7 Things to Check Before Choosing a Tattoo Shop Near Gilbert
Choosing a tattoo shop from Gilbert comes down to seven checks: healed work, a style that matches your idea, a free talk with the artist, how the deposit works, how you can pay, the ID rule, and the hours and drive. Here is how each one looks at our Mesa shop.
Gilbert has plenty of chairs to pick from, and the decision is easier with a short list of things to look at before you book anywhere. Tagz Tattoo is in Mesa at 2735 E Main St, Suite 9, a short run up Gilbert Road, and our tattoo shop near Gilbert page has the full route. These are the seven checks we would run on any shop, us included.
1. Healed work, not just fresh photos
Fresh ink always looks crisp. Healed work is what tells you the truth, because a tattoo settles as it heals and black and grey settles a shade lighter than it looks the day it goes on. Our owner, AG, posts both healed and fresh pieces on TikTok and YouTube at @agtattoos, so you can see how the work holds up before you come in.
2. A main style that matches your idea
Every shop has a lane. Black and grey realism is AG's, and it is most of what gets done here, along with sleeves, chest pieces, cover-ups and custom design. If your idea is a large black and grey piece, our sleeve tattoos page shows how that kind of work gets planned. If your idea sits in a different style, ask the shop who does it before you book rather than after.
3. A free talk with the artist who would do the work
A good first meeting is with the artist, not a counter person taking notes to pass along. Our free consultations run every day: you sit with the artist who would do the tattoo, settle the size and placement, and pay nothing at the consultation. Booking ahead is how you get a specific artist, and AG books his consultations through his own calendar for the large-scale pieces. Our list of questions to ask at a free tattoo consultation covers what to bring up once you are in the chair.
4. How the deposit works
Ask this one straight out. At Tagz a deposit only comes up once you decide to book. It is non-refundable, it holds your spot on the artist's calendar, and it comes off the total rather than sitting on top of it. If the answer at another shop is vague, keep asking until it isn't.
5. How you can pay for a bigger piece
For bigger work we offer Get Tatted Now, Pay Later, which splits the cost into payments through Shop Pay. Checking what you qualify for is a soft credit pull, so it does not affect your credit score, and the tattoo financing page walks through the steps. If you use financing, there is no separate deposit on top of it.
6. The ID rule
We tattoo clients aged 18 and over, with a valid photo ID. Bring it with you on the day of the tattoo.
7. The hours and the drive from Gilbert
We are open every day: Sunday noon to 6, Monday through Thursday noon to 8, and Friday and Saturday noon to 10. Same-day walk-ins happen when a chair is open, and the walk-in tattoos page explains how that goes.
From Gilbert, Gilbert Road and Lindsay Road both run north into Mesa and cross East Main Street. Gilbert Road meets Main a little under a mile west of us, so turn east there. Lindsay meets Main just east of our address, so come up Lindsay, turn west, and you are nearly at the door. The shop is about 4 miles from Gilbert in a straight line, which is map distance and not a drive time. Parking is in the lot out front.
One more check: the reviews
Read the shop's Google reviews before you go, the low ones as well as the high ones, and look for the artist and the kind of piece you want. Ours are on the shop's Google listing.
Driving up from Gilbert for a tattoo?
Consults are free and you pay nothing unless you decide to book.
