Ask your close friends and relatives who have tattoos. Knowing the credibility and trusting the people who recommended the shop is one important factor to consider on how to pick a reputable tattoo shop. Pick and find the one with the most recommendation and positive feedback.
Visit different tattoo shops and ask around. Word of mouth of the people living in the same area will most likely make it easier for you to pick a reputable tattoo shop. Know the reputation of the shop, how long they have been in the business. Do they have good customer service and take good care of their customers? Look around, inspect and ask about their safety and sanitation procedures. Be particular with the sanitation and safety procedures of needles and the cleanliness of the artists and his/her work station. Do they use gloves? Do they use disposable needles once? Do they use sterile materials? Those are some of the things that you need to find out before you pick a reputable tattoo shop service. If possible look how they operate while tattooing a customer. Some customers don't mind if someone is watching them while being tattooed.
Find out if the shop and the artists are following the state's regulation and licensing procedures. If your state requires that tattoo shops and artists must be licensed then a good and credible parlor respect the law. A reputable tattoo shop operates legally and complies with the law.
There are a lot of things that you need to check and consider before getting a tattoo or before allowing someone to ink you. It is a permanent mark that you will carry for the rest of your life and it is important to pick a reputable tattoo shop to ink the body art perfectly and hassle free.