I like the open-​floor layout of this shop better than his space in Memorial, where he was just tucked away in the corner room. He’s assembled a great team of artists to supplement him in his new venture. I couldn’t recommend this shop more.