Mission Street Tattoo & Piercing

Going along with my tattoo shop review, I believe body art places are only great if the staff and service are excellent! My three best friends and I came here to get piercings (ears + other private areas). It was my first time getting piercings in a place that is not my ear (let’s just say every lady has two of them) and I was super nervous even though I acted calm. I wasn’t sure of the pain level, cleaning process, and just about every single type of paranoia you can possibly have when getting piercings there.
The Process: The guy who did my piercings was SUPER NICE and professional. He had a very soothing voice that talked me and my friends through every step of the way so we knew what was going on. I wish I remembered his name but I think I was too nervous in the beginning to remember (Sorry Mr. Nice Voice!). The whole entire actual piercing process only took no longer than a couple of minutes. Most of it was just to mark where the piercing was going to be and the size of the ring.
All my friends loved this shop and we would definitely come back here again if we were ever to get more piercings. What a great way to commemorate our best friend’s birthday.

I got my nose pierced yesterday by Paul and couldn’t be happier with the experience. Paul was very knowledgeable, professional, and kind. The shop is extremely clean — Paul even put gloves on when showing me jewelry. Paul’s voice is so soothing which is calming and and also makes me trust his piercing capability. The whole process was pretty painless and the aftercare instructions are very clear. I really like how he provided me with a ramekin of sea salt! My piercing is healing quite nicely. When I look at it sometimes I feel unsure about the placement, but again I trust Paul’s expertise so I should stop questioning it haha.

Paul is the man for piercings!
This shop is exquisite. There are only the BEST brands of jewelry on the market available at this shop! Not to mention the HUGE selection of organic body jewelry readily available.
I’ve been to this shop twice and have been greeted with the biggest of smiles! The building is also beautiful and spacious. I love this clean shop! I can’t wait to visit again!
This is the best piercing/​tattoo shop in Santa Cruz. Hands down.

Though I’d never even seriously considered a tattoo, when my 14 year old pup — the love of my life — suddenly passed away from cancer, I was devastated. Beyond, actually. One of the first thoughts I had was to get his prints tattoo’d on me… so he would be imprinted on my skin forever, as well as my heart.
Very nervous on Memorial weekend, we decided to call… and set up an appointment with Ron. Let me tell you. aside from the lightest of touches (MINIMAL pain) and total cleanliness and class, he recreated my baby’s prints in a way that surpassed ANYTHING I could have hoped for. And I am INCREDIBLY particular, and usually dislike everything, honestly.
No blood, perfect healing. and it now literally, literally looks like he climbed on me with muddy paws. Absolutely could NOT have done better. I look at it constantly. and touch it all the time. It’s one of the very few things that has brought be any peace during the worst time of my life, bar none.
Ron — a godsend. I am beyond grateful. Thank you is not enough.

Came by on Thursday to get a simple cat tattoo done. Nothing fancy, but was a little concerned because I wasn’t sure if they’d have availability for a walk-​in. I was pleased to hear that Gio was available! I had something already drawn out and he cleaned up the lines very nicely. When it came to placement, he got it perfect the first time which was another concern of mine. Fast forward and I’m out of there in practically no time. He made sure I was good with everything, and sent me on my way.
I’m very pleased with how my tattoo came out, and at least for the moment I look at it quite a bit! I’ve also gotten a lot of comments about how good it is. Gio was definitely the artist I had hoped for!

I dropped by on a Sunday and wanted to get tatted. My first thoughts… wow this place is huge, and clean!!! SUPER IMPORTANT to me. Also, every chair was filled, which is another good sign.
As the sound of ink being so graciously tapped into virgin skin danced in my ears I knew this is where I wanted to get my peonies done. Long story short, I had Pat do my ink. He was AWESOME. Go to him!!!
He’s super personable, funny, and his work is great. If I wasn’t moving next month I would be going back to him, everytime.

I recently got my nipples pierced by Paul. He was extremely professional and also super calming during the whole experience, I was relaxed enough that the piercing didnt hurt nearly as much as I thought it would. I sprung for the slightly pricier jewellery and it was definitely worth it. Go to Paul!

Amazing! My friend and I wanted to grab a spur of the moment tattoo and Ron was great to help. He knew what he was doing and how to deal with our nerves. We both got a behind the ear tattoo and they look super cute and amazing! I will come back for my other tattoo Forster!

My boyfriend went in for a couple of ear piercings and both the woman who received us and the piercer Paul were very friendly and helpful! We had gone into Staircase tattoo just a few minutes earlier and been unimpressed with the service and jewelry, but there were lots of great options here and my boyfriend is super happy with his results. Everything was very sanitary and their aftercare advice is up-​to-​date. Overall great environment and experience!

