Cicada Tattoo

I’d been following John LeRoux’s work for many years and I finally got around to making an appointment, I couldn’t be happier with what he’s done so far. He’s extremely talented in a variety of styles and as soon as time permits I’ll be back. Make an appointment, you won’t regret it.

John Le Roux is one of the best tattoo artist I’ve run across… He put a tiger on my forearm and people stop me everywhere I go to ask who did the work… I am so happy with my new tattoo! There are a lot of talented tattoo artists in the area and he is definitely one of them. There are some other great artists at cicada tattoo as well — go check out their portfolios in the really nice shop they have! Highly recommend John!!!

John E. Leroux is an awesome tattoo artist great lines great price. I live in the Wenatchee area and get asked about my tattoo all the time I recommend him to everyone.

John LeRoux did a very special tattoo for me, a tribute to my son. I sent him some ideas and let him do his thing designing the tattoo. The design he came up with was beautiful and perfect. When I went in he was super professional and friendly, I had a great experience and the tattoo turned out absolutely stunning. You can tell that he has a passion for artwork and truly loves what he does. I have many tattoos and this one is my favorite by far. Thank you so much, I’ll be seeing you again for more tattoos.

John Leroux is one of the most talented artist in Seattle. I have many tattoos and I don’t see myself going to anybody else. I would highly recommend you check out his work.

Highly recommend John LeRoux here at Cicada. I’ve been going to John for 2 ½ years. I had big plans for my second sleeve with another artist but he just disappeared so I had to start from scratch. I met John and talked through what I wanted but I also wanted him to be the artist and have as much license as possible. John was super approachable and easy going. He was honest and pushed back when I was trying to cram too much into the tattoo, and he was completely right. He also had to work in an old tattoo and make it look like it was all one. I love my tattoo and get compliments from everyone who sees it. I recommend him to everyone I talk to and am glad I found him.

A girlfriend and I walked in on a Saturday night hoping for a consult. After talking with John for several minutes we came up with a game plan for a cover up. To my surprise he was able to get me in right then! A good thing because I may have opted out later. Let me tell you I’ve had hours of tattoo work done by several artists. By far he was the most gentle and quick. I was almost dozing off. His equipment was extremely quiet. Even tho we didn’t talk much (that’s just how I get in my zone) I felt extremely comfortable and had a connection with him. I will definitely be back for more. Honestly the best experience ever

I have known Will for 20+ years, and he is the real deal. Great guy, great work.

I went to this shop initially because of a groupon type deal. The shop is very clean and the artists are all very very nice. Alfredo listened to what I wanted, a quote w/​japanese maple leaves in remembrance of my grandfather. He embodied all the elements beautifully. It was ten times better than what I had envisioned. The other thing about Alfredo is he works quickly without compromising quality.
A few months later (or was it a year?) I went back to him to do a side piece. I wanted a bird; sketch looking with subtly vibrant colors. I had no idea what kind of bird I wanted and let Alfredo run with it. At time of consultation, he had quoted me 4 –5 hours. My mind raced, panic! 4 – 5 hours under the needle? Time to find my big girl pants.
I saw the sketch. Alfredo had done a beautiful job. I love my bird. It was by far my most painful tattoo (I have 7). Alfredo was so encouraging and has a great «bedside/​tableside» manner that will keep you at ease the whole time. I walked about after 2.5 hours. Could not be happier with the way it turned out, it’s beautiful and so is all his work.
This shop is close to my jiu jitsu gym and my coach sees Alfredo!

Cicada is a very clean shop with great artists. I’ve seen Robert and saw him years ago for a cover up on my back years ago when he was at Slave to the Needle. This time he did an hour on my wrists in all black. He doesn’t have a heavy hand, is quick and very talented. My friend also got her half sleeve done here by another artist and it’s gorgeous!
Robert was able to fit me right into his schedule and even stayed late to finish my piece because that was a busy day for him. I didn’t mind him focusing on his clients and the consultations. Seeing the way he and the staff treat people are a plus because it made for a good atmosphere in the shop. They truly care about what they do, how they do it, that you’re satisfied with your art and that your overall experience is high quality. Even better, one of my favorite songs came on when he started on me. What an experience to remember!!!

