Billy Joe's Tattoo & Piercing

I went with 3 other women for our first tattoo and we all had a great experience. Everyone was friendly and when I went back for my second one they remembered who I was which was impressive. I will go back very soon to use my birthday discount. Thanks guys cookie

Great service, friendly artsist!! I did have to wait a while but I think it's just because they're busy people! there's always tons of people in there! my tattoo is awesome and they listened to exactly what i wanted! I've have 4 friends to get tattoos here and they all love theres! I would definitely go back!

A friend and I (both from SC) were in Nashville for a concert, and decided to get a tattoo while we were there. Billy Joe's was the closest to our hotel so we headed there first. We stood around for 20 minutes, looking at their stencils (b/c that seemed to be the majority of what they had... 1 or 2 binders of custom work, but that was it), and they never acknowledged our presence. I will say that of the small selection of custom tattoo pictures they had available, they all looked pretty awesome. However, only 2 of the 5 or 6 people working there were doing tattoos at the time, and they never glanced our way, even when one of them was standing behind the counter right in front of us! Two of the workers who were just sitting around walked by us and didn't look at us or say anything. To an experienced tattoo artist, it should've been obvious that we actually wanted a tattoo and weren't just browsing, but they didn't even give us a "We'll be with you in 15 minutes" or anything. So w... Read more

wow For those who are interested, this is a link to a photo of mr. Lett here, getting a sweet tat in a living room by a jank prison dude, surely much more sanitary!! myspace/thelett -Having tattoos doesn't mean you're a better tattoo artist. -They do nautical stars and Japanese symbols. you don't listen very well -At least they HAVE apprenticeships... they could just be tattooing out of the living room -For ANYONE reading, in all tattoo shops (anything the health depo actually inspects... not living rooms) they have a health score rating clear, in open view to the public. I guess Billy joes really is filthy with that 100 on the wall Thanks for your input Lett Garnette :) Very informative.

I went there to get my rook pierced. I appreciate that they knew I was in a hurry and worked me in between people getting tattoos, because I mean really...how long does it take to jam a needle in your ear? I got back there and the girl was teaching someone else how to do it and was not paying any attention to me whats so ever. After it was done and I looked they gave me the wrong type of jewelry (a ring when i asked for a bar). I asked if there was any special thing I needed to do to it because I figured I needed the H2ocean stuff, she told me a little warm soap and water was all i needed. Two weeks later when my piercing started to act up and I started to have pain not only in my ear but moving up into my head (and I have a very high tolerance for pain and I'm a clean freak) I googled it and found out that you were suppost to soak it in sea salt twice a day and that you were not suppost to touch it at all, all information that would have been VERY helpful when I asked. Now that I'm tr... Read more

I am from Texas and had to be in Nashville for work. I went there with the intention of coming back with one thing - a tattoo from TN. I was not disappointed! Gage was my artist and knew just what I wanted! All I did was tell him what idea I had and he just ran with it. I love my tattoo and would recommend to everyone - just ask for Gage. He talked to me the whole time and made the time fly by. Great place to get a tattoo!

The running policy in the tattoo world is you never want to get a piece done on your body by someone who lacks signifigant body art. The case I found when I walked in to check out billy joe's is the "artists" (if you can call tracing art) are almost all apprentice level at best and the four working when I went in lacked enough cumulative body art to comprise a sleeve. they refuse to do tattoo's that are hallmarks of the medium (nautical stars, japanese Oni's) on the grounds of religious belief. They offer apprenticeships to anyone who hits the door and if you ask Billy Joe about his tattooing background he gives you his Christian testimony instead. The times I've been in the shop the floors are dirty, the artists stations look filthy and they try to force clients into designs they don't want. Be smart, save your money and check out Black 13 or Music City tattoo and get the work you want done in a sanitary shop!

Would not do my partner and my tattoos because we are gay>Came right out and said it was because of their beleifs.Do not use if you are gay.They lost $300 by us walking out(literally) of their doors.

I have had four tattoos done here and all were great. J.D. is awsome and treats you right on price, but when I have been and he wasn't there on a friday night, a young guy tried to price gouge me. My advice is to make sure one of the more experienced and reasonable artist are there before you pay for parking and a youngster tries to rip you off.

