By BKK INK Team · Published September 2026 · Updated September 2026
Award-winning Bangkok tattoo studio since 2009 · 12 artists · 57 convention awards
In 2009, the year we opened our doors on Thanon Tanao, right at the end of Khaosan Road, we became, as far as we know, the first tattoo studio in Thailand to hold an official licence to practise. Seventeen years and more than 40,000 tattoos later, that early choice still says a lot about who we are: a licensed tattoo studio in Bangkok that takes hygiene and professionalism seriously enough to help write the rules of the whole profession. Here is the story, and what it means for you when you come to get tattooed with us.
2009: the first licence in the country
We wanted to be a fully legal tattoo studio from day one, so we applied for a licence to practise at a time when no tattooist in Thailand had ever received one. We obtained it in 2009. It was a first for the country, and the starting point of everything that followed.
Being first was not about a trophy on the wall. Tattooing has deep roots in Thailand, from the Sak Yant tradition to the modern studios of Bangkok, yet no tattoo studio we knew of had a licence to practise. We believed a serious studio should be recognised as a proper business, with the same responsibilities as any other, and we were ready to show how we worked: sterile single-use needles, disposable bamboo tools for Sak Yant, stations wrapped and changed between every client, and artists trained to the hygiene and sanitation standards required to tattoo at European conventions. Those standards were already ours in 2009. The licence simply made them official. Wikipedia’s overview of Sak Yant gives a sense of how far back the art goes here; we are proud to be part of its modern, professional chapter.
Bringing the profession together
Our licence opened a door, and we wanted the rest of the profession to walk through it. In the mid-2010s we joined forces with other major names of the Thai tattoo scene, went to meet the ministry together, and started a dialogue that led to the creation of the Thai Tattoo Trade Association.
That day in front of the ministry is one of our favourite memories. Studios that compete for the same clients all year stood side by side with one request: recognition for tattooists as a profession. Officials came down to meet us, listened, and the conversation has never stopped since. Out of it came the Thai Tattoo Trade Association, which we helped found and where we remain active. Through the association, we keep working for a status better adapted to our profession, one that protects clients and tattooists alike. We are proud to have played an active, pioneering role in that movement, alongside artists we respect.
2026: when the authorities came to see how we work
This year the authorities visited our studio, together with the association, on a friendly visit to see how a professional tattoo studio operates and to draw inspiration for the future rules of the profession. Being chosen as a reference for how tattooing should be done is the best compliment our standards could receive.
We showed them exactly what we show every client: the sealed needle cartridge opened in front of you, the wrapped station, the gloves changed whenever the artist touches anything outside the work area, the inks from Dynamic and Eternal, vegan and cruelty-free according to both manufacturers, and the aftercare soap we hand you at the end of the session. Our knowledge and our standards are the reason we are able to help shape the legislation of our profession, and that role is one we take seriously. The framework for Thai tattooists is still being built, and we are glad to be one of the studios helping to build it.
What it means for you
When you get tattooed at BKK INK, you are in the studio that opened the way for licensed tattooing in Thailand, and where the authorities themselves come to see how it should be done. Hygiene is not a detail for us; it is the foundation of every tattoo we do.
In practice you will see it at every step. Your artist opens the sterile needle in front of you. The station is wrapped fresh for you and dismantled after you. Bamboo tools for Sak Yant are used once and thrown away. At the end of the session you leave with our aftercare soap and clear instructions for the first wash, and our reception answers your questions in English, French or Thai on Instagram or Messenger. Touch-ups are free for two years, except on hands and feet, where the skin itself makes a retouch a normal part of the process. Our pricing is simple and agreed before you sit down: 1,000 THB in materials per session, then 3,000 THB per hour, with a maximum fixed in advance. The materials fee is exactly where those standards live: sterile consumables, medical-grade disinfectants and certified inks.
Come and see for yourself
Seventeen years after that first licence, our 12 artists still work the way we promised in 2009, and the trophies that followed, from the Mondial du Tatouage in Paris to the Singapore Ink Show, were built on that foundation. If you are planning a tattoo in Bangkok, send us your idea, a few reference photos, a photo of the area, the size in centimetres and your dates in town, and we will tell you what is possible. The studio is open every day from noon to 11 pm, right at the end of Khaosan Road. We would love to show you around.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to get a tattoo in Thailand?
Yes. Tattooing is legal in Thailand for clients aged 18 and over. We only tattoo adults.
Was BKK INK really the first licensed tattoo studio in Thailand?
As far as we know, yes. In 2009 we obtained an official licence to practise, and we know of no tattoo studio in the country that held one before us. Today our licence to operate as a tattoo and piercing studio, issued by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, carries the number 2569-5001-04-000062.
What hygiene standards does the studio follow?
Sterile single-use needles opened in front of you, disposable bamboo tools for Sak Yant, stations wrapped and changed between clients, artists trained to the hygiene and sanitation standards required at European conventions, and mainly Dynamic and Eternal inks, vegan and cruelty-free according to the manufacturers.
What is the Thai Tattoo Trade Association?
The professional association of Thai tattooists, which we helped found. Through it we keep working with the authorities for a status better adapted to the profession, to protect clients and tattooists.
Why did the authorities visit the studio in 2026?
On a friendly visit with the association, to see how a professional tattoo studio works and to draw inspiration for the future rules of the profession.
Does being licensed make tattoos more expensive?
Materials are 1,000 THB per session, then 3,000 THB per hour with a maximum agreed in advance. The materials fee is where sterile consumables and certified inks live.
Where is the studio?
143 Thanon Tanao, Banglamphu, right at the end of Khaosan Road, open every day from 12:00 to 23:00. We moved a few doors down the same street in 2022, from number 137 to 143.