Generation 8 Tattoo

Had been wanting to get a few new ear piercings for awhile now. I was visiting a friend of mine in LA and decided to try Generation 8 based on all of the good reviews, especially for Allen with piercings! He was great — I showed him a photo of what I wanted to get and he modified the placement to what would look best on me which I really appreciated. He was also super helpful on picking out jewelry. Very professional and knowledgeable — will definitely be back!

Did a lot of research before choosing a shop for my pretty big back pieces and I’m super glad i went with generation 8.
First off the vibe is great. All the employees are friendly and welcoming. They are always offering people water and making you feel comfortable as soon as you walk through the door. Second; they have artists for every style one can think about and they are all damn good. If you want a tattoo from a reputable place, done by artists who work closely with you to give you the exact piece you want, i highly recommend generation 8. I still have a few sessions for my back piece but already know I’m coming back here for my next one.

If you are looking for a great piercer who truly understands the human body and jewelry — go to Allen Dabbs currently at Generation 8 Tattoo. He will be straightforward, gentle and guide you in the right direction the whole way. I have been getting piercings for years and he is the only person I would trust.

I got my first tattoo here. I absolutely loved it. The tattoo is exactly the way I want it. Service was great and the price was good. Definitely going to be coming back here. I highly recommend this place!

If you have a piercing request, Allen is the guy to see… he’s a life saver! Thanks!

My First tattoo was done by Gen 8(sadly they didnt have a bell to ring for me ;P). Cool guy Memo worked on me…
Understood my feeling about getting the first one done and gave me a plenty of time to decide where to get it and how big it will be.
Thanks Memo, I love your work, will be back if I decide to get more!

Authentic and professional. Love this place! You can get any type of tattoo here. From modern to old school they got you. Stop by and ask for Eric …

This 5-​star review is for Money Mike. I don’t want to get into the details about how I ended up with Money Mike because he was not the person I had my original appointment with. All I can say is that things happen for a reason. Not only is he a cool guy, super professional, and knows his shit but he has mad skills! I told him what I wanted and he delivered! The compliments are overwhelming on my new ink. He’s very experienced and has been tattooing forever. I am seriously so happy! He helped cover an old surgery scar that I’ve hated for years. You can’t even see it anymore. Talk about weights being lifted off your shoulders. It’s been such a pain for years trying to find dresses or bathing suits that cover this annoying scar that I have from 2 major surgeries to remove a tumor. Thank you so much Mike, you don’t know how much this means to me! :)
I highly recommend Money Mike. He is a true Artist.
Check out his Instagram: @moneymike_freeagent

Was in West Hollywood a couple of weeks ago for my birthday vacation decided to get a tattoo at generation 8 I picked Michael Bowman an amazing gray and black tattoo artist very light headed and very detailed in his work… he expressed to me that he wanted to do his best and to give me the best tattoo possible in which I did get… he’s a great tattoo artist and everyone there was genuinely nice I highly recommen going there … can’t wait to go back next year

I’m unofficially dubbing this spot one of the best tattoo shops in LA. Came in with my mother and brother and we couldn’t have been treated better. The entire staff was extremely helpful and honest. Very professional! The shop was clean and the service was top notch. My mom and I got text and they were able to create the exact font we each wanted (they even caught her misspelling lol). But my brother’s is what blew me away. He originally wanted a design that they explained wouldn’t work bc of size of the text, but they were able to help him sketch up something else that killed his original design. Can’t wait to come back to this place! Definitely recommend!

I recently got a wrist tattoo and I am in LOVE with it. I wanted a mandala piece and I’m very picky. I don’t have a lot of big tattoos so this one had to be perfect, especially since it’s on an area of my body everyone can and will see. After talking to Sean, he drew me up a design for my appointment the following day. Even the outline was gorgeous, but after it was finished I was thrilled with the result. It’s delicate, but an original mandala design. It’s beautiful, the line work is ridiculously perfect. I’ve had it a little over a week and it healed so well and everyone gives me compliments on it. I’m so happy!!!

So let me just start by saying Dave (the owner) and his artists are probably one of the most awesome group of people I have ever met. They are such a chill funny group of guys. Never for a second did I feel uncomfortable. We had a little mishap my first visit with my tattoo. Most shops would have told me to deal with it and move on, Not Dave. He reached out to me as soon as he knew I was unhappy about the first tattoo to make sure he did something to make me happy. He transformed my first tattoo into something I’ve always wanted. I’m super excited about this extremely kick ass tattoo. Dave thank you for all of the Aloha you extended to me. I enjoyed having you tattoo me, as well as the hilarious conversation. You said no crying in the shop I had to leave you a mushy message on here lol. I’ll be back very soon. You want a tat don’t think twice GO HERE!!!

