Tattoo shops in San Diego
Thinking about ink in San Diego, CA? Start with the studios: 32 are mapped here. All 32 are mapped as tattoo studios proper, and each one is worth a portfolio browse before you commit — style varies more between shops than towns. A consultation costs nothing and tells you everything about how a shop runs.
This guide covers every tattoo shop we could verify in and around San Diego (within about 40 km), built from OpenStreetMap's community-maintained data. Names you'll run into include Above All Tattoo and Big Fish Piercing, plus In The Moon Tattoo. If a studio's missing from San Diego's list, it probably just hasn't been mapped yet — the scene is bigger than any single dataset.
The San Diego tattoo lineup
32 mapped within about 40 km:
Above All Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Above All Tattoo — Tattoo studio.
Big Fish Piercing
Tattoo studio
Big Fish Piercing — Tattoo studio on 222 Acacia Avenue. Also worth knowing about Big Fish Piercing: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 12:00-18:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
222 Acacia Avenue
Hours: Mo-Su 12:00-18:00
Phone: +1-858-259-7200
In The Moon Tattoo
Tattoo studio
In The Moon Tattoo — Tattoo studio, found on 1515 Washington Street in San Diego. Also worth knowing about In The Moon Tattoo: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 10:00-18:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
1515 Washington Street, San Diego, 92103
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-18:00
Phone: +1-619-230-5531
Battle Royale
Tattoo studio
Battle Royale is Tattoo studio on 1606 Fern Street, San Diego. Battle Royale also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
1606 Fern Street, San Diego, 92102
Phone: +1-619-777-8287
Pacific Ink
Tattoo studio
Pacific Ink — Tattoo studio, found on 4680 Mission Boulevard in San Diego.
4680 Mission Boulevard, San Diego, 92109
Black Rose Tattoo Lounge
Tattoo studioRun by Carey Bruce
Run by Carey Bruce, Black Rose Tattoo Lounge is Tattoo studio, found on 4603 Mission Boulevard #103 in San Diego. Also worth knowing about Black Rose Tattoo Lounge: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
4603 Mission Boulevard #103, San Diego, 92109
Phone: +1-858-483-1542
Ace Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Ace Tattoo is Tattoo studio on Newport Avenue, San Diego.
Newport Avenue, San Diego
Last Days Tattoo Parlor
Tattoo studio
Last Days Tattoo Parlor — Tattoo studio.
Apogee
Tattoo studio
Apogee is Tattoo studio.
Ambitious Tattoo & Piercing
Tattoo studio
Ambitious Tattoo & Piercing is Tattoo studio on 295 B 3rd Avenue, Chula Vista. Ambitious Tattoo & Piercing also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
295 B 3rd Avenue, Chula Vista, 91910
Phone: +1-619-349-3416
Enlightened Soul Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Enlightened Soul Tattoo — Tattoo studio.
Western Electric Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Western Electric Tattoo is Tattoo studio.
Teitan Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Teitan Tattoo is Tattoo studio.
Chapter One Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Chapter One Tattoo is Tattoo studio.
Wolf and Shadow Tattoo Collective
Tattoo studio
Wolf and Shadow Tattoo Collective — Tattoo studio, found on 3434 University Ave. in San Diego. Also worth knowing about Wolf and Shadow Tattoo Collective: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 12:00-19:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
3434 University Ave., San Diego, 92104
Hours: Mo-Su 12:00-19:00
Phone: +1-619-246-5226
Saints and Sinners Tattoo Shop
Tattoo studio
Saints and Sinners Tattoo Shop is Tattoo studio on 6555 Balboa Avenue, San Diego. Saints and Sinners Tattoo Shop also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 12:00-19:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
6555 Balboa Avenue, San Diego, 92111
Hours: Mo-Fr 12:00-19:00
Phone: +1-619-323-1224
Ink-Dependent Tattoo Studio
Tattoo studio
Ink-Dependent Tattoo Studio — Tattoo studio, found on 9333-2J Boulevard Agua Caliente in Tijuana. Also worth knowing about Ink-Dependent Tattoo Studio: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 11:00-20:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
9333-2J Boulevard Agua Caliente, Tijuana, 22040
Hours: Mo-Su 11:00-20:00
Phone: +526645463733
Guru Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Guru Tattoo is Tattoo studio.
Savage Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Savage Tattoo is Tattoo studio.
Side Show
Tattoo studio
Side Show — Tattoo studio.
Chronic Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Chronic Tattoo — Tattoo studio.
