About us

A traditional street shop in the heart of Leith

SOLID BOLD DESIGN  |   APPOINTMENT ONLY


Bold and Gold Art is a traditional style street shop.


The studio is home to experienced industry professional tattoo artists carrying out safe and hygienic practices to the utmost high standards. Each artist is passionate about the legacy of their contribution to your body-art and have a strong focus on providing tattoos with solid lines and long-lasting colour.


Our artists work on an appointment only basis, mostly requiring a consultation in more circumstances, in order to discuss design requirements and give you the best end result.

FIND BOLD & GOLD ART

238 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5EL

Please note that our studios are located at separate premises. 
For our piercing studio please click here

Please note we are a private studio by appointment only

We are working with a locked door policy. Our services are only available by appointment.
All clients must attend their appointment alone. Group bookings must be requested via
email.



Frequently asked question

  • How old do I need to be?

    By law, you must be 18 to have a tattoo in the UK. All our services are available, only to clients age 18+


    If you meet the age requirements you are very welcome to make an appointment to visit us.

    You may be required to provide proof of age with valid photo I.D.

  • What is your accessibility for wheelchair users or people with impaired mobility?

    We are a street level studio and we have no stairs to contend with only a slight ridge on the threshold. Our main door is 100cm wide, it does open out onto the street so you will need to stay back while we open the door to give you access.


    We are a small open plan studio and would ask that if you do have a mobility aid please contact us in advance so we can ensure to make the space as easily accessible and comfortable for you.


    We are able to adapt our procedure with you seated for some placements however some will require specific body positioning in order for us to tattoo the area, we will discuss this with you prior to your booking.


    The treatment bed has adjustable height starting at 24inches from the floor and can reach 31inches from the floor and can accommodate bodies weighing up to 400 lbs.

    If you are not able to stand for short periods of time and it is required that you lie down for your procedure unfortunately, we can not help with getting you off or on the bed so please bring an assistant to help with handling if this an option for you.


    Unfortunately our wc facilities were pre-existing in this old building and they are not wheelchair accessible we apologise for this inconvenience.

  • What is your policy on inclusiveness?

    We want to make sure all bodies feel safe and comfortable with visiting and try to leave nothing unanswered so have made this section to declare that we are a space welcome to all.


    We have zero tolerance for any inappropriate behaviours in the studio, this includes any negative attitudes against any of our working team and/or our clients.


    We ask all persons entering the studio to leave their judgements outside as this is a safe space for everyone to creatively express themselves aesthetically through body art.


    We are LGBTQIA friendly and want you to know that we will respect any requested pronouns and preferred name.

    In the instance that the name or gender/sex on your photo ID does not match your preferred name or your pronouns please do not worry. So long as the photo is a resemblance of you and the ID is in date this is acceptable to us for confirmation of your age.


    If you have a heavier stature we want to assure you that we have treatment beds that can facilitate all bodies up to 180kilos/400pounds/28.5 stones


    We will not accept any form of abuse, if you display this you will be asked to leave and if you do not comply we will call the local authorities, you may be charged and will be permanently excluded from visiting in the future.

  • Do I need an appointment?

    Yes. At this time we are only working by appointment; due to spread risks of the Covid pandemic we are restricting the number of people in the studio at any one time.


    We will maintain a strict one to one operator to client ratio and allow adequate time for our extended disinfecting procedures between all clients.


    For this reason we ask each person makes an individual appointment for themselves as group bookings are not possible and all clients must be unaccompanied for their appointment, unless a support worker/carer is required please call the studio to discuss this in advance.

  • How do I make an appointment?

    You can email the studio with your requests or inquires, giving as much information as you can for us to work with and a member of the team will advise you from there.


    Our tattoo artists may be able to help you online through their own social media platforms if you have a specific enquiry for one of them.

  • Do I need to pay a booking fee?

    Yes. The booking fee is a financial commitment to making your appointment. 


    The booking fee secures the time we set aside for your procedure and covers some of the costs incurred for us to prepare for your appointment.


    Please note - all booking fees are non-refundable. See terms of service at the foot of the page for full details.

  • What payment methods are you accepting?

    Our tattoo artists accept cash and can also take PayPal payments.

  • Do I need to do anything before my appointment?

    We advise that you make sure you eat at least 2-4 hours before your appointment to keep your blood sugar levels and energy up.


    Until further notice we will need you to wear a mask to your appointment and keep it on for the duration of your visit, there will be no exceptions.


