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Above All Tattoo
Category: Beauty and Spas Tattoo Tattoo [Edit]
1026 Garnet Ave(between Cass St & Dawes St)
San Diego, CA 92109
Neighborhood: Pacific Beach
(858) 270-8287
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 12 pm - 12 am
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- By Appointment Only:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
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35 reviews for Above All Tattoo
35 reviews in English
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Review from Megan M.
El Cajon, CA
3/13/2012 4 photos
Best Tattoo Shop in SD!!!! SodaPop is amazing - he's talented, easy to talk to and has a light touch. He does all my work and I'll never go to another artist. Above All is a clean shop with an awesome staff. If you want a superior tattoo ask for Soda. He's been working on me for years and I get compliments from random strangers all. the. time! Remember folks, you're going to have the ink for life, don't cheap out and get a crap tattoo. And don't forget to tip your artist!
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Review from Vonda L.
San Diego, CA
2/26/2012
I came here on valentines day for the free heart tattoos they were doing. I had never got a tattoo from here but have heard of them so thought this would be the best time to go and try out thier work. I got a heart on my left wrist with wings, when the tattoo artist (i dont want to give names, if they want to look me up in their files they can) put the sketch on my wrist he asked if i liked it, I said i would like the wings to be even and for it to look good he said "you are talking to a professional " so with that being said i thought it would look good. plus i asked for white on the tips of the wings. well when he finished i looked at it and saw that the wings were not even AT ALL not even close but i figured you know what ill give it a few weeks to heal and maybe it will look nice. NO! super wrong. niether of the wings are even there is barely any white on only one side of the wings and no white at all on the other. plus the heart outline lines are sloppy as well. im so disappointed and now have to go pay someone to fix this mess on my wrist......
plus not to mention i was literally one of the first ones to get my tattoo done and there was no line behind me, so no reason to rush and be sloppy. also felt un welcomed and like my artist was annoyed with me.
DO NOT RECOMMEND.
Feel free to email me, I know an amazing artist in el cajon and now know to only and still continue to go to him. Ill give you his info. LESSON LEARNED.
email:
vondalopez2010@yahoo.com -
Review from Lucia S.
Albany, CA
11/26/2011
My sister brought me here because of the great deals. I got both nipples pierced and an industrial on my right ear. The piercer did it so fast it seemed almost careless, but i figured; hey, he's a professional. He knows what he's doing.
After a few days, I noticed my nipples were completely unevenly pierced. One is slanted and more shallow than the other nipple.
My industrial was so painful and would not heal. The bar ended up cutting into my ear itself because of the swelling. I went to another shop in Berkeley to get it checked out. They asked me where I had gotten it done because it got so bad. The industrial ring he gave me was apparently too large for me (he seemed to carelessly just pick a standard size) and told me there was no way it would heal and I had to close to top hole, but could salvage the second hole.
Even after salvaging the second ear hole, it continued to be infected for months.
Yeah the piercings were cheap (Both nipples including jewelry for $50 and the industrial with the jewelry for $30) but the end results were TERRIBLE. Even with the good prices I would still expect quality, and PROFESSIONAL service and results
Never coming back here again.Comment from Woody R. of Above All Tattoo 12/27/2011
Once again this piercer IAN does NOT work here anymore. More » -
Review from Randi M.
San Diego, CA
8/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
First off the whole shop is amazing. They pride themselves on being very attentive to their customers and I have never felt out of place. Ian is the best piercer in San Diego in my opinion. I have had him do a few piercings on me and anyone that asks I send them straight to Ian. Anyone I have sent nor myself have ever had any issues with the piercings after the fact. The best part is he makes you feel extremely comfortable. He is super sweet and makes the idea of a needle going somewhere in your body like cake (not that makes sense necessarily but the ideas of eating cake to most is more fun than a piercing. And ians service is comparable.)
I've also had friends go in to the shop for tattoos and been extremely pleased with the outcome of the tattoo and service.
All these guys have great attitudes and are excited to make you happy with the tattoo or piercing of your choice. The only place in town I trust. :) -
Review from Kim T.
San Gabriel, CA
5/9/2011
This place used to be called Toxic Shock.
