Temple Tattoo

I have to comment on the guy who wanted the finger tattoos on the outside of his index fingers: When I wanted to get tattoos on my fingers, my tattoo artist explained that he would only do small, simple tattoos in black on the insides of my fingers because anything else tends to fade and look bad over time.
It seems to me that Temple is just trying to do this guy a favor by not taking his money and leaving him with something that will be unsatisfying in a few years, or even a few months. I’ve interacted with this receptionist, and she isn’t condescending, she’s just direct. It seems like the goal at Temple is to do nice tattoos that last forever, and I think that if this customer would have gone into the shop in person and listened to the advice of professionals, he would have left really happy.
But I guess that’s what you get for phone shopping for tattoos.
The general public should also know that receptionists at tattoo shops get paid, so I’m not sure that qualifies them as groupies.
Temple is a rad shop, that post proves their integrity — they don’t just take your money, they make sure you get a nice tattoo that holds up.

Went in for a quickie, walk-​in session… Came out like a champ! Excellent work, clean, courteous, and aware of our needs. My sister and I got matching small heart tattoos and were a bit unsure of size and placement, but Dustin helped walk us through our options. Jason did my tattoo. He was friendly, area was clean, and equipment was sterile. We’ll come back for more! Thanks Jason and Dustin…

Amazing! This is my first tattoo I’ve ever gotten, and I am so pleased with the results! I came in a week after my 18^th birthday, and Heath made sure I felt calm and prepared for the tattoo. Heath’s line work was excellent, and he seemed very focused. I am so pleased with Temple Tattoo and I will be coming back quite soon for my next.

Since the first time I went to Temple they have been my tattoo shop and Heath is my artist. I have 3 tattoos by Heath and he always exceeds my expectations. I’ve seen tattoo’s by Freddy and Jason on friends and they are just as dope. I highly recommend Temple Tattoo and Heath. It’s time for a new one!

I couldn’t be more impressed than I was with Seth Wood’s work. Being new to the Bay Area, I’ve been hesitant to get a tattoo here because, you know, I have my guy where I’m from! I scoured the internet, high and low, to find the style I was looking for; someone who’d be able to execute what my mind envisioned, into reality. Not knowing Temple’s history, I blindly went in for a consult with Seth and couldn’t wait for my sitting. Not only was the artwork spot on, he was great to talk with and get to know. I walked out 6 hours later with a piece I’ve been wanting to get for a year — by the right artist for the job. He’s as legit as it gets.

I came in on a busy Saturday with no appointment and was greeted warmly by if I remember right Chris. Showed him my idea and handed it over to Dustin. I did not want rush it, so made an appointment for the next day. The next day I was back and ready for my ink. Dustin was great! He asked about everything and involved me in every tweak. He got in the zone and whipped it out perfectly. I had a turtle and autism tribute done for my brother and it turned out great! The colors are vibrant and the shading was perfect. I’m already thinking about my next one!
I recommend everyone to come here. Great service, great facilities and awesome people! Don’t think twice. If you’re going to get a tattoo, come to the best!

Well I needed to cover something up. After walking into several shops with no luck on finding someone who would take on the challenge I finally did some online research. I found Temple tattoo on Unilocal they had some great reviews one of the guys there accepted the challenge and a short time after walking in I had what I had been looking for. A great piece of art that am proud to show off.

Amazingly talented and centrally located, hands down the best Tattoo shop in Oakland.

I just got my first tattoo of my chinese name on my wrist by Heath. He was super nice and welcoming about me being nervous and scared, he didn’t judge me at all haha. He definitely made my first tattoo experience fun and exciting! He is also doing my dad’s dragon tattoo at the moment. He was able to adapt to what my dad wanted and to add some of his own art expertise into it. It is amazing.

Went in as a walk in was cordially greeted by all the staff. Already felt extremely comfortable when I came in, they all gave off a great energy. Showed a picture of what I wanted and my artist Freddy gave out his own image. We ended up going with a mixture of the two. Honestly, being my first tattoo I was blessed to have such a smooth experience.
Thank you Freddy!

Came here as a walk in, first time in the shop.
Everyone there was immediately friendly and helpful.
I showed Chummy a photo of something I wanted and he drew me out something original, which was lovely. We went right to tattooing, he was very quick & painless!
So glad I came here, I will definitely be coming back.
Thank you CHUMMY & Temple Tattoo!!! ~~~

I love this shop and dig the people. Ive worked with Heath in particular on most of my tattoos and always left feeling so happy. The place is clean, the people are kind, and the artists work hard to give you what you want. The prices are more than fair given the quality of work they produce, so dont walk in there being a cheap ass, trying to low ball them (ive witnessed/​overheard these unbearable conversations almost everytime ive gone in there) THEYRE WORTH IT.

I never thought I would ever get a tattoo but I did! I had good experience. I had so many ideas going in and it turns out less is more. My tattoo artist gave me great advice and I am glad I took it. Also, he was very patient with me and always kept me positive. Pricing was more than I thought but so worth it. I think I will totally be back for more!

