Inked in Barca | Barcelona’s best tattoo shops

Fine line work and minimalism takes a seriously steady hand, and Soni Gross at Bonitolo Justo is your go-to for an understated Barcelona tat that’ll still wow anyone lucky enough to see it. Specialising in nature, Soni’s Instagram feed has the usual butterfly and leaf designs. But some of her more unusual pieces are delicate works of art that would look just as good on your wall as your arm.

Pop yourself in Irene’s chair at Gold Street or Family Art Tattoos and you’ll walk away with a gorgeous watercolour. But before you skip to something a shade darker, don’t worry, Irene’s repertoire still embraces the macabre. Skulls are embellished with complex colour work – and her Instagram profile showcases everything from sea creatures to cartoon characters.

If ever there was a tattoo specialism that needed accuracy, it’s realism. 3D images so realistic, you’ll be doing a double take whenever you stroll past a reflection. If you’ve got your heart set on a realism tattoo in Barcelona, we’ve got three recommendations for you. Each have their own, incredibly detailed, style.

First up, Pablo Munilla, can be found at Logia. His portfolio is eclectic, but mostly features designs in black and gray. His Marilyn Monroe is full of shading, depth and tone that most artists would dream of. If you like your realism to zing with colour, you’ll be in good hands with Family Art Tattoo’s, Victor Chil. His portfolio has a Walter White piece that is incredible. Lastly, Elena’s an in-demand artist who travels around Spain working on bookings. If you can catch her in Barcelona, you’ll be rewarded with anything from a hyper-real gorilla to a very life-like pet portrait.

Barcelona isn’t short on tattoo shops. Neither would you struggle to get a walk-in slot with many Barcelona tattooists. But are you going to get something that’ll need an extensive cover up piece in a few years time? Drop in to Family Art Tattoo and you can expect pristine, high quality work. While you’re here, check out the work of Nicklas Westin. His modern twists on traditional Japanese tattoos are eye-wateringly good. And, if you do happen to be brandishing something you’d rather cover up, they can help you with that, too.

Ok, we’re not talking about getting a cute puppy inked on your arm – or an ethical slogan. But by all means do, if that’s what you’re in the market for. No, here we’re strictly talking inks. Vegan inks. As – unless you take a deep dive into the intricacies of your colour palette, you might not realise some tattoo inks can contain anything from bone and hooves to insect parts. Grim. Luckily, being vegan in Barcelona doesn’t mean missing out on some fresh ink. Red Van Tattoo Studio and Shiva Shakti Tattoo both use 100% vegan ink – and their designs are top notch too. We’re particularly fond of the on brand, fine line nature tattoos by Raul Teruel Esteo at Shiva Shakti.

Barcelona’s definitely not short on blackwork rockstars, knocking some stellar designs out of the park across the city. Franki at Blackship is our pick of the bunch – though, we’ve got a couple more up our sleeve – if his skulls, motifs and crisp, crisp work isn’t quite your style? Toni Nova leads his own studio and creates realistic black work pieces that he occasionally adds a blaze of colour to. This Dali piece on his ‘gram feed clues you in to what to expect, which is, in short, magic. Last up, take a seat in Mario Catlan’s chair at Pro-Arts and expect to come away with a life changing piece. A bit much? Just wait until you see his work…

Brave enough to go under the gun of a Barcelona tattoo artist with the name Maxi Pain? Congratulations, because you’re going to get the tattoo of your dreams. That is, of course, if you’ve got a penchant for superheroes and Marvel characters. And, let’s be honest, who hasn’t? Maxi’s work is a colour riot on your skin. His profile is packed with famous faces – mostly of the illustrated kind. His Snow White looks like she’s been lifted straight off the silver screen and things go from the whimsical works of Disney to the scariest Joker we’ve seen in a long time. Need a little MORE inspo? Comics Barcelona is just a 20 minute walk away.