Terrified to get inked? This inviting Brooklyn tattoo parlour is for people who are 'a little bit nervous'

Blending futuristic vibes with nods to bygone eras, Tiny Zaps’s new Brooklyn tattoo parlour feels fresh yet familiar. The monochromatic green, 500-square-foot space in Williamsburg is far from a traditional tattoo shop. The former bodega is now a hangout spot, where anyone can indulge in a tattoo ritual. Beyond specialising in micro tattoos, the studio offers a bright, serene atmosphere where little comforts and entertaining reassurances guide tiny tattoo seekers through the process.

‘We didn't want this to feel like a normal tattoo parlour,’ architect Justin Huxol of HUXHUX Design Inc., a New York-based design firm, tells Wallpaper*. ‘In so many of the tattoo parlours in the city you're just bombarded with black-and-white schemes and it’s really heavy. This is for people who are maybe a little bit nervous about getting their first tattoo, so we wanted to make it more fun.’

When Tiny Zaps opened its first location in Manhattan’s Nolita neighbourhood in 2024, it quickly gained traction. For the second location, Tiny Zaps co-founders Sam Kelly and Bruno Levy tapped HUXHUX to help the brand expand. Huxol, the design firm founder, and his team wanted to stay true to Tiny Zaps’s aesthetic DNA. To complement the monochromatic blue Manhattan parlour, they zeroed in on green as the Brooklyn studio’s defining colour.

Drenched in the light green paint Celery Ice by Benjamin Moore and outfitted with matching speckled flooring, the parlour glows. The space itself is ‘tattooed’ thanks to custom wood panels (stained green, of course) engraved with offerings from Tiny Zaps’s tattoo catalog, including a pigeon, martini and ‘I <3 New York’ design. Reflective metal surfaces make the monochrome concept feel richer and allow for easy cleaning.

The studio’s tattoo collection is available to browse outside via a touch-screen, rat-shaped kiosk (one of the animal tattoo options!) and inside on a similar arcade-game-style kiosk. As clients wait for a quick tattoo session, they can peruse the vinyl record bar. Whether Blondie or Jim Croce eases the nerves, customers can put on whatever music calls to them if they so please. Nearby, guests can also listen to custom audio stories via a rotary phone that range from informational to amusing — with titles like ‘Tattoo courage,’ ‘Tattoo history’ and ‘Call Mom.’

In the back, one of the three olive green cushioned tattoo stations is half-hidden by a glass block wall — and that’s where the party happens. Groups can book the area, known as the Party Zaps Room, for a collective session. It’s equipped with changeable coloured lighting for setting the mood. Vintage TVs, sourced from HiTech Electronics and revamped by HUXHUX, add a cool, retro touch and feature live camera footage of the zone.

Throughout the journey, ‘you are just invited to explore,’ adds Huxol. ‘It's a very ownable experience.’ Plus, the Brooklyn parlour is conveniently situated right next to Leon’s Bagels, just like its Manhattan location, for a comforting pre- or post-tattoo bite.