The best tattoos we saw at Hell City Tattoo Festival 2025 in Phoenix

Things were really buzzing inside the Frank Lloyd Wright Ballroom at the Arizona Biltmore this past weekend. That's because more than 200 tattoo artists from across the country were turning skin into living, breathing canvases at Hell City Tattoo Convention 2025.

The three-day event from Aug. 22 to 24, is the Valley’s biggest ink extravaganza of the year. Artists from throughout Arizona and all over the U.S. packed the ballroom, where machines were humming from open until close each day.

It wasn’t just ink-slinging pros making the trip to Hell City. Thousands of tattoo fans rolled into the Arizona Biltmore to attend the weekend-long event, some to get fresh ink while others just wanted to flex the art they already wear.

Amazing-looking body art was everywhere you looked inside the enormous ballroom, from old-school traditional styles to intricate and hyper-detailed pieces that looked like fine art.
Many pieces were in a scary or spooky vein, including stunning creations starring demons, vampires and other supernatural beings. There were also countless tattoos inspired by pop culture mainstays, such as video game characters, SpongeBob SquarePants and even Captain Planet.

The love of tattoos spanned generations at Hell City 2025. Lisa Mitchell, a 65-year-old resident of Los Angeles, proudly showed off her massive dragon back piece by Brett Herman of Tribute Tattoo in California. She even had some advice for anyone still hesitating about going under the needle.

“It’s nothing to be afraid of,” she said. “As long as your skin is good and doesn’t get too saggy.”

Daily tattoo competitions are one of the major highlights of Hell City each year, as attendees show off new and existing works in categories ranging from best color to best "Star Wars"-themed body art. Winners got medals while the artists behind each piece nabbed a custom trophy.

Here’s a look at some of the standout ink we spotted at Hell City 2025 in Phoenix.