The ultimate tattoo travel guide (2024)

At 18, I stepped tentatively into the only tattoo shop in my small hometown. A friend picked a dolphin design from the walls, and I watched with fascination as an old biker inked it into her back. Two decades later, I have so many tattoos I’ve stopped keeping count – each one is like a second skin, transforming how I look and how I feel about myself. My tattoos are like the art I hang on my walls, and I've travelled the world to collect the best – securing an appointment with an artist and building a holiday around it.

As a journalist, I’ve explored tattoo culture for years, immersing myself in an industry that once felt guarded by an old boys’ club mentality but has slowly opened up. A quarter of people in the UK are now tattooed, the ring-binder portfolios of bricks-and-mortar shops have migrated to Instagram and designs are coveted by a wider global audience. I’ve seen such breathtaking tattoos – from fine-art ones that look like pre-Raphaelite paintings to ornamental blackwork-inspired by ancient tribes – that it’s hard to believe their canvas is human skin. Certain artists are so popular that clients will go on epic pilgrimages to visit their parlours, planning trips around getting those signature styles. This little black book of tattooists will make any journey worthwhile.

Rose Hardy, @rosehardy

Brooklyn and California, USA

Rose creates exquisite ornamental tattoos with an art deco vibe. Her work is particularly famous for its genre-bending style, with surreal portraits that are simultaneously realistic and dream-like, iconic for their long, hypnotic eyelashes – it’s the kind of style that collectors can spot from afar. It also transcends skin, finding its way onto canvas, into museums – including an exhibition of the most influential tattooists in the world at Somerset House – and onto porcelain and gold ceramics. Rose says that 70 per cent of her clients travel from other countries or cities, but her style is so uniquely hers that you’ll have to wait three years for an appointment. “Most people give me a couple of references for subject matter,” she says, then Rose’s imagination will take it from there.

Location: Rose works between two private studios: Mikiri Gallery in Brooklyn, New York, and High Horse in Glendale, California.
Book: Fill in an international client form at rosehardytattoo.com

Swani, @swanissober

Seoul, South Korea

Swani brings his background in ceramics to his skin art, creating bespoke works that flow with the body, which he calls “the beauty of space”. His palette of blues and reds is inspired by the national colours of South Korea, and he uses the motifs of dragons, butterflies and tigers common in traditional East Asian art. While tattooing isn’t illegal in Korea, it is restricted – artists face fines and even prison. “We need a doctor's licence to tattoo legally,” explains Swani. Despite its underground nature, his art style is part of a trend specific to Korea that’s now imitated all over the world. He creates original designs unique to each collector and doesn't have pre-drawn work (aka tattoo flash), so he’ll bring his ideas to achieve “balance and harmony” on your body.

Location: Mizangwon in Seoul (the address will be given via email)
Book: email swanissober.tt@gmail.com a month before your trip – as a heads up, he won’t reply to Instagram DMs.

Grace Palicas, @palicasgrace

Busaclan, Philippines

Kalinga tribal tattooing, known as batok, involves hand-tapping ink into the skin using a thorn attached to a bamboo stick and is specific to the mountain village of Buscalan in the Philippines. Grace Palicas is the grandniece of the last Kalinga tattooist of her generation, Whang-Od (now 106, and a recent Vogue Philippines cover star), and is carrying on the traditional art form. Now, anyone who visits the village can be inked in this way; it’s no longer a preserve of the tribespeople. “Every pattern has its own meaning,” explains Palicas, who blends tradition with personal experiences to produce designs that often feature Kalinga symbols. She’ll even help you find somewhere to stay near her home during your tattoo trip, “Like you’re part of the family,” she says.