My very first tattoo was with Jamie. She rocked an awesome right shoulder blade tattoo of roses with my Chinese name. I was amazed that she did the Chinese letterings right since she had told me she had never done them before (ekk!), but she nailed it, yay! The whole process took 3.5 hours, and she was proud and impressed that for a rookie, I was able to sit there completely still without whining or crying. And she said to me "Wow, you didn't once crying or anything. Yea, you're definitely the type to come back for more tattoos." Which was true, I was ready for my second tattoo, but found out from Michael, who was my next one, who had told me that Jamie had moved back to Pennslyvania - bummed.
With Michael, he was also a master of his skills. By this time, Toxic Shock was now called Above All Tattoo. The dragon tattoo he did on my left shoulder blade with the Chinese symbol "Lucky," on it took 3 hours to complete. He was even knowledgeable of the different number of toes an Asian dragon had to tie in with the right culture of his client. Since I was Chinese, five toes did my dragon have, heheh.
The whole experience with Michael was completely peaceful and zen.
Both he and Jamie did an amazing job on my tattoos. Both artists made sure that I was using the right lotion, and how to take care of my tattoo during the shedding process. But sadly, both their times there were up. However, the experience that both these two left on me to commerate my years in SD, and while attending SDSU (Go Aztecs!) were completely worth it! Now, if I can just figure out what tattoo I want next to head back there, lol...Comment from Woody R. of Above All Tattoo 2/27/2012
Thanks for the review Kim, You rule... More » -
Review from Kathy K.
Torrance, CA
3/1/2011
NEVER COMING BACK HERE AGAIN!
i saw all the great reviews for piercings so i figured i would give it a shot.
got my tongue pierced...TWICE. the first time it came out horribly crooked and the second time it was only slightly crooked but still not perfect. i don't understand why he didn't mark where he was going to pierce and ask if the location was ok...my friends have gotten better tongue piercings at sketch tattoo shops for $20.
and this guy was notttt helpful at all. he doesn't tell you about the healing process, how to take care of your piercing, and doesn't seem knowledgeable of any of the risks that may follow having a piercing.
save yourself from extra pain and go to enigma. yes, it's pricey but it's QUALITY. i don't know why i didn't go there to begin with.Comment from Woody R. of Above All Tattoo 11/11/2011
That piercer Ian no longer works at Above All Tattoo,. Sorry… More » -
Review from Darla P.
Santee, CA
12/17/2011
Above All Tattoo is the greatest place! Chowdah is the best tattoo artist ever.... he did a kick a$$ job on my tattoo and then there is Stevie the piercer, he is the best, does a super job on piercings and is the best guy ever whom everyone loves. Love ABOVE ALL TATTOO!
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Review from Shaina B.
5/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Well it all started on a drunken Sunday Funday evening...and this is where we ended up. So usually I hate tattoo parlors because the artists are usually complete assholes, but they weren't here--they were really nice. Or maybe I thought so in my drunken stupor.
Anyhow, I was convinced by my morally corrupt cousin to get a tattoo because her logic was, "When is the next time you're going to be in another place like this, just do it!" Okay, twist my arm. She was already getting a couple so I followed.
I think his name is Kip and he did our tattoos. Really nice dude and he did a good job. Not that mine was very difficult...I don't think, but the points are sharp and not too thick. I think I need a touchup though because I probably bled a little more than I should. He let me know that he does free touchups, so I'm guessing it's expected. -
Review from Karen L.
3/4/2012
I loved the service I received here! I got my belly button pierced here almost a year ago by Ian, who came highly recommended by my coworker. He was awesome and super laidback while managing to maintain a high level of professionalism. The piercing and jewelry came out to a cheap $30. (I got 2 cartilage piercings for almost double that when I was 18 at another place in PB and the jewelry was only free because it was my birthday!) I was pretty nervous about the piercing but he really helped calm my nerves just through friendly chit chat. I got his number from my coworker and when I had questions about the healing process he answered them promptly. He even helped to put in a new ring when I woke up one morning from a party at my friend's house and freaked out when I found that my belly ring was missing (don't ask me how this happened, to this day it's still a mystery - must have been one epic party though!). My piercing still hasn't healed completely and its one year anniversary is quickly approaching. I'm not sure if my body's just being lame and taking forever to heal or if it was the way it was pierced. Either way I don't want to point any fingers as it doesn't hurt or look nasty, but other than that I really enjoyed doing business with Ian. If I didn't already meet my personal piercing quota, I would totally come back again! :)
Comment from Woody R. of Above All Tattoo 3/4/2012
Hi Karen thanks for the review, If you didnt know we're… More » -
Review from Kristine P.
