Tattoos are synonymous with rebellion and big city living, and Shanghai is certainly one big city, suggesting tattoo parlors aplenty. And shouldn’t China’s glitziest city boast a plethora of impressive tattoo parlors? However, not all parlors are created equal. Once you’ve made the big decision to actually invest in some body art, the next choice you have to consider is where to go. As everyone knows, the most important characteristic of a tattoo parlor is hygiene (and if you didn’t know that, you may want to familiarize yourself with the practice of getting inked…). Below are some of the better tattoo parlors in Shanghai – both in terms of quality of design and hygiene practices. But seriously, don’t just take my word for it – if you are really thinking about getting yourself engraved, get out the house and visit the parlors to find the one that’s right for you!

Shanghai TattooView In Map
Owned by good friends, Dylan Byrne and Zhou Dan Ting, Shanghai Tattoo is a team effort. And between Dylan’s graphic design experience and Ting’s mad tattooing skills, they’ve earned the distinction of being the most reputable tattoo parlor in the city. Their hygiene habits are meticulous, including: use of an autoclave (a piece of equipment that sterilizes tools through the use of extreme heat); disposable needles, gloves, ink tubes, and ink tubs; work spaces covered with disposable medical cloth; disinfecting of chairs before and after each tattoo; fresh ink on each customer. High standards don’t come cheap, though. The minimum tattoo charge (we’re talking a small, basic scribble here, people) will cost you about 1,000 RMB.

Add: Rm. 102, Bldg 3, The Cool Docks, 505 Zhongshan Nan Lu Pudong District, Shanghai (near Fuxing Dong Lu)
地址：上海黄浦区中山南路505号老码头3号楼102室
Tel: 135 8594 4558
Opening hours: 14：00--22：00 Closed on Tuesday (Reservation recommended)

Tokyo Reggae TattooView In Map
It’s not surprising that Nevin Lee, the tattoo artist for Tokyo Reggae Tattoo, lived and studied his art in Japan. In case you couldn’t tell by the name, just take a look at Lee’s own body art and you’ll see the heavy Japanese influences. With his six years of experience, he’s inked plenty of tattoos, including both custom designs and more traditional works. Starting at 400 RMB, pre-designed tattoos here tend to lean towards the more colorful and elaborate. The studio advertises their use of disposable gloves and needles, and imported professional ink. There’s no mention of an autoclave, however, so you might want to check with them personally.

Add: Rm. 402-1, Bldg 5, Lane 223 Tangqiao Xin Lu Pudong District, Shanghai (near Pu Jian Lu)
地址：上海浦东新区塘桥新路223弄5号楼402-1室近普检路
Tel: 136 5180 3238
Opening hours: 12:00 -22:00

John Long Tattoo 尊龙工作室 View In Map
The tattoos here are the lowest priced of the bunch, with a 300 RMB minimum charge. This includes your basic black Chinese character, roughly the size of the tip of your finger down to your first joint. Just because John Long’s prices are a bit lower than the other studios doesn’t necessarily mean they skimp on hygiene – they’re particularly proud of their autoclave machine and ‘Steribox Ultraviolet Sterilizer’.. The latter is a bacteria free environment where they store the instruments after they’ve been sterilized in the autoclave.

Add: 264 Maoming Bei Lu Jing’An District, Shanghai (near Wujiang Lu)
地址：上海静安区茂名北路264号 (近吴江路)
Tel: 021 6271 7685
Opening Hours: 10:00－22:30
 

Photo:gzztattoo.com

Kwan-yin TattooView In Map
Gu, Kwan-yin Tattoo’s resident tattoo artist, doesn’t hide his identity as a Buddhist. From the name of his tattoo parlor (“Kwan-yin,” also sometimes spelled “Guan-yin,” is associated with compassion in Buddhism) to his personal paintings and drawings hanging on the walls of his studio, Gu’s passion for combining Buddhism with tattooing is clear. While prices for his body art vary, the parlor’s hygiene habits don’t. They advertise their use of an Ultrasonic Cleaner, a machine that cleans ink covered instruments by exposing them to “ultrasonic oscillation,” along with an autoclave, sterilizer machine, and one time use ink, needles and gloves.

Add: 280 Xinzha Lu Jing’An District, Shanghai (near Huanghe Lu)
地址：上海静安区新闸路280号 (近黄河路)
Tel: 021 5375 0976

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