If you want a good tattoo, you have to pay for it. However, tattoo artists have made a name for themselves by charging incredibly high prices for their work.
Granted, tattoo artists price their services based on many things, including their popularity, years of experience, or the complexity or the uniqueness of their tattoo designs.
Some tattoo artists are so popular that people have to wait for more than two years before getting an appointment. No wonder some of these tattoo artists are so expensive.
17. Oliver Peck ($100/Hr)
Oliver Peck got the Guinness world record for doing the most tattoos in 24 hours. In that short amount of time, he had already done 415 tattoos.
He has also acted as a judge on Ink Masters. Otherwise, he owns two tattoo shops in Texas.
16. Mike Rubendall ($125/Hr)
Although he is one of the most affordable tattoo artists on the list, Mike is still among the most expensive tattoo artists you can find.
He is best known for creating tattoos of Japanese origin, and he also got featured for his work on the series Tattoo Wars.
To get an appointment with Mike, you have to book a year in advance.
15. Dave Tedder ($150/Hr)
Dave worked as a piercer in South Carolina before turning into a tattoo artist. First, he traveled to Florida, where he learned more about professional tattooing, and his career took off from there.
14. Bob Tyrrell ($155/Hr)
Bob Tyrrell got a lot of attention as a tattoo artist after inking Kid Rock. He currently lives in Michigan, and he started his tattooing journey while in his thirties.
He has been featured on LA Ink and London Ink, and he has also taken part in the WorldWide Tattoo Conference and acted as a jurist in Chaudesaigues Grant, an award for tattoo experts.
13. Stephanie Tamez ($200/Hr)
Stephanie got training as a graphic designer before shifting her focus to tattooing. She works from New York, and she likes to mix up her art. This has earned her so much popularity as a tattoo artist.
She is also popular for informing her clients about tattoo care and offer advice on how a tattoo would look after some time.
12. Keith Underwood ($200/Hr)
Keith is the co-owner of Austin Tattoo Company and Taylor Street Tattoo. After being an apprentice for Mike "Rollo Banks" Malone, he mastered his craft, who had worked with the legendary tattoo artist Ed Hardy.
Keith is popular for his street style art. His first shop was in Chicago, Illinois, and it was called Taylor Street Tattoo and Body Piercing.
11. Brandon Bond ($210/Hr)
Brandon has worked hard to achieve success as a tattoo artist of international repute. He now runs two shops, All or Nothing Tattoo and Anti Art Elite, which are very popular in the U.S.
He is known for working fast and delivering results in a couple of hours. In addition to being a tattoo artist, he sells tattoo-related products such as books and clothes.
10. Katherine Von Drachenberg (Kat Von D) ($210/Hr)
The Mexican tattoo artist, model, and celebrity is one of the world's highest-paid tattoo artists. She also appears in the reality show LA Ink.
9. Jonathan Valena (JonBoy) ($300/Hr)
Jonathan was previously a youth minister at Hillsong. He is popular for being the artist behind the tattoos on Justin Bieber's face.
JonBoy has also worked with celebrities like Hailey, Kendall Jenner, Travis Scott, and Zayn Malik.
8. Paul Booth ($310/Hr)
Paul Booth began his tattooing journey very early in his life. He even did his tattoos. He particularly likes dark and horrifying artworks.
He is credited with advancing a style that looks extremely textured, something he achieves through experimentation and the use of a multi-layered tattooing style.
7. Dr. Woo ($400/Hr)
Dr. Woo usually deals with celebrities like Drake, Miley Cyrus, and Frank Ocean. With such a clientele, getting the services of this artist requires an investment.
People have to be on the waiting list for up to two years before getting an appointment with the doctor.
6. Eva KRBDK ($400/Hr)
Eva stands out for her work because all her tattoos are inside a small circle. Although the tattoos are small, the prices are not.
However, her work is very unique as she is one of the few artists known to create these visually appealing works of art.
5. Bang Bang ($400/Hr)
Clearly, spending more than a couple of hours with this famous New York tattoo artist will cost a small fortune. He is considered the best of the best by many, having worked with high-profile clients such as Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Lebron James.
His real name is Keith McCurdy, and he runs Bang Bang, where he charges $400 per hour. With celebrity clients and such high fees, you can bet that he is one of the world's best tattoo artists.
4. Anil Gupta ($450/Hr)
Believe it or not, Anil Gupta did not have a single tattoo on his body before turning into a raging success industry.
Gupta has stood out for his realistic portraits, and he has even tattooed Leonardo da Vinci's paintings on people. In other words, his work is breathtaking.
No wonder he can afford to charge such high prices for his work at his Inkline Studio in Manhattan, New York.
3. Ami James ($500/Hr)
Ami James is wildly famous, which is the reason he can afford to charge such high prices for his work. He is incredibly popular for the hit tattoo reality TV shows Miami Ink and NY Ink.
James started getting tattoos early at on 15 years of age. He owns three tattoo shops today.
2. Scott Campbell ($1,000/Hr)
Scott makes James look like getting tattooed by Ami James is an incredible bargain. Luckily, the price goes down to $200 an hour after the first session.
He is the owner of Saved Tattoo, which, like other high-end tattoo shops on this list, is located in New York.
He has worked with celebrity clients such as Sting, Robert Downey Jr., and Orlando Bloom.
Scott is also quite picky about his clients, and you will not get a chance to enjoy one of his thousand-dollar an hour sessions unless you have one of his friends as a friend.
1. Ed Hardy ($1,500/Hr)
Not only is Ed Hardy the most expensive tattoo artist in the world, but he is also the most loaded with an estimated net worth of $250 million.
The artist is aged 70 years today, and although he has retired from tattooing, an hour with him costs around $1,500 if you can convince him to work on your skin.
He still owns a tattoo parlor in San Francisco called Ed Hardy's Tattoo City, where his son works as a tattoo artist. So, even if you can no longer get Ed Hardy tattoos, you can still get the closest thing to the masterworks he could create when he was still in the game through his son.
Ed took his work very seriously and even attended the San Francisco Art Institute, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking.
So, if you think plain skin is boring and want the very best tattoo artists in the world to work on it, then accept that it will cost you. Of course, assuming you are lucky enough to get an appointment with some of these famous tattoo artists.
