Velvet Grip
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- By Appointment Only: No
11 reviews
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
"I've had a few piercings done on my ears over the past 10 or so years. Some would close and I'd have to get it redone. So I've been to quite…" read more »
12 Reviews for Velvet Grip
I used to live near these guys and went in a few times. once to get a nose ring fixed and the other times for tattoos. The owner ( a blonde spiky haired dude) fixed my ring in no time, he was super sweet and a total professional. One of the tattoos (a memorial tattoo) I got is an absolute favorite of mine. It was done by a french artist(can't remember his name either.) Beautifully drawn and two years later, I still look at it and smile all the time. The place itself is super laid back, relaxing decor with a koi pond in the front. It is a little pricey but as said before...totally worth it.
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I can honestly say that out of all my tattoo experiences, the one at Velvet Grip tops the list. After reading such favorable reviews here, I decided that this would be the place to get my fourth tattoo. (Damn they sure are addictive. I'm already thinking about #5.) I called and made an appointment with Todd; he was very nice over the phone and even nicer in person. When I get there, I encounter the other artists who are very nice also. This place did not have that tattoo shop attitude and everyone was quite laid back. Todd had his iPod playing various kinds of music and it was just all good!
He did an amazing job on the Kanji on my arm and even schooled me on how it should look etc. And of course, as any good tattoo artist will tell you, he told me to come back for touch ups of my tat free of charge as long as I have it. This guy knows what he's doing and I will be coming back here for my 5th tattoo.
The shop is located on SM Blvd. right across the street from the strip mall on La Brea with Best Buy & Target. Street parking is a bitch. If you can find metered parking nearby then great otherwise you'll be parking a few blocks away and walking. The decor of the shop is really cool and chill and they even have a koi pond.
Anyone thinking of getting a tattoo should come to this place. It will be money well spent! This place shall be seeing me again!
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I'd give this one 6 freakin' stars if I could!!!! I've been tattooed in Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Toronto, Baltimore, and Erie, but have never left a spot more satisfied with my experience or my new ink. Wanderlust is my middle name, but I feel right at home here in Hollyweird, particularly now that I've found a tattoo joint that I can celebrate and recommend wholeheartedly. Looking back, some of my tattoo experiences were great. Some good. Some have necessitated me seeking out altogether new places. In order to get something you're happy with, you've gotta be comfortable. I'd heard great things about Velvet Grip since I moved here. My experience there was top notch from start to finish. I've never encountered a shop with as much class, or as much obvious talent under one roof. Kudos!
I spoke with Todd on the phone. He was friendly, accommodating, and exceptionally genuine. Got me in on the same day, too, due to a cancellation. I met with Constantine at the shop and he took at look at the piece, a hummingbird with dynamic, circular motion lines, and smiled. "I valso av a ting for birds." He wasn't kidding! When we reached his area, the walls were covered with many charcoal drawings of all varieties--including very similar hummingbirds. Serendipity, I guess! We had a long conversation about the tattoo's significance--an homage to the dead and dying women in the Smith clan who have shared an affinity for the creatures--and got along really well.
It might have been the ease of the conversation with all the artists, the comfort of the table, Constantine's sure, but gentle hand, the cool ambient/punk/rock music, or a combination of all things that make this place so fucking rad, but it felt like the 1.5 hours I spent on the table flew by in five minutes. Also, I'm accustomed to a period of 5-7 for complete healing, usually with some itchiness or scabbing. After leaving Velvet Grip, my tattoo didn't itch or burn AT ALL. If there was any scabbing at all, I didn't notice it while applying the generous amount of tattoo lotion they send you home with. Thanks again, Velvet Grip! See you next time.
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I'm totally gay for these guys. Hiro just finished inking me a half-sleeve tattoo so sexy I'd make love to my own arm if I could. All their artists are amazing in their respective styles (check out their portfolios on the website). Pricey to be sure but worth every penny; all 250,000 of em.
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A surprisingly ambient setting. Everyone was really laidback and helpful. At first I wasn't taking the sight of needles so well (heh, what am I even doing there, right?) but Mandi, my piercer let me take my time, got me a cold towel, and it was all okay. Didn't even hurt!
I would say they're professional people and they know their stuff. Not bad for a first time experience. I would recommend anyone to go there.
Also, found parking on the street easily.
My 300th review!
For a while now I've been trying to decide on what my three hundredth would be and have been procrastinating for some time.
But I realized that I had to just do it....... FOR SPARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
So how have I decided to commemorate? With a hole in my face of course!
This is what happens after you've worked in West Hollywood for 4 months - you start to get stuff pierced. For me, it was my shnoz. I've been toying with the idea for a while now, and with Velvet Grip in such close proximity, it was just a matter of time before I found myself sitting inside filling out liability paperwork promising them that I wouldn't sue their pleather pants off if something went wrong with my new hole.
