Kustom Thrills Tattoo

Reviews 3

LA

Larry Jones

My wife called to set me up an appointment for Christmas with Ryan. The receptionist said I needed to come in for a consultation. She told the receptionist that I didnt get off work until after 4, the receptionist said that anytime after 4 would be perfect. I arrived at 4:30 for my consultation and the receptionist said Ryan was picking up t shirts and she didnt know what time he would be back. I didnt feel like waiting for an unknown time so I figured I would come back tomorrow. Come to find out Ryan didnt work tomorrow. Later that evening I decided to go more the black and grey route. I did some research and noticed a tattooer here by the name of Abel would be perfect for what I wanted. I called the shop and asked if Abel would be there tomorrow. The receptionist told me that yes he would in fact be there. I told her I wanted to SCHEDULE a consultation. I told her I could be there at 5. She said he had a tattoo starting at 5 but he could definitely talk to me. I decided I would come 15 minutes early so I wouldnt interrupt anything. When I arrived I told the same receptionist I was there for a 5 pm consultation with Abel. She looks over at him and said hes tattooing but if I could wait he could talk to me. I waited for over an hour and nobody ever came over and gave me an update or asked to reschedule. I ended up walking out frustrated 2 days in a row. I cant fault the artists in this but, there is definitely some communication issues between the receptionist and the tattooers. I would recommend scheduling a 15 minute block for consultations instead of just winging it. Makes for upset ex-potential customers. They have great artists here, but other shops are WAY more organized with scheduling and communication between artist and client. Were in Nashville, there are a lot of great artists at a hand full of great shops. I considered Kustom Thrills top 3 based on artists alone. You have to set yourself apart by creating an easy experience for the client. I never once spoke to an artist and I was there 2 days in a row for consultations. I ended up scheduling a Friday appointment in the future at another shop just by emailing the artist on a Sunday mind you (shop was closed and it was his day off). A couple pics sent back and fourth, paid the deposit online and the artist sent me a calendar invite via email. This is how it should be done.

BR

Brian Boase

This may be a little lengthy, but it will be worth your time. Let me first say that I am not an artist, but I have been getting tattooed for about the last 18 years all over the United States. In that time you learn a lot from the start of your first tattoo to the first large piece you get done. You learn to look closely at line work, shading, art, price, the cleanliness of the studio, how customers are treated, and you learn to patiently wait for an appointment that may be scheduled a month or two out. If you want the best, you have to be willing to wait for it. Kustom Thrills (specifically Adam) is worth the wait and over the past 18 years, they are one of the best tattoo studios that I have had the privilege to visit. The staff is friendly, the studio is spotless, and the artwork is exceptional. This isn’t your “run of the mill” street shop where you can just point to a design and a number on the wall and say I want that one. This is a tattoo studio where true artists live and put their heart into each piece. This is the place where new tattoos and trends are born. We told Adam what design aspects we were looking for and an exceptional one of a kind tattoo was born. It was like some kind of tattoo artist genie in a bottle who created a masterful work of art. I was also surprised at the reasonable price when we were finished. The work was so damn amazing that I thought this one is going to hurt my wallet in a big way. However, that was not the case with Kustom Thrills. I’m not going to list the price, but I can tell you that you are not going to find that kind of work for the reasonable price they charge anywhere else. The bottom line is this… if you want a true tattoo artist, and not just some schlep that is going to toss a stencil on and call it good, then Kustom Thrills is your place. If you’re looking for phenomenal work at a reasonable price, you aren’t going to find any place better than Kustom Thrills. If you want a specific artist that is going to draw, redraw, and keep drawing every detail until it is just perfect before he ever touches his tattoo gun, then Adam is your artist. I think Adam put it best yesterday when he said, “There’s a difference between a customer and a client”. Adam wants to create clients and relationships. It doesn’t get any better than Kustom Thrills and Adam is worth the wait. - The Boase Family

AL

Alex Marchak

tldr; spent two years trying to find perfect tattoo shop in Nashville. Spoiler: Its Kustom Thrills. My wife and I moved to the Nashville area from Philadelphia about two years ago and weve had a lot of trouble finding a high quality studio to meet our expectations. My wife has some phenomenal work on her arms and she frequently receives compliments from people and they would always ask, "Where did you get that done?" and she always replied, "Philly". Of course wed ask the follow up, "Do you know any shops around here that can do this kind of work?" We got the same answers of shops around here and we spent hours researching them. My wife actually had three small pieces done by some of the most highly rated and recommended shops around here in Nashville. They will remain unnamed but we would rate them as good, not great. My wife had given up hope and even started planning to spend the money on airfare to fly back to philly to get the high quality art we have come to expect. Well Im a bit of a cheapskate and I was determined that there HAD to be somewhere within a reasonable distance that could really step up to the level I was looking for. Then I stumbled across Chris Saint Clark and Kustom Thrills. I was looking for a pretty complex half sleeve in black and gray and decided to approach the man himself, Chris Saint Clark. When I told him my concept, he confidently said it would be a challenge but he could definitely do it. Ive now wrapped up session 2 out of 3 with him and anything I type here cannot adequately express just how talented this man is. He took my concept, ran with it, and has crafted something extraordinary. He is at the top of his craft and even a five minute conversation with this man about your own concept would reveal his artistic knowledge. When the gears start turning in his head and hes discussing artistic qualities, you get that feeling that you need a masters degree in art to understand half of what he is saying...then you get that overwhelming feeling of, "This man knows what hes talking about, Ive come to the right place"