The Studio
Situated in an Historic Shop Premises, Six Hands Tattoo is the first Bristol Tattoo studio on Stapleton Road.
We have designed the space to be comfortable, clean and inspiring for artists and clients alike. We believe a tattoo studio should be a feast for the eyes and we are proud to show off our collection of artwork. Made up of pieces from our own personal collections as well as various pieces from artists we enjoy, know or have found at conventions - as well as some pieces of our own. Featuring a wide variety of styles from around the globe that show off our eclectic tastes.
We are located in the heart of Bristol’s St. Jude’s area on Stapleton Road.
The street is a busy thoroughfare that connects East Bristol to the city centre.
It’s a very multicultural area and is a hub for the local community with many brilliant small shops and restaurants catering especially to the local Caribbean, Somali and other communities from around the world. This makes for some delicious lunch options but not always the best for Vegetarians/Vegans so a packed lunch might be a good idea if you’re in for a day session.
It’s a lively street with rarely a dull moment and a brilliant community we are proud to call our neighbours. We have also tried to create a warm and welcoming oasis from the buzz of central Bristol.
Transport & Parking
Local buses like the 24 and 48 go right past the studio and a 15 minute walk from all other city centre connections. We are also only 20 minutes walk from Temple Meads Train station for anyone travelling from further afield.
There is some paid street parking in the area but it is often busy so we would recommend the car park at Trojan Fighters on Wellington Road (£6 for the whole day and less than 10 mins walk from the studio) or the Cabot Circus car park nearby (a little more expensive but secure and always has space)
We have been lucky enough to inherit a wall of Art Nouveau tiles. These are an original feature and are believed to date from around the turn of the 20th century. Hidden under a false wall for decades, they were uncovered by our Landlady a few years ago, and the many holes from years of unknowing drilling were lovingly repaired by her and her partner. These have become a beautiful and unique feature of our studio and have informed the style and colour choices for the rest of the space. They are also wipeable, helping us maintain the high level of hygiene (a bonus the original owners probably never expected!)
We are still looking in to the history of the building, before us it was a chicken shop and then a shoe shop and a costume jewellery shop dating back to the 60’s but we are still trying to discover the original purpose of the tiles - best theories at the moment are a bakery or tea shop back in the early 1900’s
Although we have tried to keep some original features we have made sure we have everything we need for modern, clean tattooing practice. From comfortable tattooing furniture to the infrared heating system, from touch free handwashing facilities to top of the line sterilisation equipment we have put our clients comfort and safety first.
Through the back we also have toilet facilities for clients as well as our kitchenette, drawing space and library.
There is always tea, coffee and other drinks on offer with regular or oat milk, as well as a toastie machine and microwave if you've brought your own lunch. Our coffee is from the amazing local roastery Radical Roasters run by Matt's wonderful wife Cat, some of the best ethical beans in the business!
check out Radical Roasters Instagram here
Our ever expanding book shelves have an amazing collection of reference books that we love to use for consultations and the design process, and have all sorts of imagery that you’ll struggle to find on Pinterest!
The shop itself is ground floor and wheelchair accessible, however due to the small size the bathroom is not.
Our Ethos
We aim to provide the best possible service to all of our clients. Whether it's a massive multi day project or a tiny one off tattoo, we try to give everyone the same great experience.
Depending on the tattoo design we offer a free consultation service and work with clients to create the perfect design for them. We believe that tattooing is a collaboration and love to get input from clients to make unique designs while offering our expertise to advise on how best to create something that will hold up over time and fit the body perfectly.
We believe that a big part of the tattoo process is about the human connection and some of the best experiences come from sharing conversations and learning people's stories. Because of this, none of our tattoo artists wear headphones while tattooing so that we can be sure to give our full attention to our clients. However, if you’d like to wear headphones during your tattoo or prefer to be quiet that’s totally fine too.
Our clients welfare is of the utmost importance to us and we are always happy to do what we can to ensure everyone feels safe. We are a shared space but have privacy screens available on request.
We are a welcoming and inclusive space and will not tolerate any hate or discrimination in our studio.