Tattoo Parlor Near Me in Hackney: Good Times Tattoo, Lower Clapton Road

Good Times Tattoo works from the first floor of 8 Lower Clapton Road, Hackney, London E5 0PD, open Tuesday to Saturday from 12pm to 7pm. Nikole Lowe founded the studio in Hackney Central in 2009, after tattooing since 1991, and in 2026 Inked Magazine named it one of the world's most unforgettable tattoo destinations, the only London studio on that list. If your search for a tattoo parlor near me lands in East London and you want a calm, appointment-led room rather than a busy walk-in counter, start here.

Lowe's own biography reads like a map of tattooing. She started at Dermagraphics in Auckland, moved to London to work at Angelic Hell in Soho, then at Frith Street, and from 2005 at Into You in Clerkenwell. In 2007 she was a resident artist on London Ink, the Discovery series filmed in a London studio, before opening Good Times two years later.

Her specialisms are Japanese, Tibetan and floral work, and the studio is best known for large-scale Japanese pieces: back pieces, sleeves and bodysuits that run over many sessions. Time Out described the place in 2023 as Nikole Lowe's Zen-like tattoo sanctuary in Lower Clapton, and the first-floor setting, up and away from the traffic, explains much of that reputation.

The artists page lists a broad team around Lowe. Piotrek Taton works in surrealism, realism, biomechanics and neo-Japanese; Kamila Daisy does bold floral, ornamental and blackwork; Andy, known as Wham Bam, tattoos traditional and script; Jodie Mae works in a sketch style; Oceane does fine-line black and grey. And Mario draws Egyptian and illustrative pieces.

Rachel, who tattoos as Slow Puncture, is in on Thursdays for old school work, and the studio brings in guests too: Dan, a tribal specialist, is scheduled for 30 and 31 October, 27 and 28 November and 18 and 19 December 2026. Reading the portfolios first and naming an artist in your enquiry is the fastest way to a booking.

A Good Times blog post puts the policy plainly: the studio does not take online bookings, and every tattoo starts with a chat. You send your idea through the enquiry form, and the team replies to talk through size, placement and which artist suits it. Small pieces can often be booked without a separate consultation. Large, custom and cover-up work usually needs one.

Walk-ins happen only sometimes, depending on the day and on artist availability. The honest advice is to treat Good Times as a booked studio. If you need a tattoo today, Old Habits, a short bus ride west on Kingsland Road, openly takes walk-ins.

Large-scale Japanese work is a long relationship, not an appointment. A back piece or full sleeve is drawn to the shape of your body and tattooed in stages: outline first, then background such as wind bars, water or clouds, then colour and shading over later sittings. Ask at the consultation how many sessions the artist expects and how far apart they space them so the skin can heal.

Come to that first conversation with the subject you want, a koi, a dragon, peonies or a figure from folklore, and be open on the details. Traditional Japanese imagery has its own pairings of motifs and seasons, and part of what you are paying for is an artist who knows how to compose them so the piece reads clearly from across a room.

On the day, arrive fed and rested, wear clothing that gives easy access to the area, and bring your ID even if you have been before. Sessions for big pieces can run several hours, so pack water and a snack. The artist will wrap the work and explain aftercare before you head back down the stairs.

There is a studio minimum and larger pieces are charged by the hour, though the figures are not published. Ask for a quote for your specific design. A deposit secures your appointment. It is non-refundable but can be transferred to a new date with at least three working days' notice.

Cash is preferred, and some artists also take debit cards. You must be 18 or over with valid photo ID. The studio will not tattoo anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding, and it will not copy another artist's work, so bring references for inspiration rather than a tattoo to duplicate.

Good Times also runs laser services with practitioner Darren. The studio uses a Q-switch laser for tattoo removal and lightening, which is useful if you are planning a cover-up and want an old piece faded first. It also offers carbon laser facials. Ask about these through the same enquiry form, and expect a patch test before treatment starts.

Hackney Central on the London Overground is the nearest station, a few minutes' walk from the studio, and Hackney Downs is close by too. There is no Tube station nearby, so plan your route around the Overground or the many buses that run along Lower Clapton Road and Mare Street. Look for the first-floor windows. The studio is upstairs, not at street level.

The studio's own September 2026 blog post on why Hackney has become one of London's tattoo hotspots suggests the bars and breweries in the railway arches near Hackney Central for afterwards. If you would rather walk, head south towards Victoria Park Village and Broadway Market, both reachable on foot in about twenty minutes.

Good Times Tattoo, 1st Floor, 8 Lower Clapton Road, Hackney, London E5 0PD. Email hello@goodtimestattoo.co.uk. Open Tuesday to Saturday 12pm to 7pm. Founded 2009 by Nikole Lowe. Enquiry form first, no online booking. Walk-ins only sometimes, call ahead. Studio minimum, larger pieces by the hour. Non-refundable deposit, transferable with three working days' notice. Cash preferred, some artists take debit. 18+ with photo ID. Laser removal and carbon facials on site. Nearest station: Hackney Central (Overground).