Heavy Water Tattoo 22606 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95062

"I travelled down from Sacramento to see Brayton and couldn’t be happier with my tattoo! I had a certain idea in mind and after talking to Brayton I realized he would take my idea and make it 10x’s better. He truly is an artist! Unlike other shops I have been in, he has created an environment that doesn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable. Thanks Brayton! Can’t wait for the next one!"

"If I could save just one person from having to endure the disappointment and frustration I have experienced by getting a tattoo with Brayton here this post will have been worth it. Brayton has somehow cultivated the image of an elite tattooist, but when it comes down to it the truth is his work is less than mediocre at best and his attitude towards and treatment of clients, at least in my case, is abysmal. On the first day of my tattoo, while having been told it would be a 3-4 session, he quit after 2 hours, having just done a bit more than the outline. Before my second session, 2-3 weeks later, I emailed him to share my concerns and request that he aim to make the head of my eagle closer to an example I had shown him; my expectations, which I expressed to him, we're not that it would exactly replicate the example but at least be about 70% like the example. His response was disregarding, defensive, although he wrote that he would work to accommodate my request with the eagle head. And he assured me the finished product would be "amazing" and the current outline wouldn't reflect the finished product. I was trying to be optimistic, so I went ahead with the second session. He did spend closer to 4 hours on the second session, and it looked quite decent fresh although he made no effort to accommodate my request with the eagle head, essentially ignoring me and doing what he wanted to my body. I was probably blinded with adrenaline at that point. But the next day the reality of what he had done felt overwhelming. As the tattoo healed, with me following his post-tattoo care recommendations, it only got worse as the outline close up in the mirror showed how shoddy his work was, appearing as sort of blurry, unclean or unsharp lines and really looking altogether incomplete with poor attention to detail. Furthermore, it became increasingly apparent that it didn't match the design he had committed to tattooing on me. He had also told me he wouldn't share the design with me till after the tattoo was done, "because some people would take a tattooist's design and then get the tattoo done somewhere else cheaper. That made sense, but when I emailed him a few weeks later to request the e-file of the design he responded that "the design is on your shoulder, " that he didn't have the design anymore, that he would never share the design, and but then a few sentences later that "the tattoo I did isn't the same as the design," fully admitting without care that he had neglected his commitment. I believe that Brayton truly believes he's a great tattooist. He charges elite tattoo prices. He's arrogant and disrespectful. It looks like a lot of other people have had positive experiences with him and have given him 5 star reviews. I can't explain it. Maybe he does good work sometimes or frequently. Maybe I had bad luck and I'm an exception to his normal work. Maybe he didn't like me and did shoddy work with me on purpose. But I would never get a tattoo with him again, and I pity anyone else who does and has a similar experience to me. Either way, the work he did on me is a real shame to the profession."

"My Girlfriend and I were visiting Capitola for the first time for our new years. We decided to check on tattoo shops to get a simple tattoo .Nikos was our artist and his work showed to be great. I rate it 2 stars due to them being nice and laid back however our simple tattoos are fading. It’s been 4 days now and the ink is disappearing. We now have to find another artist to do a job that should’ve been done right the first time ."

"I highly recommend Brayton and his work. I’ve had two tattoos done by him so far and a third one scheduled! I was able to give him my vision for all three and he’s been able to take it and make it even better. He’s a true artist. My first tattoo by him was a realistic portrait of my kitty. I was nervous since it was so personal but it ended up looking EXACTLY like her. Amazing! He is usually booked out months in advance but it’s worth the wait. Trust Brayton with your next tattoo!"

"Will repeat what other have said, Brayton is an amazing artist. He is professional, runs a very clean place, and is truly friendly. Was looking to get a 3/4 sleeve, had a pretty good idea of what I wanted but let him have complete artistic control. From the just first visit I could tell we were on the same page and knew he understood my ideas. I am extremely pleased and couldn't be happier with the results. Will definitely be going back and would recommend to anyone who wants to have some work done."