With Glasgow being a big, loud city — a place of art, culture, and style — it’s no surprise that the best tattoo shops in Glasgow represent the peak of art and artistry in Scotland. The tattoo artists of Glasgow are varied, with broad imaginations and incredible skill. They’re leading the charge when it comes to fresh approaches to tattooing and you need to be paying attention.
Must-Visit Tattoo Shops in Glasgow
If you’re visiting Glasgow and are looking to get a tattoo, these are the best tattoo shops in Glasgow, home to some of the Scotland’s finest tattoo artists. Check them out.
Nest of Thorns
Nest of Thorns is one of the most bold and unique tattoo shops in Glasgow; home to a group of phenomenally talented artists who excel at old school, neo trad, and pop culture tattoos. The artists at Nest of Thorns are some of the best when it comes to tattoos inspired by anime, gaming, and other areas of pop culture.
Kirsten and Amy tackle similar themes and topics with their art but from completely different directions, meaning that Nest of Thorns offers its clients a wonderful variety in the way of style and aesthetics. Likewise, Kyle and Pete both lean into traditional tattooing, but one is more neo traditional while the other is more traditionally old school. Whatever you prefer, there’s an artist for you!
Nest of Thorns is an exciting breath of fresh air in the Glasgow tattoo space, and one of the coolest tattoo shops in Glasgow, and in Scotland as a whole!
Gold Leaf Tattoo
Gold Leaf is a tattoo studio owned and run by two incredible tattoo artists that are producing some of the most stunning work in Scotland. Laura and Ellie are the cream of the crop. They both have an eye for texture. Their art lives and breathes and moves. The colours pop; the shadows creep; it’s all so mesmerising.
Few artists’ work takes your breath away like theirs does. When you go to Gold Lead, you’re going to walk out with a true piece of art on you, whoever and whatever you pick. There’s a neo traditional style on display here, with old school motifs like snakes, roses, daggers, and dark things being elevated to new heights by their imagination and skills.
Gold Leaf is one of the most essential tattoo shops in Glasgow. Get yourself a tattoo from Laura or Ellie; you owe it to yourself.
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Twenty Two Volts
Twenty Two Volts is a tattoo studio that is just quality across the board. A handful of varied and amazing artists, each one bringing their own set of skills to the table. Because of this, Twenty Two Volts has set a very high bar for tattoo shops in Glasgow. They are at the peak of the craft.
One of the coolest things about this Glasgow tattoo shop is its love for colour. These artists know how to make their work pop and burst with colour and light. These tattoos have life and character. Even the darker pieces have so much density and boldness to them. There’s a real sense of presence and volume to the work put out by the artists at Twenty Two Volts that is awesome to see.
Because of the sheer variety on offer, almost every taste is accounted for. Grimdark pieces, neo traditional tattoos, pop culutre art, surrealism — it’s all here and it’s all so good! Twenty Two Volts is one of the coolest high quality tattoo shops in Glasgow. Check them out!
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Hardlines Glasgow
Hardlines is a collection of some of the best tattoo artists in Scotland, all gathered under one roof and each offering a different style of tattooing to appeal to all kinds of tattoo enthusaists. Do you like big, bright, and bold neo traditional tattoos? How about pop culture-inspired pieces that reflect your passions? Or maybe smaller, darker, horror-inspired pieces?
All of these styles of tattooing are not only available at Hardlines, but also honed to the peak of the craft. When your tattoo shop offers both variety and high quality, there isn’t much left to conquer. You’re delivering the best. And for this reason, Hardlines is one of the very best tattoo shops in Glasgow.
Mortez
The artists at Mortez mix passion with talent and experience. They love what they do and it shows. They produce some of the most imaginative pieces of tattoo art in Scotland. If you like your tattoos to harken back to the good ol’ days of golden age tattooing, you can get yourself an old school or a neo trad tattoo at Mortez.
If you want a tattoo that proudly presents your passion for animation, comics, or other areas of pop culture, you can get a unique custom tattoo from Mortez to show that off. From fine lines and black-and-grey tattoos to explosions of colour and texture, everything done by the artists at this, one of the coolest tattoo shops in Glasgow, is expert and excellent.
Rock’n’Roll Tattoo
Realism is the name of the game at Rock’n’Roll Tattoo in Glasgow. The artists here excel at bringing you hyper-detailed and hyper-realistic tattoos, both in black-and-grey and in full colour. Ornamental and neo traditional tattoos are also done with expertise and flair here, but it’s the portraits and realism that really make Rock’n’Roll Tattoo stand out amongst other tattoo shops in Glasgow.
It’s not often you get realistic portraits done in full colour. Many artists prefer to present their realism in black and grey; but at Rock’n’Roll Tattoo, they offer both styles! And the realism extends beyond portraits and into natural imagery as well: plants, flowers, and animals are rendered with striking texture and dimension. It’s a sight to behold!
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Deviltown
If you’re in the mood for some proper old school tattoos or a healthy dose of surrealism, you need to pay a visit to Deviltown. Deviltown Tattoo prides itself on being an inclusive and progressive space amongst tattoo shops in Glasgow, and their artists excel at providing custom pieces that blend the traditional with the fresh.
The tattoos done at Deviltown are all unique custom pieces, but many of them have roots in old school, traditional tattooing styles and designs. This is, in part, about subverting the traditional while also providing tattoo enthusiasts with art in that beloved, timeless style.These guys are doing something that is classic and new all at once, and we can’t get enough of it.
Deadman Tattoos
As a group of varied and talented artists, Deadman Tattoos can do almost anything. Whatever kind of tattoo you’re after, it’s a pretty safe bet that someone at this Glasgow tattoo shop can deliver. If you want a unique, custom tattoo inspired by your favourite anime or video game, Deadman has an artist for that.
If you want a realistic portrait tattoo done in black and grey or full colour, Deadman has an artist for that. From intimate, small, detailed tattoos to huge blasts of colour and pomp, the artists at Deadman Tattoos have proven to be experts in everything. This is a jack-of-all-trades kind of shop, but here they’re all masters.
Cherry Pie Tattoo and Piercing
As the name suggests, Cherry Pie Tattoo and Piercing is a combination tattoo and piercing shop in Glasgow that delivers some of the prettiest tattoos in Scotland. This is a female-owned and operated tattoo shop, showcasing some of the best talent amongst women tattoo artists in the UK.
From delicate fine lines to fun blasts of colour and expression, a lot of ground is covered by the artists at Cherry Pie Tattoo and Piercing, all with flair and flavour. We’re especially big fans of their current apprentice, Shy, whose stark, bleak, and atmospheric work of gothic beauty is a true sight to behold!
Memento Mori Tattoos
Mememnto Mori Tattoos is a band of brilliant artists in Glasgow. The styles and skills on display here are fresh, frantic, and fierce. From watercolours to abstract and surreal designs; from neo traditional to grimdark black pieces with an edge of comedy and cheek, there’s so much freshness and coolness here that you just love to see.
Mememnto Mori is a tattoo shop that keeps the art form fresh and new; keeps tattooing on its toes. This kind of approach to tattooing is much needed, and its no surprise that’s happening in Glasgow. Mememnto Mori is one of the most distinct and unique tattoo shops in Glasgow, without a doubt.