No we do not.

Research your artist. It is important to us that you have spent the time looking at

Nowadays with the internet it has become much easier to find good tattoo artists. Any good artist will be happy to show you examples of their work, and discuss your ideas. Custom tattoo artists develop their own visual style, so as you look through each artist’s portfolio consider your tattoo ideas and which style fits you and your personality the best.

Certainly! At Sanctuary we are highly skilled fine artists and we will be happy to discuss your ideas and make your ideas a reality. When you make an appointment to get tattooed here, we will consult with you to create a wearable piece of original artwork for you. We charge for actual tattoo time, custom drawing is free for our customers when they have appointments to get tattooed by us.

Absolutely! We are very flexible at Sanctuary and we will be happy to work with artwork that you bring in. Sometimes we may suggest adjustments so that your design will be more effective as a tattoo.

Cover-ups and re-touches are a big part of what we do, whether you simply want to spruce up an old favorite, or completely transform a tattoo you no longer want, we would be happy to discuss solutions with you.

Unfortunately we just don’t have the time to design tattoos for people we are not tattooing. If you are planning to visit Maine sometime in the future we would love to make an appointment with you for your tattoo. ALSO, each tattoo artist tends to draw designs for the way they tattoo, so it is usually best to let the custom artist who is giving you the tattoo design it for you. Any artist worth their price will be more than happy to design the tattoo that you want and should be able to find plenty of sources for to illustrate your ideas.We suggest that you seek out the best custom tattoo artist you can find in your region. (Seeing a good tattoo artist is worth the extra travel )

What you see on our website are examples of one of a kind tattoos we have done for other people. Since we are a custom shop we do not have any flash available. Please check out our links page for some other sources of artwork.

Yes, and… Your mileage may vary, as each person is different. There are a number of factors that determine what your experience will be like: location on the body and attitude are two big ones. Some people find the experience quite uncomfortable, while others find it rather pleasurable. Most people land somewhere in the middle and find the experience to be mildly annoying. For many the initial outline is the most difficult part and after a little while it becomes easier. Eating a good meal beforehand, getting plenty of sleep the night before, and remembering to breathe all make the whole experience easier.

Once again your mileage may vary. What hurts for one person can be a piece of cake for another. Remember it will be a relatively brief period of discomfort for a lifetime of having a tattoo exactly where you want it to be.

Absolutely! Your health and safety is of the utmost concern to us. We practice universal precautions, and approach every tattoo with the same high level of care. Everything we use is either thoroughly scrubbed and steriled in an autoclave (that we test on a monthly basis) and/or disposable. We always use disposable ink caps and new autoclaved needles which are removed from a sealed pouch just prior to your tattoo. PLEASE NOTE: It might also help to remember that while a customer might get tattooed serveral times a year, we work with mulitple customers nearly every day of the year, therefore it serves us greatly to be meticulous in our approach to tattooing not only for our customers, but for health and safety of ourselves as well as our beloved friends and families.

There are so many variables that it is nearly impossible to give a price estimate via email. If you would like to get tattooed by one of us, please call the studio 207-828-8866 and speak to the artist you wish to make an appointment with.

In person, over the phone or with some artists, via PayPal online.

Cash, MC, Visa and Discover (some artists)

$150-$175/hour, depending on your artist.

Tips are never expected, and always appreciated. We strive to provide quality service for all of our customers, we love expressions of gratitude in any form.

Need to complete…

We are at 31 Forest Ave in Portland Maine, here is a map with directions.

Sanctuary Tattoo is conveniently located in downtown Portland. We are close to many hotels and bed and breakfasts. We are directly across the street from the Westin Portland Harborview Hotel.

There is a parking garage diagonally across from us and another open lot at the end of our building (both paid parking). And of course, on street is an option!

There is no such thing as metallic ink, however we can create a tattoo that is shaded and colored to simulate a metallic surface. Metallic objects, look shiny because they reflect light off of a surface, tattoo pigment is seen through the layers of your skin, therefore your skin will mask the reflective quality of metal.

Assuming you have been using your sunblock religiously and your tattoo is not simply faded from overexposure to the sun… All tattoo pigment is seen through layers of healed skin. While fair skin reveals colors clearly, darker skin forms a filter that tattoo pigment must be seen through. Pastels and white pigments can be seen better in fairer skin. Deeper richer colors are a better choice because they are more visible in darker skin.

A lot of people all over the world love to collect tattoo business cards and memorabilia, if you’d like us to send you our cards and sanctuary schwag, please just send a stamped self-addressed envelope to us here at the studio, and we’ll send you back some goodies.

In a word NO.

Every artist here offers gift certificates. Here’s a little explanation about our Gift Certificate process. Because every artist here is his or her own business, we need to ring in the sale with a specific artist. When purchasing a gift certificate, you will be asked which artist you want the gift certificate with. In case you don’t know whom your loved one is working with (or wants to work with, in the event they are a new client)…you can do a little special agent work to find out. And you don’t have to blow your cover. You can play dumb. Simply say something like, “Wow, I love your tattoo, who did it?” Or even better, “I’m thinking about getting a (another) tattoo and was wondering who you’re going to?” Each of our artists have a unique, niche skill set that they offer. We are confident that between our six artists, we have someone here at Sanctuary who can fulfill your tattoo needs. By browsing our online portfolios or our albums in house, the client typically becomes drawn to an artist’s style of work. It’s that easy. It’s organic. And that’s how it’s meant to be. Not sure which artist? Torn between two? Give our shop manager Melissa a call and she can discuss the project with you and point you in the right direction.

*$50 Gift Certificate minimum encouraged

*100 Gift Certificate minimum for Wilhelm Scherer

*Gift Certificates can be used as deposit

*Gift Certificate expires one year from issue date