Why is it there are 1000's of tattoo parlors in Thailand but yet its so had to find the best ones.....I mean you do a search on google of top 10 artists and you get a load of crap. Does anyone know how to find the best ones that are internationally know and where to find them. You only need to buy a tattoo mag in other countries and there they are!!

This thread is probably the most relevant to you, just one of many on this subject.

You are off course correct there are tattoo shops all over the place, the difficulty comes in sorting out the wheat from the chaff.

The "its so had to find the best ones" is a matter of opinion.

What style are you looking for? Japanese, cover up, Thai style, old school etc etc.

There are many masquerading as tattoo artists, the sad reality is too many are nothing more than scratch artists.

Too many just want to take a stencil and slap it on your body and tattoo by numbers, usually their outline work and shading sucks.

A proper artist will customise the design to take into account the bodys natural contours and shape.

Others will do freehand work, take a design, put a few pen marks on your body and work on the design they already have in their head, very difficult to find these type of artists these days. Also takes a lot of trust on the part of the person being tattooed.

There a tattoo magazines available in Thailand, these are no good to you if you dont read Thai.

If you are in Thailand just browse in any bookstore, buy the mag and head to some quiet bar and ask a girl to translate for you any article that you are interested in.

Another consideration is the design, size of the tattoo and where you want it placed.

This may involve at least two or three, sometimes four sessions to complete a single tattoo, dont forget to take into account the recovery time for more sensitive areas before another session can be done.

For internationally known, that would be Jimmy Wong and his daughter Joy, Sukhumvit soi 5 Bkk, I believe he also charges international prices as well.

There are others out there whose work is just as good, its a matter of taking your time and tracking them down.

Aussietrooper,

Ive had exactly the same problem,u find a shop,look at the photo album outside of tattoos and ask who did the tattoos,the usual reply is 'i did',whoever u may ask.

Ive had several tattoos in Bkk,most have needed re working or re colouring due to poor quality inks being used,however,i did find a great shop,Max tattoos in Khao San Road,think he has 2 shops there, who did an awesome buddha on the inside of my bicep,all shading and its amazing,very expensive for Thailand (12000 baht) but worth every baht....

Good luck and choose carefully....

I think most tattoo artists in Thailand don't care about advertising as they are already as busy as they want to be. Also, there are plenty of good ones that speak no English. My current tattooist is in Saraburi and drew my dragon freehand, changing the design as it wound down my leg. His colour and shading skills are excellent. Unfortunately he speaks no English whatsoever and my wife has to translate between the two of us. There is a tattoo shop opposite his that looks much nicer but the pictures on the wall are mostly stencils and of varying quality.

Nidge.

Here is some of the work I ended up getting.

Nice! So where did u have it done?

Nice! So where did u have it done?

Ended up flying outside Thailand to have it done....went to Paris.

I have one place I got mine all done in Phuket.

Kebsup Studio.

Thai girl and South African guy.

They are true artists, use top quality colors and machines.

I got my leg done from eel to knee cap in a futuristic metallic design 4 years ago and still looks like new.

All shading and colors perfect.

Not the cheapest but all the other shopes in Phuket are shit.

Many people fly in specially for a tat and not for the actual island so beware of long waiting lists.

I have one place I got mine all done in Phuket.

Kebsup Studio.

Thai girl and South African guy.

They are true artists, use top quality colors and machines.

I got my leg done from eel to knee cap in a futuristic metallic design 4 years ago and still looks like new.

All shading and colors perfect.

Not the cheapest but all the other shopes in Phuket are shit.

Many people fly in specially for a tat and not for the actual island so beware of long waiting lists.

Any pics?

I have one place I got mine all done in Phuket.

Kebsup Studio.

Thai girl and South African guy.

They are true artists, use top quality colors and machines.

I got my leg done from eel to knee cap in a futuristic metallic design 4 years ago and still looks like new.

All shading and colors perfect.

Not the cheapest but all the other shopes in Phuket are shit.

Many people fly in specially for a tat and not for the actual island so beware of long waiting lists.

Any pics?

Any pics?

Here is some of the work I ended up getting.

Another snipe hunt Aussietrooper??

Here is some of the work I ended up getting.

Another snipe hunt Aussietrooper??

What's that mean?

Here is some of the work I ended up getting.

Another snipe hunt Aussietrooper??

What's that mean?

Still waiting.

Here is some of the work I ended up getting.

Another snipe hunt Aussietrooper??

What's that mean?

Still waiting.

Still waiting??

Here is some of the work I ended up getting.

I need some touch ups done on this.....anyone know a good place with good ink in Pattaya?

Try Ex @ Dragon King Tattoo on Art Street,Mike Shopping Mall.He has done many hours on work on me including cover ups.