Black & Blue Tattoo

Androidoh is not just a brilliant artist, but also super chill, funny, and a good (balanced) conversationalist. He also happens to be quick while being careful. That’s a special combo when getting your ribs inked. Appreciate the sympathy.

I love Gauge. They have been working on my sleeve since before the pandemic, but for obvious reasons it delayed me finishing it up Their work is extremely detailed. And the space is extremely comfortable. Looking forward to having my sleeve finished up.

I’ve been tattooed by Jax, Gauge, and Androidoh at this shop. They are all awesome tattoo artist that worked with me to produce art that I love and is meaningful to me. They are professional in every sense and a lot of fun to talk to during a session. Here are three of mine from these artists. They all healed beautifully! I have two more that I am waiting to heal before taking pics. Highly recommend!

Jax's work is absolutely stellar and I am honored to carry one of her pieces with me for the rest of my life! The studio was very accessible and all of the artists were very friendly. Especially since this was my first tattoo, Jax was very comforting, accommodating, and did everything she could to make sure I was comfortable. Jax is incredibly personable and I loved chatting with her before and during our appointment! Additionally, her attention to detail and mastery of tattoo art was incredibly apparent throughout our entire appointment. She totally hit the nail on the head with turning my vision into an absolutely marvellous tattoo. 100/10 would recommend!!

Got my first ever tattoo done by Guage today. Was definitely a success. Super cool individual, great conversation, and made sure I was comfortable throughout the whole process. Tattoo came out exactly how I wanted it.

If you’re in the area, get your tat done by Guage!

I came here for the first time about six months ago to support a friend who got her tattoo from Maggie. The staff was nice and her design came out nice. Going along with her made me think more seriously about getting my first tattoo. I booked an appointment with Sid and he was fantastic. He walked me through the whole process and made me feel very comfortable throughout the whole sitting. At some points it was almost relaxing with the classical music in the background. I am a very anxious person so I'm very glad that I tagged along with my friend last year and was exposed to Black and Blue! I'm very happy with my new ink.

I've had two tattoos at Black & Blue, both done by Idexa. In both cases I had a great conversation discussing what I had in mind, leading to a design I'm happy to have with me for life. The artists at B&B are just that, artists, and they may not be suited to do the work you have in mind--but you can be sure that if they're the right one for you, you'll both know it and they'll do a fantastic job; and if the artist you talk to isn't the right one for your work, they'll tell you, and point you to someone (in the shop or outside of it) who will make you happy.

I'm thrilled with the work they've done for me, and Black & Blue will be the first shop I look at for my next tattoo.

I went for my first tattoo to Black and Blue, and was in awe of Gauge’s work. Given it was my first tattoo, they were so communicative, supportive, and encouraging all the way leading up to the appointment.

The inking process was so much better than one expects tattoo shops to be. Gauge really helped create a calm, welcoming and relaxing environment, and explained each part of the process and aftercare each step of the way. On top of that, we had great conversations about a wide variety of topics and got to enjoy some fun music!

I would highly recommend Gauge for their passion for their art, communication skills, and creating a safe and enjoyable experience for tattoos, whether it be your first or fiftieth!

This is a review of Guage's work at Black and Blue Tattoo. I give Guage five+ stars, keep reading to learn why.

One of my first tattoos, and I have many now, was a simple three star set. With cursory research, I set up an appointment and had the piece done. It turned out ok, but not brilliant. That was my fault for not doing the research.

Fast forward many years later and I've done plenty of research on tattoos and tattooing. So while I was waiting for a fairly large new tattoo to heal, I figured now would be a good time to have my three star set reworked. I dug around and did the research for an artist with a deep expertise in black ink, and precise, straight lines. My research led me to Gauge at Black and Blue Tattoo. Guage is a rare find, an old school tattooist with an encyclopedia of knowledge and experience in their brain. I was a bit hesitant to ask someone of Guage's depth and expertise to do what was in my mind a simple rework of a simple tattoo, but they were enthusiastic about the opportunity, and welcoming when I got to the studio. Speaking of being welcoming, as soon as I walked in Guage wanted to see my new tattoo (completed by another old school artist Guage knew). Guage loved the piece but then immediately noticed I was doing way too much after care on it – putting too much, of the wrong kind of ointment on the tattoo (and I thought I knew what I was doing : ) ). In simple, kind terms, Guage wiped the tattoo off and put the right amount of ointment on it. So within about 15 seconds of meeting Guage, I knew I had the right artist. Any artist who cares about tattoos so much that they'll help with healing process of a another artist's work, is an artist who has my trust from the start.

But that was just the start, Guage took a thoughtful look over the ink I wanted reworked, helped me understand how it had aged, and explained what they were going to do. While they were working I noticed two things – first Guage's bedside manners were great, they could talk about any topic with ease and kept me more than comfortable. Second, I've never seen such a precise hand and a better sense of ink application. I know this was just a rework, so maybe didn't require as much needle pressure as the original piece, but when the original tattoo was completed I was in a lot of pain, and bleeding a lot. With Guage it was as if the new ink was magically placed in my skin. All elements of the stars - the lines, the points, the depth and even application of ink – were perfect. There was no bleeding, and in following Guage's aftercare advice, the tattoos healed perfectly. Given this, I clearly had to go back to Guage for a brand new nautical star : ) Same experience. Perfect lines, incredible depth of color, all done with a near perfect touch. This is what one gets when, having learned from one's mistakes, one does the research and finds the right artist for the right piece – a perfect outcome for both the artist and the customer. I have a few tattoos in mind that require heavy black ink and clean, precise lines. I'll definitely be going to Guage for them and, if you're reading this review as part of your pre-tattoo research, recommend you do the same.

Just finished a full upper arm sleeve with Michael DeMatty as my tattoo artist. It’s was large cover up of a silly enough tattoo from my younger days, but through Michael’s creativity, guidance and skill he has left me feeling quite chuffed about my new tattoo. I had visited a few studios in the city but was drawn towards this business due to the fact that it is a female and queer run, gender-inclusive tattoo studio.
Michael was brilliant from the onset , friendly through out and is a credit to the tattoo community.
I highly recommend Michael and the studio in general along with its other staff give a very nice feeling of warmth and friendliness.