As promised, I came back and got another tattoo (#12) from chummy again. I
Love it. He is a great artist and knows how to tattoo. Minimal peeling and tattoo healed great. No need for touch up.

From my first phone call (answered by very down-​to-​earth and friendly Paul), to the welcome I received walking in the door (again, Paul), to the excellent work provided by Dustin Wengreen — I cannot emphasize how terrific my very first tattoo experience was. I went to the shop armed with a bunch of pictures and a very fuzzy concept about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to experience the tattoo after, and Dustin walked through (slogged through, really) about 20 photos, talking with me, explaining how it all works and what/​where on my 45 year old body a tattoo would age the best, color vs black, how to design something that could be built upon later if I want… Essentially, he conceptualized and drafted the perfect tattoo for me. He worked on it until we were both happy with it. Great work. Light touch. Good conversation to keep my mind off my arm. Really crisp tattoo. Very nice man. I think the vibe in this studio is friendly and down to earth. I would recommend Dustin to others.
On a side note, this was a big deal for me because I wanted to memorialize a pet that had passed away in December and had been really important to me. I felt like the whole process was handled with care.

When I was younger my family and I would frequent Pho84 just a few doors down. I remember passing by this place and wanting to get tattooed here, but at the time I was only a young teen, and at that time getting tattoos like «pinay pride» or a playboy bunny on your ankle was the cool thing to do. If I could’ve gotten away with it I totally would’ve done it… Now looking back, I’m glad I was too scared to even try.
Cut to HELLA years later…
I finally come in to get an elephant on my thigh. I did a walk in and I got Jason. I brought in a printed out picture of an elephant that I wanted my tattoo to sorta look like (less cutesy and standing on hind legs). He drew it up in within 10 minutes and he got started. At first we had a misunderstanding on if I wanted anything coming out of its trunk, but that got cleared up and I had him free hand some pretty shit. I’m a simple girl and I didn’t want anything to distract from the elephant. Anyway, when all was said and done I looked down and my tattoo came out so beautifully that I almost cried! I gotta say that it’s my favorite tattoo that I have and I always get compliments on it.
I have a design in mind that I want to get sometime in the near future and I definitely plan on coming back and getting it done by Jason.

Had the best experience at Temple. Dropped in and was greeted by Dustin, although everyone else I encountered there was super helpful as well. I had called in just before so they had been expecting me, which was a huge relief after I had just tried the same at another shop only to drop in and be ignored for ten minutes. They guided me through placement of the script on my body, letting me try out a few different areas. Dustin was really informative and paid particular attention to keeping the integrity of my dad’s script. Start to finish the process was quick and I couldn’t have been more happy with the experience. The spiritual ambiance in the shop really added to everything. I will definitely recommend!

About 6 months ago, I came here for my first tattoo. Jason Mcafee (the guy doing it) wasn’t there when I went to make my appointment, so I had to describe to the person working the front what I wanted and they would relay the information to Jason. I came in a couple weeks later for the tattoo day and Jason was there drawing it out. He had he outline and before I knew it, he showed me a drawing that could not have been any better. It is exactly what I wanted. I could not be more satisfied with him. He gave me breaks, let people back to watch and kept a clean area. Definitely will be going back to Jason for more tattoo work.

I really enjoyed my experience at Temple Tattoo. When we walked in, we were amazed by the beautiful bird stenciling on the wall, and the friendly guy at the desk. We came to get matching tattoos from guest artist Ben Grillo.
We ended up being there from 12:15 — 4:15 that day, and got to see how the shop functioned on a normal Saturday. We witnessed someone in the process of getting a body suit, people picking out flash, and artists working hard.
All the artists were really professional, friendly, and funny. I was really impressed with the guy who was assisting the artists — he promptly scheduled appointments, got the artists food and beverages, and greeted customers. Super useful to have someone like that in a shop!
My husband and I were really impressed and happy with our matching tattoos; the lines are crisp and sharp, the shading makes them look dimensional, and the price was much lower than we expected! Worth the drive from Gilroy to Oakland!

Got tattoos here and the ink is starting to bleed on both me and my boyfriend. This occurs when the artist goes too deep into the skin tissue, and the ink will only continue to bleed out underneath my skin. The fact that this happened with two different designs placed on two different areas of skin, on two different people make me think it’s not just me that might have experienced this. I got three dots placed along my finger and it’s starting to look more like a blurry line. Paid the 60 bucks minimum for my three dots.
To Temple’s credit, they did deter me from getting my ear tattooed — explaining that the tissue was too soft on the ear and would not hold the ink well. I’m not sure about the accuracy of this statement and it does not redeem the fact that I have a bad tattoo on my finger but it is nice that they were firm on not doing something they weren’t comfortable with.
PS my boyfriend and I both have multiple tattoos and have never experienced this sort of ink bleed out