La Jolla, CA
2/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
My friend and I came here to get our piercings done (tongue and lip) and overall, I had a pleasant experience! First, it took us a while to find street parking but it didn't take too long.. When we walked in, all the guys were very nice and friendly and told us that we had to wait a bit because there were a few girls getting their piercings done. But the wait ended up being about 20-25 minutes.
The guy that pierced my lip and my friend's tongue was so chill and was very informative. My lip piercing only took about 1 minute to get it done and I paid $35.
However, when my friend got her tongue pierced, we realized that it was very crooked.. So we had to walk back in the shop and get it re-pierced (for free of course). She was a little frustrated because she had to get her tongue pierced twice but the second time was very straight and good. And she paid $35 as well. Because of my friend's experience, 4 stars. But overall, very friendly environment and very clean! -
Review from Adeile A.
11/2/2010
I got my first tattoo at this shop!!!
Let's just say ARTY is amazing and his name fits his skill!!! I wanted something very small and not so noticeable, but whats the point of getting a tattoo if you aren't going to show it off right? Exactly!
So I told ARTY what I wanted and within 10 minutes... I had a freelanced cute little tiara w/ my initial on the top. I know girly and super random, but hey I believe in every girl there lies a little princess... and that would be me!! :) Well I'm def my daddy's lil princess!!
We definitely went to this shop because we were recommended by one of our friends who goes here ALL the time, but I didn't think that day I was going to get a tattoo... but I trusted ARTY because he did my sissy's tattoo first and it was both our first tat experience and he made it a good one.
I'd go there again!!! :) -
Review from Debbie L.
San Diego, CA
9/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
**piercing review**
Ian rocks! So much so that I went to visit him last week, and again one week later today.. and i am iiin love with the piercings he did for me. I got 2 cartilage piercings... even though they are relatively mild piercings (compared to probably a lot of other ones he does) he still treated me the same way I'd expect he probably treats someone that is getting a much more painful and nervewrecking piercing. He is super sweet, down to earth, and friendly .. and he does a quick and relatively painless piercing job. I'm definitely recommending him to anyone else looking for a reasonably priced, professional piercing job in SD!
When I was there today, the place was poppin.. lots of people getting tattoos today. I don't know much about the tattoo artists in SD, but for some that may be an indication that they're worth considering? -
Review from Christine O.
Everett, WA
8/24/2011
Got my second tattoo done here while I was visiting SD. I was very impressed with how professional and supppeerrr nice the staff was. I don't get why a lot of tattoo shops have douche baggy workers. This place is definitely not one of those we-are-better-than-you parlors! I got a quote done on my rib cage by Mike Chowdah. My friend got her tattoo done the same day by Jake. We are both very happy customers.
Comment from Woody R. of Above All Tattoo 2/27/2012
Thanks for the review Christine, Hope to see you agian. More » -
Review from Sally S.
El Cajon, CA
12/30/2006
what? This girl Christine that wrote that review should have got " im an idiot " tattooed on her fore head, no wonder she got kicked out, lmao
Ive been pierced twice and those guys are super cool, they dont use a piercing gun, what a liar..sheesh!
Three of my friends got pierced there and my boyfriend got a bitchen tattoo there. Everyone that works there is way cool, i forget the piercers name but he was such a pro, but i was sober when i went, im not dumb enough to even go into a tattoo shop while im drunk. -
Review from Lauren L.
San Diego, CA
4/27/2008
Above All rocks my world. I got my lip re-pierced there a couple of months ago and couldn't have been more pleased; the store is clean, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable, the prices are reasonable and they REALLY care about their customers.
Ian, the piercer, did a great job and gave me a foolproof cleaning regimen. He then proceeded to give me his cell phone number and said to call if I had any problems. Two weeks later, when my dumbass started over-cleaning it, he gave me advice which fixed the problem immediately.
One extra star because Ian told me a hilarious story about a drunk bum doing high kicks and toe touches as he was changing my stud.
NOTE: Bring cash if you want to buy extra jewelry, Ian sells out of his own kit which is separate from the store. -
Review from joyce c.
Washington, DC
5/2/2009
Even though this is a tattoo parlor, I give 5 stars for the painless piercings, clean environment, and awesome people!
