Ink Monkey Tattoo and Piercing

Thomas is the best piercist I’ve ever been to and I will never go to anyone else! He’s super nice, professional, extremely knowledgeable, and soft! I’ve been to many piercers who I’ve liked, but he is fantastic. I highly recommend him!

Found this spot on a quick trip to Cali with friends. I called to ask if they accepted walk-​ins and they were really great. They said they DID accept walk-​ins, but I was also more than welcome to schedule a time that day and send over my desired tattoo design. I ended up running an hour behind (something about LA traffic, I believe) and it was no problem at all. An hour later, I was out of there with my lovely ink, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. Not only that, but every person working there was friendly and patient. This was hands down the best tattoo experience I’ve had!

Got a tattoo of the SF skyline and a script on my lower back (no not a tramp stamp) a few months back by Taka Kawasaki and he did an amazing job!
The tattoo was simple but it’s the more simple tattoos that are more difficult to do, especially the fine lines and Taka’s precision is highly respectable. Total came out to $ 200 before tip which is reasonable. A tattoo is something you do want to pay a little more money but expensive does not always guarantee quality so make sure you do heavy research before getting something that is so permanent.
The shop is very spacious, additional rooms in the back and very clean. They prefer cash, as most tattoo places do, and they charge a percentage if you do use a credit card (ATM inside). I need to get a cover up so I’ll def be coming to Taka (call ahead to see if he’s working. I believe he said he only works Tues & Thurs).

I was super nervous about getting my nipples pierced but Thomas was amazing with it. Was very professional and gave me an incredibly stress-​free experience. (roughly $ 75 for the steel barbells and the cleaning salve combined)
Thanks again for taking me as a walk in 15 minutes before closing, it took around 10 minutes overall and I’m super grateful for it!

I got my Tragus done on both sides today and Thomas did an A M A Z I N G job. I love it! At first I was nervous like always… As soon as I walked in, the lady was very nice&friendly and helped me pick out the jewelry. Overall, Thomas is very professional and clean. This tattoo/​piercing shop is different (in a very good way) compared to others I’ve been to. Just make sure as you are picking out your jewelry and which piercing you are getting, you ASK for the price. Of course they want you to get the best type of jewelry for your new piercing to prevent any infection, but I feel like they forget to tell you how much it will be. If you are on a budget, you should pick titanium or some other material that is cheaper $$. But I would have paid 200 $ for my piercings just because I didn’t know how much it cost. Come prepared to pay a decent amount of money.
I recommend ink monkey for first timers or anyone that is looking for a friendly/​sanitary place.

Didn’t get a tattoo here but got my belly button pierced here and it was quick and affordable! I don’t remember the name of the person who did my piercing, but honestly, everyone in the shop was friendly and accommodating. He talked to me before actually piercing me and everything was super clean and comfy. I would (and already do) recommend this place to my friends!

Thanks Thomas! Thomas pierced my nose today, I am a baby with this stuff, but he made it really easy and was extremely professional which I really appreciated. It made me trust him. The atmosphere of this place is great-it’s not intimidating, any kind of person (no tattoos/​piercings) to completely tattooed/​pierced can walk right in the door and be taken care of.
The jewelry for the nose piercings was great and I had tons of options to choose from. I loved the teeny tiny ones.
*Make sure you ask how much each different nose ring costs-​not all of their jewelry pieces are covered in the piercing cost and I ended up paying an extra $ 50 because I didn’t ask. I was bummed no one let me know before I had the thing in my nose.
Overall, great experience for a nervous wreck like me. I will be returning for more nose jewelry in the future!

I have gotten my piercings done here and it is absolutely amazing!!! I wouldn’t go anywhere else! Thomas’s apprentice Lucianna is fantastic! Very informative, careful, clean, blissful and makes the whole thing run smoothly. She is seriously great, normally I’d freak out if I had a giant needle going into my ear but the entire process is just like having a slice of pie. So even if you feel like you’re gonna freak out, don’t worry, they will take care of you. I’m so happy to have found a great environment that I can trust 100% and also has a variety of jewelry choices! Seriously, if you’re ever in the area, go get a piercing here, you won’t regret it !
I also came for the Friday’s the 13^th special and got my 1^st tattoo! It was crowded but hey, what do you expect lol everything moved at a good pace and Ray was very cool! Glad it was done here and can’t wait to get some more ink added!

Loved my experience in the shop. The shop itself was very clean and nice and the artists were friendly. Would definitely go there again for another tattoo.

Can’t recommend Thomas enough. He is so professional and has a Zen-​like quality to him that has been refreshing. Went to him for a second lobe piercing and it felt like someone just tapped my ear and it was done! But most importantly went to him yesterday to look at my nose and helix piercing that was done somewhere else. He helped remove them because they were causing me so much pain and he let me know why: the other piercer had chosen bad jewelry (illegal black that was leeching into my skin and causing a reaction), and a wrong angle for my helix with wrong size jewelry that was pushing into my skin and causing scarring. He changed out my second lobes for a really cute turquoise stud and told me to come back to fix the other ones when I heal. I came out yesterday a lighter person, with two cute new pieces, and no more pain. Thank you Thomas (and Lucy)!!

Went in on Friday the 13^th for their specials! My group of friends in total were getting 2 nose piercings and 2 cartilage piercings for the special price! I was originally going to get a flash tattoo but they cut the line for the tattoo I wanted. It was pretty hectic inside but we finally approached the counter and asked to be helped.
After doing the paperwork, my friends and I were helped pretty fast and everything went smoothly.

