Mad Ethels Tattoo & Body Piercing (Glenwood)

Came in yesterday for the first time, and I was so impressed with this shop. Everyone I encountered was friendly, helpful, and down to earth. I’m pretty socially awkward in new situations, but my artist Paul was just delightful and was super easy to talk to. He made very quick (and precise!) work of a pretty decent-sized piece. I’m in love with the results and will absolutely be coming back.

Justin is very professional, patient, knowledgeable, trustworthy. I went to him for a piercing that was hard to use. It was closed up but actually wasnt, just needed stretching and a good earring stud to hold it open. Very quick. Im a very happy customer

I searched high and low for a great shop to get my daughters snake bites. Ashley killed it she was patient and explained every single step. My daughter was very comfortable and they came out perfect. The shop is gorgeous, I am obsessed with the entire look. I highly recommend you guys to come here for all your needs. Had to add a picture of the wall paper its too good not to share.#possumsarebeautifulbabies

My husband and I wanted a couples tattoo. No names because of kiss of death to the relationship and all. So we decided on Nightmare before Christmas. Jamie was great. We had a consultation and said do your thing. Day of we loved the design. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. The music was fun. In the end we got tattoos we love and couldn’t be happier. Highly recommend. Sending two of our sons their way. Jet, is now working on dragon tattoos we started years ago, and although they are not done yet we are super happy with the vision so far.

I recently got a tattoo here (and before that, piercings), and I can say with complete confidence that these people are amazing. Not only are they professional in their line of work, they have a wonderful atmosphere in their business, that is fun and relaxing to be inside.The tattoo artists are so talented and kind.I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with them, and plan on going back for another tattoo in the future.

After a recommendation from another mom, I scheduled an ear piercing appointment for my daughter (7) with Ashley. My daughter had been asking to get her ears pierced, but was a bit nervous. Ashley did an amazing job helping her pick out earrings within our budget, explaining aftercare to my daughter, and ensuring she felt ready. At no point did she make us feel pressured, and even let us know multiple times we would treat it as a consultation, and if she decided to go through with it great, and if not, that was completely ok too. After getting her first ear pierced my daughter decided she didn’t want to get the other one done then. Ashley stepped out of the room to give us time to talk it out and decide, again with no pressure either way. We did end up leaving with one side pierced, knowing we could make an appointment for the other whenever she was ready. We made an appointment for the following week (today), and although my daughter was so excited and counting down the days to getting her other ear pierced, she became very anxious and upset once getting to the room. We used up the whole appointment slot calming our nerves and getting ready. The whole time Ashley was supportive, encouraging and so kind. She let us know she could try to fit us in again after her next client if we wanted, but if we wanted to leave that was ok too. We ended up waiting, and Ashley helped my girl take it slow, step by step, and get the piercing. The smile on her face when she realized it was done and barely hurt was worth it all. Thank you for helping her conquer her fear, be brave, and know that she can do hard things! She is thrilled to have her ears pierced, and they look beautiful!

Babyyyy - Justin, the piercer will get you RIGHT!!!! I had a tummy tuck about a year and a half ago. I came to Justin 6 months after and he told me to wait until my belly bottom finished healing and had more circulation. I waited and came back to my boo and he was ready for me!!! It was painless, quick, and clean. He talked me through the whole process and kept me busy while he took care of me. He appreciated my humor and my craziness, so we had a good time!!

I had tattoo removal done by Sarahanne! I can’t recommend her enough! She is the most kind and caring person I’ve ever met! She makes you feel very comfortable and explains everything in detail, I have been twice and the first time I was terrified it was going to hurt but it was nowhere near as bad as I anticipated! SHE IS FAST!!! You blink and she’s done! The world is a better place with her in it.

Ashley was just awesome. She was thorough, disinfected prior to piercing, friendly and had great suggestions.Thank you, Ashley, for making the visit memorable and walking through each step along the way.

Ember is the most professional tattoo artist out there. She is great conversation and very sweet. That is all amplified based on her beautiful tattoo work. She did me the honor of memorializing my two cats and I am forever grateful to her. If youre uncertain of trusting an artist, Im telling you, book with Ember and you wont regret it.

