Blackbird Tattoo and Gallery

My wife and I have been here twice and have had nothing but good experiences. We have each been tattooed once and pierced once here.
On both occassions it was very sanitary and professional. They wore gloves, the instruments and needles are all sanitized or in packages. You could watch them get everything prepared. They thoroughly checked and copied IDs and had you fill out forms. They gave an aftercare sheet and talked through the aftercare and made sure there was no questions.
It is good to be aware that they are cash only establishment. And don’t forget to tip!
The young lady that did my tragus piercing (I’m sorry, I don’t remember her name!) was very friendly and did her best to get it done as quickly as possible. I told her I didn’t want to see the needle myself, because it makes me nervous, which was no problem. I wasn’t there to see my wife’s lobe piercings, done by a young man whose name I didn’t get, but she said it was nothing at all, done before she knew it.
Both of our tattoos were done by Matt Wolf, who we highly recommend. My wife was able to explain what she wanted, he got a stencil worked up to her approval and on her arm in about an hour. She couldn’t be more pleased with it. With mine, I was able to email him a picture of something similar to what I wanted, including coloring, ahead of time. He showed me the stencil, put that on my arm and had me tattooed in under an hour. I was very nervous (to the point of an anxiety attack) but his very calm and laid back demeanor helped calm my nerves, and I was able to just close my eyes and breath it out until it was done. As it was my first, I can’t really compare the experience to anywhere else, but I can’t imagine it going better.
It may not look like much from the outside, but don’t let that fool you. The people here, from our experiences, are great at their job. They are tattooed and pierced themselves; they care about their work. I thought long and hard before having something permanently added to my body and I don’t know that I would’ve trusted anyone else but Matt to do it.

So after reading all of the previous reviews I was blown away to go in there and have such a different experience. I know that black bird has recently changed to a new location, and let me just say even from the outside it is extremely dirty.
Skipping all of those details and getting straight to the point. My girlfriend was getting a tattoo, I was simply observing. The gentlemen doing the tattoo looked like he had rolled straight out of bed, threw on two week old pair of jeans and hasn’t washed his hair in about the same amount of time.
When I walked backed to the room with them he had an overflowing trash can of fast food leftovers right next to the bench, which looked like it had not been wiped down from his previous client and I’m almost positive there was someone else’s blood on it. Anyways, besides the overflowing trash can there were bottles of tequila and shot glasses all around. The artists had just received a new hand tattoo himself, so you can imaging his pain taking off his gloves and putting them back on, which is what an artist is supposed to do anytime they leave or touch something else, changing gloves for sanitation purposes. Well he left the room to introduce himself to a potential client and as he left I saw him pulling up his saggy jeans, wipe his nose introduce himself to this new lady come back in the room and sit down without changing his gloves. On top of all of that the entire time he was tattooing my girlfriend he was wiping snot from his nose onto his arm and had a visible line of snot running down his arm. It was absolutely disgusting and unsanitary.
Thankfully my girlfriend was only getting three words in script so the talent level of the artist didn’t need to be that of Picaso, but the fact remains is that this was an extremely dirty and unsanitary place to get a tattoo. Trust me, I’ve been to many shops and I will never return to this one or recommend anyone else to walk through those doors.

I just got my first tattoo here and I had the most pleasant experience. The staff was very nice and kept me pretty calm. They are not actually open until midnight on Friday though. They close at 11 on Friday nights. I got there at 10:50 and they still took me because my tattoo was so small. It was a tiny bit pricey, but it really wasn’t that bad. My tattoo artist, Colby, said that he would do for mine so that’s pretty dandy!

Out of all four of my tattoos, this is the best experience I’ve had with the quality and customer service! Highly recommend.
I had a wonderful experience at this tattoo shop. I’m not covered in tattoos by any means, but I had just moved to Nashville and was looking for a shop to do a simple tattoo for me and my friend.
We were able to walk right in around 8 PM on a Friday evening where they had two available artists. Since our tattoos were so simple, we were in and out for both of us in 45 minutes.
I loved how nice their office staff was in addition to my artist making me comfortable.