This place is, first and foremost, very clean. I came in for new nose piecing, and they have an amazing jewelry selection. This is a tattoo AND piercing place.
I make the distinction because some tattoo shops have jewelry, but bare minimum and sometimes even dusty.(like the last place I visited on Venice Blvd)
When I want my tattoo recolored, I’ll probably come here.
The staff is so friendly, knowledge all about their products, and make you feel good for spending your hard earned money here. They earned my business, AND repeat business, AND this review. :-)

Stopped in over Columbus Day weekend for a nose piercing. Never having pierced my nose before, everyone was very helpful in answering my questions & making me feel as comfortable & secure as possible. Thomas did the actual piercing & was great! Overall painless experience plus he was very informative as far as aftercare is concerned. I just grabbed a bottle of the saline solution (which they sell there, & reasonably priced) on my way out & I was good to go!
Thanks Thomas & Ink Monkey crew. Super stoked!

Nicest staff and cleanest piercing studio I’ve been to.
I came in to get an industrial piercing done. The first pierce wasn’t so bad but it was the second piercing hole that really made me want to cry a little.
It wasn’t so bad however because Thomas is so nice, calm, and relaxed. He really does a great job in calming your nerves. He’s professional and clean. Also seeing his certifications from the State of California really helped re-​assure and set my mind at ease that I was getting pierced by an expert who definitely knew what he was doing.
He also has a variety of cool Jewelry pieces and stones to choose from. He also has an atomizer (I think that’s what it’s called) which will turn any piece of jewelry a certain color or maybe just purple. My bar had opals and a purple bar on it which I loved. My ear is healing nicely and I have Thomas to thank for as he knew what he was doing.
Price was decent $ 95 and included jewelry. They do take cards which was nice and convenient. Can’t wait to go back and get a new industrial bar put back in place. Thanks Thomas!

Like everyone has already said, Thomas is AWESOME. He is super careful, clean, and professional. I got two piercings and he was not at all irritated that i was incredibly indecisive picking my jewelry. On that note, they have a wonderful, beautiful collection. Complete with opal detailed rose gold pieces, titanium grade crystal studs, and much more. HENCE my trouble picking. Piercings start at $ 45 which INCLUDE a stainless steal piece. You can upgrade which i did for titanium pieces or 14k gold pieces.
I called in advance for an appt and they definitely honor those before walk ins so do call in advance! The entire process took about 25 mins and i was out with 2 beautiful piercings.
They have plenty of street parking as well. When im ready for another tat or piercing, ill have to go back! Other places have charged upwards of $ 100 for a teeny piercing NOT including any jewelry.

Thomas has pierced both my ears now and I couldn’t be happier with them — he’s endlessly friendly, professional and knows a ton about his craft. I’d had terrible gun piercings done before as an uneducated teenager and I wish I’d known about people like Thomas at the time. The difference is night and day. Everything is healing beautifully and I LOVE the jewelry selection. :)
Also, he tags his work on Instagram with Pokemon themed to match your piercing — what’s not to love?
I’ll be going back to get my lobes re-​pierced in a few weeks for sure.

I came here with 3 other friends to get tattoos. We did not have appointments however the staff was very friendly and accommodating!
Jesse was my tattoo artist and he was awesome! I did not know exactly what I wanted, however he was patient and worked with me to design a beautiful tattoo that I am in love with. The shop is very clean and sanitary!
Thanks Jesse I will and have recommended you to many friends.

Chill place. Called to inquire about getting an industrial piercing at 4pm on a Sunday and they said it would be not more than a 20 minute wait. While I did wait a little longer than 20 minutes, I have to say the staff here are extremely friendly and do not hesitate to greet you the instant you walk in the door. I felt very much welcomed, even though I might not seem like a stereotypical «piercing» type, whatever that means.
Thomas, the piercer, is super professional and you can tell he takes his work really seriously. I wasn’t really nervous at all, but either way, he was calm and explained the process throughout, answering all my questions, especially about aftercare, and the total piercing process must have taken no longer than 10 minutes. It was easy, as painless as possible, and a overall positive experience.
Industrial costs $ 65, not including tip.

Jesse m’fuxking La Farge. It took me forever and a day to find an artist who I thought can sync perfectly with me and my vision of what I wanted to get tattooed. And when I saw his other work of art, I swear there was thunder coming from the Tattoo Gods. He’s a genius. Get at him.
Alright, so long story short, the masterpiece came out more incredible than I had ever imagined (no surprise there because hello, Jesse m’fuxking La Farge) and I am in love with it. He guarantees his work.
Muchas gracias!

March 2015:
I have since gotten two more tattoos by Saul, that @#$%in’ GENIUS. I had Linkin Park’s Hunting Party archer customized to fuse with Living Thing’s lion on the vinyl cover. For some weird reason completely out of their control, my thigh was an agonizing experience compared to my other ones. Saul, bless his soul, only took two hours to work. Worth every mental scream. Will it stop me from having him work on the other thigh? Of course not!
My second is a signature by Chester Bennington. The lines are unbelievably clean and crisp, I can’t stand how friggin’ good they are. I love it. Five total and more coming!
I also recently had the pleasure of bothering sweet Thomas for new jewelry. He upgraded all of them to gorgeous white gold pieces. He had more affordable options but you get what you pay for and certain jewelry have insurance of sorts. He was totally fun and chatty and plain awesome.
Lastly, I always check– the bathroom is still squeaky clean. Love you guys!