Location: It takes about 12-15 hours to get to Busaclan from Manila.
Book: To book, send a DM on Instagram @palicasgrace a month before (Grace's husband will respond)

Lauren Winzer, @laurenwinzer

Sydney, Australia

Lauren’s style is super-femme designs with lots of pop culture references – anything from Goldie Hawn smoking a cigarette to kitsch Disney characters. Her work is instantly recognisable for its miniature details, pastel hues and extra-fine lines. Among Lauren’s list of A-list clients is repeat customer Miley Cyrus, who has a teeny planet and a cat. “I love when clients have ideas and want me to figure out how to put them together,” she says, “I want people to have something made especially for them.”

Location: Hunter & Fox Tattoo, 422 Botany Road, Alexandria, Sydney, NSW 2015
Book: Lauren’s wait list is about two months; drop an email to laurenhunterandfox@hotmail.com (“If you’re travelling, just send dates when you have them,” says Lauren, “Travellers are a priority.”), or book at hunterandfoxtattoo.com

Rebecca Vincent, @rebecca_vincent_tattoo

London, England

Drawing on natural history, Rebecca Vincent’s designs include shells, flowers, intricate ferns, insects, birds and – her true love – fossils. Renderings are imagined with scientific geometry, each lined in beautiful, bold black ink. Based in Hackney, Vincent has several female clients who are marking transformative moments in their lives, such as mastectomies, and she works closely with them on tattoo designs. “I draw everything on the day of the appointment,” she explains. “The process is all about collaboration.” Be warned, she’s in high demand, being regularly profiled as one of the top tattooists in the country, and her waiting lists can span almost a year - better book in now.

Location: Rebecca Vincent, Containernille, 38 The Oval, E2 9DT
Book: Before you book in, take a look through her existing work on Instagram and pick out images you like, then send them to her email rvtattoobookings@gmail.com (don't Instagram DM her).

Chenjie, @chenjie.newtattoo

Beijing, China

Chenjie work resembles traditional Chinese paintings. The tattoos imitate the brushstrokes of calligraphy, and she works elements of Chinese culture into each design, from lotus flowers to crane and koi fish. The final designs look like fine art on the skin, and Chenjie cleverly uses negative space to make it look almost like the tattoo is floating – she says she wants to turn the bodies she tattoos into living canvases.

Location: NewTattoo Studio, Building 5, Gate 5, Room 518 Shoukaibojun North, Xindong Road, Sanlitun, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China.
Book: Her unique work is so highly sought after that she’s booked up until May 2024, so you’ll need to email her at chenjie@jienewtattoo.com at least one year in advance.

Guen Douglas, @guendouglas

Berlin, Germany

Guen has a traditional American style: bold black outlines with bright colours, but with artistic flourishes – each art piece is heavily inspired by art deco and art nouveau, pop culture and the natural world. “Getting a tattoo in Berlin is part of a perfectly immersive experience here,” she enthuses. While she loves creating custom tattoos just for you, she also has huge books filled with pre-drawn designs to choose from, reminiscent of the magic of an old-school tattoo shop experience. She’s created a few tattoo series, including cocktails/reflections and her iconic masked ladies that she can tweak for each client. Guen also studied wine and co-hosts a podcast called Juice with her sommelier friend – and after your appointment, if you’re feeling up to it – she recommends heading to natural wine bar Le Balto, which is about a five min walk from the studio for nibbles and a bottle.

Location: Taiko Gallery, Schönleinstraße 33, 10967, Berlin.
Book: guendouglas.format.com (its appointment-only policy means there are no walk-ins)

Charissa AKA RIzza Boo, @rizza_boo

Glasgow, Scotland

Charissa’s tattoos exist beyond the binaries of category, but there are recognisable elements within them – namely, neo-traditional and new school styles, with graffiti tropes and cartoon-like images using bright colours and black outlines. Charissa is a passionate force for change – she set up Shades Initiative as a safe space for Black and POC tattooers who have experienced racism in what has traditionally been a white, male-dominated industry. Her groundbreaking work is on display at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall as part of Reclaiming The Narrative, a celebration of contemporary tattoo art on Black and brown skin. As an artist, she likes to push boundaries. “It’s important to keep trying new approaches,” she says, “whether that is playing with colour palettes or mark-making techniques.”