If you are considering any type of piercing, go see Ian! He is AMAZING. Ian pierces people so effortlessly it's as if he's drinking a cup of water or breathing. He knows his stuff and his funny and helps make the environment very relaxing. I have officially dubbed him the fierce navel piercing guru. He reminds of a pierced and tattooed teddy bear. Who knew tattoos and body piercings could be so adorable?
The prices are super reasonable. With jewelry its only about $20 - $35 depending on what you pick.
Too bad I only have one belly button :( -
Review from Noelle C.
Temecula, CA
8/2/2009
I really like this place. The only time I have come here is to get a lip tattoo. Now I know what you're thinking, " why in the H-E double would you wanna get a tat there?!?" Well let me tell you that I wanted a tat but also didn't want it in the classic slut place ie tramp stamp, chest etc. And also for the fun of it.
Anywho this is the only place in PB that will actually do a lip tat. Most of the shops won't do them because they are said to peel off or fade a lot faster than on actual skin. Well mine didn't. I have had no problems after the FREE touch up session and I am going on two years with it now. I was a walk in and sketched out what I wanted and the guy had it on my lip in under a half hour. It turned out exactly how I wanted it to and was super happy I got it.
The only thing that sucks is that my tat is no bigger than a quarter but it cost me 100 bucks. And this is because the artists don't like to mess with them. I called around to places in El Cajon and Mission and they were all around that price range without a free touch up. But still that is pretty darn expensive for what it is but hey I like it, so I am glad I did it.
P dot S dot: For your information, it did not hurt AT ALL and the tat I got was the love and basketball symbol, yeah google it. -
Review from Ivy N.
San Diego, CA
8/9/2011
I've gone here for all my piercings (navel, nose, and cartilage). Ian is great! He makes sure that all the tools are sanitary, and he does a quick, relatively painless job :). The pricing here is also very affordable compared to other places I looked at. I can't remember how much I paid. I just remember that the navel piercing was the priciest, and that was $40-45, not bad at all.
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Review from Patty A.
San Diego, CA
2/15/2011
Took the boy with me to get my first tattoo today. It was not busy at all (3pm on Tuesday) and Kip was able to see to me right away.
It was a simple Omega design that took about 15 minutes to finish.
Kip was very kind and not at all threatening. He explained the process without making me feel like an idiot ( like other tattoo artist have when I went in to consult). He was precise and smooth- it really didn't hurt at all.
The place: Clean, sterile, portfolios at the front desk. -
Review from clara g.
San Jose, CA
First of all I was in the Mission Beach area and wanted to get something pierced, however, their piercer wasn't on site but a nice guy directed me to Above All Tattoo. He even drew me a map with an address and phone number, told me to ask for Doctor..aka Ian.... I had my tragus done for 35 bucks a lot of other places were asking 45. The price was right so I jumped on it. My souvenir from my awesome vacation in San DIego. I got good vibes here compared to other stuck up places , so giving you business was a pleasure. Thanks Doctor.
Comment from Woody R. of Above All Tattoo 2/27/2012
The guys at MB Tattoo are great guys sending you to us, And… More » -
Review from Adria P.
Sacramento, CA
8/26/2008
What was supposed to be a weekend free of tattoos and piercings turned into 3 tattoos and 2 piercings after hanging out with the cool cats of this place :)
Kris, Arty and Ian all did a fabulous job on my tattoos/piercings as well as the tattoo and piercings my friends got.
Definitely gotta stop by this place next time in in town! -
Review from Jackie S.
Chula Vista, CA
Updated - 6/26/2009
Well I went back for another piercing and yeah that's the last time I'll be headed over there.
What I wanted and what I got were two different things. I asked several times before he pierced about the placement and I was reassured several times that it was the right place. Several times!
I trusted and yeah...it didn't work out in my favor. I guess it's my fault because I didn't trust my gut.
It was a jacked up piercing that fell out a few days later. Luckily it was only surface so it didn't get infected or worse yet hit a nerve. I later went to another piercer and got exactly what I asked for.
Everything else that I said in my previous review still stands...good, clean shop and all that other jazz but yeah missed the spot dude.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/14/2009
Oh my first piercing experience was wonderful!
My friend had been there before and recommended them… Read more »
Comment from Woody R. of Above All Tattoo 11/11/2011
Hi Jackie, that piercer Ian doesnt work here… More » -
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Review from Laura B.
Chula Vista, CA
4/7/2010 1 photo
Mike aka Chowdah is the best ever. He did my tat and I am going back for more when I have cash. I recommend him to anyone that mentions wanting to get work done.
