East Village Tattoo Studio In New York City
Lethe Tattoo is a private tattoo studio at 61 4th Avenue in the East Village, NYC, on the second floor between Union Square and Astor Place. Two resident artists, by appointment only, Tuesday through Sunday.
We specialize in large scale custom tattoo work in New York City.
Japanese traditional, known as Irezumi, along with dark art and black and grey realism, built mostly as sleeves, back pieces, and cover ups. Most projects run over several sittings, and every piece is drawn and stenciled before the first session.
Philipus Murdijanto at work — follow @philipustattooarts on Instagram
Dark art hand tattoo by Philipus Murdijanto — @philipustattooarts on Instagram
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Custom crane tattoo — Lethe Tattoo NYC (@lethetattoonyc)
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Black & grey portrait by Philipus Murdijanto — @philipustattooarts on Instagram
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ABOUT LETHE TATTOO
Lethe Tattoo is a high-end tattoo studio located in the East Village in NYC. Our studio is dedicated to providing our clients with the highest quality custom tattoo designs.
Our experienced team of artists are experts in a variety of tattoo styles and techniques, and are committed to bringing your vision to life. We take pride in our work and strive to make each client's experience at Lethe Tattoo unforgettable.
Any Questions?
A Private Tattoo Studio on 4th Avenue
Most East Village tattoo shops sit at street level and run on walk in traffic, where a session shares the room with whoever came in to ask about pricing.
We work differently. A second floor private room means a six hour sitting runs without interruption. It also means we book by appointment rather than by foot traffic, which is what large work needs.
The studio sits on the NoHo edge of the East Village. Astor Place is two blocks north, Union Square is a five minute walk, and the building is on 4th Avenue between 9th and 10th.
The Artists Behind The Work
Philipus Murdijanto has been tattooing since 2001. He works in dark art surrealism, illustrative pieces, black and grey realism portraits, and neo oriental. He also owns Styx Tattoo in Queens. His black and grey packing is what keeps heavy shading readable instead of muddy.
Gusti Negara started in 2015 and is the Japanese tattoo artist most of our Irezumi projects run through. Dragons, koi, cranes, and tigers make up most of his portfolio, alongside dark art oriental work.
Both are resident artists here. We host guest artists through the year, and those dates go up on the journal.
Full portfolios and booking contacts are on the artists page.
TATOO SERVICES AT LETHE TATTOO
Six services, all built for scale. Each one is drawn as a complete design before the first session.
Japanese Irezumi Tattoo
Dragons, koi, tigers, hannya, and cranes built the traditional way, with wind bars, water, and cloud work tying the subject into the body. Planned as full sleeves, back pieces, and chest panels.
Sleeve Tattoo
Half and full sleeves drawn as one design from shoulder to wrist, then worked through in stages we agree on up front. Japanese, dark art, and black and grey realism sleeves in New York City.
Cover Up Tattoo
Old, faded, or unfinished tattoos replaced with a denser design. We read the existing ink in person first, then build the contrast needed to bury it. Cover ups usually end up larger than the original.
Black And Grey Realism Tattoo
Portraits, animals, statues, and dark art subjects rendered in fine shading that holds its depth after healing. Worked from high resolution reference and fitted to the placement.
Dragon Tattoo
Japanese and neo oriental dragons mapped to the arm, back, or leg before we settle on a size, so the head, claws, and tail land where the body flow carries them best.
Portrait Tattoo
Faces worked from your photo reference in black and grey. We review the images together before drawing, since likeness follows reference quality. Larger placements hold more detail over time.
Why People Cross Manhattan For A Tattoo At Lethe Tattoo
There is no shortage of tattoo shops in Manhattan. What is short is a straight answer about whether a shop can carry a large scale piece.
Most studio pages say custom, traditional, and experienced. None of that helps when you are deciding who gets a year of your back.
Three things you can check before booking anywhere, including here.
Ask to see healed photos rather than fresh ones. Fresh ink always looks sharp. Black and grey work is judged on whether the gradients hold up once the skin has settled, and that takes months to show.
Ask how the artist plans to flow the design with your body. A single clean image says nothing about composition, and flow is what separates a sleeve from a row of separate tattoos.
Ask how many sittings the piece needs before you pay a deposit. If nobody can give you a range, the piece has not been planned yet.
Tattoo Work From Our East Village NY Studio
Common Questions About Tattoos At Lethe Tattoo
How much does a large tattoo cost here?
Price follows the number of sittings, and that follows the design. We give you a range at the consultation once we have read the placement in person. We do not quote large scale work over text.
Can you cover up an old tattoo?
Often yes. We need to see the existing piece in person to judge how much saturation the new design needs to bury it. Cover ups almost always end up larger than the original.
Which styles do you specialize in?
Japanese traditional, also called Irezumi, along with dark art, black and grey realism, and portrait work. Sleeves, back pieces, and cover ups are the formats we build most often.
Where exactly in the East Village are you?
61 4th Avenue, Suite 201, on the second floor between Union Square and Astor Place, on the NoHo edge of the neighbourhood.