Old School Tattoo Bangkok
by BKK INK

Mor, with us since 2012, is our old school specialist. It is his main style: clean, precise outlines and flat, saturated colour, the same discipline that carries into his fine line, mandala and Sak Yant work. Almost every piece in the gallery above is his. Vay, our neo-traditional colour specialist, also tattoos old school, and so do Jack, best known for his Neo-Thai, Ballin, whose blackwork is small and detailed, and Hack, our geometric specialist.

The classics are all here, swallows, daggers, panthers, ships and roses, but old school also travels well: one of Mor's pieces in the gallery above is a tuk-tuk flying the Thai flag, a Bangkok souvenir in pure traditional style.

It starts with a free consultation, with no obligation to book. Pick a classic motif, an anchor, a swallow, an eagle, a dagger, a rose, a pin-up or a panther, or bring your own reference, and your artist adapts the composition to your placement while keeping the American Traditional rules: thick black outlines and a limited palette.

A small or medium old school piece usually takes one to three hours, in a single session. Larger pieces, a sleeve or a back piece, 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.

If you want to read about the roots of the style before you book, the Wikipedia article on old school tattoos is a good place to start.

Old school starts at 4,000 THB, which is roughly the first hour: 1,000 THB of materials plus 3,000 THB per hour. A small or medium piece of one to three hours therefore usually costs between 4,000 and 10,000 THB. You pay for the time actually spent, under a maximum agreed at the consultation.

For larger work, a half-sleeve usually lands 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 small or medium piece usually takes one to three hours, in a single session. Larger pieces, a full sleeve or a back piece, take 4 to 10 sessions, with at least two weeks between sittings.

Yes. Small and medium tattoos can be done the same day, in every style, old school included: during the day the wait is usually up to an hour, and after 8 pm there is none. For a large project, book ahead: we take bookings up to a year in advance and reply to messages within 24 hours. We speak English, French and Thai in the studio.

It was built to. Thick black outlines and solid, saturated colour keep the design readable as the skin ages: that is the whole point of the style.

Old school (American Traditional) keeps a strict vocabulary: thick, even black outlines, a limited palette of primary colours, flat fills and a set of classic motifs. Neo-traditional keeps that boldness but adds a wider palette, more illustrative shading and contemporary subjects. Old school is the original; neo-traditional is its modern evolution. We do both.