First time coming here and it was a great experience. Wanted to get my daith done for a while now and decided to just go ahead and do it. They were all booked for today but I was a walk in and the wait wasn’t long at all! Receptionist was super nice and Ashley, who did my piercing was amazing! I’m super excited and very happy with my experience. Will definitely be coming back for future piercings.

Edit: was looking to get another tattoo and realized I never saw the response from the shop. I never said that I didn’t receive a confirmation I said I wasn’t sure, seeing as communication was extremely spotty. She said that it would be no problem if I saw her artwork beforehand but never specified that it meant she wouldn’t be able to send them over, I would have understood that. I didn’t appreciate the condescending tone that comes across in all of your responses to negative reviews. Humans make mistakes and that includes artists, if Jamie felt that she didn’t want to tattoo me after that first “encounter” it would’ve been nice to hear from her. Thanks!I was really hoping to leave a positive review here and I’m extremely disappointed that’s not the case. I searched for years to find an artist to work with on 3-4 extremely sentimental pieces. I found Jamie Hotalen at Mad Ethel’s and contacted them about an appointment. Getting scheduled was a bit of a nightmare in that I couldn’t get in touch with anyone however, after that it seemed to fall apart. It was well over a month of messaging the artist about what I was thinking and asking to see their work (which I never got) and waiting days or weeks for a response without hearing anything. I wasn’t sure if my appointment was confirmed, there was no sketch of the tattoo for me to see, there was none of her work sent to me to see either. Extremely frustrated I prepare for the appointment, I tried to confirm the day or two prior and of course got no response and even messaged the day of to make sure I went to the correct location (I did not). When I showed up I was ignored until I pushed my way through to the receptionist. After over half an hour of waiting (with the two family members these tattoos were for waiting with me) and not hearing a single thing from the artist about how long it was going to be or anything I decided I needed a step outside. I ended up leaving after pressuring and finding out the artist wouldn’t be ready for another 30-50 minutes. I never once got to speak with Jamie over the phone, in person, nothing. I was supposed to get a call back to reschedule (yeah, right) but I’m not holding my breath. This was a very frustrating and time-wasting experience and I am so so disappointed in the customer service I was faced with. I’m 21 and work in a vape shop so I understand having rude customers but I’ve not seen service like this in a long time.

Visited for consultation about two piercings done elsewhere that have been giving me trouble. Staff were super friendly and the environment was GREAT. The wait time was short, especially being a walk in. Ashley was very welcoming and was definitely knowledgeable about piercing jewelry and healing. She was considerate of my budget, as I needed for pieces of proper jewelry and was very gentle when switching out my not-so-great jewelry. Definitely the best place for piercing in the Triangle.

I had Justin pierce my ears back in late 2021 and they closed up after I was admitted to the hospital early 2023. I wanted them back again and he was the sweetest to squeeze me in his busy schedule! I appreciate his bedside manners and expertise - wouldnt have anyone else! Definitely plan on returning! The lovely ladies at the front desk are very sweet and welcoming as well! Love having my earrings back in! (And they also have such a pretty selection of high quality jewelry 😍!)

Great Tattoo spot in Raleigh. I recently stopped by here for my first tattoo in over 10 years.Jamie did a great job! I highly recommend her.

Loved my experience from start to finish. Ashley is a very knowledgeable piercer and is very good at guiding her guests through the whole process . Ashley is also super fun to talk to. I cant wait to go back!

Justin pierced a double forward helix on me. It’s a month later and my piercings are healing very nicely. The piercing process was swift, and from the jump I felt immediately confident in Justin’s presence. He went through every step of the process and let me give the green light before moving to the next step which I greatly appreciated. The price I got for a double forward helix piercing for both ears were about $270 including tip and titanium jewelry of my choice.Great personality, great piercer, great shop, not much more to ask for.

Justin pierced my 10 year old’s ears and was terrific. Calm, professional, scrupulously hygienic. He explained everything and made sure he had her consent before piercing each ear. Highly recommend.

