Five resident artists, a wall of one-off flash and a piercing studio that never uses a gun. Drawn by hand, tattooed with care, healed to last.
Every artist books their own chair and draws every custom piece from scratch. Pick the hand that fits your idea.
All artists →
02Kabir RaoBlackwork & geometric · blackwork / geometricBooks open13 pieces · 8 flash
03Isha MenonColour realism & watercolour · realism / watercolor / fine-lineBooks open12 pieces · 0 flash
04Rohan BhattTraditional & neo-traditional · traditional / blackwork / realismBooks open12 pieces · 10 flash
05Yuki AraiJapanese large-scale · japanese / blackworkBooks closed12 pieces · 2 flash
Hand-painted designs, most tattooed once and then retired. Drag the wall, tilt a card, claim yours with a deposit.
Open the full wall →
Eight ways we work, from single-needle fine-line to full Japanese sleeves.
Read the glossary →
01Fine-line
Single-needle detail that reads like a pencil drawing.
02Blackwork
Saturated black, bold silhouettes, built to last.
03Realism
Photographic depth in black and grey or full colour.
04Traditional
Bold outlines, solid colour, timeless flash.
05Japanese
Large-scale compositions that flow with the body.
06Geometric
Sacred geometry, dotwork and clean symmetry.
07Watercolour
Soft washes held by a crisp black frame.
08Script
Lettering drawn by hand, sized to stay legible.
No surprises. Here is every step from first message to healed tattoo.
Start a custom enquiry →
Enquire
Send your idea, placement and references. The estimator gives you a price range on the spot.
Draw
Your artist draws for the day. You see it first in the studio and we adjust it together.
Stencil
The stencil goes on and you check it in the mirror, arm relaxed, raised and bent. Move it as often as you like.
Tattoo
Fresh needles opened in front of you. Breaks whenever you want them. Music is your call.
Heal
Wrapped, briefed and sent home with balm. A free touch-up within three months if you need one.
Fresh tattoos look red and raised. These are the same pieces weeks later. Healed work is the only portfolio that matters.
FreshHealed · 6 wks
FreshHealed · 8 wks
FreshHealed · 5 wks
Implant-grade titanium and solid 14k gold, placed for your anatomy. Free downsize visit included.
The balm we use in the studio, sterile saline and jewellery fitted free at the desk.
Shop everything →
Pick a size, a placement and a style. The estimate is worked out on our server from each artist's real rates.
Friday the 13th Flash Day
Rohan Bhatt & Mara D'Souza
Walk-ins from noon. ₹1,313 flash from Rohan's sheet, first come, first served.
Guest spot: Lena Kraus (Berlin)
Lena Kraus
Ornamental blackwork from Berlin, five days only. Deposits open now.
Aftercare & healing evening
Blackthorn team
A free talk on healing, sun and touch-ups, with tea.
Bangalore Tattoo Weekender
Kabir Rao & Yuki Arai
Find our booth at the city's tattoo weekender.
1,240 reviews
Mara redrew my grandmother's jasmine three times until it felt right. Healed, it looks like a pressed flower in a book.
Ananya R.Jasmine sprig · Indiranagar
Covered a ten-year-old name with a solid black snake and roses. You cannot see a trace of it. Kabir is a magician.
Vikram S.Snake & roses · Whitefield
Cleanest studio I have ever been in. Everything opened in front of me, the consent form was done on my phone the night before.
Meera K.Hygiene · Koramangala
Two sittings, one wolf, zero regrets. Isha shows you the plan for the second session before you leave the first.
Arjun P.Wolf in the pines · HSR Layout
Walked in on a flash Saturday, walked out with Rohan's panther an hour later. Bold, clean, healed in ten days.
Farhan A.Flash panther · Jayanagar
Yuki planned my whole sleeve in one consult. Four sittings later it flows exactly like the drawing he showed me.
Karan D.Wave sleeve · Malleshwaram
Got my helix and a conch done in one visit. They explained the downsize appointment and it was free. Healing perfectly.
Riya N.Helix + conch · Frazer Town
The healing balm is the only thing that did not make my fresh piece break out. Bought the big tub.
Sana M.Thorn Healing Balm · Bellandur
My tiny wrist heart took twenty minutes and they treated it like a back piece. No upsell, no rush.
Divya L.Wrist heart · Banashankari
Geometric fern on my arm is perfectly symmetrical even when I flex. Kabir measured everything twice.
Tenzin W.Fern in triangle · Hebbal
Gifted my brother a voucher. He booked a flash the same week and the email with the code looked gorgeous.
Pooja G.Gift voucher · Yelahanka
Isha's watercolour bird still looks fresh three years on. I use their SPF stick religiously.
Nisha T.Bird & blossom · Sadashivanagar
Rohan's rose on my elbow was the most painful hour of my life and worth every second. The lines are perfect.
Aditya V.Elbow rose · RT Nagar
The 14k seamless hoop is so thin I forget it is there. Fitted free at the studio in five minutes.
Lakshmi I.14k hoop · Basavanagudi
We run the studio like a clinic so you can relax in the chair.
Needles, cartridges, ink caps and gloves are used once and binned in a sharps box.
Anything reusable is bagged, sterilised and logged. Ask to see the log.
Machines, cords, bottles and the chair are wrapped and changed per client.
We only use inks that meet EU REACH limits for heavy metals.
A second-floor studio five minutes from MG Road metro. Ring the black bell.
Your first tattoo, start to finish
From the first message to the first wash: what actually happens at a Blackthorn appointment.
Will my fine-line tattoo blur?
Why spacing, depth and sunscreen decide how a delicate tattoo looks in ten years.
How Isha designs a realism piece
Shadows first, colour last: a look over Isha's shoulder from reference to stencil.
Still unsure? Write to us and a real artist answers, usually the same day.