Thank you thank you for making this one kick ass Sunday Funday. I was with some friends and we decided to go get some random tattoos. Found this shop in Unilocal and gave them a ring. They were able to take all 4 of us within minutes. I ended up getting some words done by Memo. He was awesome. Beautiful writing and such a light hand. This shop was clean, friendly and had great tunes which always makes getting pricked with a needle more enjoyable.
Thanks for a great visit boys!

5 stars alone for the man Dave Hatton. He is nothing short of amazing. I had the pleasure of getting my first tattoo by Dave when he was at Velvet Grip 4 years ago in November 2011. Pondering my second tattoo, I knew I wanted to go back to Dave and his crew for my second piece.
Instead of calling the shop to schedule, I emailed them with the photos of what I wanted since I wanted a brushstroke/​sumi-​e style piece and didn’t know if that was in Dave’s repertoire (of course it is, what isn’t?) Jackie responded quickly and we discussed some things before she recommended their guest artist Jayko from Korea and informed me I could come in as early as the upcoming Saturday. When I arrived at the shop and discussed with Dave, sure enough he said Jayko would be the guy for what I wanted and Jayko delivered!
My appointment was at 1pm and we didn’t start the tattoo process until 2:45pm. Yes, that’s almost 2 hours of going back and forth with Jayko (and with consultation from Dave) on the design, size, color, everything plus setup time. I thank Jayko for being so patient with me! Whenever I made a tweak, I think I frustrated him as he tried to make the adjustments on Coral Paint as soon as he could to show me but he was not fazed at all!
The actual tattoo process took no more than an half hour since I had a smallish piece. Jayko checked in on me every now and then. He was great overall despite me looking to him for advice on my piece and him not really providing any (he was more concerned and asked what I wanted). Gave me aftercare instructions, talked a bit about his background and where he’s going next for his tattoo escapades, and so forth before I left. Dave gave me a discount, which I was surprised about and felt so compelled that I didn’t deserve a discount that I gave Jayko a 50% tip (which was probably what my tattoo should’ve cost). I could not have asked for a better tattoo experience, seriously.
Despite not having Dave for my second tattoo, I trust Dave’s expertise and fine eye and with that Generation 8 and his crew. He’s super down to earth, keeps it real, and gives off chill vibes. He offers his clients waters (even the plus ones who aren’t getting tatted) and make sure everybody’s comfortable and treated like they are number #1. I asked Jayko how long the piece would take since I had only 2hr parking and Dave was so kind and said he’d pay for my meter if I parked in the front. They have parking in the back, but it’s not well documented. I initially drove through the alley and had no idea which spots were theirs. You can park on the right side of the U-​shaped parking lot behind the building where there was a film/​studio sign on the right garage of one of the spots. Don’t think that was a great explanation… but if you see Dave’s black Cadillac, you’re in the right lot. He showed me where the lot was when I mentioned parking and parked no problem.
The other guys at the shop are super chill. They all hang around, chat, talk, and chill while they wait for customers. Ty especially has some sick pieces and does beautiful watercolors.
I did wanna share one story of somebody visiting from out of town and wanted two letters tatted as a walk-​in. Dave explained that he had somebody available to take her as a walk-​in but he was taking an important call and the tattoo would be $ 80 as that is the shop minimum. The woman tried to talk it down to $ 70 and Dave explained that it cost $ 40 alone for the setup, which they follow the same set up and sanitation procedure for small or large piece and the shop takes 50% of what the artists makes so the artist makes like nada if they go below the shop min), so he couldn’t budge from the $ 80 min. Eric was the available artist but was talking to his aunt about inheritance funds, so it took a while for him to finish up. The woman was not down for waiting and left maybe 5 minutes before Eric finished his call saying that she wasn’t in LA for long and couldn’t afford to wait. Dave informed her that she could tap Eric to get his attention, but that Dave himself wasn’t going to interrupt his employee’s important call. She ended up leaving and Dave later shared that he would’ve only charged the woman $ 70 if she patiently waited and had not rudely and brusquely asked upfront for a lower price. That’s too bad for her; a lot of the other shops would probably throw a $ 100 minimum on her.
Generation 8’s quality of work (and sanitation!) is top-​tier, I think it’s worth any price. Super proud of Dave on his own shop! He hasn’t changed a bit since Velvet Grip. Highly recommend and let Dave know I sent you!