I went here to get my 6th tattoo,and my wife to get her 2nd..I wanted a portrait of one of my 8 Siberian Husky's and my wife wanted a custom one. We met Jay down at the shop and he was awesome. My wife's was small,but mine was large.It was the most wonderful tattoo experience ever.Jay is a great artist,and I almost fell asleep while he worked on me. Thats how gentle he is. The tats are perfect,and I recommend Jay and the rest of the staff to ANYONE wanting to be inked. I have sent numerous people to this establishment. I will be going back to get some more of my Sibe's done by Jay..He's the man! You guys rock..and God bless you and the business ALWAYS! Carl P.

I have two tattoos and both were done at Billy Joes. The first was small and simple (a clover on my foot). Looks great!! I had my second (a much, much larger back piece) done last week by Gage. I came in with a couple of references and a general idea of what I wanted. Gage took my ideas and created a gorgous tattoo for me. His artwork on this piece was so much more than I had expected!! He is extremely professional and made me feel comfortable and at ease in the shop, frequently making sure that I was doing ok or if I needed to get up and move around. (it was about 3 hours worth of work). Would recommend Billy Joes (especially Gage's work) to anyone looking to getting a tattoo.

I was very impressed with this tattoo shop. I had 8 tattoo's before getting my 9th at Billy Joe's so I've got experience with tattoo shops. This one is by far the best one I have ever been in. The people were very cool and nice and the atmosphere was awesome. My friend and I walked in and both of us got tattoo'd without having to wait. I had a tribal butterfly on my neck that I wanted covered with a lotus flower. Josh was the artist that did my tatt. At first I was kind of skeptical because he is only 20 years old and hasn't been tattooing very long but he did AWESOME work!!!!! I brought in a picture of a lotus flower and he made my tattoo look so realisitic! I would recommend this tattoo shop and Josh to anyone getting a tattoo.

It 02/01/08 and I go into what I'm lead to believe is a well established tattoo parlor in downtown Nashville. It's freezing cold outside and with two minutes to go before they're supposed to open, they insist on making me wait out in the cold. Once inside I try to tell Joel Koenig what I want as far as work done on an existing tattoo, but his eyes glaze over. He tries to pawn me off on what appears to me to be a much more experienced artist but I get shrugged off. Guess I'm stuck with Joel........ And Joel is a "by-the-book" kind of guy. He can make you any stencil in the book, but can't draw a pitcher of water. His portfolio is impressive, sort of. You'd thing he'd have more to show for the length of time he's been doing this. Maybe some of his work is best left unseen. Well, I won't go back. They fired a guy from there that did a pair of Griffins I'm fond of and I've tracked the guy down. For me, I'll spend my money elsewhere

I have gotten 2 tattoo at Billy Joe's and I am getting 2 more there on Saturday! I love this place! The people are great! The work is even better! Several of my friends have gotten tattoos here as well! Everyone loves them! I wouldn't go anywhere else!!

I just got a tattoo yesterday from Billy Joe's and it is absolutely amazing! Ben did mine and her it turned out so much better than I had hoped for. I was very comfortable there and the atmosphere was really relaxed. I will definitely be returning here for all of my future tattoos.

Sara Frerking at Billy Joe's tattoos is one of my best friends, and I can assure you that this tattoo studio is THE best in Nashville. I have hung out with her many, many times while she has been working there, and I can attest to the fact that cleanliness, friendliness, and attention to detail are of UTMOST importance. Billy is an amazing artist, and he would not hire anyone who he felt was not up to the task. The people working there are incredible artists and human beings. They will do their best to make you feel welcome, and they will not let you get a tattoo that they feel you will regret. I highly recommend this place for anyone considering their first or their 50th tattoo!!

This was the most comfortable place I went into. These folks were very helpful and nice to deal with. Billy Joe, Ben, J.D., Sarah, and others, made it fun. They ragged and joked with each other and kept me laughing through my whole 3 hour tattoo experience. Ben did it, so please go and ask for been or any of the others and you won't regret it.