Tattoo in Brickell Key

With a decade of tattooing experience, there’s very little that the artist at Artefex Tattoo Studio can’t render in ink. Within private rooms of Artefex Tattoo Studio, they craft customized designs that range from realistic likenesses of Bob Marley to significant others’ names written in elegant script. Besides traditional tattooing, they cover tummy tuck scars with classy ink and enliven brows and lips with permanent makeup. Games of billiards and shows on flat-screen TVs entertain patrons in Artefex’s waiting room, and impatient clients can purchase their own tattoo machine and ink themselves.

Melissa Mederos at Jagua Tattoo Art by Melissa brings her clients' personalities to life through meticulously drawn henna tattoos. Her work uses ink made from jagua fruit, with skin-safe pigments.

The skilled professionals at Miami Tattoo Lounge know that their art can change lives—after all, their canvases are the clients themselves. Respecting that fact, they put their customers' wants first as they decorate patrons' forms with artful piercing and custom tattoos.

The shop's resident artists draw from a wide range of training, skills, and experiences while collaborating on and creating their permanent works of art. Joseph Casal specializes in biomechanical creations, Horacio Montes nods to Mexican muralists with his surreal dreamscapes, and Rue McLean pauses a globetrotting career encompassing Amsterdam and Aruba to ink and pierce. Resident guest artist Victor Rodriguez works alongside the trio, practicing a craft that emphasizes bright, vibrant colors and realistic designs. The staff's collective portfolio showcases designs ranging from full-sleeve decorations to old-school adornments of dragons, skulls, and freshman locker combinations.

Salvation Tattoo Lounge has been making its mark since 2005. At a pair of Miami Beach locations, professional ink artists transform their clients into living, breathing pieces of art. They can even recreate recognizable faces with striking precision, such as those of movie characters, pop culture stars, and beloved mailmen. When they're not peering through the crosshairs of a tattoo gun, the artists administer piercings and apply permanent makeup that is safe to wear by the pool and outdoors.

Established: 2013
Reservations/Appointments: Required
Staff Size: 2–10 people
Parking: Parking lot
Most popular service: Nails and tattoos
Brands Used: Motives cosmetics
Brands Used: Essie

Q&A with Daphnie Montoya, President & Lead Nail Stylist

What’s your favorite part about your job?
The artwork.

When and how did you first develop a passion for your work?
In 2005. I grew up as an artist, but wanted to express art through nails, makeup, and tattoos.

Do you or your staff have any special certifications or degrees?
BS in hospitality management and entertainment management, and Florida nail technician and skin care specialist licenses.

Under the direction of owner Javier Acero, who has been a tattoo artist for over a decade, Tattoo and Co. provides tattooing, piercing and body art applications to a discerning crowd of hardcore Miami locals. The bright, clean shop on SW 40th Street is filled with a wild array of art pieces, paintings and design elements, from tiki-style carvings to colorful bits of art that make the white-walled space pop. Each of Tattoo and Co.’s artists operate in much the same way, with differing and unique styles offered by each individual staff member. Luckily, photo books and design samples are readily available, meaning guests can find the look that matches their personality before making an appointment with the appropriate artist. Piercings are also widely available, as are permanent makeup tattoos, with procedures being done in private rooms that run along a wide, narrow corridor.