Long story short:Ashley, a piercer at Mad Ethels off Glenwood Ave, was and still is one of two of the most amazing piercers I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and being pierced by! And the only other amazing piercer I met retired, so Ashley is the Platinum star 12 out of 10 piercer. Need a piercing that wont reject due to piercer inexperience or the piercer not giving you the knowledge to keep a healing piercing healthy? ASHLEY. SHE CAN DO IT, AND AFTER YOULL LOVE YOUR NEW PIERCING FOR SURE!I went to have piercings that an experience ld piercer had to do, change, or remove. Planning to just give up on my piercings, including the ones I loved. I also planned to get my other daith pierced (use these piercings for migraine control), and just continue to be depressed about my lost sense of self and missing the piercings I had that once made me feel beautiful.Saw Ashley and remembered how self confident and amazing I felt after her piercing ne in the past and came our with no removed piercings, actually! Came out with 2 re-done and 3 changed into proper, hearty for the body jewelry that I needed!! After over a year of feeling not myself and ugly, I walked out of that shop ecstatic and in love with my piercings and what felt like my renewed self!!!Actually teared up with joy after this first appt with the shop Mad Ethels and my muliple, muliple appts, but first apot in years, with Ashley!THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I CANNOT WAIT to go back and get my other piercings re-poerced or new ones done! And also for a more than fair price for it all!Need a trustworthy place for body mods? I SUGGEST YOU GO HERE!!

My daughter and I read reviews the night before her piercing so afterwards she wanted to add one herself. She wrote her review:Ashley was VERY sweet and kind. I was very nervous about getting my ears pierced, but as soon as I got in the building I knew I was safe. They have a lot of earrings to pick from. The actual piercing was not as painful as I thought it would be. Would 100% recommend.

Took my daughter here to get her ears pierced and we had an excellent experience. Would definitely go back!

Great experience from start to finish. The receptionist was calm and friendly, which is ideal for customers who may be nervous. The wait for a walk-in appointment was very reasonable and when it was my turn, I did not feel rushed in the slightest.My piercer Ashely had a great personality and talent to match. She took her time helping me pick out the right jewelry and explained the process throughly. She was patient, kind, and made me so comfortable that I forgot I was about to get 2 holes in my ear. The piercing was quick, smooth, and much less painful than I imagined.Overall I was highly impressed with the staff and service I received. I wish there was a bit more parking, but that’s just the way the area is. It’s worth finding parking to visit Mad Ethels.Ask for Ashely, you won’t be disappointed!

I just got a tattoo done by ember yesterday. She was so thorough in making sure the tattoo was exactly what I envisioned and it came out so beautiful. She executed my vision so perfectly. She was also so sweet and gave me great aftercare instructions. And the tattoo studio was so pretty and everyone was so nice. It was a great environment and all around 10/10 experience. I will definitely be back and refer anyone I know who is looking to get work done!

Both Justin and the individual who greeted me at the front desk were kind and helpful for my septum piercing. I plan on returning soon.A quick note for anyone looking for gold colored jewelry (not the metal gold). It seems like something you need to call ahead a bit in advance and make sure it’s ready for you prior to your appointment.

I had my ears pierced today. I was impressed with the professionalism of the front desk staff. Justin , my piercer,did an excellent job..He is vey knowledgeable, personable and takes saftey seriously. I will be coming back for another piercing and my mom will be joing me for a piercing of her own 10/10

This place is hands down a 12/10 for all of your body art needs!•Yesterday my best friend and I got matching Yin and Yang Koi fish with our corresponding constellations drawn in. Jamie did the most ridiculously amazing job drawing up the ideas and bringing our dream tattoo to life! She is a beautiful soul inside and out and her artistry is a true reflection of that! Such shockingly amazing natural talent. I would say she is a hidden gem for sure. We are so pleased with our pieces and can’t wait to book with her again!•When it comes to piercings you can’t go wrong either! Justin is also freaking amazing!! Not only is he extremely knowledgeable and kind, but so clean and just overall great at what he does. He changed out several pieces of jewelry for me and pierced the second holes on my lobes which look and have healed wonderfully after 9 months.• Started coming to Mad Ethel’s a few years ago after Blue Flame shut down and I am honestly so glad that I did. They even have a sweet soul who was transplanted from Blue Flame named Ashley, she gave me my first real piercing (tragus) when I was 13 and it still is perfect 13 years later… :)Thank you guys SO MUCH!!!!