$35 for nose piercing and jewelry was separate. I chose a small, leettle, teensie weensie diamond stud and it was $25. Kinda steep IMO for what it was, but I guess that's just standard. Total = $60 + tax. Tip for y'all: If I had it to do over, I would have researched jewelry online, bought it elsewhere and brought it with me instead of getting it in the store.
My co-worker recommended this place and thanks to all the great Yelp reviews, I felt reassured I was going to a good spot. The store is nice. There's even a small little koi pond at the front while you're waiting your turn, sifting through all the pics of past customers' tats and piercings. How SERENE. But you see some weird shiite in these pages. Stuff you couldn't even fathom existing in this world, but there it is in full color sitting in a binder. Crazy.
My piercing gal's name was Mandi. She was great. Even when I was having second thoughts, she said something that gave me the confidence to go through with the procedure:
Mandi: "Well, women have a very high tolerance for pain. I mean, we have BABIES! A nose piercing is nothing..."
Tru dat homegurL.
So I let her have at me. My eyes were closed the whole time. The only reason why I give minus a star is cuz once she poked me, she had difficulty in getting the cutting tool out of my nostril, AND LET ME TELL YOU - when she was struggling to take it out there were tears streaming down. Maybe I should have had my nose pierced after having a baby or something, cuz it still HURT LIKE A MOFOOOOOOOO~
But other than that it was kewl. It was worth the pain, man - cuz I LOVE IT. Thanks to them, I have a constant feeling of a crusty booger in my left nasal passage. When I went back to work, no one could tell. I kinda like that.
Or NOT! WTH - I just cried like a baby for this and no one noticed??? Ugh.
Before I left, Mandi gave me some after care tips and told me to go back and see her in a month so she could adjust the piercing. Shweet. I think when I go back, I might have her change the teeny stud to something else. Maybe something more noticeable? Like a dolphin or somethin'. Or......a UNICORN....eating an APPLE...off a TREE....in a MEADOW. Mebbe my co-workers would notice THEN....
.
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I didn't get pierced here but the cute, little, tattooed man adjusted my nose ring for free on a couple of occasions. What a sweetheart! If I ever go through with the Industrial piercing I've been considering for the past year and a half I'll get it done here.
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Excellent experience all around!
I went in to Velvet Grip to get a nose piercing. I walked in to the studio and immediately felt at ease. The music they play is great, the koi pond is a nice touch, and the studio is very clean and organized.
Todd, the owner, made me feel so comfortable. He explained each step in the piercing process and the piercing was almost painless. (I've felt more pain getting a simple shot at the Dr.'s office) Todd is truly skilled at his craft.
I highly recommend Velvet Grip :)
Edited review:
The only place I've been for tatoos and piercings, other than some place in Ventura when I was like 19.
The only place I'll ever go to, I think. It's right around the corner from me, everything's been clean and professional, the artwork is great.
Kickass.
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I got my last two tattoo's by the todd. I have lived in san francisco and portland, and i have to say i was looking for the same laid back mentality and talent that exists at velvet grip in both of those cities, and i really couldnt find it. If you want great artists without that arrogant shop attitude go here. Todd is a great guy, makes you feel comfortable and knows what he is doing. I got two different scroll tattoos and his line work and detail are amazing. they healed perfectly and they are perfect.
constantine is also amazing. crazy realistic mind blowing stuff. i love this place.
plus they have an indoor pond...c'mon
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I've been wanting a hole in my face for some time now, and since Hollywood Boulevard and I have what you might call "a history" together, I was considering picking some random little shop off that street and just taking the plunge.
After spending an hour or so on Yelp I was convinced that might not be the brightest idea. Very few of the tattoo/piercing parlors there seem to be reviewed, and the ones who are tend to say things like "I got a tattoo of my ex-boyfriend's initials on my lower back here fifteen years ago when I was in LA on vacation from Iowa and I think they did a good job but I can't really remember because I was kind of drunk at the time and anyway I try to forget about it now because I got saved and realized the error of my sinful ways". Okay, not really, but you get the idea.
Anyway, the reviews for Velvet Grip were outstanding, so I reluctantly let go of my Hollywood Boulevard Piercing Adventure fixation and headed off to Santa Monica Blvd instead.
I definitely wasn't sorry. Mandy pierced my lip for me, it cost around $45, and I'm absolutely thrilled with it. She was helpful, professional, listened to what I told her I wanted, and did the job with a minimum of fuss and trouble. It hurt far less than I expected it would, and it looks great. I would not hesitate to recommend Velvet Grip to anyone interested in a piercing or tattoo. It's a pretty, edgy, sanitary, professional, down-to-earth place with reasonable prices and cool people. Five stars!
an annoying family harrassing the peeps for the majority of a day and still they allow us back. the todd rocks.
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