Denver has no shortage of tattoo shops. You've probably driven past a dozen of them on your way here. So the question isn't whether you can get tattooed in this city — it's whether you'll regret who you chose.
The Hidden Hand has been on South Broadway since 1985. That's four decades on one of Denver's most iconic corridors, watching neighborhoods change, watching trends come and go, and doing the same thing the whole time: custom tattoos and professional piercings done right, in a shop that takes the work seriously.
We do walk-ins every day of the week. We also do fully custom appointments for larger pieces. Our piercers work with the kind of fine body jewelry — BVLA, NeoMetal, Juniper, Peoples — that most shops in Denver don't even carry. And if you want something small and spontaneous on a Tuesday afternoon, we can do that too.
One thing worth saying plainly: at this altitude, with Colorado's UV intensity and dry air, your tattoo's long-term look depends heavily on who applies it and how well you heal it. We'll tell you exactly what you need to know before you leave.
Comfortable and relaxing environment
Experienced artist input on your tattoo
Top of the line cleaning and safety protocols
Full aftercare instructions for a well-healed tattoo
Wehave Artists available 7 days a week to help you get started on your next Tattoo or Piercing.
We're professional and certified tattoo
We care about our customers satisfaction
Email us or come into the shop to discuss your tattoo. Bring your ideas, and we'll guide you on how to make it a tattoo you'll love.
Once you’ve decided what you want, we will give you a quote so you can book the date for your tattoo and pay your deposit.
When you arrive at the shop, your artist will have your design prepared. Now you settle in and enjoy getting your new tattoo.
Click the button below or give us a call at the shop to book your net Piercing orTattoo
Appointment
720-329-2570
MARIO G is our resident Piercer with extensive experience and capability to provide any piercing you are looking to do. Works Thursday through Monday
We welcome both walk-in tattoos and custom tattoo appointments. Whether you’re stopping by for something small and spontaneous or planning a fully custom piece with one of our experienced artists, our team takes pride in creating high-quality tattoos.
We offer both custom and walk-in piercings with a focus on safety, precision, and style. Whether you’re looking for a quick new piercing or planning a curated ear project with fine jewelry, our professional piercers are here to provide an expert, comfortable experience.
We’re proud to offer the largest selection of fine body jewelry in the city, featuring gold, diamonds, and genuine gemstones. Our curated collection includes premium designs from world-renowned jewelry suppliers such as BVLA, Peoples, Juniper, and NeoMetal, giving clients access to the highest quality styles in body adornment. Whether you’re upgrading an existing piercing or choosing something new, our wide range of fine jewelry ensures you’ll find the perfect piece to match your look.
You bring the idea. We bring the expertise to turn it into something that works on your body — the right scale, the right placement, the right style for your skin. Our artists are available seven days a week for consultations and appointments. Denver's dry climate means certain ink colors fade faster than in more humid cities — we factor that into every design recommendation.
No appointment, no problem. If you're in the Baker neighborhood or just passing through Denver and want something done today, walk in. We'll tell you honestly what we can do in a single session and what's worth booking properly.
Every piercing we do is placed with precision — anatomy matters more than most people realize, and a badly placed piercing will reject or sit wrong no matter how good the jewelry is. We use implant-grade materials on everything that goes in your body.
This is where we're genuinely different from every other tattoo shop Denver has to offer. We carry BVLA, NeoMetal, Juniper, and Peoples — the top tier of body jewelry, period. Real gold, real diamonds, genuine gemstones. If you've got a piercing that deserves an upgrade, come see what we have.
If you want a thoughtfully composed ear — multiple piercings that work together as a cohesive look — our piercers will map it out with you before anything gets done. This isn't something every shop does. We do.
Denver has specific conditions — altitude, UV intensity, dry air — that affect how tattoos are applied, how they heal, and how long they last. Understanding the city's regulations protects you. Most shops don't tell you any of this. We do.
Denver sits at 5,280 feet. The UV index up here runs meaningfully higher than at sea level, especially in summer. Combine that with Colorado's average relative humidity hovering around 35–45%, and you've got conditions that are harder on healed tattoos than most of the country. Reds and yellows fade faster. Fine lines need to be applied with that in mind. We've been dealing with these conditions since 1985 — the way we approach ink saturation and design reflects it.
Denver tattoo and piercing shops are regulated by Denver Environmental Health, which issues facility permits and conducts inspections. Every artist in our shop holds current bloodborne pathogen certification. You can verify any shop's permit status through Denver's online permit portal at denvergov.org. In Colorado, there's no excuse for a shop that can't show you their permit documentation. Ours is posted.
Colorado doesn't have a statewide tattoo artist licensing board the way some states do — which means the barrier to opening a shop is lower than it should be. What you CAN do: verify a shop's business license, check their health permit through Denver Environmental Health, and ask to see proof of bloodborne pathogen certification for the specific artist working on you. We've never had a client ask and been anything other than proud to show them.
The Baker neighborhood on South Broadway has been Denver's arts and culture corridor for decades. We've been here since before the neighborhood became what it is now. We know the clients who come from Washington Park, Capitol Hill, the Golden Triangle, and Cherry Creek. Different neighborhoods, same standard of work.
Because Denver air is dry, tattoos here benefit from more aggressive early moisturizing than clients in humid climates need. We give every client written aftercare instructions calibrated for Colorado conditions — not a generic sheet printed off the internet. That detail matters for how your tattoo looks in five years.
