Unique and original - just like you.
Mazel Tough Tattoo is widely considered Darwin's best and finest tattoo and piercing studio. Located in Cullen Bay, two minutes from the CBD of Darwin, also known as Garramilla to the Saltwater Larrakia people, the traditional owners of the land and sea where we work.
In the spirit of reconciliation, we pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our community and beyond, and to their Elders, past, present, and emerging.
In our quiet, beautiful, and comfortable studio, all tattoos are performed by an expert artist whilst conforming to the highest industry standards of hygiene and professionalism.
Whether you’re seeking a large, detailed custom piece or a little something, we’ve got you covered. We cater to dedicated collectors as well as first-timers, and our studio is a safe space for everybody and every body.
TATTOO APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
At Mazel Tough Tattoo, we are a private studio - which means we do not have counter staff or receptionists quoting or handing out work assignments, we are a collective of artists working independently, and all artists quote and book their work in directly with clients.
If you can't decide which artist is best suited for the work you have in mind, please use our Tattoo Booking Request form to chat and get a referral.
We operate on an appointment-only basis, which means we do not have fixed opening hours or days as such - it also means we are extremely flexible and often available on days or at times outside of usual working hours.
Please do not "pop in" without a prior booking with an artist or the studio manager - the door may well be locked if we are all with our booked clients and not expecting you!
We work this way to maintain a calm, composed, respectful environment - respectful for you, the client; respectful to our artists and the focus and effort they put into their work; and respectful to the creative work itself. This ensures a comfortable environment for our clients and allows us to make the highest quality tattoos free from distraction, and we think you're going to love the difference.
Our Artists
Principal Tattoo Artist
Michael
Michael is our principal artist, and founded Mazel Tough with Lori - his influence, shared vision, and values shaped the framework upon which our studio was built and continues to grow.
Michael is an incredibly highly experienced tattoo artist and quite capable of most any style (he has a pinned highlight of his non-traditional work on our studio Instagram page), although American Traditional has his heart - his fineline and lettering can't be beaten! He is also extremely flexible about the days and times he's available - if you're wanting something last minute, it will probably be with him, and he will look after you very well!
Senior Tattoo Artist
Charli
Charli completed her Bachelor of Visual Arts at the University Of Canberra in 2019, and started tattooing in Brisbane in 2021, being mentored from the best of the best at Seventh Circle under Loz Hocking.
Charli specialises in Fineline and Micro-Realism, however, she is extremely experienced and can cater to all tattoo styles, and is particularly interested in exploring Neotraditional. Charli is in extremely high demand and opens her books a month at a time to decrease wait times - she is currently booking May 2026. She can create beautiful custom designs if you'd like something unique - she also has many gorgeous flash designs viewable on her Instagram.
Senior Tattoo Artist
Paddy
Paddy is originally from Ireland, and is in Darwin for the Dry season visiting from Melbourne. He is a born artist and a true perfectionist, and we know you'll be as thrilled with his work as we are! His availability is extremely flexible and he's happy to take on short notice and same day appointments, and is available evenings and weekend. He is a traditional specialist, but is highly experienced and does most styles with an incredibly high degree of skill - his fineline is some of the crispiest, cleanest linework you'll ever see!
@paddymccabetattoo on Instagram
Senior Tattoo Artist
Ozo
Ozo is originally from Taiwan, and travels between Melbourne, Perth, and Darwin. His Darwin books are currently open for the Dry Season. He is ferociously talented and does jaw-dropping microrealism and colour realism work, although he is extremely proficient in most tattoo styles - yes, he does incredible fineline work too!
Ozo travels with his partner and junior tattoo artist, Sunny - keep an eye out for her work, too!
Senior Tattoo Artist
Prawal (aka "P")
Prawal Regmi is a tattoo artist originally from Nepal who has now found his artistic home in Australia. Tattooing for over 7 years, Prawal specialises primarily in black and grey work and photo realism.