Note: While I’m always on Unilocal,I never leave reviews. This is the first thing place I’ve ever reviewed, meaning it’s ‘omg so horrible never go there’ or ‘the best fucking thing ever’.
Cicada Tattoo and Jason are the best fucking thing ever. The shop is clean, spacious, and everyone who I encountered was nice and pleasant. That in itself was a major change for me; I’ve been tattooed multiple times before and each time I’ve felt like I’m dealing with an ~artist and I should be ~humble to let them impart their art on my peasant skin. At Cicada I was treated exactly how I wanted and Jason listened to everything I wanted (I have a swallow on one shoulder and wanted it mirrored on the other with plumerias behind it) and told me what would and wouldn’t work without the attitude I’ve received other places. I was so impressed with his work, I went back today to have him touch up my other swallow because his work is far superior to anyone I went to previously. And the rates? The most reasonable I’ve ever encountered.
SADLY Jason is moving in a few months BUT he is moving to the town a close friend of mine lives in. Would I fly to Colorado for a tattoo from him? YES, because there is nothing better than finding a tattoo artist who understands and is able to do what you want.
Random– I fell asleep the first time he tattooed me. Anyone who can stick needles into my skin and have me fall asleep must be a miracle worker.

I received some work done on my arm by Jason and I am absolutely pleased by it – booking an appointment with him and talking to him beforehand was the best thing to do. I will always go back to him if I want more tattoos in the future or need some touch-​ups! :-) Jason also treats you as if you’re a friend rather than a customer, which is obviously quite nice. The place is impressive; clean, sociable, awesome, and they put a lot of sweat and blood into the tattoo shop itself. There is an immense amount of talent with all of the artists who work here, and I highly recommend this to anyone.
A bit of a strange thing to add, but their public restroom is also beautifully furnished!

I have a ¾ sleeve and chest done by Bryan, and it is awesome. Besides doing great work, he’s an extremely nice guy. The shop is clean and neat, and everyone there is so friendly, and they all seem interested in what the artists are doing. It’s easy to sense the high level of respect they all have for each other. Of course, this is my only experience with a tattoo shop, but after 20+ hours of work, I have a good sense of the place.
One thing that may surprise some people about Bryan is that he wears a shirt and tie to work. Definitely not what one with no tattoo experience would expect.
A big plus is that he’s a non-​smoker, no stale ashtray smell while trying to catch my breath after tattoo sensitive areas.
Great shop of artists, and nice people to boot!

I had a garish old tattoo on my left arm that I got when i was a kid, and needed it to be improved upon. I had really low expectations since, you know, it’s a permanent tattoo, but Alfredo really blew me away. He discussed the pieces composition with me, what colors would blend together, what parts to simplify, and just sounded like more of an artist than most of my artist friends. It healed amazingly well and I am as happy as can be with it. Most folks know Will and Jason, but Alfredo is talented as all hell.
Thanks again, buddy!

I’ve had a really great experience with these guys so far. I specifically came here seeking out Bryan Kachel, who I knew from Emerald City Tattoo in his previous life. First of all, let me talk about the actual shop. I really like the space. Cool waiting area with lots of flashes and art to look at. Very welcoming and out of the way of the artists at work. I used to hate getting tatted at Emerald City Tattoo and people would open the door from the street and be right up in your face watching you like you were a zoo animal or something. Each artist has their own spacious work area with their equipment and art. Also, parking is abundant and the place is easy to find.
Now on to Bryan… Personally, It’s important for me to go to artists who I can vibe with and who are cool people as well as amazing artists. Bryan is the definition of a cool and easy going dude. His artistic skills are top notch and he really kills it when it comes to Japanese and Japanese-​inspired work. I would highly recommend him especially for anyone looking to get traditional Japanese work. He is still wrapping up my new ¾ sleeve and his lines are so clean and detailed. Even though some parts really sucked, it was better cause I was able to chop it up talking about whatever to get my mind off the pain. To illustrate my point further he got at least 2 calls to the shop from new people while I was getting tatted to set up appointments with him. (Answered by the guys up front).
The shop’s hourly rate is $ 140, and that’s a bargain for sure. This place is should be on the list if you are out doing some recon on where to get tatted in Seattle.

I got a tattoo from Will last night and could not be happier. I had a consultation with him about a month prior and was really open to his input since he is a fantastic artist. Fast forward to yesterday. I came in and Will showed me what he had drawn up and it was bigger than I had anticipated at first, but I thought, sure why not. I am so glad I did because I think that it looks amazing.
Will was very patient when I needed to stop and catch my breath from all the pain with the shading. Every time I thought he was done, he would take a step back and make sure that it was perfect. He is a perfectionist which is a wonderful thing when someone is putting art on your body for life. I will be coming back to Will to get more work done. In fact he said after it is healed up in about a month to stop by so that he can check the line work and make sure that it is perfect and add a little white to it to give it more pizazz. Perfect work Will, thank you so much.