Location: Charissa works from Shadow Work Tattoos, an accessible space found on 46 Darnley Street, Glasgow, G412SE.
Book: Get in touch at least three months before you want to get tattooed, find a booking form via her Instagram

Swasthik Iyengar, @gunga_ma

Brisbane, Australia

As a child, Swasthik Iyengar watched her grandmother create traditional hand-poke tattoos in India, an experience that she has adapted and fused with her own styles, which are influenced by her travels across Europe and America. Now based in Brisbane, Iyengar thinks of her work as part of her journey and constantly hones her craft using tribal techniques, blackwork and colour palettes inspired by different cultures around the world. Both her black work and colourful tattoos are incredibly covetable, spanning two vastly different worlds.

Location: Brisbane, Australia
Book: Email swasthikiyengartattoos@gmail.com to book

Jack Ankersen, @jack_ankersen

Stockholm, Sweden

Bold black lines with dark shading make Jack Ankersen’s tattoos look like woodcuts that have been carved into the wearer’s skin. Motifs include objects such as vases, bottles and animals influenced by traditional and Japanese tattooing. Ankersen is also a printmaker, which is what gives his tattoos their distinctive and unmistakable look. Potential customers should scroll through his Instagram page to come up with an idea that you’d like him to tattoo for you.

Location: Nothing Tattoo, Upplandsgatan 9b, Stockholm.
Book: Send him a DM to book in; he’ll need around four to six weeks’ notice.

Caotida, @caotida

Brooklyn, USA

The micro fine-line, fine-art tattoos by Brooklyn-based Pilar Zurita, aka Caotida, are filled with intricate details – the closer you look, the more you see. She takes motifs from abstract and impressionist art, and places them inside different frames: a Klimt-inspired golden swirl on a duck’s wing or Botticelli’s Birth of Venus adorning a vase. Caotida works from Atelier Eva, which has been designed to feel more like a boutique hotel than a tattoo parlour, and its muted grey walls, concrete surfaces and bespoke furniture create a tranquil environment to counteract the nerves many people feel when they’re getting their first tattoo. If any client is overwhelmed by choice, she can create something bespoke. “I like to know favourite colours, meaningful elements and any reference pictures,” she says.

Location: Atelier Eva, 59 Grand St, Brooklyn, 11249 New York.
Book: She’ll need two months’ notice and you can access a booking form via Instagram.

Deno, @denotattoo

Madrid, Spain

Deno’s tattoos are the kind that looks like they’ll never fade, built on the American traditional technique of bold, black lines filled with primary coloured ink. Deno’s designs are so weird and wonderful that sometimes you might not be sure what you’re looking at – surreal little graffiti-painting rats or huge tigers with a winding snake for a tongue. “It’s my own personal approach to traditional old-school western tattooing,” says Deno, “animals with a surrealist twist.” Based primarily in Madrid, Deno’s also a regular at tattoo conventions across the globe – for example, the carefully curated Gods of Ink in Frankfurt, where artists are included on an invite-only basis – and in London at Seven Doors studio, just off Brick Lane.

Location: A private studio in Madrid
Book: Email denotattoo@hotmail.com

Emeline Rose, @emeline.rosetattoos

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Emeline’s work is, in her words, “colourful, wild and imperfect.” She tattoos like a painter (sorry, it’s still a needle), and placement is as important as the design – flowers creeping up thighs and leaves growing over shoulder blades. “Colours, botany, animals, plants, mushrooms and fruits are my thing,” she says. She only does medium to large-size tattoos, and prefers to tattoo from her selection of pre-drawn flash, which you can peruse on the Instagram portfolio she’s created: @emelineroseflashs. She will take on a custom piece, though – if she likes it.

Location: 6378 Boulevard Saint Laurent in Montreal, H2S3C4, Quebec, Canada.
Book: Her waiting list is six months. Email emelinejbtattoo@gmail.com.