Ian was very nice while getting my nose pierced. Have to go see him again .. I lost the ring*sigh*. -
Review from Leslie C.
San Diego, CA
5/13/2010
Came here to get my cartilage done. Great job, but they didn't give me anything to clean my newly pierced ear with..
Employees are nice, but I wish they carried a smaller diameter for the horseshoe. :\ -
Review from Marisa J.
San Diego, CA
4/28/2010
My friend and I walked by and saw a sign outside that said "Piercings $20" so we thought, what the heck. Little did we know that was not including jewelry which it ended up being $35. & he made us wait about 15 minutes so he could "go down the street" then set up.
First, Ian didn't let my friend check the location of her piercing. Next, he would say "one deep breath" and in the middle of the sentence BAM, he pierced us which made it hurt even more. Then we both started bleeding and he did not even offer to clean it up or check the piercings after.
Last but not least, we did not receive any Care instructions whatsoever which makes us sketched out. Now I am sitting in my room with blood all over my hair and ear. Lovely.
Not coming back.Comment from Woody R. of Above All Tattoo 11/11/2011
Hi Marisa, That piercer Ian no longer works at our shop.… More » -
Review from Diem V.
San Francisco, CA
6/1/2010
I LOVE IAN.
Worked up some guts to get my nose pierced today, and it was a SPLENDID experience. Ian was super nice, reassuring, and overall a cool dude. Made me real comfortable. It was almost painless and I'm very satisfied with it. My friend and I came back an hour later to get her lip pierced!
Highly reccomend. -
Review from Liz M.
Twentynine Palms, CA
12/14/2009 1 photo
Mike aka Chowdah is amazing! Both my husband and I have tattoos from him. He specializes in color and has a cool style of tattooing. He charges like $100/per hour but i'd say its totally worth it.
"Good tattoos aren't cheap and cheap tattoos aren't good" -
Review from Liz S.
San Diego, CA
12/3/2010 5 photos
The guys are super chill and know what they're doing. Hands down the best piercing/tattoo shop in SD!
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Review from Mel C.
8/7/2008
If I ever wanted to get a tattoo, this would be the place. My friend has been going to see Mike for years now and her tattoo is a work in progress. It's like a garden that winds all around her body and ends at her butt. I kept her company for 5 hours as Mike drew the flowers that she wanted and then proceeded to tattoo her. I'm not the tattoo-type, but even I was impressed by Mike's artistry. While most tattoo artists make a stencil and trace it, Mike actually drew everything himself. While my friend's tattoo is still a work in progress, what was completed looked very nice. The people here are friendly and know what they're doing. Apparantly other people know this too since you have to book Mike at least 3 months in advance for a tattoo!
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Review from lindsay b.
San Diego, CA
got my first dermal here... healed in a week, looks great!! will def return!
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Review from Irene S.
12/31/2007 1 photo
"por vida."
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Review from Tiffany L.
San Diego, CA
9/7/2008
I got my first tat from here and it wasn't the best experience. The guy that did work on me had a small anchor near his eye and he wasn't very friendly. Especially since he knew it was my first, I think he could have been a little more comforting. He has slightly a heavy hand so your lines might come out thicker than anticipated. My best friend from high school also got her first tattoo here and she got this really nice guy and he seriously made my friend feel at ease about it. So I guess my best advice is to avoid the guy with the anchor.
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Review from Jennifer L.
San Diego, CA
7/31/2010
Hmmm its been a couple years, I can't remember who pierced my belly button, but he did a great job. He was patient, and seriously accommodating (Im quite demanding). The pricing rocks considering what I got quoted in seattle!
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Review from Angela B.
San Diego, CA
3/11/2009
I love Above All even though I have only been there once. Got my cartilage pierced by Ian who is super nice and friendly. Everything is sterile and clean as it should be. Ian is very attentive and professional. He gave me advice on after care and even offered to help me if anything goes wrong with the piercing.
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Review from shelby C.
La Mesa, CA
4/11/2010
They do great work but super expensive! $250 for a 30min black and white tattoo is a little much! They wanted $350 for color. Seriously the tattoo isn't much bigger than the palm of my hand. They do great work and they are very proud of it!
Comment from Woody R. of Above All Tattoo 4/15/2010
Hi Shelby, We do charge $150 an hour...please shop out some… More »