    If you cannot wear a mask please wait until they are not mandatory before making an appointment.


    Please bring minimal personal belongings with you to your appointment, just the essentials.


    You may want to bring a small bottled juice or water. Unfortunately at this time any food, snacks will have to be consumed outside of the premises at this time due to face mask policy so please eat before your appointment.

  • How much is a tattoo?

    Tattoo pricing can vary and will depend on lots of things including the artist doing the work, the design specifics, the placement and the overall size of the piece. 


    Our artists offer consultations to discuss your design specifics and can estimate the price once they have spoken with you.

  • How painful is the tattoo procedure?

    You may experience some discomfort during your tattoo procedure. 


    The level of discomfort can vary between people and also with body placement, but overall most people will say the discomfort is manageable, after all there are more people who come back for more than not. 


    If you are very anxious about the pain factor, there are topical skin numbing creams available from most pharmacies that you may research for use.

  • What can I expect after a new tattoo?

    A tattoo involves breaking the barrier of the skin, this can cause sensitivity, redness, pain, localised swelling, bruising, bleeding and you will most likely have fluid discharge over the first day or so of healing. 


    The skin will begin forming new barrier over the pigment during the first two weeks of healing, this may cause the skin to become shiny, and very itchy but it is important you do not scratch and do not pick any dry areas that appear, this is where your aftercare is important.


    Throughout the healing process your skin will be at risk of infection if you do not follow aftercare* procedures, you must keep the area clean, dry and use appropriate skin healing cream/balm where necessary.

  • How do I care for my tattoo?

    Your artist will go over an in-depth verbal instruction with you after your tattoo, and advise on specific skin healing products you may use, but here we will provide a simple version of the aftercare*.


    *You must keep the barrier film over the tattoo for a minimum of 4 hours, when you remove this you will need clean running water and preferably an anti-bacterial soap to wash the area. 

    *Lather the soap up so to remove all residue and rinse thoroughly. 

    *Pat the area dry (do not rub) with a clean towel or paper towel (not tissue paper). *Apply your aftercare cream/balm where advised by your artist and repeat this cleaning process at least twice per day. 

    *Do not submerge your new tattoo under water, avoid extreme heat, any topical skin treatments and protect your tattoo from dusty/dirty environments for the first 6 weeks while the area is open to infection and during the development of new skin: This includes baths, swimming pools, sea water, sauna, steam room, hot tubs, extreme heat from natural sunlight, sunbeds, tanning products, perfumed creams/sprays, dirty/dusty work places such as building sites.

  • What if I have a problem healing my tattoo?

    There is always a risk, when breaking the skin barrier, that you may experience extreme or adverse reactions.


    If you are worried about the progress of your healing, we advise that you contact the studio at the earliest signs of any complication or in the instance you are unsure of something.


    We will be able to arrange a check-up where necessary for the artist to inspect the tattoo and may give you additional advice on what actions to take moving forward.


    In very extreme circumstances where your artist is concerned that you may have signs of infection or allergic reaction, this is out of their scope of practice to give medical advice and you should proceed to get medical assistance from your local GP or NHS emergency service.


    Around 3 weeks into healing you should start to see what the healed tattoo will settle like, although the colours and clarity may still change over the following weeks, if there are any areas missing you should contact the studio and your artist no more than 4 weeks after the original tattoo appointment to have the work inspected by your artist.


    A free re-touch may be offered where there are no signs of negligence and you have contacted the studio within 4 weeks of your tattoo procedure, if there are signs that your tattoo has not been properly cared for as instructed (ie. Evidence dry healing areas have been picked off) you will be liable to pay for any further correctional work.

  • Are there any reasons I might not be suitable for a tattoo procedure?

    Your medical health is crucial when it comes to receiving and healing any skin procedures which can leave you susceptible to infection.


    For this reason, we have a confidential, detailed release form which you must complete before your procedure asking you for any information regarding medical conditions you have/treatments you have undergone or are currently receiving which may affect your ability to receive a tattoo, or affect the ability of your body to heal the procedure.

  • Where can I get more information?

    If your question is not covered anywhere here you can head to the tattoo section of the website and read the terms of service or use the email icon on the tattoo section to send your questions.

Booking an appointment

You can email the studio with your requests or inquires, giving as much information as you can for us to work with and a member of the team will advise you from there. Our tattoo artists may be able to help you online through their own social media platforms if you have a specific enquiry for one of them.

Get in touch
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