Walked in today around 3 hoping for a nose piercing, and they were able to accommodate me easily. Ashley was great! She was very friendly and I could tell she really cares about her work, and I’m really happy with my piercing.

Took my 16yo to get an eyebrow piercing theyd been begging for for years. Ashley was the absolute BEST. She was calm, gentle, explained both before the procedure what she was doing and after care requirements. It was exactly the experience we wanted to have. Will certainly be back for future piercing and tattoo needs.

Had a great experience here for a daith piercing! The shop was clean and very tastefully decorated. The front desk staff was helpful and courteous. Ashley was amazing! She was very professional and had a calming personality. I wouldnt hesitate coming here for another piercing.

Ask for Justin!!! He is so awesome and my septum piercing was quick and easy. It’s even, the place was very clean, and he made me feel really comfortable as he explained everything as he went along. I’m also allergic to nickel and they had gold titanium jewelry which is perfect. 10/10 would recommend to anyone.They also repierce for free if you’re unhappy for any reason. Thanks for the awesome septum piercing!! I will definitely be back for all my future piercings.

Jamie is AWESOME. I went to her for the 1st time recently and everything from the consult to the end of my tattoo experience was perfect. She is very detail oriented and caring.

Ashley was my piercer. She was amazing! Super cool and really helped keep me relaxed through the entire process. It might seem small but when the piercing was actually happening she made sure to breathe with me. Will definitely be back to get more piercing.

I had to get an MRI so I needed to have my ear jewelry switched with retainers. I’ve gotten a couple of my tattoos at the other Mad Ethel’s location so I called them first and they said they couldn’t do it but the Glenwood location could. I called and they said I could come in whenever. Ashley changed all five of my speciality piercings to plastic retainers for $40. I came back a few days later to get them switched back and she had accidentally dropped one of the studs and it rolled under her cart so she replaced (and upgraded, honestly) the piece for free. I’m always slightly intimidated by piercers but Ashley was great and made me feel super comfortable the entire time.The only not 100% positive things I would say are that the parking situation kinda sucks (which isn’t their fault, just is what it is) and it’s a little confusing trying to figure out where the entrance is because it’s in the back of the building up a flight of stairs and it didn’t seem to have much of a sign to follow.Other than that, 10/10 would recommend!

Went in today to get my helix pierced. Very glad Justin was there, he talked me through the entire process and was extremely knowledgeable. Took about an hour total including the wait. So glad I came across this place!

Have been here for all my piercings and jewelry the last 2-3 years. I really love the customer service and knowledge that everyone has at both locations. Along with that they are very inclusive and kind and very reasonably priced! Thanks guys.

This is the best place for piercings in the area. I used to go to Blue Flame for my piercings which has since shut down, but their piercer (who is wonderful) now works at Mad Ethels which was a nice surprise. The other piercers are also amazing, extremely professional, very good at their jobs, and have a lot of consideration for their customers. I would consider it a high end piercing place based on the quality of their jewelry and their service, and it is the only shop I will continue to go to for piercings.

Justin is fantastic! I can’t recommend him enough for piercing. He is personable, professional, and knows his stuff. I appreciate him being willing to talk through the best options and allow the client to know options before making a decision. Go see him!

Justin was excellent! He explained everything before, during and after my nose piercing. As a result, I felt pretty comfortable although I was scared.

Went on a Saturday for a walk-in ear piercing. I got two lobe and a cartilage piercing. The piercer was really professional and did a great job. My only suggestion would be to improve the wait-list. Add a join the wait-list online and make it so people can receive a text when their time is coming up. It took about 2 hours of wait time and most of the time I had to wait on site.