Most tattoo shops in Denver opened in the last decade. We opened in 1985. That's not a marketing point — it's a factual difference in accumulated knowledge. Every artist here has worked in this specific city, in this specific climate, with this specific clientele long enough to know what works and what doesn't.
Our piercing work is held to APP (Association of Professional Piercers) standards. The jewelry we use — BVLA, NeoMetal, Juniper, Peoples — is the same inventory you'd find at the best piercing studios in any major city. There are shops in Denver charging similar prices for implant-grade steel when they could be using gold. We think you deserve to know what you're putting in your body.
When something isn't right — a healing issue, a touch-up needed, anything — we handle it. We're not going anywhere. Forty years on one corner means we're accountable in a way that a shop that opened last year simply can't be.
"The ambiance was great! Tony Lucero is a great artist and designer. His tattoo concept was awesome and the execution was great. He made my first experience a great one."
— Jacob V. · First Tattoo · Denver, COOur artist Tony Lucero's approach to custom design is collaborative — he listens to what the piece means to you before he picks up a pencil. That's the standard we hold across every artist in the shop.
We're at 1428 S Broadway in the Baker neighborhood — easy to reach from anywhere in Denver proper, and clients come to us from across the metro.
Homes in older Denver neighborhoods like Baker and Capitol Hill often house long-time collectors who want someone they can trust with complex ongoing work. That's a different client than a first-timer in Highlands Ranch getting their first tattoo. We're set up for both.
Neighborhoods & Suburbs We Serve
Everything you'd want to know before booking — pricing, walk-ins, permits, healing, and how we're different from every other tattoo shop Denver has.
Still have questions? Call us at 720-329-2570 or stop by South Broadway any day of the week.
At our Denver tattoo shop, the minimum is $50. Beyond that, pricing depends on size, complexity, placement, and time. A small simple piece might run $100–$200. A half-sleeve starts around $800 and goes up from there based on detail and sessions needed. The honest answer is that you should come in for a consultation — we'll give you a real number, not a range designed to get you in the door. Call us at 720-329-2570 or stop by.
Both. We have artists available for walk-ins seven days a week — Monday through Saturday 11am to 9pm, Sunday 12pm to 8pm. For larger custom pieces, we recommend booking an appointment so your artist can design specifically for you before you come in. Walk-ins are first-come, first-served; if you're coming for something specific, call ahead.
Most piercings at our shop — ear, nose, lip, navel, eyebrow — start at $75, jewelry included. Industrial piercings are $105, dermals and surface piercings are $110. That price includes quality implant-grade jewelry, not the mystery-metal hardware some shops use. Fine gold upgrades from our BVLA and NeoMetal collection are priced separately.
Denver tattoo and piercing establishments are regulated by Denver Environmental Health. You can verify a shop's permit status at denvergov.org. You should also ask any artist to show proof of current bloodborne pathogen certification before they work on you. Our permits are posted in the shop and our artists are certified — no hesitation, ever.
Colorado's altitude and dry air — average humidity in the mid-30s to low-40s percent — pulls moisture from healing skin faster than most of the country. This means you need to moisturize more aggressively in the first two weeks, keep the tattoo out of direct Colorado sun (which is intense at 5,280 feet) for at least a month, and be especially careful about color saturation in exposed areas. We give every client specific aftercare guidance for Denver conditions, not a generic sheet.
Check that the shop has a current Denver Environmental Health facility permit — it should be posted. Ask to see bloodborne pathogen certification for your specific artist. Look at actual healed work in their portfolio, not just fresh photos (fresh tattoos always look better than healed ones). Ask where the jewelry comes from for piercings. And ask how long the shop has been in business. A 40-year track record on South Broadway means something that a two-year-old shop simply cannot offer.
Denver Environmental Health regulates tattoo and body art facilities under the city's body art ordinance. Shops must hold a valid facility permit, maintain specific sterilization and sanitation protocols, and artists must complete bloodborne pathogen training. There are also age restrictions — clients under 18 cannot be tattooed or pierced without verifiable parental consent, and some piercings require the parent to be physically present. We follow every requirement, no exceptions.
We carry BVLA (Body Vision Los Angeles), NeoMetal, Juniper, and Peoples — considered among the top-tier suppliers in professional body piercing. BVLA pieces are 14k or 18k solid gold with genuine gemstones. NeoMetal is the standard for implant-grade titanium. If you've seen jewelry at a piercing studio and wanted to know where to get it in Denver — we're the answer.
“I’m so happy with my tattoo from The Hidden Hand Tattoo! The shop is super clean, the vibe is fun, and my artist made me feel really comfortable the whole time. My piece healed perfectly and I’ve already gotten so many compliments. I’ll definitely be coming back to this Denver shop for my next one!”
“As a first-time tattoo client, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience! The team at The Hidden Hand Tattoo in Lakewood was welcoming and patient, answering all my questions and making me feel at ease. My artist did an incredible job, and I absolutely love how my tattoo turned out. This is hands-down the best tattoo shop near Denver for women who want a safe and comfortable environment!”
“I had an amazing experience at The Hidden Hand Tattoo! The artists were professional, friendly, and made me feel totally comfortable. They walked me through the prep and aftercare, and my tattoo healed beautifully. Definitely the best tattoo shop in Denver!”