Thanks again to Alex for serving me for the aftercare of my tongue piercing. He really felt sincerely sorry that he didn’t get to talk to me or inform more about my first tongue piercing. He explained to me that he likes to give the details about aftercare after the piercing, which makes sense now that I think about it! I was a bit anxious getting it done so I asked lots of question, and I’m glad he was able to do it for me! Definitely recommend anyone to try out Alex or Paul when you’re in for a piercing!

Awesome customer service, fair price, experienced artists, and a really nice environment. Gio did a great job on my ankle tattoo, the lettering is flawless. He also did a great job touching up an old (well not old, just poorly done) forearm tattoo for me. I’m really happy with the results. He’s an expert, anyone who talked to him for five minutes could tell. And I’m sure that the rest of the artists are just as good, as I learned that they all have over 20 years of experience. It doesn’t get much better than that. I’ll be coming back!

Went here tonight to get my nose pierced, and it was fantastic. I called ahead to make sure they had someone available, and the friendly girl on the other end invited me down before 7pm. (Note, they recommended before 7pm for piercings).
Paul did the piercing, and it was just as everyone else has described below. He explained everything as he went along, made sure I could see him washing his hands, wiping down the table, etc., etc. He was patient as I asked him to try a different spot for the piercing, and then reverted back to his original suggestion.
I felt super safe, and single any female could walk into the shop without worry.
With the jewelry I selected, it was about $ 85 + tip. (don’t be cheap; tip these artists!).
Should I ever want another piercing, I wouldn’t hesitate to come back. 5 star service all the way!!!

I went in to get my nose pierced by Paul, whom I cannot say enough nice things about. He walked me through every step of the process, made sure I was comfortable, and welcomed my constant questions. He showed me the sterilization process that he uses before he puts the jewelry in, which was super cool. His penchant for cleanliness rivals mine and immediately put my worrying at ease, ha. Plus, I saw him wipe down the table and chair both before and after my piercing. His voice is very calming and easy to follow along when you’re nervous. He’s knowledgeable and professional while keeping a sense of humor, definitely recommend him if you’re at all nervous about getting pieced!
The shop itself is spotless and everyone working there seems to really know their stuff, and are great at answering questions. Overall a great experience!

Clean, professional, friendly, good vibe. Knowledgeable team, great artists. Highly recommended.

My cousin and I got pierced by Alex yesterday. He was super nice right off the bat and very thorough. He told us everything he was going to be doing during the process and made us feel comfortable. He was also just a really cool guy and made the process so much easier than we anticipated! We love our piercings and definitely want to come back for more!

I got my septum pierced by Paul and he is a master of his craft. He made the whole process very smooth and enjoyable. There isn’t anyone else I would trust more to pierce me. The shop is very clean and has a nice aesthetic and everyone is very friendly. I was in and out fairly quickly and the pricing was fair. Don’t forget to tip guys!

Went here yesterday with one of my friends to get my septum pierced and see if a second nose piercing would work for her nose. The minute we walked in there were three professional, friendly staff members who were more than happy to answer questions and offer advice. The jewelry and needle go through a 10 minute sterilization process and there’s more paperwork involved than other places I’ve gone to, showing they actually care. I ended up being pierced by Alex, who was great; very knowledgeable and skilled. It’s a little more expensive than other places, but you get what you pay for and it’s completely worth it. Highly recommend.

Such a professional place! I go there for my piercings and you’re first greeted by the front desk lady, she not only is kind but VERY knowledgeable. She takes the time to help you and go the extra mile (weather it’s pulling the jewelry out for you or checking prices) she’s RAD.
Paul has done some of my piercings and a majority of my friends piercings. He is sooo calming and talks you through the piercing and makes sure you’re comfortable from beginning to end. He’s also willing to go the extra mile for you if you have any questions/​jewelry change/​etc. can’t stress how lovely the place is. Extremely professional and EXCELLENT jewelry selection. Would HIGHLY recommend!

I had such a great experience at this shop. It’s a «co-​op» meaning the artist share the place, cool idea.
I recommend calling and asking for there Instagram accounts, they all have pretty different styles but was really torn because they are all amazing artist.
Gio had the most experience with thin line work so I went with him. I came in with a pretty solid idea and he transformed the scribbled design I had into something beautiful and presentable. He also had a really light hand, tattoo wasn’t too painful.
Clean, cool art to stare at while your there in the chair & lollipops kept me happy!

Great place. Nice aesthetic,
Paul is really nice he did both my tragus’. Explained everything each step of the way. You can tell he’s a nice guy.
I was looking for a cool shop that wasn’t staircase. I didn’t want to be on the staircase bandwagon.
I love my piercing, swear, it’s been a week and it doesn’t hurt, it’s like I even got stabbed. No throbbing, no infection, no nothing, it’s really clean and neat, I could sleep on both sides.
I’ll go back when I’m itching to be poked again.