One of the main reasons people seem to avoid tattoos is the pain. Yes, tattoos hurt–no, they do not all hurt the same. Regardless, with pain being (no pun-intended) one of the pain-points of being tattooed, we thought that numbing cream would be a solid topic to discuss.
Read MoreHealing Instructions
Proper healing and aftercare can be the key to your new tattoo keeping its vitality and being fresh years into the future, or not looking the way you’d want, ten years down the road. That can make that initial first week after getting a tattoo a little nerve-wracking, as you don’t want to do anything to negate its healing, but our tips will make sure it heals in amazing fashion.
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Our cards quite literally say, “by appointment or impulse” for a reason.
Walk-In Tattoos
At Olde City Tattoo, the tradition of tattooing means a lot to us. Tattooing history has seen walk-in tattoos start to die out a little, with “appointment only” becoming the norm–but we wanted to keep up with the dying art of the walk-in.
Read MorePainful Spots
Let’s start off by saying this: all tattoos hurt. There is not a single spot on your body that doesn’t at least slightly hurt from getting a needle put into it–logically speaking. However, some spots (lower back, upper bicep, ribs) hurt more than others (outside of the shoulder, and forearm).
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Tattoo Preparation
Tattoo Prep
Properly preparing for tattoos matters a lot, or else you might be in for a worse session than you wanted. There are a few rules to follow when you are going to get a tattoo, and this involves the day before, and during the tattoo itself.
Read MoreTraditional Tattoos
The “traditional” definition of a traditional tattoo usually deals with black lines, one-third black shading, one-third color, and one-third skin tone. It can also apply to the imagery that is being tattooed on a given person–a lot of military or postcard imagery is used for traditional tattoos and that can sometimes be what defines them, in terms of style.
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Philadelphia Convention
The Philadelphia Tattoo Convention, from January 20th to January 23rd, is one of the most prestigious and largest tattoo conventions in America. Being featured here is an absolute honor and at Old City Tattoo, we are proud to say we are going on 20+ years of participation.
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Sports Tattoos
If you want to come to show your Philadelphia pride, there is no better place to do it than at Old City Tattoo. Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, Union, hell, even the Lehigh Valley IronPigs–we love doing all of these designs and logos, to help you show your fandom.
Read MoreFlash Tattoos
A Flash Tattoo is a pre-drawn image that is already colored and shaded, so that you can have an understanding of size and design before you get it on your body. We have hundreds of flash designs in the shop, ready to be stenciled and applied.
Olde City Tattoo
The Most Experienced Shop
One of our most prideful points as a shop is our cumulative longevity. With over 100 total years of shared experience, you can rest assured that Olde City Tattoo is the most experienced shop in the city of Philadelphia.
Read MoreStreet Shop Tattooing
We take pride in keeping the history and origins of street shop tattooing alive and well in Philadelphia. While there is nothing wrong with studio setups for tattooing, there is something visceral and classic about the walk-in, street shop experience. It’s what tattooing should be and is the very roots from which the industry took off.