Custom Tattoo Studio · Bograshov 42
Tattoo Studio in Tel Aviv URBAN BODY
Custom tattoos designed for you and drawn from scratch — blackwork, fine line, geometry, colour and portrait work, in a sterile studio at Bograshov 42: a seven-minute walk from Dizengoff Center and about ten from Sheinkin and King George.
- 4.9 ★ from 385 Google reviews
- 5 min from Bograshov Beach
- Consultations in English and Hebrew
Or call the studio — 03-6525656
Custom tattoos in the centre of Tel Aviv
URBAN BODY has been tattooing on Bograshov Street since 2014, and the studio itself has been running since 2003. Two resident artists work here full time — Yaki Shasha on blackwork, geometry and fine line, and Kate Waiss on colour, portraits and watercolour — so the style you want is matched to the person who actually specialises in it, rather than whoever happens to be free.
Nothing here comes off a flash sheet unless you ask for it. Every piece starts with a conversation about placement, size, skin and how the design should age, then gets drawn for you and adjusted until it is right. That process is the same whether you are booking a first small piece or planning a sleeve across several sessions.
We are at Bograshov 42, a seven-minute walk from Dizengoff Center and about ten from Sheinkin, King George and the Carmel Market. Clients come from across the centre of the city — Lev Ha'ir, Rothschild, Neve Tzedek, Florentin, Kerem HaTeimanim and the Old North. Bograshov Beach is five minutes away on foot, which is also why a good part of our week is visitors staying in the hotels along the promenade.
If you are here on a short trip, message us before you arrive rather than after. Smaller pieces can often be fitted in within a day or two; anything larger needs design time first. We will also tell you honestly how a fresh tattoo behaves with sun, sea and a flight home, and send you off with written aftercare instructions you can follow anywhere.
Visit the studio
- Address
- Bograshov St 42, Tel Aviv-Yafo
- Walking time
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7 min from Dizengoff Center
10 min from Sheinkin & King George
5 min from Bograshov Beach - Phone
- 03-6525656
- Message the studio
- Opening hours
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Sunday–Thursday · 12:00–19:00
Friday · 12:00–15:00
Saturday · Closed - Getting here
- Open in Waze
Tattoo styles
Nine styles, two artists. If you are unsure which one your idea belongs to, bring the reference and we will tell you what suits it — and who should do it.
Blackwork
Solid black shapes and heavy contrast, built to stay readable for decades. Works especially well on larger areas — forearm, calf, shoulder.
With YakiFine line
Thin, precise linework for small and delicate pieces. Placement matters more here than anywhere else, since fine lines spread over time on some areas of skin.
With YakiGeometric
Symmetry, repetition and clean construction — mandalas, linear compositions and pieces that wrap around the shape of the limb.
With YakiOrnamental & pattern
Decorative bands, dotwork and ornamental fills, drawn to follow the body rather than sit flat on top of it.
With YakiColour
Saturated colour work with layered blending and depth. Colour behaves differently on every skin tone, so the palette is planned per person, not per design.
With KatePortrait
Faces and likenesses, in colour or black and grey. Bring the highest-resolution photo you have — the reference sets the ceiling on the result.
With KateWatercolour
Soft washes and bleeding colour, usually anchored by some linework so the piece keeps its shape as it heals and ages.
With KateTraditional & new school
Bold outlines and a limited palette in the classic tradition, or the brighter, exaggerated new-school take on it — including comic and character work.
With KateCover-ups
Reworking an existing tattoo into something you want to keep. Send a clear photo first: what is possible depends on the size, darkness and age of what is already there.
Both artistsAll of it happens at Bograshov 42, a seven-minute walk from Dizengoff Center. Not seeing your style, or arriving with something that crosses two of them? Send us the reference on WhatsApp and we will tell you straight whether it is something we should be doing.
Meet the artists
Two resident artists work at URBAN BODY, Bograshov 42, full time. They do not overlap much, which is deliberate — you get the person who actually specialises in what you came for.
YAKI
Blackwork · Geometry · Fine line
Yaki works in black. Heavy solid fills, ornamental bands and geometric compositions built around the shape of the limb — plus fine line work at the other end of the scale, where the whole piece lives or dies on line weight. If your reference is symmetrical or repeating, it belongs with him.
KATE
Colour · Portrait · Watercolour
Kate works in colour. Portraits and likenesses, watercolour washes, and the bolder traditional and new-school end including comic and character pieces. She plans the palette around your skin tone rather than around the reference, which is the difference between colour that stays vivid and colour that muddies.
Tattoo gallery
Seventy pieces tattooed at URBAN BODY in Tel Aviv.
All of it done at Bograshov 42, a seven-minute walk from Dizengoff Center
What a tattoo costs
These are the real ranges at our studio on Bograshov 42, so you arrive at the consultation with an accurate expectation and no surprises.
