Looking to get inked after a tour of the ancient Parthenon or a mezze meal of sizzling sardines and tzatziki dips? This guide has you covered. It reveals a selection of the very best tattoo parlors in Athens to help you head to the studios that have the good reps, a long history of satisfied customers, and the artists that everyone’s talking about.
We’ve gone for seven establishments. They’ve been picked for a number of reasons, ranging from the niche styles of their in-house artists, the reputations that precede them, or the wealth of top-quality reviews that have been received. They exist all over town, from the well-trodden tourist quarters to the hipster suburbs that are now up and coming.
While our list of the best tattoo parlors in Athens aims to showcase only the crème-de-la-crème of the city, it’s also true that there are many more places worthy of inked-in remark here. On top of that, we’d urge any would-be customer to do their own research into all these places before booking, to ensure hygiene standards and art portfolios are in line with expectations.
Sake Tattoo Crew
Sake Tattoo have been riding the reinvigoration wave of the upcoming art quarter of Chalandri. That’s not really on the typical tourist trail through the historic Greek capital, being around 40 minutes in public transport from Syntagma and the shadow of the Acropolis. So, you’ll have to go a-looking for this parlor, but it may very well be worth it…
The establishment is the self-claimed “biggest tattoo studio in Europe.” It boasts 21 booths and over 15 working artists that rotate to offer a varied array of styles. Sake has been accoladed at major international and national tattoo conventions and has 12 years of continuous practice in Athens to its back.
Thanks to the team of seasoned tattooists that work on site, customers can afford to be very experimental with their ink here. There’s the work of Jordanian-born Roza, who has a foundation in surrealist art. There’s Oikonomou Giorgos, known as SLIPY, who specializes in photorealistic pieces. Finally, of course, there’s the eponymous Sake himself, who cut his teeth as a graffiti artist in this city of temples and ancient shrines back in the 1990s.
Scripta Manent
Clutching the traffic-streaming courses of Kifisias Avenue as it rolls away from the Acropolis and towards the gritty Athenian suburbs, Scripta Manent is wedged between a coffee shop in the bustling area of Ampelokipoi. Again, it’s a touch away from where most tourists will tread, which explains why this one mainly gets by on its loyal following of local folks.
The specialties here are many: Piercings are done by trained in-house piercers, they offer permanent makeup facelifts, and all manner of other body modification pursuits. Of course, tattoo is numero uno. The studio is renowned for its work in photorealistic renditions and human portraiture, but they also boast a pedigree (no pun intended) in pet pictures.
The crew at Scripta Manent also offer regular tattoo classes and schools. They’re a fine intro into the intricate art of body painting, offering insights into everything from the all-important planning stage to the application of ink and proper care of skin and tools after a session.
Unicorn Tattoo And Body Piercing Glyfada
If you’re lucky enough to be venturing down to the sparkling sands of Asteras Beach where the Saronic Gulf laps the Athenian shoreline, where you’re just as likely to see a rare sea turtle as a rattling tram, then Unicorn Tattoo could be the parlor for you. It’s tucked into Glyfada, a steppingstone area between the big city heart and the salt-washed beaches of the Athenian Riviera.
It’s been successful there. So much so, in fact, that they now run a second branch over on the handsome island of Corfu way out in the west of Greece. But…back to Athens. Here, the name Unicorn has garnered a reputation for solid ink across a broad range of styles, especially in photorealism, historic art, and graffiti art.
They also offer piercings and cover-up tattoo sessions, but you’ll almost certainly have to call ahead to book a slot well in advance of touching down on Greek soil – it’s no secret that this is among the best tattoo parlors in Athens!
Athens Tattoo Studio
Simply named but straight to the point, the Athens Tattoo Studio does exactly what it says on the tin: Great tattoos, right in the beating heart of the Greek capital. It comes very highly rated, with over 200 five-star reviews and constant mentions on lists of the best tattoo parlors in Athens. So, a good start then.