I just got tattooed here today and I must say I am very impressed. My artist’s name is Matt Wolfe and he did an absolutely wonderful job. It looks wonderful and I love what he did with the color making it look more traditional. It was a nice experience and I felt relaxed the entire time. I will definitely be going back and recommending this this shop to everyone I know!

I am a tattoo/​pierce addict when I get stressed. In my most recent panic, I decided to head over to Blackbird as a walk-​in to see if I could get in for a quick session. What a great experience. This was my second tattoo, so I knew what to expect, but naturally I was still a little nervous. My artist set me up quickly, was professional and very friendly. It was a relaxed environment and I enjoyed the whole process. The prices are completely fair and they don’t try to pressure you with an up-​sell on something you don’t need.
I’m sure I will be returning.
TIP: They are cash only.

After a few tries I was accepted as a walk in which I really appreciated. I got two small tattoos (they weren’t snobby about me getting very simple, basic things my first time) by Colby and they look fantastic. I was nervous since it was my first time but everyone there was really chill and nice, and I trusted them. I came in thinking I knew exactly what I wanted, but Colby told me what it SHOULD have been – which was greatly appreciated and definitely wasn’t unsolicited advice. (i.e. the way the tattoos should have been facing, the sizes, etc.) He made sure everything was perfectly lined up and everything was clean and sanitary.
So glad I went here! Very cool environment, too. I’ll definitely be going back.

Best place to get tattooed. I know that many people want in at Black 13 — and some of the artists there are amazing but they’re not worth the 6+ month waiting list.
After being told I had to wait 6 months for a very small tattoo at black 13, I headed to Blackbird. No wait, accepted me as a walk in. I had some script done on my inner bicep and I love it.
since then I’ve had about 5 tattoos done here — each by a different artist and they are all super talented. All of my designs were super intricate and they look flawless on my skin. Really amazed.
Definitely stop by if you want a good tattoo done.

If you can find a space to get in their tight schedule, Blackbird is the best group of artists in Nashville! (You can even do the scheduling online super-​easy!) Each tattoo-​artist specializes in their own distinct style, and does a consistently amazing job. If they aren’t having a «good art day», they don’t tattoo people. Simple. They care about what they are permanently affixing to someone’s skin! Not only that, the studios are immaculate and clean. I’ve never gotten an infection from their high-​quality inks (as I have in the past at other reputable studios), and my healed art always looks sharp. Even the apprentices are fantastic! I highly recommend going to Blackbird for your next tattoo! (I typically go to Justin Gill– his linework is fantastic!)

This is the first review I’ve written, but I have to let the world know how awesome Derrick Hooper is. He took the time to work with me and translated the complicated idea in my head into the perfect tattoo. All for an extremely reasonable price. Plus, not only did I walk away with a beautiful tattoo, I also bought a great piece of art from the gallery.

Maybe I am biased because I know the tattoo artist who did my two tattoos here, but regardless, the staff is talented and kind. Ben Bray did my tattoos. He answered any questions I had patiently and thoroughly. Just looking at the reputation of their artists, like Sheri who has been tattooing for over 20 years, you can tell they care about their clientele and they have the talent to back it up. I will probably always go here for my tattoos as long as I’m in Nashville.

I’m surprised no one else has reviewed this place! Tucked in the 12^th South row of other restaurants and stores, I went to Blackbird for a tattoo after setting up an appointment with Shannon beforehand. (Appointments aren’t necessary, though.) My artist did a fantastic job and was exceptionally reasonable with the price! Everyone else I met there were funny and nice, very genuine, and I know my next tattoo in Nashville will be back at Blackbird!
The place also serves as an art gallery, by the way. If you need a feel of a tattoo place before you get your work there, come out to an art show one night first.