Wicked Parrot Tattoo

Wicked Parrot Tattoo is a great, clean, and friendly location to get a tattoo tailored to exactly what you want.

**Early Disclaimer**
This is a tattoo shop that operates IN the Outer Banks, and is not a gimmick tattoo shop where you should expect to just walk in and get a new tattoo on a fun whim.

It is clearly stated on the website that they receive a high volume of clients between May and October, due to tourists taking vacations, therefore, you need to book an appointment in advance.

I've seen a few unfair reviews on here, and I personally believe it's because certain individuals are upset that they can't always get want and may lack some common sense.

For example, I emailed the shop 2 weeks before my planned vacation and Tyson was very accommodating with my request.

Dani did my tattoo and she did an amazing job! She was very friendly, and really took good care of me as a client.

I highly recommend this shop to anyone serious about getting a tattoo while in OBX and plans it accordingly.

Today I went in for a tattoo with my mother and sister in law. Once we walked in, the receptionist wasn't at his seat so when we asked about our appointment, after an artist (Derek) made eye contact with us, we had a rather less than pleasant experience.

Not only was Derek extremely rude & condescending, but he had absolutely no remorse for his behavior. In fact he responded to our question by saying "do I look like a fucking receptionist?" ....& that was just the beginning of his rant. It was extremely unprofessional and if it weren't for the deposit, we would have left immediately. As we waited for appointment, I started to look up reviews and noticed a common trend- dickhead Derek :)

If it weren't for our encounter with Derek, I would easily give a 5 star rating. The place is clean, the work is spectacular and Dani is amazing!!

Therefore in conclusion, definitely get your next tattoo here but definitely avoid Derek, at all cost. Seriously I would pay triple to not have him and the establishment would highly benefit by his removal! :)

I reccomend you dont use Derek he has an attitude/anger problem. Tried to rip us off because he was pissed off I didnt get my tattoo done. My daughters got theirs done no problem and I do have to say theirs came out nice. Thank goodness the owner listened to my side of the story and refunded me the appropriate amount. When someone is putting something permanent on their body you dont talk back to them or be mad cause they wanted to change something. This was not the first time I got a tattoo here. The first time was fantastic. The girl who did the tattoo had a great personality!

This tattoo parlor is hands down, THE BEST! Starting with Tyson who responded to all my emailed questions in advance to our Artist, Derrick, who both came in on their days off to help my wife and share our Anniversary with matching tattoo's showcasing our everlasting love for one another. These guys ROCK!!

Derek was awesome! My husband and I came here to get tattoos on our honeymoon and I love it! Derek talked to me the whole time and made sure it came out to perfection.

