Our Story

We opened Tsunami Tattoo in 2003, having moved to Portland ME from New York City. We had been living in New York for several years, and we were looking for a new place to call home. In spite of our love of chewy H & H bagels and the trashy smell of a Gotham August, we knew that E.B. White was onto something when he left Manhattan and moved to Maine.  As a rural Maine native, Sue told Phuc that Maine’s tagline was “The Way Life Should Be,” and he was sold (because he’s a sucker for great marketing and does anything that E.B. White would do).  That switch from first-person to third-person is confusing, huh?  We/they hate it too.  Let’s stick to first-person…

At Tsunami Tattoo, we hope that we’ve curated a specific tattoo and service experience for you.  We love tattooing and tattoos, and we hope that our love of it reflects in everything we do, from the care with which we design and apply your tattoos to the shop’s physical space to our attention in answering your emails and calls.  We hope your experience is a superlative one because of both the process leading up to the tattoo as well as the tattoo itself. We’re making a lifelong impact on you, and we take this responsibility very seriously.

We’re guided by the immortal words of Rick Blaine: “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Here’s looking at you.  Thanks for coming by.

Tattoos. And time machines. A look back--and ahead--at 10 years of Tsunami Tattoo in Portland, ME www.tsunamitattoo.com

Our Statement of Missions and Ethics

Tsunami Tattoo’s business mission is to provide each client with the best tattooing that we can perform while offering a rich and positive customer service experience.  We strive to create a comfortable environment that nurtures our finest work while augmenting the conventional tattoo experience. 

Our ethical mission is to operate Tsunami Tattoo in concert with our commitment to environmental, social-justice, humanitarian, and civic issues.  We are not islands.  We are all interconnected, and as a business, we strive to contribute to a safer, more accepting, more sustainable world for our children.

We are devoted to cultivating a safe space at Tsunami Tattoo for clients of all genders, races, nationalities, sexual orientations, and religions.