Tattoo Parlor Near Me on the Bowery: Kings Avenue Tattoo Upstairs

Kings Avenue Tattoo has a $150 shop minimum and sits one flight up at 188 Bowery 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10012, so the street door is easy to walk past. It opens 11 am to 8 pm Monday through Saturday and 12 pm to 6 pm on Sunday. For anyone searching tattoo parlor near me around Nolita and the Lower East Side, this is the Manhattan home of Mike Rubendall's crew, known for Japanese and American traditional work.

Rubendall founded the first Kings Avenue in November 2005 on Long Island, and the shop built its name there before crossing into Manhattan. The New York City studio opened in April 2011, and the shop says it chose the Bowery on purpose, calling it the street that played a formative role in tattoo history. Long before tattooing was legal again in the city, the Bowery and nearby Chatham Square were where professional tattooers set up, and Kings Avenue leans into that lineage.

Rubendall himself is the best-known name upstairs. He sat as a guest judge on Spike TV's Ink Master in season 2, episode 9, appeared on VICE's Tattoo Age series, and has put his designs on a North Face Moon Parka and a New Era 59FIFTY cap. The shop has also hosted a rotation of heavyweight guests, including Tim Hendricks, Horitomo and Henning Jorgensen, which tells you the level of work the room is used to.

The Manhattan roster is long. Alongside Rubendall, the shop lists Grez, Chris O'Donnell, Becca Genne-Bacon, Chris Fernandez, Will Lollie, Laura Leonello, Lina Hsiao, Cody Klein, Camille Schefter, Darcy Nutt, Carina Novello, Michael Gary and Tammy Kim. Between them they cover Japanese, American traditional, black and gray and realism, and the bold, readable outlines of the first two styles are what most collectors climb the stairs for.

Each artist runs bookings from an individual page on the shop website, so treat choosing the person as the first real decision. Someone planning a large Japanese back piece and someone wanting a crisp black and gray portrait should land with different people. Spend an evening scrolling each portfolio before you write in. Multi-session projects such as sleeves and back pieces are the shop's bread and butter, and the deposit tiers below are built around them.

Appointments need a deposit of $100, $200 or $300, and the amount depends on the size of the tattoo and how many sessions it will take. The deposit goes toward the work. Cancelling or rescheduling needs at least 48 hours of notice, or the deposit is forfeited, and that rule is enforced because artists block real time and often draw ahead of your visit.

If you decide you no longer want the tattoo at all, the shop will return half the deposit. Once an artist has already drawn your design, though, the deposit is gone. In practice that means you should settle placement and size before the artist starts sketching, and raise any doubts in the first messages rather than the night before. Larger projects are booked as a series of sessions, each one priced on the day.

Walk-ins are welcome when an artist is free to take them, and the shop is honest that an appointment is the only way to guarantee a spot. Calling the front desk right at the 11 am opening and asking who has an open chair is the most direct route. Bring a clear reference and keep the idea small and simple, because nobody draws a full custom piece for a same-day stranger at a shop this busy.

With a $150 minimum, a tiny tattoo the size of a coin costs the same as something several times larger, so walk-in clients often scale the design up to get their money's worth. If nobody is free by early afternoon, skip waiting on the stairs. Daredevil Tattoo on Division Street takes walk-ins first come, first served every day from noon to 8 pm and is about a fifteen-minute walk southeast.

New York State law sets the minimum age at 18, and there is no parental consent exception, so a 17-year-old with a parent in tow will be turned away. Bring a government photo ID that shows your date of birth. Eat beforehand, arrive sober, and wear clothing that gives the artist easy access to the placement, especially for upper arms, ribs or calves.

The studio is on the second floor, so there is a staircase between the sidewalk and the chairs. Plan for that if mobility is a concern and mention it when you book. Long sessions on Japanese sleeves can run for hours, so bring water, a snack and a charged phone for the breaks.

The shop says it is under a five-minute walk from five stations: Bowery on the J and Z, Spring Street on the 6, Grand Street on the B and D, Broadway-Lafayette on the B, D, F and M, and Prince Street on the N and R. That makes it simple to arrive straight from Brooklyn or Midtown, and just as simple to leave with fresh ink without needing a cab.

Before an afternoon session, walk a few blocks north to the New Museum on the Bowery for contemporary art in its stacked-box building. Afterward, head east along Houston Street to Russ & Daughters for smoked fish and bagels to take home, since a long sit leaves most people hungry. Keep the new tattoo covered and out of the crowds on Saturday evenings, when the sidewalks around Prince Street get packed.

Kings Avenue Tattoo NYC is at 188 Bowery 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10012, email nyc@kingsavetattoo.com. Hours are 11 am to 8 pm Monday through Saturday and 12 pm to 6 pm Sunday. The shop minimum is $150, deposits are $100, $200 or $300 by project size, and cancellations need 48 hours of notice. Clients must be 18 with photo ID, and booking happens on each artist's page.

The best plan for a first visit is to book ahead with a specific artist rather than gamble on a walk-in slot. Bring your reference images, your ID and a budget that covers the minimum plus a tip. If you want help choosing between the Bowery studios or finding dinner nearby after a long sitting, ask Karpo in the Karpo APP and it will point you to what is open.