Tattoo shop near Pawcatuck, CT

Pawcatuck and Westerly are one community split by a river and a state line. People live on one side and shop, work and eat on the other, and the bridge between them is the most-crossed stretch of road in our week. For anyone on Mechanic Street, West Broad Street or up along Route 2, Irish Rose is about 5 minutes away, closer than most errands.

That closeness changes how Pawcatuck clients use the shop. They come in on a Tuesday evening just to talk about an idea. They stop by after work to have Rayna check a cartilage piercing that is taking its time. They bring a cousin from out of town on a Saturday afternoon. A tattoo shop near Pawcatuck should feel like part of the neighborhood, and for a lot of people on the Connecticut bank, we are.

Crossing the bridge does mean crossing into a different regulator. Connecticut’s Department of Public Health licenses tattoo technicians on your side of the river. On ours, Irish Rose is licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Health and inspected every year, and every artist carries bloodborne-pathogen certification. Ask at the counter and we will show you the certificates.

We are open Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 8, closed Sunday and Monday. Calls and texts go to (401) 555-0100.

Who Pawcatuck clients book at our tattoo shop near Pawcatuck

Tony Asian books most of the first tattoos we see from Pawcatuck: a name in script, a small flower, a date. He works in fine-line and single needle, and he is good at talking a nervous first-timer through placement and size. He books four to six weeks out, so put in the request before you have your heart set on a date.

Zak Sadloski does the bigger and bolder work, American traditional and black and grey, plus cover-ups. A lot of his Pawcatuck clients are adding to something they started years ago and want it tied together into a half sleeve or a back piece.

Rayna Lundvall handles piercings with needles only and implant-grade titanium or 14k gold. Because Pawcatuck is so close, families tend to come back for the free downsize check at 6 to 8 weeks rather than skipping it, and that is the single best thing you can do for a new piercing.

Prices and booking from across the river

The shop minimum is $80 and every tattoo is quoted flat, never by the hour. A piece under 2 inches is often right at the minimum; a palm-sized one is usually $150 to $350. Piercings are $40 to $70 plus jewelry, with titanium from $35. A $50 deposit applies only to work quoted over $500, and it comes off the final price.

Tattoos go through the booking form, and we answer within two business days. Piercings are walk-in. Healing instructions for both are on the aftercare pages, and Pawcatuck clients are close enough that if something looks off, the quickest fix is to swing by and show us.