Studio minimum Every tattoo, however small, starts at ₪300. That covers setting up the station, single-use equipment and full sterilisation.
| Scope of work | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Small to medium | Clean line, fine line or small blackwork — one sitting | ₪300–800 |
| Medium | Shading, colour or detailed work — one longer sitting | ₪600–1,200 |
| Large work | Sleeve, back, thigh, realism or a multi-session project — priced by working time | From ₪1,500 |
| Consultation & design | The idea, the placement, the sketch and an exact quote — no obligation | Free |
Fixed price or hourly
Small and medium pieces get a fixed price agreed up front, based on size. Large projects are priced by working hour, and each artist's rate differs slightly.
Size and complexity
The biggest factor by far. Fine detail, heavy shading or realism take additional hours — and time is the basis of every quote.
Placement on the body
Ribs, hands and fingers need extra precision and time because of the curves, bone close to the skin, and movement. That shows up in the price.
Colour versus black and grey
Colour is not more expensive per hour, but it almost always takes longer because of the layering — so the total comes out higher.
Why we don't quote over the phone
Two tattoos of exactly the same size can be far apart in price — one is an hour of clean linework, the other is six hours of realism. So the final number is agreed only after we have seen the idea and where it sits on the body. The consultation itself costs nothing, commits you to nothing, and takes about ten minutes — you are welcome to just walk in. We are at Bograshov 42, a seven-minute walk from Dizengoff Center.
Want the full breakdown, including piercing prices and jewellery? See the complete URBAN BODY pricing guide →
Prices apply at URBAN BODY, Bograshov 42, Tel Aviv-Yafo. Shown in shekels, including VAT.
Why people choose URBAN BODY
Six reasons, all of them checkable. Anything we could not put a number or a date on did not make the list.
4.9 from 385 reviews
Rated 4.9 out of 5 across 385 Google reviews. Read them before you book — that is what they are for.
Open since 2003
The studio started in Davis, California in 2003 and moved to Tel Aviv in 2014. Over twenty years of work behind the chair, not a claim about it.
Single-use, every time
Needles, tubes, ink caps and gloves are opened in front of you and discarded after. Everything reusable goes through an autoclave. We are also Israel's first APP member studio — that accreditation covers our piercing work, and the sterilisation regime it requires runs across the whole studio.
Bograshov 42
Seven minutes on foot from Dizengoff Center, about ten from Sheinkin and King George, and five from Bograshov Beach. Easy to reach from most of the centre, and from the seafront hotels.
Two specialists, not a rota
Yaki takes blackwork, geometry and fine line. Kate takes colour, portraits and watercolour. You are booked with the one who works in your style — never with whoever is free that day.
We answer after you leave
Healing questions get answered on WhatsApp, in English or Hebrew, for as long as you need — including after you have flown home. Full instructions are in our tattoo aftercare guide.
How a tattoo happens here
Five stages from the first message to the healed result. Knowing the order removes most of the nerves.
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Send the idea
Message us on WhatsApp with your reference, roughly where on the body it goes, and how big you want it. You will get an honest answer about whether it works at that size and in that spot — including if the answer is that it does not.
Visiting Tel Aviv? Write before you land, not after. Small pieces can often be fitted in within a day or two. Anything larger needs design time first, so give us at least a week if you want it done on this trip.
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Consultation and quote
Come to the studio at Bograshov 42 — a seven-minute walk from Dizengoff Center, about ten from Sheinkin. We talk through placement, size, style and how the design will age on that part of the body, then quote you a price for the whole piece — not an estimate that grows later.
A ₪200 deposit holds the slot and comes off the price of the tattoo. Need to move the date? Tell us at least a week ahead and the deposit moves with you. Cancel later than that or don't turn up, and it stays with your artist — they cleared that time for you and it is too late to give it to someone else.
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The drawing
Your artist draws the piece from scratch and sends it over before the appointment. Changes at this stage are free and expected — this is the point to speak up, not on the day. The stencil gets positioned on your skin at the start of the session and you approve the placement before a single line goes in.
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The session
Sterile equipment, opened in front of you. Eat properly beforehand, skip alcohol for 24 hours, and say something the moment you need a break — nobody here is impressed by sitting through pain silently. Large pieces are split across sessions rather than pushed into one very long day, because skin stops taking ink well after several hours.
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Healing and touch-up
You leave with written instructions and our number. Surface healing takes two to four weeks; the skin finishes settling over a few months.
Most tattoos never need a touch-up. If a patch has healed lighter than it should, that is normal and it gets fixed — free of charge, any time within the first year. Full detail is in the aftercare guide.
Tattoo aftercare
How a tattoo looks in a year is decided in the first two weeks. None of this is complicated — it just has to actually be done.
Leave the wrap alone
Keep the covering on for as long as your artist tells you — the film we use varies with the piece. When it comes off, wash gently with lukewarm water and unscented soap, pat dry with something clean, and leave it uncovered.
