The Best Tattoo Studios in Montreal

The artists at Rendez-vous Important don’t commit to one holistic style, instead bringing their own artistry to create a studio that covers a variety of aesthetics and techniques. There, you’ll find blackwork artists, anime, ornamental, illustration, and more. It’s a simple studio, with few decorations on the walls, allowing focus to remain on the tattoos and the tattooing process.

Nirvana Tattoo is a bespoke tattoo studio in Montreal’s Chinatown, specializing in Japanese tattoo traditions, or irezumi. Artist Simon Lam opened the shop in 2020 after tattooing under Tattoo Mania’s Pierre Chaplan, and has since made a name for himself through Nirvana, using his talent, artistic process, and drive. Book directly with your preferred tattooist.

Traditional tattoos are the specialty of the eight artists who work at Bait & Schlang (also known as Bait Shop) in Saint-Henri. This is the place to go for intricately coloured tigers, snakes, and dragons, detailed spiders, and old-school portraits. Inside, expect a colourful, eclectic room with walls covered in drawings and flash options, a variety of light fixtures, and concentrated artists hard at work.

Sans Regret’s tattooists specialize in American traditional and blackwork pieces—colourful animals, playful pin-up portraits, and the occasional outlier. While the studio boasts plenty of flash options on its four walls, custom work is also welcome, with bookings available through each individual artist. Walk-ins are often welcome, so if you’ve got something in mind, but no appointment, this is the place to go.

Point St-Charles Tattoo has roots in 1950s New York City, where the studio’s original owner, Tony, began tattooing. After moving to Montreal and opening PSC in 1976, the studio has remained and only grown, as Tony took artist and now owner Dave Cummings under his wing. As Canada’s oldest tattoo shop, PSC specializes in bold traditional and Japanese-American pieces.

This Plateau tattoo studio hosts six different artists, each with a distinct style: neo-traditional & Japanese, traditional, illustration, and old school. While they all have specific artistic skills and visions, whether you’re looking for a full sleeve or an elegant fine line, Le Malandrin’s artists collaborate with each client to create a piece that fulfills their vision. Inside, the studio is eclectic and bright with potted plants, art on the walls, and archways separating each area.

Though some of the studios on this list are tucked in co-ops or other alternative workspaces, Tatouage Vilains takes up a more traditional storefront, with neon lights framing the window and a classic front desk and waiting area. The studio stays traditional in style, too, with each of its nine artists specializing in either American traditional, neo-traditional, or blackwork pieces. They also do permanent makeup for anyone wanting to get a lip blush, faux-freckles, or eyebrow shading.

While most of the spots on this guide reside in Montreal West, La Citadelle lords over the South Shore, in Longueuil. Specializing in fine and refined tattoo art, La Citadelle’s artists create pieces in fine line, ornamental, illustrative, and floral tattoo styles. The studio itself is small but comfortable, mimicking its tattooists’ simple yet elegant approach, with pops of pink and green throughout.

At Black Circle Tattoo Coven, blackwork is the name of the game. Pieces are completed entirely in black ink, with the artists’ styles leaning toward dark art and horror, rather than fine line, geometric, or tribal. If you’re more of a horror fan in theory than in practice, fear not—Black Circle’s studio is anything but scary, covered in artwork and boasting large windows. To book, contact artists directly, rather than through the studio.

Located in Fais-moi l’art, a non-profit arts organization, in an old greystone walk-up, Citron Rose is a private tattoo studio with artists of varying styles. The studio frequently offers flash days in addition to regular custom bookings, and houses guest artists alongside its resident tattooists. For anything from pointillism to blackwork to florals and more, book directly through your preferred artist on Instagram or through email.

Desolé Maman’s nine tattooists are each as meticulous and artistic as the next, dedicating time to perfecting each tattoo they’re working on—whether it’s a minimalist or a multi-session piece. From their clean and simple Little Italy studio, a range of styles emerges: pointillism, florals, realism, cartoon, neo-traditional, and more.

At Salon Blueprint, getting a tattoo is like hanging out in your friend’s apartment—albeit in a considerably more sterile, controlled environment. The space is a comforting mix of wooden ceilings, exposed brick walls, and random pictures, pennants, and plants throughout. Housing 10 resident artists, the studio represents a mix of styles and techniques, from realism to watercolour to fine line. To book an appointment, you must contact the individual artist through Instagram or email.