Nirvana Tattoo

Down a graffitied stairwell beneath Chinatown’s red arches, Nirvana Tattoo hums with the pulse of the neighbourhood around it—basslines, noodles, incense, and ink. Opened by artist Simon Lam in 2020, the shop carries both a lineage and a mission: preserving the discipline of Japanese tattooing while keeping Chinatown’s creative heart alive. Lam apprenticed the old way—seven years under Tattoo Mania’s Pierre Chaplan—learning that tattooing is less a business than an oral tradition. At Nirvana, apprentices still sweep floors and study skin before ever touching a needle. Beyond the craft, the shop runs “Sunday Service,” a monthly block party of DJs, barbers, tattooers, and food pop-ups that turns de la Gauchetière into a cultural crossroads.