Guru Tattoo

Someone recommended Guru to me for a piece I was looking to get with my friend over the past weekend. (Cupcake design) I always get nervous when trying to talk to tattoo artists because I immediately feel like a moron who can’t put two sentences together. I have an extremely difficult time formulating my ideas in a way an artist would find understandable. BRENT was AMAZING, not only did he get it, he added his genius spin to the mix. I’m in love with my work, and will make HE is the one doing it in the future. He is also not to heavy handed so while I can’t say the process was comfy like a massage, his gentle demeanor was so nice, I felt calm myself. Check out BRENTs work, he has amazing talents and you can tell he takes pride in what he does!!!
The shop was on point with cleanliness, friendliness and can’t say enough good stuff! Now time to think of my next piece!!! Woot!

I am a very loyal client of Guru tattoo, this shop has been my only source of tattoo art for the last decade due to the absolute world class level of quality and skill of the artists within this shop.
Guru Tattoo is widely regarded as one of the top world class shops in the industry, clients travel from all over the world and are willing in some cases to wait for years to get onto the client list, but it’s worth it due to its various artists abilities in putting together complicated, comprehensive large art pieces with absolutely amazing composition.
In conclusion guru tattoo has my highest recommendation.

Just finished a piece at Guru in Little Italy a frw weeks ago. Worked for months w/​Champion Grubbs and his talents run deep. We communicated the entire concept by email and phone and when arrived to the first of three sessions, his designs were on point and ready to ink. Champ is a detail oriented, seriously legit designer who is the artist that’s always booked 4 – 6 months out at a time. I am already contemplating my next piece with Champ.
Champ was good with time management and fair on fees. I definitely came out winning w/​this tattoo, I love it every time I see it. I struggle to pull illustrative art out of my head and a talented designer can pull that out of you. Champ did just that! Clean looking shop, great curb appeal and generally solid vibe.

Took the wife to get a tat here and was super impressed by how clean and professional they were. Lots of art in the shop hanging on the walls and very friendly. We will, for sure, be going back for more work.

My husband had his upper leg tattooed by Aaron, and I am SO happy with his work! My husband isn’t on Unilocal,but Aaron definitely deserves a glowing review!
When my husband first contacted him, Aaron was kind and professional. He explained his booking process and fees. Once my husband put down his deposit, Aaron drew the most beautiful artwork. We loved it, and my husband eagerly awaited his visits with Aaron. There were four visits, and each time he sat for 5 – 6 hours. Since we live in OC, my husband drove a ways to see Aaron, and since he doesn’t have the highest pain tolerance, he was accommodating with the length of the visits.
Aaron knew that my husband and I are expecting our first baby, and there was one appointment that my husband had that Aaron did need to reschedule. He let my husband know a few days prior to the appointment that he thought he may be coming down with a cold, and offered to reschedule since he didn’t want to risk getting my husband (or me!) sick. I thought that was really awesome!!! He gave him notice and an opportunity to reschedule. He was open with communication, and I personally, really appreciated that! I’m attaching a few photos of my husbands leg throughout the process. We are both SO happy with Aaron’s work, and are both looking forward to having him put more of his work on my husband!

Guru tattoo has some of the most personalable people to ever work with on a piece. They will give you their honest opinion about your design, and they will do thete best to make your tattoo art thoughts into a complete piece. Champ Grubbs was/​is my artist and i could not have asked for a better tattoo artist. With the tattoos that i had previous, nothing came close to the art Champ had given me. Perfection and satistfaction. THANKS GURU

I flew in from Colorado to get a half-​sleeve from Steve Wimmer. He was super professional, had thoroughly reviewed my emails about what was important to me in the piece, and already had a well thought out concept generated by the time I got there. His artistic vision and masterful execution made for an outstanding result. He is truly a world-​class artist. The shop itself is very professional – super clean with a friendly and accommodating staff. I highly recommend Guru Tattoo.

This place has 5 stars for a reason. Clean, airy, right up the street from my girlfriend’s house… Brendon did an incredible job on a tattoo that I had been contemplating for 10 (yes 10) years. I’ll definitely be back!

The shop as a whole is very professional and friendly. I’ve had a few sessions with champ and it would be tough for me to go anywhere for tattoos. Great tattooing from start to finish!

Came here on a late evening after they closed. Can’t remember the gentleman’s name but he let me come in and look at the work of the artists. We talked for a while and figured out what style tattoo I wanted. So far they have great customer service. I appreciate the hook up of letting me come in after the shop was closed as well! I look forward to doing business with you guys.

Just finished a half sleeve at guru tattoo and I am so pleased!
Let me start with the shop: both the Pacific Beach and the Little Italy locations are impeccable. SO clean and incredibly stylish inside. All of the employees are super nice, always stoping by to see what I was having done, asking if I need anything and very complimentary of my tattoo.
Next: My tattoo artist, Champion Grubbs. I brought him a picture of my grandmother’s 1960’s wallpaper as my tattoo inspiration and he gave me exactly exactly what I wanted. I could not imagine a more beautiful outcome. Champ was so fun to work with and easy talk to during our sessions. He was incredibly patient with me when picking out the colors and placement while offering up some truly professional advice. I am so proud to have some Champion Grubbs artwork on my body forever!

From initial design meeting till we ended, Tim McEvoy was amazing. This was my first tattoo and he made me feel comfortable. I came in with a design and we tweaked it but I let him do his thing and he made it perfect. The studio was clean and the staff was super friendly and helpful.