Discovered this shop at the Jet City Tattoo expo a few months back. Looked at the portfolios they had on display and watched someone there get tatted. The artwork was amazing. So, I decided the next tattoo I got I would give them a try.
Called in on Saturday in the early afternoon to see if they had time for my design. When I explained what I wanted, the guy on the phone said that «Chani is sitting here smiling, I think she likes the idea. Here she is.» So I told her what I wanted and she said if I could be there by 2 she would have enough time. When I got there she already had it drawn up and took my changes gracefully.
It is a relatively large tattoo on my inner forearm, in color, of a doe (female deer). It only took her an hour and a half, and she did AMAZINGLY well. Seriously, from the stencil she applied, to the artwork that was the finished result, I was really surprised. She also told me she had tons of fun on the tattoo and called it a «tattoo treat.» It made me smile. I’ll post a pic of it on here too. Anyways, I had a really great experience there and would highly recommend everyone to go here. I plan to. :-)

Miah is the shit. I had some ink blowout on the star he gave me, and what originally was meant to be a touch up turned out being transforming the stars I have into a legitimate back piece. An hour of work later, I was expecting to lay down between 70 to 100 dollars, and Miah told me it was free (!!!). How awesome is that? And the artwork is mother approved, too! Unfortunately (for us here in Seattle, at least), he’s moving to California in May, so go see him before he moves.
I also love how laid back and comfortable this shop is. While I was there last, Bryan Kachel (who had just come from a shop on Lake City) came over to watch Miah working. Bryan is also one cool dude.
I have never once felt uncomfortable here, never been treated with anything less than respect (and some well meaning sarcasm), and am super impressed by the cleanliness and artistry shown here. Party on Cicada!

In the past year alone I’ve spent hours upon hours and $$$ with Will at Cicada, starting with an expansion/​improvement of an old cover-​up and ending recently with another brand new piece, all of which I couldn’t be more pleased with. He insists on taking the time to make each piece flow with *my* frame and doesn’t grumble when I want to tweak the drawings that he lays out freehand on my skin, and I respect him enough to let him tell me «no» when he knows one of my ideas won’t be aesthetically pleasing.
I can honestly say that since he put his needle to my skin for the first time years ago I have not considered trusting anyone else to do so and wholeheartedly sing his shop’s praises to anyone who might be interested in getting inked. All of the other artists I have encountered there have been friendly and incredibly respectful, asking permission to take a peek for those appointments where I have had to be partially disrobed and always showing a sincere interest in/​appreciation of each others work.
Don’t let the location fool you — at Cicada you are sure to find a clean, professional environment filled with some of the best artists in the city and prices that are in line with any of the other major shops. If you are going to get marked with something that you’ll be carrying around for the rest of your life, you really can’t go wrong here.

I hate making decisions. Thank goodness for reusable shopping bags, since even the question «paper or plastic?» always made me scratch my head. So it goes without saying, my decision to get a tattoo was not made lightly. I mulled over the decision to put permanent ink on my body for six, long years. I thought about future job interviews, wedding pictures, and my mom’s reaction and at the end of the six years, I still wanted my tattoo.
My decision to go to Miah at Cicada Tattoo was also not based on a whim. After years of thinking about my design, I wanted to make sure that the piece that ended up on my forearm looked exactly like what I had in my mind. After looking through Miah’s portfolio, I was struck by his amazing artistic talent. I knew I could trust him to perfect the design and permanently put it on my body. And by Jove, I was right.
Miah exceeded my expectations from the get go. Not only did he listen to my idea and make it happen exactly how I wanted, but he was a totally nice guy and I didn’t feel like I needed to justify or explain my tattoo. He was laid back and made me feel at ease in the chair. So at ease, that I can’t wait to come back and get more!
As for the shop, don’t be scared away by it’s location. Sure, it’s on Aurora. Sure, you may see a hooker or two walk by. And yes, it’s across the street from a XXX movie store. I repeat, do not be scared away by Cicada’s location. As soon as you walk through the door, you’ll find a well lit, very clean tattoo shop complete with a koi pond and patio out back and friendly, talented artists at work inside.
I couldn’t have had a better experience with Miah at Cicada. I’d recommend him highly. No more grueling tattoo related decisions for me. My mind is made up, I’ll be back!