Throughout his life, art has been an inseparable part of his identity, taking joy in the collaborative experience between artist and client, bringing their vision to life through storytelling. His practice takes inspiration from concepts involving folklore and tradition with a modern perspective. He endeavours to breathe life into his imagery by channelling the essence of these stories through his artistry, bringing them to life on the skin.
Senior Tattoo Artist
Cammi (aka Billie)
Billie is one of our day one resident artists and has been with us since our doors opened! She is a Darwin girlie who went down south to learn to tattoo in Sydney and has returned to Darwin permanently - she has been tattooing for five years. Her crisp, clean linework and smooth shading is very popular, and she loves to work in fineline and realistic techniques, but is comfortable with most tattoo styles.
Billie's books are currently closed as she is taking some personal leave.
Junior Tattoo Artist
Jarrah
Jarrah has been illustrating for over 10 years and has trained extensively in many different traditional art media, and most recently has focused on stylised realism. She is inspired by the art styles of Studio Ghibli and Dreamworks, and frequently finds a muse in our Australian wildlife.
Jarrah did her apprenticeship with our senior artists at Mazel Tough and is in her third year of experience, and her gorgeous tattoos and rich colour work have garnered her a lot of attention and a devoted clientele - have a look at her Instagram and consider her for your next piece.
Jarrah is currently travelling and will be back in Darwin in mid-June.
Apprentice Tattoo Artist
Rosey
Regular clients at the studio will already know our tattoo apprentice Rosey, who has worked at reception and helping around the studio since 2023. She is already an accomplished digital artist, and has contributed to several gallery exhibitions and had her work featured in published media. She is thrilled to have joined us as an apprentice to be mentored by our resident artists.
Give her Instagram a follow to check out her regular flash updates, and keep an eye out for super low apprentice deals in the not-too-distant future, her work is already promising to be incredible!
@rollout.tattoo on Instagram
Studio Manager and Senior Piercer
Lori
Lori has been piercing professionally since 1995 and has worked in piercing and tattoo studios all over the world, and her very successful specialist piercing studio, Vogue Body Piercing, opened in Darwin back in 1999. She is one of the most highly trained and experienced piercers in Australia.
Her commitment to client care and satisfaction is exemplary, and she's certain you're going to love the professionalism and high standards of her long-running piercing studio extending to Mazel Tough Tattoo.
For more information on piercing services, please see the Vogue Body Piercing website.
COMMON QUESTIONS FROM OUR CLIENTS
Do you do walk-ins?
Like most studios, we work by appointment and can't always accommodate walk-ins. Only in town for a short period and hoping for a last minute souvenir? Please complete the tattoo booking request form and we will do our best to help you!
We will occasionally offer walk-ins, same-day or short-notice appointments when we have cancellations or no-shows, or otherwise have gaps in our schedule to fill, and have flash sales or other events, please keep an eye on our social media pages for those opportunities as they arise, they go very quickly!
Do you tattoo minors with parental consent?
No, we don't. It's against Australian law, our insurance won't allow us, and honestly, it's not a good idea.
Who else won't you tattoo?
Pregnant people, or people within three months of having given birth (poor healing, risk of infection, general liability reasons)
People who are under the influence of alcohol or other drugs (consent is not optional)
People wanting racist, offensive, culturally appropriative, or gang-related tattoos - this is a safe space for everyone, including our artists.
People being abusive or rude - to us, to each other, to other clients. This is an inclusive space for everyone.
We do reserve the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime for any reason, but we hope not to have to do so.
What is your hourly rate?
We do not have a strict hourly rate, our artists quote for the piece, which generally works out to be much fairer for you, the client. The best thing you can do consult with one of our artists and discuss what you're after and what your budget is. We totally understand that times are tough, and will do our best to work with you. Different artists will have different minimum pricing reflective of their experience and skill, as well as overhead costs.
