Who hasn’t had the idea of commemorating a trip with a tattoo in the city where you are? Either alone or with the group of people you met on a tour, with friends who came to where you are to celebrate some important event, or perhaps a night of fun with total strangers. Whatever the case, getting tattooed while travelling is always a latent possibility and Cusco presents you with multiple opportunities to make this a reality. That’s why to reduce the risks, it would be good to know some of the places where you can get a quality tattoo, at a fair price and with artists that I have personally known for over a decade and who have done tattoos for me as well.
- Is it safe to get tattooed in Cusco?
- Are tattoos in Cusco cheap?
- How to know that the tattoo studio is safe?
- Can they customize my design?
- Where to get tattooed in Cusco?
- How did I meet the group of tattoo artists?
Is it safe to get tattooed in Cusco?
When walking around Cusco, you will find a very wide variety of studios, from those that charge prices almost similar to those found in Europe or the USA (mostly close to the plaza), to those that are mid-range and with artists of very good quality with a considerably cheap price compared to at home and we can also find some that perhaps should not be considered a tattoo tempt haha. But I will give you some options that I am sure will offer you a price below what you find at home and with very good quality work.
Are tattoos in Cusco cheap?
As I mentioned above, tattoos in Cusco can vary in price depending on each store, but in general, yes, tattoos in Cusco are much cheaper than what we are going to find in a regular studio at home. An example would be that a 7x5cm tattoo is around 50-65 USD although flash tattoos can be found for 15-25 USD depending on the size and designs available. I have to mention that this does not happen in all studies or all the time.
How to know that the tattoo studio is safe?
An easy way to know that a tattoo studio is safe is because on the walls they will have their certificate of approval from the municipality and the Ministry of Health, which shows that they have gone through the appropriate reviews to be able to operate. Another thing that we can look for is their presence on social networks or reviews on Google and trip advisor, this will help us to ensure the assessment that other people gave them for tattoos made in the past.
Can they customize my design?
Of course! Not only can you customize your designs, but Cusco artists also have great creativity and experience in designs related to Cusco cosmology and Andean designs. Many people I recommended studios to told me how happy they were because of the work done by their tattoo artists. This is something important since they can add a “local” touch to the tattoo you want and that will remain as a nice memory of your trip to Cusco or Peru in general.
Where to get tattooed in Cusco?
If I have to recommend any studio in Cusco, it would be Willka Tattoo, located half a block from the main square. This was founded by Jimmy more than a decade ago and he has indisputable quality, in his designs and work over the years. they show the mastery he has when it comes to tattoos. He now lives in Germany and is still dedicated to the art of tattooing. In his place was Jorge, who is also an excellent artist with many years of experience.
On the other hand, we can find Julio, with his studio Black Sails Cusco Peru, he has also been a tattoo artist for many years and belonged to Willka’s crew in the past, until he decided to become independent and open his own studio.
How did I meet the group of tattoo artists?
Back in 2010, I arrived in Cusco for the first time travelling with a friend Johan. On one of those fun nights in Cusco, I met an Australian who told me that he owned a backpacker near the centre. This hostel was called “The Point Hostels” and it is, to date, the BEST backpacker I’ve been to. But hey, among the “regulars” who came to the hostel for being friends with Ben (the owner) was a group of tattoo artists, led by Jimmy and the rest of the guys. So little by little I joined that group and we became very good friends. To this group, we must add Marco aka Charapa, who was dedicated to tourism and with whom I worked doing walking tours, but I will talk about that in another article.
One day in 2010 or 2011 I met Kieran (yes, also at The Point), a great friend with whom we are still connected to this day and who was the one who prompted me to start writing articles and developing this blog, so if you want to know more about him you can check his blog “in lovely blue”, where he writes about his experience as a digital nomad in countries like Cuba, Argentina and currently Colombia. When I met him, he had returned to Cusco to be tattooed by Jimmy, so visits to the studio were an everyday thing, there we would get together to have a classic Jack Daniel’s with cola or something else while we waited for the pain session of Kieran will finish. Then we would go to the hostel to eat something and at nightfall, we would go to the main square to look for a discotheque like Mama Africa, Mythology or Inka Team.
I think that with this you can give an idea of the number of anecdotes, weather, parties, events, meals and good times that we share together, so I can assure you that I trust them and their work a lot.
It is important to mention that over the years I have gotten some tattoos with them and I think I will continue to do so as long as I return to Cusco and they can continue tattooing haha. If you are looking for safe and reliable places to get tattooed in Cusco, do not hesitate to contact them or schedule an appointment here.
Just Cruising Around 