Tattoo Parlor Near Me on Santa Monica Boulevard: The Honorable Society

The Honorable Society sits at 8424 W Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood, sets a $200 shop minimum, and takes a $100 non-refundable deposit to hold any appointment. Opened in 2009 by Marco Cerretelli, this tattoo parlor runs 7 days a week, 10 am to 10 pm, and works mostly by appointment. Behind the door is a room that looks more like a Victorian parlor than a street shop.

Inked Magazine described the room in 2019 as a place where Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and Walt Whitman could plausibly gather on the ornate Victorian-era sofas. The shop quotes that line on its own Our Story page, and the details hold up: deep red walls, a standing piano, classical paintings in vintage frames, drapery hanging from the doorframes, antique chairs and handcrafted cabinetry. It is the opposite of a fluorescent flash shop.

Time Out Los Angeles compared the interior to a Victorian smoking room back in 2016, said the friendly staff and ultra comfy couch help earn the dark-walled shop its valiant name, and pointed anyone not ready to commit to ink toward the shop merch. That couch matters more than it sounds. Waiting on a stencil or a friend's session at this address feels closer to sitting in a members' lounge than standing in a lobby.

Cerretelli opened the shop in 2009, and the roster has since hosted dozens of domestic and international artists from the US, Italy, Thailand, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Korea and Russia. The current artists page lists nine names: Marco Cerretelli, Monty Siam, Endry Stymest, Pony Cervantes, Michael Kortez, Tommy Grant, Sam Kozlowski, Anthony Box and Adrian Gallegos. The pitch is matchmaking: the desk pairs your idea with the one artist whose skill set fits it.

The shop's own Los Angeles page quotes dated reviews. A January 2024 Google review from Kelly A says Endry did an amazing job explaining everything and that it was the best possible first tattoo experience, and a November 2023 Google review from Pat M describes a friend and the reviewer both being tattooed by Marco and being thrilled with the process. Not every review glows: a May 31, 2026 Yelp review opens with the line that it was just not a great tattoo, so study portfolios before choosing.

The style list here is unusually wide for one room: American Traditional, Realism, Japanese Traditional, Neo Traditional, Thai Traditional, Illustrative, Watercolor, Fine Line, Minimalism, Chicano, Traditional Blackwork, Tribal and Polynesian. Thai Traditional is the odd find on that list, and it reflects a roster that has included artists from Thailand. The website splits its portfolio into six galleries, from Fine Line and Delicate to Script, Realism, Watercolor and Traditional.

For a signature order, look at the two ends of the range. The Traditional page leans on the old rule that bold will hold and openly offers Sailor Jerry flash alongside custom American Traditional pieces. At the other end, the Fine Line page stresses a steady line and a delicate touch, and the virtual consult page asks you to gather any reference pictures you want to discuss. Bring references, not a finished drawing; the deposit page notes that even an exact design still has to be prepared for actual tattooing.

Money rules are spelled out plainly. The $200 minimum applies to every tattoo, and the shop admits it runs higher than other places nearby, pointing to single-use equipment and its touch-up policy as the reason. The $100 deposit goes toward the final price. Deposits can be paid by Venmo, CashApp, PayPal, Zelle or credit card, but the final payment is cash, so stop at an ATM before you sit down.

Deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable. Rescheduling without a new deposit requires at least a full business day of notice, and the policy states that same-day changes do not count. Cancelling or skipping the appointment can forfeit the deposit, and a missed session means paying a fresh one. The shop sends text and email confirmations plus reminders, so a no-show is hard to blame on a lost booking.

The upside of that $200 floor is the touch-up policy: one free touch-up within the first year, for fall-out or a line that heals lighter than intended. Gratuity is appreciated but not charged. Honest advice: if you want a single dot or a two-letter initial and nothing more, skip this shop, because you will pay the full $200 for a few minutes of work.

Booking runs in three steps. You fill in a short request form with the style, size and any artist you want; the shop replies by email, text or virtual consult with artist options and a plan; then you leave the deposit and lock the date. A February 2024 Yelp review quoted on the site describes stopping in as a walk-in and getting tattooed the same visit, with a Snickers handed over during the session.

That twelve-hour window is what makes same-day work realistic here. For a large or complicated piece, plan on the full request process instead, because the artist needs time to draw before the stencil goes on.

Plan B if no artist is free that day: book a virtual consultation instead of leaving empty-handed. It runs over Chilled Butter, a video service rather than a phone call, and needs a deposit that can either be applied to the tattoo or refunded afterward, with no obligation to book. You walk away with placement advice, an artist match and a date, and the shop already has your reference images.

Barney's Beanery at 8447 Santa Monica Blvd opened in 1920 as a little chili stand and still calls itself the original Route 66 roadhouse. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner items from opening until well past midnight, which lines up with the shop's 10 pm close. It is the obvious place to wait out a friend's session or eat before a long one so you are not sitting for hours on an empty stomach.

For a longer walk, head to the corner of Melrose Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard, where Cesar Pelli's Pacific Design Center rises in three colors. The cobalt Blue Whale opened in 1975, the Green Building followed in 1988 and the Red Building in 2012. The campus also holds the 294-seat SilverScreen Theater, and several showrooms are retail and open to the public.

Address: 8424 W Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Hours: 7 days a week, 10 am to 10 pm. Metered parking runs along the front of the shop, and one block south the city line switches to Los Angeles, where street parking needs no permit. Bring cash for the final payment and a digital wallet for the deposit.

Aftercare starts at the chair. Keep the bandage on for at least a few hours, ideally until the end of the day, or a couple of days if the artist used a clear medical film. Wash with warm water and antibacterial soap using your hands, pat dry with a paper towel, then apply a thin layer of unscented lotion such as Lubriderm or Aquaphor once or twice a day.