Backing all that up is a small but extremely qualified team that boast qualifications in a diverse range of art- and medical-related fields. You’ve got Boss667, an expert and leading creator in the world of Athenian Blackwork tattooing, a style that fuses the motifs of ancient Greece with patterns and geometric styles from Art Deco and later periods. Then there’s Area_87, AKA Spyros, a graduate of fine arts from Aristotle University, who focuses on engraving tattoos and photoreal renditions.
The services here don’t stop at skin ink, either. There are two qualified in-house piercers who can offer a whole range of holes, from lip piercings to eyebrows and body piercings. The team also do small tattoos and coverups. Look for the parlor one road down from Syntagma Square – we said RIGHT in the beating heart of the Greek capital, didn’t we?
Nico Tattoo Crew
Nico Tattoo Crew must be doing something right – they now run three studios across the land of feta and moussaka. One is up in the vibrant student and food hub of Thessaloniki. The other makes its home in the regional capital of Evros, Alexandroupoli. The third is right here in Athens, tucked just behind the ring road that loops the Plaka district, a short walk from the National Garden and the Hellenic Parliament.
High ratings come thick and fast for this one. Nearly 200 fully satisfied customers on Google alone are enough to propel the joint to a place among the best tattoo parlors in Athens. But the work really speaks for itself, with artists like Siemor and Pemy crafting inks that intermingle graffiti and political themes, cartoon art and geometry.
On top of all that, we’d say that Nico studio is among the easiest places on this list to reach for fly-in city break travelers. It’s right there close to the mainstay sites and attractions of Athens, which means you won’t have to sacrifice your taste of 2,500-year-old temples to go get your work done!
Ritual Tattoo Athens
A compact but welcoming studio with Dia de los Muertos vibes, Ritual Tattoo Athens beckons ink-hungry travelers a few blocks back from the age-old sites of the Acropolis into the buzzy streets of Monastiraki. It’s like one big marketplace there, with coffee stalls spilling out of the alcoves and sellers hawking all manner of goods.
Dip into Ritual, though, and you’ll be greeted with a pint-sized studio that’s got more than 10 years of successful work under its belt and a whopping 14,000 completed tattoos on its books. The team includes some pretty totemic names in the Greek ink scene, including Lazaros (winner of 20+ prizes at international tat conventions) and Nefa (a rare specialist in watercolor-style tattooing).
There’s a noticeable emphasis on attention to detail and cleanliness at Ritual. They offer guides to first-time customers on how to make the most out of the tattoo experience, both in terms of safety and in terms of fun. What’s more, they take everyone slowly and calmly through the stages of getting inked, from sketching to implementation and post-care.
Honest Tattoo
Honest Tattoo is a bit of a breath of fresh air among the overly branded parlors of the Greek capital. There’s no frills and fuss here. It’s just a two-man team with a smile on their face and a passion for working some of the best skin ink under the Acropolis. They even bill themselves as “probably the best in the city”. They did say honest, eh?
The location is, again, perfect for anyone jetting into Athens to see the historical ruins and then planning to get out again. You’ll need to head to the northern end of Psyri district, an area of rambunctious mezze eateries and stylo hotels with views of the Parthenon.
As we’ve mentioned, there’s just a duo on site here. Tassos specializes in eastern and oriental art themes, with a special focus on Hindu motifs and ancient Asian mural work. Then there’s Nikodemus, who does all manner of smaller tattooing, from Rockabilly love hearts to swashbuckling pirate portraits.
The best tattoo parlors in Athens – our conclusion
Athens is the sprawling and very ancient capital of Greece. It’s home to 3.1 million people and has established itself as the cultural hub of south Europe. It’s also something of a hotbed for subculture and political contrarianism, so, yep, tattooing is very much alive and kicking in these parts.
This guide has focused on just seven of the best tattoo parlors in Athens, which also happen to be some of the very best in all of Greece. There are many, many more on offer, too, whether you’re looking for one in the midst of the old center or out closer to the Attican beaches.