Big Fish Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Big Fish Tattoo is Tattoo studio on 243 Suite 18 North Highway 101. Big Fish Tattoo also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 12:00-20:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
243 Suite 18 North Highway 101
Hours: Mo-Su 12:00-20:00
Phone: +1-858-259-7200
Redemption Ink
Tattoo studio
Redemption Ink — Tattoo studio.
Rose Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Rose Tattoo is Tattoo studio.
Yokai House
Tattoo studio
Yokai House is Tattoo studio on 6350 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego.
6350 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego, 92115
Daygo
Tattoo studio
Daygo — Tattoo studio, found on 9550 Black Mountain Road in San Diego.
9550 Black Mountain Road, San Diego, 92126
Nothing Sacred Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Nothing Sacred Tattoo — Tattoo studio, found on East Market Street in San Diego.
East Market Street, San Diego, 92101
Sam Joko
Tattoo studio
Sam Joko is Tattoo studio.
Absolute Tattoo
Tattoo & piercing studio
Absolute Tattoo is Tattoo & piercing studio.
Adams Avenue Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Adams Avenue Tattoo is Tattoo studio on 3215 Adams Avenue, San Diego. Adams Avenue Tattoo also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 11:00-18:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
3215 Adams Avenue, San Diego, 92116
Hours: Mo-Su 11:00-18:00
Phone: +1-619-634-9037
Black Anvil Tattoo
Tattoo studio
Black Anvil Tattoo — Tattoo studio, found on 3439 Adams Avenue in San Diego. Also worth knowing about Black Anvil Tattoo: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 12:00-20:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
3439 Adams Avenue, San Diego, 92116
Hours: Mo-Sa 12:00-20:00
Phone: +1-619-450-4715
The Oracle Tattoo Studio
Tattoo studio
The Oracle Tattoo Studio — Tattoo studio, found on 9903 Campo Road in Spring Valley. Also worth knowing about The Oracle Tattoo Studio: the map lists its hours as Tu-Sa 12:00-21:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
9903 Campo Road, Spring Valley, 91977
Hours: Tu-Sa 12:00-21:00
Phone: +1-619-724-6481
What the map tells us about tattoo shops in San Diego
9 of the 32 list their opening hours on the map, which is genuinely useful — tattoo studios often work by appointment, so posted hours can be more of a guideline than a promise.
11 have websites listed. Studios with websites usually show portfolios there — the fastest way to tell if a shop's style matches yours.
1 of the studios are also tagged for piercings, handy if you're after both in one visit.
The San Diego tattoo shop tour
The efficient San Diego tattoo shop tour strings these together: Above All Tattoo, Big Fish Piercing on 222 Acacia Avenue, In The Moon Tattoo on 1515 Washington Street, Battle Royale on 1606 Fern Street, Pacific Ink on 4680 Mission Boulevard, Black Rose Tattoo Lounge on 4603 Mission Boulevard #103, Ace Tattoo on Newport Avenue, and Last Days Tattoo Parlor — 32 stops, one logical order. 24 more are listed below.
Tattoo tips for San Diego
First tattoo or fiftieth — the rules don't change in San Diego:
- No swimming while it heals at Above All Tattoo. Pools, lakes, hot tubs — all off limits for two to three weeks. Fresh tattoos and bacteria don't mix.
- Document the healing at Big Fish Piercing. Photos of the healing process help your artist advise you, and help you judge their work honestly.
- Wear the right clothes. Easy access to the spot being tattooed, and nothing you love — ink stains don't wash out.
- Eat before your session. A real meal, not a granola bar. Long sessions on an empty stomach are how people faint.
Good to know
We searched about 40 km around San Diego — that covers the town itself plus the surrounding communities you'd reasonably drive to. Listings come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by local volunteers, so a brand-new tattoo shop in San Diego can take a while to appear. If you spot one of the 32 that's closed, or a great tattoo shop we missed, the fix is to update the map itself — that's where this guide reads from.
We don't rate studios or artists, and we never list prices — those are between you and the shop. What we list is the where and the how-to-find, from places real mappers have verified.
If you run one of the 32 listed here and something's wrong — a closure, a move, new hours — the fix is the same: update the shop on OpenStreetMap and the correction flows through to this page on the next daily refresh.
Tattoo shop listings for San Diego: 32 mapped from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos from Wikimedia Commons contributors; individual photo credits appear in captions. Listing data was last refreshed automatically — verify hours before visiting.