Wash and moisturise
Wash twice a day and apply a thin layer of the recommended product two or three times daily. Thin genuinely matters: a thick layer traps moisture, and trapped moisture is what turns healthy healing into a problem.
Do not pick
It will flake and it will itch. Scratching or peeling the scabs pulls the ink out with them and leaves patches that need reworking. Tap it through clothing if the itch is unbearable.
Sea, sun and flying
No swimming — sea or pool — until it has fully closed, which usually means two to three weeks. That includes Bograshov Beach, five minutes down the road. Keep it out of direct sun and off sunbeds. Flying is fine; wear something loose over it, keep moisturiser in your hand luggage since cabin air is dry, and shade it at the other end.
When to ask
Message the URBAN BODY team on WhatsApp with a photo and we will tell you whether it looks normal — wherever in the world you are by then. If you have spreading redness, heat, swelling or a fever, see a doctor rather than waiting on us.
Frequently asked questions
The eleven we get asked most, answered properly.
How much does a tattoo cost?
Price depends on size, placement, detail and how many sessions the piece needs — a small fine line design and a half sleeve are not on the same scale. You get a quote for the whole piece before you book anything, and it does not move afterwards. Send your reference on WhatsApp for a number, or see the pricing guide for the general range.
Do I need an appointment, or can I walk in?
Book if you can — it means your artist has drawn the design in advance and set aside the right amount of time. Walk-ins depend entirely on the day and what is already in the diary.
If you are nearby it is a short detour: we are at Bograshov 42, seven minutes on foot from Dizengoff Center and about ten from Sheinkin and King George. Still, message before making the trip rather than turning up hopefully.
Do you take a deposit, and what happens if I need to cancel?
Yes — ₪200, and it comes off the price of the tattoo rather than being an extra charge.
If something comes up, tell us at least a week before your appointment and the deposit simply moves to your new date. If you cancel with less than a week's notice or don't arrive, the deposit stays with your artist. They set that day aside for you and it cannot realistically be filled at short notice.
Does getting a tattoo hurt?
Yes, but less than most people expect. It varies with placement more than with pain tolerance — ribs, sternum, inner arm and feet are sharper; outer arm, thigh and calf are easier. Most first-timers describe it as very manageable once the first few minutes are behind them.
Say the moment you want a break. Sessions are planned with breaks in them anyway.
How long does a tattoo take to heal?
The surface closes in two to four weeks. The skin underneath keeps settling for a few months, which is why a tattoo looks slightly different at three months than at three weeks. Full instructions are in the aftercare guide.
Can I bring my own design or reference?
Please do. References, rough sketches, a photo of something you saw — all useful. Your artist redraws it as an original piece that works on your body and at your size, rather than copying it line for line. If you bring another artist's tattoo as a reference, we will use it for direction and style, not reproduce it.
I'm only in Tel Aviv for a few days — can I still get tattooed?
Often yes, if you message before you arrive. Small and medium pieces can frequently be fitted in within a day or two. Anything large needs design time first, so give us about a week's notice if you want it finished on this trip.
We are at Bograshov 42 — seven minutes on foot from Dizengoff Center, five from Bograshov Beach, and ten to fifteen from most of the seafront hotels. It is a stop on the way somewhere, not a trek across the city.
Can I swim or go to the beach afterwards?
Not until it is fully healed — usually two to three weeks. Sea water, pools and hot tubs all carry a real infection risk on an open tattoo, and sun on fresh ink fades it permanently. Bograshov Beach is five minutes from the studio, which makes this harder than it sounds: if your holiday is built around the beach, get the tattoo at the end of the trip rather than the start.
Can I fly with a new tattoo?
Flying itself is fine. Wear something loose over the area, keep your moisturiser in hand luggage because cabin air dries the skin out, and keep it covered from the sun when you land. Message us a photo if anything looks off while you are away — we answer wherever you are.
Can you cover up an old tattoo?
Sometimes, and sometimes not. It depends on how large, how dark and how old the existing piece is — a cover-up generally has to be bigger and darker than what is underneath. Send a clear, well-lit photo and we will tell you honestly what is achievable, including if the honest answer is laser removal first.
What are the age requirements, and what should I bring?
We tattoo clients aged 18 and over, and we ask for photo ID. This is not negotiable and there are no exceptions — not with a friend vouching for you, and not on a birthday that has not happened yet.
Other than ID: eat a proper meal beforehand, no alcohol for 24 hours, and wear something that gives easy access to the area being tattooed.
Ready when you are
Send your idea to the URBAN BODY team and we will take it from a reference to a finished piece — with a full price agreed before anything starts.
- Bograshov St 42, Tel Aviv-Yafo
- 03-6525656
- Sun–Thu 12:00–19:00 · Fri 12:00–15:00 · Sat closed
7 min from Dizengoff Center · 10 from Sheinkin & King George · 5 from Bograshov Beach