Let me be clear, my poor review here is for one tattoo artist DEREK, not the shop. I would give Derek a zero if possible. The shop may be a great place & they refunded our deposit after our bad experience, which is why I'm giving any stars at all. If you are considering getting a tattoo here just, book with anyone but Derek!
Here's the story (stay with me)
We were in town for a family vacation to celebrate my son's 18th birthday & he wanted to receive a tattoo. He has been contemplating his tattoo design for a year & working on the sketch of what he wants. We booked our appointment 72 hours in advance & the woman who helped us that day was very nice. She told my son to email his design to Derek, which he did 48 hours before appointment time.
On the scheduled day, we were greeted by another female at the front desk. There was a man there also (who turned out to be Derek, though he didn't introduce himself) & he had computer print-outs of my son's design sitting on the table. The first thing he said was, "yeah man, if you want to get a quality tattoo, you can't go changing things around," in a confrontational tone. We were taken aback. I said, "Did he change something?" He didn't answer me, but I knew my son hadn't changed anything with the design since the email. Then he addressed my son again saying "It's going to take me a few days to go on the internet and find something similar to this in order to create your design."
At this point, it was pretty apparent to me that Derek was completely unprepared for this appointment & even though he had received the email 48 hours beforehand, he had only looked at it moments before we arrived. He had not replied to our email with any concerns or questions before the appointment, even though he had plenty of time to do so. We weren't able to wait another few days while he created a design because we were leaving town the next day. Furthermore, my son had already given him the final design as he wanted it & nothing else needed to be done.
I said nicely (still trying to salvage this experience) "correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you can just print his design on some type of transfer paper, transfer that to his skin and use it as a guide for the design...?" Still refusing to look at me or answer me directly, he addressed my son again "So...THIS is the tattoo you want?! Just like this?!" My son said Yes. Derek said in his same shitty tone, "Well there's no way I'm putting my name on anything that Janky."
Well that did it! I said "We're done here." He said something like "good, get out" and I said "Piss off" to which he replied "Eat Shit and Die".
This entire interaction took less than one minute.
There are several things about this that are wrong:
1) just on a basic customer service level, this man was SO offensive & awful from the first word out of his mouth.
2) getting a tattoo is an important event that most people don't take lightly. It requires at least a little respect & trust with the artist. How can he possibly think it's okay to treat someone that way? Did he think we would still let him do the work after insulting us so badly?!
3) Most importantly: if Derek had taken ANY time to ask questions or get to know my son for even 2 minutes he would have learned that the compass rose design he had drawn has sentimental significance for him & his three siblings & represents their bond to each other. My 18 year old is the baby, & the older siblings have their compass rose tattoos already. So by insulting my son's design, Derek was insulting all four siblings who were present.
Furthermore...Our oldest daughter traveled from Michigan for the birthday celebration & our other son had traveled from Oregon. By ruining this appointment, Derek ruined my son's chance to receive his tattoo on his birthday with all of his siblings present. It was supposed to be an exciting, memorable moment for them, but instead we had unnecessary confrontation from an obviously miserable & awful human being. He insulted & embarrassed my son in front of his friends and family. For what reason?! Serious asshole.
After reading all of his reviews, I simply cannot understand why Derek still has a job

My first tattoo, but here are my thoughts:

1. SUPER clean & immediately comfortable.
2. Music was not my style, but I'd prefer the artist be in his zone.
3. Derek was awesome & I'd highly recommend. The tat looks like the picture I sent in ahead of time.

3 arrows (my 3 kids), black ink, no color, about 3.5" x 6" took about an hour and ran about $200 + tip.

Pro Tip: If you're looking for a bargain on something that will be a part of you FOR-EV-ER, you should think about it a little more. If ever the statement, "You get what you pay for," was true, this is that time.

Once you're ready to go, Wicked Parrot is the place.

Absolutely the worst experience. The person who talked to us was named Derek Brodeur and there was definitely soemthing up his ass. Went in with my boyfriend and his family for his 18th birthday and the first thing out of the employees mouth was "you can't be changing your mind on a tattoo" which was not the case. The tattoo design was sent in through an email two days prior and we were told he would get to consult with the tattoo artist on any minor changes there might be. He also said the compass rose would take hours to draw which shows that he didn't look at the design until the day of the appointment. The next thing the employee said was "I'm not putting my name on any design that janky." Attached is a picture of the wonderful tattoo he called janky. You can go to his instagram @derek_brodeur and see the tattoos he's comparing it to. He was so rude and aggressive for no reason, and he told us to "eat shit and die" as we left. Fuck this shop.

On a spur of a moment trip I decided to get a triple middle cartilage piercing. We were down at kitty hawk ad this was the only studio. Reviews on tattoos looked good so I figured why not go and check it out.

Walking in it was packed with like 5 cougars getting tats. So I waited and told the receptionist I wanted a piercing and she sent me to see the piercer Keebler. I showed him what I wanted and was a little taken back by his response of, that's it? Like I'm sorry, I don't want any super crazy piercing but hey bud, it's business don't be rude.

He quoted me $100 for all 3 and I thought I was a little steep but giving the location we were in I got it. Being impatient I went for it.

In the room Keebler was more personable and friendly, basically non douchey so I enjoyed it more. Got it down quick and as painless as getting 3 piercings at once can be.

All in all, I'm satisfied with it. They look awesome and I love it.

I scheduled an appointment online. They cancelled it even though I paid my deposit. I got my money back, but still. Was really hoping to get a tattoo here and couldnt because they were all booked. Even though I scheduled online. Staff was friendly though when I came in, so that keeps them from getting 1 star.