We also accept all credit cards and offer Afterpay in-store as a buy-now-pay-later form of interest free financing. We will never charge you any payment fees or surcharges no matter what payment option you select.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept cash (of course!), EFTPOS and all major credit cards, as well as Afterpay in-store (subject to your pre-established limits through Afterpay, please have your account and Google/Apple Wallet card organised in advance if you choose this payment option).
How much of a deposit do I need? Can I get a refund later?
It depends on the length of your booking. Generally, $100 is held for short bookings, $200 is held for full day bookings. Deposits are held and used against the final sitting of your tattoo and may not be used any earlier.
Deposits are non-refundable, but do not expire - if your appointment needs to be rescheduled or cancelled within the terms of our cancellation policy, you may use your deposit for any products or services with any artist currently working at Mazel Tough Tattoo.
Do you sell gift vouchers?
We do! You can purchase eGift vouchers online at any time without needing to drive in to visit us, they're super convenient in that they never expire and impossible to lose. Our vouchers can be used for tattoo services, piercing procedures, jewellery or any products we sell, but like all gift vouchers, they are non-refundable (but can be transferred or sold).
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancellations MUST be made via email and with at least 48 hours notice. Cancellations will not be accepted via Facebook, Instagram, SMS, smoke signal, leaving us a voicemail, or any other way of communicating. You can use the form on this site to send us a message, that is an email.
If you cancel within 48 hours of your tattoo appointment, your deposit is forfeited to compensate the artist. A new deposit must be paid when rebooking.
Exceptions to this policy will be rare and considered on a case by case basis to be granted to true last-minute emergencies or verifiable illnesses. If you wake up on Thursday morning feeling fluey and your appointment is on Saturday, email us!
What should I wear for my piercing or tattoo appointment?
It's a good idea to wear comfortable clothing you can move or remove easily to expose the area of your body your artist will need to access - for back tattoos, a button down shirt or zippered hoodie that can be worn backwards for modesty, for instance. It's always sensible to wear black clothing and underwear in case tattoo ink or stencil stains your clothing, we don't just dress in black to look cool, it's quite practical.
Sternum tattoos work well with a string-type bikini top, hip tattoos are easily done around a bikini bottom, especially the kind that ties at the side. We do have nipple covers available for you at the studio if you want to feel more covered up - your comfort and safety is our ultimate goal, so please do ask us if you need more privacy. Our procedure spaces are incredibly private, you will never be in plain view to people in reception or people walking past the shop, but we do have privacy screens and single use bedsheets we can use for you to cover up if that's what you need to relax and feel secure.
Our piercing room is completely private, you can always have the door closed and no one else around but your piercer (and anyone you want in there, within reason, of course). Two-piece outfits work great for stomach tattoos or navel piercings - if you wear a dress to your navel piercing appointment, you may have to completely undress so we can prep and pierce your skin! And yes, please do wear a bra to get your nipples pierced - a comfy crop top is perfect, you will absolutely want a bit of gentle support afterwards.
Please don't wear heavy makeup for a facial piercing, we're just going to clean a lot of it off, and your eyes may water and ruin your artfully applied eyeliner. Feel free to message your artist for suggestions or help if you're not sure what to wear!
What does "Mazel Tough" mean? Who is Mazel?
Pronounced "mozzle tuff", it's a pun, a nod to "mazel tov", a Yiddish expression wishing "good luck" or congratulations. It literally means "tough luck" as written.
The spinning top in our logo is a dreidel, a four-sided top used to play games of chance during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Landing on the Hebrew letter "נ" (nun) or "ש" (shin) isn't very good luck!
CONTACT US
If you'd like to change or cancel your appointment or ask us a question that isn't covered in our FAQ, please use this form.
We do not quote pricing or availability, nor do we book tattoo appointments through this form. Please see the artist profiles to see how to book in with the artist of your choice, or use our Tattoo Booking Request page to start the process of booking in your next masterpiece!
