Shop Info

While Black Hive Tattoo is open to the public weekly Tuesday through Friday, from 2-7pm for you to check out the shop, our artists all keep their own varied individual schedules from Tuesday through Saturday*, and we do NOT do walk in consultations or tattoos.
*Currently, none of our artists work on Sundays or Mondays.

All consultations and tattoos are done by appointment only, so you must submit a request by following the instructions in our artists’ periodic calls for new projects via our newsletter.

Please keep in mind that our artists do NOT do call a for project requests at the same time! Each artist will send out a “call for new projects” newsletter when they are ready for their next batch of projects. For a fuller explanation of our process, click the “appointments” tab above, read the instructions, and then click the “newsletter” tab to sign up!

While you’re welcome to stop by to see the shop during business hours, our artists will generally avoid stopping any work they are doing in the interest of their current client’s comfort, and we do NOT have a shop phone that we answer to avoid taking away time from the clients we are tattooing during the day.
Keep in mind, you’ll get these same considerations when you get tattooed and someone else is trying to walk in during your scheduled appointment.

We do consultations before starting any new project to get a better feel of where you want the tattoo, what you are getting tattooed, and why you are getting your tattoo. Some things can be worked out online for out of town clients, but the more personal attention we can give your idea beforehand, the better we can execute the design.

Go to our artist’s pages and view their galleries. Once you’ve chosen an artist, click on the “newsletter” tab above and follow the instructions to sign up for our newsletter to find out when the artist you are interested in is taking new projects.

*Please keep in mind that putting in a request doesn’t always mean that our artists will be able to do your tattoo. If your selection suggests that you get tattooed by another Black Hive artist, or an artist at another Jacksonville shop, it is not to say they think your tattoo is a bad idea, it just means they either think another artist is a better fit for your project, or it’s just not their cup of tea.

In the end, it’s better to have the artist that is the best fit and is excited to tackle your project, rather than forcing them to do something that they are not comfortable with.

*One last VERY important point:

Because of difficulties we’ve had in the past, our artists will no longer give estimates over email. Once an artist has made contact, you must come to the shop for a consultation to get a rough estimate of a tattoo design’s cost. Consultations are free of charge, but none of our artists will begin a drawing or set an appointment without a non-refundable deposit.

Our tattoo artists charge an hourly rate for custom work, OR will give you a flat price for smaller pieces. Flat prices are non-negotiable regardless of how much time the tattoo takes.

CURRENT HOURLY RATES:

Colbey $140

Solé $140

Matt $120 (*140 for cover ups or reworks of another artist’s work)

Selina $160 (*200 for cover ups or reworks of another artist’s work)

Nick Wagner $200 (*250 for cover ups or reworks of another artist’s work)

To begin any work, our artists collect a deposit equal to one hour of their hourly rate*. This deposit is required at your initial consultation before scheduling an appointment to begin your project.
Deposits are subtracted from the total cost of your tattoo if it is only one sitting, or hold your appointments for the duration of any tattoo requiring multiple sittings.
In the case of multiple sitting tattoos, deposits are subtracted from the final sitting.

*Nick and Selina require a larger deposit for any sitting scheduled for more than 3 hours at a time.

Because very small tattoos can take up as much time to set up and break down as a larger tattoo, please consider getting any very small tattoos done when you’re doing a larger piece.
Regardless of size, the minimum sitting fees are as follows:

~Colbey and Sole are $140, and Matt is $120 (one hour of their hourly rate)

~Nick Wagner and Selina’s minimum sitting fee is $400.

While tipping is not required, it IS appreciated!

We don’t live off tips, so there is no established rule of thumb like a waiter or bartender. The secret industry standard is anywhere from 10-20%.

*A final note: most artists prefer to get tipped on a sitting by sitting basis.

Obviously, because of the high fees we have to pay to accept cards, cash is ALWAYS preferred, but all Black Hive Tattoo artists accept cash, Visa, MasterCard, and most debit cards.
*We do NOT accept Discover or American Express.

Consider not starting a large project like a sleeve or back piece unless you have:

1. Save up 25-50% of the estimated total before getting started, and consider putting down a large down payment to avoid that money burning a hole in your pocket before your tattoo is finished. *Some of our artists will not start large projects without a large deposit. See each artists page for details on an individual artist’s deposit policy.

2.Plan out realistically how you are going to pay for the tattoo like a bill every month so that you don’t fizzle out in the middle of a project.

It’s really hard for an artist to be excited about completing a half-finished back piece or sleeve that they haven’t touched in two years because of your poor planning. More importantly, if too much time passes in the process of applying a large tattoo, retouch and/or a relining of the tattoo can sometimes be needed as soon as you’re done. Why pay for it twice if you can get it done once with the proper planning?

Due to the limitations set by the city of Jacksonville set forth in the zoning of our building, the artists at Black Hive Tattoo do NOT tattoo anyone under the age of 18. At any rate, in our collective experience tattooing minors, even with parental consent, causes more problems than it cures.

If you are underage and want to set up an appointment for your birthday, it IS ok to come into the shop to have a consultation, give a deposit, and set your appointment at any time between your 17th and 18 birthday. In fact, it is better to come in about a few months before to set it up. So get signed up for our newsletter to be notified when our artists are taking new project requests, and please just make sure the artist you are speaking to is aware of when your birth date is to avoid any embarrassing cancellations when you get here.

If you are under 18 and are serious about your work, then you should seriously consider waiting to get the best tattoo you can get. And if not, we will be here when you turn 18 to do your cover up.

Black Hive Tattoo does NOT offer apprenticeship opportunities, and we are strictly a tattoo shop.
We do NOT offer piercing or body modification of any kind, but we DO recommend anyone looking for piercing services to contact Jenny Joe at the Inksmith&Rogers location at 13720 Atlantic Blvd.
Jenny Joe is off Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but she works Thursday-Monday every week as follows:
Thursday noon-9, Friday/Saturday noon-11, Sunday noon-6, and Mondays noon-9
*for more info, contact Jenny directly at 904 221-8282

Can’t think of what to get your favorite tattoo collector? Not sure how much to get them? We have gift certificates available year round, and they can be made out for any amount.

So think about giving someone a leg up towards getting their next permanent work of art! We promise, big or small, any amount will be  appreciated by your friends and loved ones!

This website’s galleries are updated weekly to show the newest work from the artists on our homepage thumbnails, but if you want to see a full catalogue of all the artists images available for viewing, including large tattoos, cover ups, reworks, in progress works, and cool stuff from as far back as 2000, click the link below to visit our shop flickr account.

Black Hive Tattoo Flickr Page