300 guides

Who it is for

The same design reads differently depending on who wears it and where.

Placement

Where it sits drives visibility, pain, healing and how it ages.

Subjects & symbols

What the design depicts, and what it has traditionally meant.

Before and after

Choosing, aftercare, cover-ups, and finding the right artist.

Piercing

Placements, healing and jewellery, beyond tattooing.

Culture

Tattoos in public life.

Tattoo Shops in Maine (Checked 2026)

Reviewed & updated First published 1 designs

This list was written in 2016 and has been checked shop by shop in September 2026. Maine's tattoo trade is concentrated almost entirely in Portland, and the Old Port shops that served the summer tourist trade have thinned out considerably since this was written - two of the best-known are gone.

What is left is smaller, quieter and more appointment-led, which suits the place. Book ahead, particularly between June and September when the state fills up.

Tattoo parlor in maine design, idea 1

Tsunami Tattoo - Portland

583 Forest Ave. 11am to 6pm Monday to Saturday.

Founded in 2003 and the most consistently recommended shop in the state. Recent visitors describe it as quiet, calm and clean, which is exactly what you want and not always what you get. Custom work.

Sanctuary Tattoo - Portland

1041 Brighton Ave. 11am to 6pm Tuesday to Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Appointment only.

Working since 1999, with a settled roster - Jennifer Moore, Wilhelm Scherer, Ryan Fleming, Danielle Madore, Scott Bruns and CarrieAnne Vinette. Custom fine art tattooing, free consultations, and you book with the artist rather than the shop.

Closed since this list was written

  • Squid & Whale Tattoo, 181 Congress St, Portland - closed.
  • Lucky's Tattoo Company, 102 Exchange St, Portland - closed. The Lucky's Tattoo & Piercing shops in Northampton and Boston are a different business in a different state.

'Til Death Tattoo, 365 Fore St in the Old Port, gives conflicting signals: listed as closed in one place, still showing daily hours in another. It was the oldest shop in the Old Port. Phone (207) 518-9197 before travelling.

Others from the 2016 list

Hallowed Ground, Diversified Ink, Venom Ink, Biswell Tattoos, Under the Skin, Utopian, Chris Dingwell Studios, Mad Hatters, Death or Glory, Halcyon, Ocean Blue, Brave Soul, Made-Rite, One King and Windham Tattoo could not be confirmed as still trading in September 2026 and have been left out rather than pointed at. That is not a statement that they have closed - Maine has a lot of small shops that keep a low online profile, and several of these are likely still working.

If you are looking for a shop near a specific town rather than in Portland, the Maine CDC keeps the register of licensed body art practitioners, and that is a more reliable starting point than any list.

Before you book

Maine licenses tattoo artists through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention within the Department of Health and Human Services. Both the practitioner and the establishment need licences, they are renewed annually, and the licence should be displayed.

Then the ordinary checks: sterile needles opened in front of you, fresh gloves, single-use ink caps, an autoclave, surfaces covered and wiped between clients.

One thing specific to Maine: the good shops here are small and mostly appointment-only, and in summer they fill up with people on holiday. If you are visiting and want to be tattooed while you are here, contact them weeks ahead rather than turning up. Out of season it is a different picture entirely.

Details change. Phone before travelling.