Blackwork Tattoo Bangkok
by BKK INK

Two artists lead the style, with very different hands. Hack works big and precise: mandalas, sacred geometry, dotwork, ornamental florals and Polynesian bands that wrap a shoulder, a calf or a whole arm. Every piece in the gallery above is his. Ballin works small and dark: detailed black pieces with soft shading and a horror edge.

Hack learned the slow way. He began almost twenty years ago as an apprentice, cutting stencils and assisting before he was trusted with a machine, and that patience shows in geometric work, where a mandala only holds together if every line lands exactly where it should. The same line control makes him one of our Sak Yant artists.

Ballin comes from street culture and still fronts a Bangkok hardcore band. His blackwork stays compact and detailed rather than heavy: the kind of piece you notice up close. He also enjoys classic old school when a client wants something lighter.

It starts with a free consultation, with no obligation to book. Bring a geometric pattern, a tribal motif, a sacred geometry sketch or simply the area you want covered, and your artist designs a piece that follows the natural lines of your body.

Sessions run 4 to 6 hours, with breaks whenever you need them. A small geometric panel of 10 to 20 cm is usually done in a single session. Full blackwork and blackout sleeves take 4 to 10 sessions, with at least two weeks between sittings.

Needles are single-use, ink is poured into disposable caps that are thrown away after each client, and we work with Dynamic and Eternal inks, both vegan and cruelty-free. Our artists who tattoo at European conventions also hold the hygiene and sanitation certifications required there.

Bold black tattooing is one of the oldest traditions there is: the word tattoo itself comes from the Polynesian tatau. The Wikipedia article on the history of tattooing is a good place to start if you want to read about those roots.

Blackwork starts at 4,000 THB, which is roughly the first hour: 1,000 THB of materials plus 3,000 THB per hour. You pay for the time actually spent, under a maximum agreed at the consultation, so a shorter session costs less and a longer one never costs more than the cap.

On our size grid, a medium A5 mandala usually lands between 8,000 and 15,000 THB, a half-sleeve between 25,000 and 50,000 THB, and a full sleeve between 60,000 and 120,000 THB. A deposit, from 1,000 THB for small pieces up to 3,000 THB per planned day for large projects, secures your date. See the full pricing guide.

A full blackwork or blackout sleeve takes 4 to 10 sessions of 4 to 6 hours, with at least two weeks between sittings so the skin can heal. A small geometric panel of 10 to 20 cm is usually done in a single session.

Blackwork uses pure, saturated black: solid fills, bold linework, geometric patterns and deliberate negative space. Black and grey dilutes the ink to build gradients, soft shading and photorealistic depth. They are two different visual languages, and our studio does both.

Polynesian tribal, geometric and sacred geometry (mandalas, the flower of life, Metatron's cube), dotwork, ornamental and floral work, and blackout for large areas filled solid black. Styles can also be combined, geometric with dotwork accents or tribal with sacred geometry, when the design calls for it. The gallery above shows most of them.

Sleep well the night before, eat a full meal within two hours of your appointment, drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol for 24 hours. Heavy black work is demanding, so bring snacks, water and a phone charger, and wear loose clothing that leaves the area free. Moisturise the area every day in the week before your session.