Seriously doesnt get any better than this place. I decided to get some tiny piercings in my ear, completely on a whim, and Im a bit older, and they could not have been any nicer. Ashley handled my piercings and she was such a pro and so personable impatient with my questions. The young gal of the desk was wonderful and I ended up talking to the owner and it was just a fantastic experience.

Great experience! I felt safe getting my piercing here. the place is clean and welcoming

Got my first piercing here and would go again. Amazing service. Super friendly and good pricing for what you get. 100% would recommend

Justin is so great! he is very patient and skilled and even redid my piercing for free when I wanted it moved to a different place on my ear. I would highly recommend coming here, better to get an appointment since it gets busy on walk-in Saturdays

I got a forearm tattoo from jamie and she did an amazing job with making sure everything about the tattoo was done to my liking being extremely sanitary and being very professional and welcoming about the whole process tattoo came out amazing and i would definitely recommend getting a tattoo here

Went in 3/26 for a piercing at 3:30. there is no parking near the building at all and after paying to park on another street, walked through the rain just to be told they weren’t taking any more walk ins. there were literally no other customers inside, no one was even getting a tattoo. they don’t close until 5. horrible first impression and definitely won’t be coming back, absolutely do not recommend coming here.

Got a Medusa from Justin. Very kind and gentle, knowledgeable, explained everything I needed to know in detail. Everything was very clean, and the decor is super cool! Definitely going again for more piercings.

Jamie is the best and always brings my ideas to life in such a fun way. She’s also great at checking in throughout the process to make sure I’m comfortable and don’t need anything.

Ive gotten a bit of work done but my most recent trip was to have my daughters ears pierced. Enough cant be said for the folks there. I would highly recommend.

My experience was outstanding! Ashley could not have been nicer and made me feel completely at ease. She talked me through all the information and answered all my questions! She really took the time to work with me to make sure I was leaving with what I wanted. Cannot recommend enough!!

Awesome space with a great vibe and welcoming atmosphere! Will be back!

I recently got a small tattoo by Jamie who did an incredible job. The experience was great and the tattoo is gorgeous. On the expensive side but definitely worth it!

Awesome 👌 long wait for piercing on Saturday. Jewelry broke after about a week and was replaced no charge

Justin (piercer) made my day! This place is clean and unexpectedly cozy. I would suggest getting an appointment, they are consistently booked out.

Freaking love this place. Justin and the other piercer are amazing.

Super friendly and professional! I came here with a question about a piercing I got somewhere else and got the help I needed. Thank you!

Justin did my Industrial piercing, and it was a great experience despite it hurting like a you know what, would honestly come back again for all my piercing needs, and highly recommend him.

Ashley did a great job on an ear piercing for me. Clean, professional, and kind.

Jet was amazing! Extremely talented and I love the final product. I showed him the 4 flowers I wanted and he came up with the design in minutes.

Justin is awesome I love him. It was so painless to get my septum and he was very thorough. Going here forever

The atmosphere is everything! Beautiful put together and very inviting.

Justin and the receptionist were very polite and helpful! The space was very clean and neat, and we enjoyed eating some FREE snacks!

Great team! Really appreciate their expertise on a Saturday piercing walk in. Thanks!

Did an awesome job with my daughters industrial piercing. Definitely recommend them.

Everyone is so kind and accommodating! Highly recommend for both tattoos and piercings!

I came here for my nose piercing. Staff is so helpful and friendly. Very nice professional folks

Friendly staff, clean space, and informative instructions. Youre in great hands with Ashley!

Such a clean, friendly place and some absolutely amazing artists!!!

It looked like an emo doctors office and everything was amazing! I highly recommend!

My piercer was very professional and knowledgeable, I will be going back and highly recommend it.

Jamie is doing a whole series for me and killing it!

Everyone was really nice, patient, and informative! Thank you so much to Justin!

Justin was awesome! Great service, great environment, great people working there!

They were great. Friendly and attentive.