Living Art Gallery Tattoo Lounge

First tattoo shop in San Clemente. Award winning artists, clean environment, friendly staff. Military discounts.

The first tattoo that I slapped on my body on my 18th birthday was one of the LARGEST mistakes that I had made in my lifetime. It spanned out over my right side, from my hipbone up to my armpit and packed full of color...it would have cost me thousands of dollars to remove. Since the design wasn't completely horrible I figured that if I was patient I might possibly find a talented artist who could hopefully fix this mistake. So I began my quest to find the wizard of ink who could fix the mess another "artist" had made. I spent hour's online researching shops and recommended artists, reading reviews, checking out galleries. I spent just as much time driving around, visiting various shops, browsing through any portfolio I came across. Some artists were all right - nothing mind blowing. The majority was amateur, talentless and unskilled. The shops were all the same - the size of walk in closets armed with artists who all seemed to be covered in poorly done tattoos. Feeling hopeless I made one last stop at the Living Art Gallery in south San Clemente. At first I thought got the address wrong. This place was impressive - one classy joint.



Monte, the gallery owner and artist, was clean cut, mature, and incredibly artistic. Unlike anyone I had spoken with, he was able to take my ideas, put his spin on them, and present sketches - I remember thinking to myself, "no way, this guy can actually draw!"



Monte fixed the mess, took crap and transformed it into a work of art that I am proud to walk around with on my body for the rest of my life. Having my work done at the Living Art Gallery was the best decision that I could of made and I'm thrilled with the end result. Monte exceeded my expectations and delivered perfection.