Aloha Tattoo

Aloha Tattoo is the western anchor of the network, and the only Waikiki tattoo studio with an inside-the-hotel location. The Hilton Hawaiian Village storefront isn't just convenient — it's historically significant. Aloha was the first tattoo shop ever to land that contract. That was Tim Goodrich's doing, and it changed what a tourist tattoo could be in Waikiki overnight. (Read the long version: The Aloha Tattoo Story.)

The shop spans three locations now: two Waikiki shops inside Hilton property, plus a Kailua studio on the windward side. Veteran-owned. Open late. Walk-ins welcome. Custom work booked through the same number.

What Aloha does best

• American Traditional — the foundation. Bold black outlines, flat color, Sailor-Jerry-era iconography drawn the way it was meant to be drawn.
• Japanese Wabori — multi-session sleeves, koi, hannya, chrysanthemum chest panels.
• Black & Grey — soft realism through hard solid blacks. Full back pieces and half sleeves are a regular order.
• Fine line + walk-in flash — the small commemorative end of the catalog, served fast.
• Cover-ups — Tim's reputation for taking on cover-ups other shops refuse is part of the Aloha legacy.

Why hotel-grounds matters

The Hilton studio is in walking distance of every Waikiki hotel and a five-minute trolley ride from most of the others. For visitors who want a tattoo as part of their Hawaiʻi trip — and who don't want to leave the property to get one done well — Aloha is the obvious answer. The shop's been doing this kind of clientele for thirty-plus years, which means the staff knows how to manage time-pressed travelers as well as walk-in locals.

Further reading: The Aloha Tattoo Story — how the first hotel-grounds tattoo shop in Hawaiʻi got approved.