Nick3xl, @nick3xl

Haarlem, The Netherlands

Nick has created his own style of tattoos. Patterns From The Universe, as he calls it, features heavy, ornamental tattooing with lots of black ink, inspired by ancient forms of tribal tattooing, voodoo patterns and alien crop circles. Go to Nick for a ritualistic experience. “I want every person that reaches out to me to feel taken care of,” he explains. No matter the size of the tattoo, Nick will book you in for a whole day. “The design evolves as we transfer it to the skin,” he explains. “I prefer not to send art ahead of the date, as I sit and work it face to face, collaborating to create a finished product that’s entirely personalised.” The minimalist studio enhances that experience so “clients can focus on the ritual without any triggers or distractions.”

Location: Zeitgeist Kollektiv, Haarlem, the Netherlands – it’s about 20 minutes on public transport from Amsterdam.
Book: To book, email nick3xl@gmail.com or DM him on Instagram.

Sam Smith aka Scragpie, @scragpie

Calgary, Canada

Sam explores fantasy and mythology, nature, symbolism and the power of femininity in illustrative pieces that will make your jaw drop. The result is expansive, and covers multiple body parts – back pieces, for example, that creep down to the thighs. Sam is notoriously tricky to book in with and only opens her books to new customers for a day every two years – although she does sometimes take on smaller pieces if you DM her. Sam’s studio is in Calgary, which she says is an underrated city – “it’s known as a gateway to some of the most beautiful alpine regions and lakes on earth like Banff National Park and Lake Louise, but the city itself is a gem – it’s really special for its unique community, independent businesses and the arts.”

Location: Scythe & Spade Tattoo, 535 8 Ave SE #108, Calgary, AB T2G 5S9, Canada.
Book: scragpie.com

Dr Lakra, @doktorlakra

Oaxaca, Mexico

Dr Lakra’s tattoos are divisive. They’re like something from your childhood nightmares: silhouettes of devils, ghoulish creatures and demonic toads. You’ll likely teeter on the edge of loving and hating them, but regardless – Dr Lakra is one of the most sought-after tattooists in the world, and a prolific contemporary artist, with work in MoMA in New York. 50 per cent of the people he tattoos are from abroad – “mostly heavily tattooed collectors”, he says. He only needs a week’s notice if you DM him, but according to the tales of those who’ve been before, he’s a mysterious sort, who may not always show up.

Location: A private studio in Oaxaca.
Book: instagram.com

Myra Brodsky, @myra.brodsky

Munich, Germany

Myra’s tattoos are reminiscent of bygone eras. Drawing inspiration from the old masters, these are works of art that have a timeless quality. She offers consultations over the phone and doesn’t mind if you send her a DM, “I figure out what you like, what you don’t like – if you’re a person who’s into colour, or into black and grey,” she explains, “All these elements are necessary to make a tattoo with personal meaning.” Myra’s studio is in the heart of Munich. She also has a project called Tiny Tatts Munich, where she offers small, luxury tattoos for people who don’t feel ready for large-scale work.

Location: Imaginarium Custom Tattoo Muc, Utzschneiderstraße 12, 80469 Munich.
Book: myra-brodsky.com

Kandace Layne, @kandacelayne

Georgia, USA

Kandace grew up in a Muslim household where henna was always a part of her life. As she’s started growing her own practice, she loves incorporating that into her work. Geometric and ornamental tattoos in black ink that organically fit the curves of the body are her main style, and she particularly loves it when clients are open to her freehand drawing the design. Tattoo designs are usually put onto stencil paper, and then transferred to the body, but freehanding means drawing directly onto the body with a pen before it’s tattooed. Kendace also offers consultations over Zoom before you book in, which is ideal for anyone who might be nervous.

Location: Magic Mirror Tattoo Studio, 3000 Windy Hill Road, Marietta, GA 30067
Book: kandacelayne.com