About BKK INK

Award-winning Bangkok tattoo studio · since 2009

right at the end of Khaosan Road, BKK INK has been Bangkok’s home for specialist tattooing since 2009: twelve artists, one standard: send every piece to the specialist whose craft fits it best.

40,000+
Tattoos since 2009
57
International convention trophies
4.8★
Google · 1,100+ reviews
96%
Facebook · 850+ reviews
12
Specialist artists

By the BKK INK Team · Bangkok, since 2009 · Updated September 2026

BKK INK tattoo studio storefront at night on Khaosan Road Bangkok with illuminated sign

Who is behind BKK INK?

BKK INK is a tattoo studio right at the end of Khaosan Road, in the Banglamphu quarter of Phra Nakhon, running since 2009. Founded by Ball BKK, it is built around twelve specialist artists, each devoted to a narrow set of styles rather than working as generalists.

Across more than 40,000 tattoos since 2009, the through-line has stayed the same: send every client to the specialist whose craft fits the piece, not to whoever is free.

Ball BKK, the founder

Ball BKK is the founder and co-owner, a self-taught artist who spent three years drawing before he was allowed to touch a machine. At 24 he took a 1st prize at the Mondial du Tatouage in Paris, making us the only Thai studio to win there. Read Ball’s full profile →

Ball BKK on stage at the Mondial du Tatouage with his framed Best of Full Back winning artwork
Hammerhead shark forearm fine line tattoo BangkokPirate skull with ship full sleeve realistic tattoo Bangkok

Why we price by time

We price by time, with a maximum agreed before we start: 1,000 THB in materials per session plus 3,000 THB per hour. Piece-based pricing overcharges small work and undercharges big multi-session pieces; pricing by the hour is fairer to everyone, and agreeing a ceiling upfront removes the open-ended bill visitors dread. Read why we switched to time-based pricing.

The first licensed studio in Thailand

When we applied for an operating licence in 2009, the authorities told us no such licence existed for tattoo studios: the trade was registered under other activities. It took several weeks of discussion before one was issued. As far as we know, it was the first ever granted to a tattoo studio in Thailand. In the months that followed, tattooists from other provinces began calling to ask how we had done it. The team is helping create the country’s first tattoo artists’ union. A profession in a legal grey zone cannot protect its clients or its artists, which is also why every station is cleaned to the same sterile, single-use standard.

BKK INK studio interior with client lounge, framed artwork and glass-walled tattoo work room
Hannya mask, snake and peony full back Japanese tattoo BangkokTwin tigers 999 numerals abdomen Sak Yant tattoo Bangkok

Specialists, not generalists

Every artist owns a defined set of styles instead of claiming to do everything. A generalist competent at ten styles is rarely exceptional at any one, and a tattoo is permanent. Matching the client to the right hand is the most important decision we make before any ink is mixed. Meet the 12 specialists →

57 international convention awards

With 57 international convention awards from conventions across Europe and Asia, and the only Mondial du Tatouage 1st prize ever won by a Thai studio, BKK INK is arguably Thailand’s most awarded tattoo studio.

Recent wins include Best of the Show at the Artistic Ink Festival two years running, 2025 and 2026, two 1st prizes at the Singapore Ink Show, and Best of the Day at the Vietnam Ink Festival 2024. The full shelf sits in the lounge.

Three BKK INK artists with 1st place Best Collaboration trophies at the Singapore Ink ShowThree BKK INK artists holding seven award plaques at Bangkok Tattoo Exhibition 2024
Tawanchai, ONE Championship Muay Thai world champion, in fighting stance showing his script lettering rib tattoo — BKK INK BangkokYOUNGOHM, Thai rap superstar, with friends in the BKK INK studio lounge on Khaosan Road

Locals, travellers and celebrities

Most studios in a tourist district live on walk-in travellers alone. We serve visitors from every continent, yet what really sets the studio apart is the other half of the chair: Thai locals who can compare every studio in their own city and still come back piece after piece.

That local trust extends to famous skin. We have tattooed world champions including Tawanchai, Jonathan Haggerty and Singdam, sponsored ONE Championship fighters, and are woven into Bangkok’s creative scene with YOUNGOHM, Preduce, 4Bang and beyond.

The Mondial du Tatouage in Paris, where Ball BKK won 1st prize in 2014, is still one of the most prestigious conventions in the world.

Every convention award since 2010

The full shelf, for those who like to check: 57 awards from international tattoo conventions in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, Sweden and France, listed by year. A few were won by an artist before they joined BKK INK, and we count those too, because the trophy came to the studio with them. Every claim on this site comes from this list.

The trophy cabinet at BKK INK in Bangkok, holding the studio 56 tattoo convention awards won since 2010

Updated September 2026. Names in brackets show the artist credited on the certificate where we have it. Entries without a name are studio awards from the early years.

Ready to get tattooed at BKK INK?

Bring your idea or just your story, and we match it to the right specialist and design from there. Questions first? Read our 15 answers.
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143 Thanon Tanao, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200 · Open daily 12:00–23:00 · English / French / Thai