Nothing says moving to college, living on your own, and defying strict parents more than getting a tattoo or a piercing. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a household that was lenient towards piercings and tattoos (although my dad still doesn’t know I have my bellybutton pierced and it’s been almost 6 years—but that’s a story for another time), and because of that I always went to the best places to get a new piercing. It is so, so important that you do research on a location before going in to get a tattoo or piercing, because many places don’t do it correctly, aren’t very sterile, and can really mess up your body. If the price is cheap, chances are it’s not going to be the best place to go unfortunately.
When I came to UCSB last year, I was curious as to where I would be going to get my next piercing, and Precious Slut did not seem like a great option based off of reviews, and well, their name. Despite affordable prices and convenient location, I decided to look elsewhere for my future piercings and potential tattoo. Here are the best tattoo and piercing shops in Santa Barbara.
Golden Eagle Tattoo
407 State Street
805 Ink
1228 State Street
Accompanied a friend here for her first tattoo and the experience was great!
Mission Tattoo
104 W Mission Street
Energy Tattoo
428 State Street