This place lives up to the hype. I was in the market for my third tattoo, and when I contacted the shop, someone responded to my email within the hour. Based on the description of what I wanted, Ty was suggested as my artist. As soon as I arrived, Dave (the owner) greeted me and offered me a water when I waited for Ty to finish up. Dave is such a professional, warm, guy, and was chill to talk to throughout my appointment. There is no attitude in this shop, and you can tell that whether you’re getting your first tattoo, or your 100^th, everyone is very welcoming.
I wanted an illustration from a book, so Ty printed it out and gave suggestions about how it should be placed. I really appreciated his detail-​oriented thoughtfulness, after he placed the stencil, he decided it looked a little off, so he erased it and repositioned the image.
The process was super relaxed. Ty has a light hand, and works very efficiently. The whole tattooing couldn’t have taken more than 30 minutes. After Ty finished, we talked a little about some other tattoos I want to have done, and he gave very honest feedback.
These guys are so great, I’ve already booked an appointment for my next tattoo!

Got my first tattoo here. The whole process was smooth from the very beginning to the very end.
Jackie took my appointment and booked me in on the very same day as I was in LA for one night only. She even kept half an hour window open for flexibility.
Dave printed out my tattoo, sketched it out, suggested some changes to the original design and inked it out, all in less than 45 minutes. He made me feel super comfortable and spoke to me throughout the entire process.
Super chill vibes. Definitely recommended.
Coming back whenever I am In LA again.

I’m glad I found this tattoo shop with great reviews on Unilocal.It didn’t disappoint, so I’m adding another 5-​stars!
I messaged the business through Unilocal for a same day appointment before it opened. Not sure how soon someone would read the message, I called when the shop opened and was booked with Ty. Shortly after, Jackie returned my message via text. I like the shop’s efficiency and Jackie’s helpfulness. I sent her my picture so she could forward it to Ty.
My friend and I were greeted and offered bottles of water when we walked into the shop. I filled out paperwork while Ty tweaked my picture of the fire and water elements a bit. About an hour later, he was done drawing and got started on my tattoo. Ty was gentle and quick considering the small details. I was surprised (and thankful for no more pain) it took about 1 ½ hours to complete and the price was reasonable.
The best part… all the gentlemen in the shop were organized and sanitary. I watched as Ty covered his desk, my arm rest, and bottles with plastic wrap. He wore gloves and pulled out sterilized, packaged needles. His tattoo certification was on his desk in clear site.
I love the finished product and can’t wait until it heals so I can update my pictures. I may even be back soon to get the other shoulder done with the air/​earth elements. :)
*Just an FYI… artists take credit cards as the site states. However, they prefer cash. I also suggest tipping, especially if the artist takes time to sketch your vision first!

Sitting here while my friend gets a tattoo and now I am convinced that I will come back for myself. Upon walking in we were greeted immediately, very good sign. Everyone here is very friendly and welcoming, like they really appreciate your business, love that, even gave us bottles of water. The place is very clean, as well as bathroom, and they take sterilization very serious here. Parking can be difficult but we found out they do have parking behind building. Looks like everyone here does good work and has a great eye for detail and they do piercings here too. Can’t wait to come back and get a touch up on my old tattoo.

If you’re looking for the best tattoo shop in LA, just go here. They have artists (and piercers) of all styles and everyone I met was exceptional. I came in with an idea in my head and, after two appointments, left with a masterpiece on my arm. I went with an abstract/​watercolor specialist named Ty. Dave, the owner, is a great guy and helped make sure I was happy when all was done.
I wanted to tip in cash, which led to this Bank of America nightmare that I detailed in another review –
– They let me tip using a credit card so I could be on my way.
Just a cool environment and a very clean and high-​quality shop. Parking in back too. My experience was not unique. Over my hours spent there I saw a steady flow of happy customers coming in and out. Their portfolio says it all.

The high Unilocal ratings and reviews do not lie! After browsing Unilocal for my next tattoo stop, I stumbled across Generation 8 Tattoo. I made an appointment via E-​mail, and shortly after received confirmation via text message from the shop. It was great to get additional confirmation via text, and even received a follow-​up text to confirm my appointment the night before.
The staff is very professional, and everything is super organized and streamlined. I made it into my appointment, and out the door in less than an hour. Granted, I had a very simple tattoo design, but that nevertheless speaks to the organization of the shop. Previous reviews spoke about the cleanliness of the shop, which is something I always keep an eye out for. Generation 8 definitely met and exceeded my expectations here.
My tattoo artist Ty was very open to suggestions and opinions and made sure that I was comfortable with what I was getting. Lastly, the shop has a wide variety of styles that each of the artists specialize in. If you look through the portfolios online and in the shop you can see that every style is covered, from traditional to minimal, portraits, and black and white to color.
Lastly, I was a big fan of the aftercare instructions. They come in a little to-​go pouch, with instructions, and ointment. It adds a very nice touch! :)