I just finished my half sleeve by Charlie. The lines were better than any artist I have ever experienced. People at the shop were friendly and Charlie was easy to talk to. The whole experience of getting tattooed was really fun because of the conversations and cool people on staff.
The artists here are by far the best and most professional in San Diego. Charlie knows how to create art that turkey complements an individual’s body type. I wouldn’t get tattooed anywhere else:). Thanks Guru!

So happy I came here for my first tattoo! I had the privilege of having Eno designing my AMAZING tattoo. The location is super cute and CLEAN! Not all sketchy like some places you walk by. Everyone I have interacted with has been friendly and professional. I don’t feel out of place at all– given I didn’t have any tattoos.
So this was my first tattoo and I wanted a BiG tattoo of my cats! Eno didn’t try to sway me and was 100% supportive and excited to do his first design of sphynx cats. I supplied him with a collection of pictures via Dropbox and he created something I couldn’t even image and definitely one of a kind! I literally screamed like I girl when presented me with my design! Yes I’m a certified crazy cat lady lol and he made my dreams come true!!!
My experience was the best anyone could have!
The rates aren’t cheap, but definitely worth it! If your looking for quality artists and a nice shop, come here!

I had a great time getting my first tattoo by Tim McEvoy! Very professional and fun environment. The price is definitely worth it. I will be back for more!

This was hands down the best tattoo experience I have ever had of the now 5. Brendon Trenberth was my artist and he did such an awesome job through the whole process. He took my basic idea and turned it into a masterpiece. He brought the old tattoo to life and incorporated it in a way that no other artist would even think about working. They wouldn’t even give me the time of day. Took the extra time to get things done right and stayed late to make sure it was done proper.
The whole shop was super friendly and clean and the atmosphere was just spot on. The vibe was on point and the whole staff was super welcoming and just made you feel right at home.
I am not from the area but I can safely say that this will be the only shop I will use out here and Brendon will be the only artist to work on this piece. Such a great experience.

I can’t put into words how happy I am to of found this shop and Eno. The moment you walk into Guru you’re greeted with warmth, unlike some shops I’ve been into when they make you feel as though you’re «wasting» their time. The shop is one of the cleanest I’ve seen.
Eno was recommended by a few friends, so I’ve seen his work (which if u haven’t u need to look at it). But even knowing how talented he is, I am blowin away with the piece he did. The details is like now other and he can tell he takes much pride in everything he does. I have since booked a few appointments with him and don’t see myself going anywhere else for tattoos. I more than highly recommend Eno, but I would say you’re making a huge mistake by not checking out Guru for your next tattoo.

Creative fun and completely professional experience. Getting this tattoo was everything I hoped for. I saw Brendon and he worked quickly and was open minded to any suggestions that I had.
The studio was spotless and decorated very nicely with art done in house. I would’ve trusted any artist on the floor. Brendon was enthusiastic about his work and truly deserves a shout-​out.

Great art, great people … The experience of a lifetime. Aaron runs the shop as a true professional and Nate does amazing Art Nouveau. They are even opening a tattoo removal business.
If you are looking for the best tattoo shop in California and to meet some of the most genuine people around … Come to Guru

Summary: by far the best, most professional tattoo experience I’ve ever had and Charlie was simply amazing.
The longer version! My first impression of the shop was a good one. I love the white walls, wood floors, tons of windows, and unique décor. It feels very open and bright and welcoming whereas most tattoo shops have this black death metal theme going on. Customer service was very good. Prompt greetings and I was offered water while I waited. They were very organized with their computer system to make sure all the appointments and scheduling was on point. I also have to note how immaculately clean the shop is. I saw it being swiffered multiple times while I was in there and I didn’t see one speck of dust!
When I had my consultation with Charlie I like how attentive he was — he took notes and then I sent him specific reference photos. I had to wait a couple months for my tattoo, which was a good sign for me because it shows how popular he is and how much time he spends on his designs. Some artists aren’t even taking consultations because they’re so booked right now so that’s promising to see that they’re well liked.
When it came time for my tattoo, Charlie showed me his design which was exactly what I wanted. I told him that I loved his style and gave him the freedom to put his artistic flair on it but he said no because he doesn’t just free-​hand or just throw stuff onto tattoos without planning. We did decide to add last minute dot work but he actually went back to the drawing table after doing my tattoo outline and printed out a quick shading guide on how exactly he wanted to place the dots. I was really impressed that he puts so much thought into his tattoos. While we were talking during the tattoo he told me that he only does the tattoos that he likes, so he feels inspired to do his best all the time. Another good sign to me.
Again, I have to mention how clean everything was. Everything seemed so sterile and professional. It made me feel like I could never get a tattoo from another shop because Guru set the bar so high in terms of cleanliness and technique and even amazing customer service.
The tattoo itself is perfect. Charlie is known for his extremely solid line work and dot work and it truly shows. Every line in my tattoo is perfectly straight and the dots are evenly placed. The ink is placed so evenly — no blowouts, no skinny and thick lines, just perfect consistency. If you want anything remotely geometric, look no further. I don’t think you’ll find a guy better suited for the job!
Really, I couldn’t recommend Charlie and Guru Tattoo enough. The other artists were definitely amazing as well. The shop itself sets the bar very high when it comes to professionalism, cleanliness, and very very high quality well planned tattoos from truly talented artists. Well worth the wait time.