This is a note to BRING CASH. There's a free ATM at Kwik Trip down the street. I've had two experiences at Gitchee Gumee - one piercing and one tattoo. Both were on walk-in Saturdays and excellent! I have bad experiences from past tattoos (artists being rude, not listening to me, not getting what I wanted), and both experiences I've had here couldn't have been further from that. Note that they ask you to not take photos inside, the reason is really cool -- they have various original flash drawings (including work from Sailor Jerry and work for Janis Joplin!!!!) that they are protecting and proudly display on the walls. So cool. Piercing was really easy, they have a set earring that they pierce you with and also other pieces you can buy. I bought a ring here for my mom once! Tattoo walk in was also super simple. We walked up and told the person at the door our ideas for our tattoos, they asked us our budget, took our phone numbers, and told us to go carbo load before our tats. They gave us what numbers we were on the list and gave us a rough estimate of time. We left a $20 deposit to save our spot that went towards our total at the end. We were called (there were 3 of us) separately and only one person is allowed to go in at once. I think this is a Saturday exclusive rule because it's a smaller shop and they are getting people in and out of that door quick. When I was called, I hadn't eaten recently enough, so I ran and grabbed some donuts from the gas station down the street. I came in and sat at the corner while my artist sketched my idea. She showed me the sketch and I gave a quick edit, then we were on our way to sitting at her station. She prepared the spot on my arm and placed the tattoo outline for me to check if I liked the placement. I wanted it to be a little further down and she happily changed the placement for me. The tattoo took less than 10 minutes! She wrapped me up in saniderm, gave me an aftercare sheet and a sticker, and showed me some of Janis Joplin's flash on the wall (like, WOW.) I didn't specify my budget beforehand and she priced my tattoo at $80. I paid the remaining $60 (after my deposit) and left a $20 tip. I had a wonderful experience. A note about walk in saturdays -- you are totally at the mercy of which artist is available at the time. That's the name of the game. If you have a certain artist you'd like to book with, they are happy to make an appointment and have you come in on another day. read more

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Staff were a bit rude and overall unpleasant to deal with. All I could smell were cigarettes from the moment I walked in. Wouldn't go back honestly, for piercing or tattoo needs. read more

A couple of friends of mine wanted to get some piercings as we were passing through Duluth. As our group walked in, the staff there immediately made snarky comments about us being there and complained about us letting out the "good air". When the couple of us who weren't getting pierced offered that we would wait in the car, the staff snapped back and said we must remain in the building because we already let out too much "good air" by simply walking in. 15 minutes later, they told us to leave because we were taking up too much room in the building. Our friends still got the piercings they wanted. If you want basic human decency, think twice about about the services of this tattoo shop. read more

I just went there for nipple piercings and it was such a great experience. Everyone was so friendly and helpful during the whole thing! Would definitely reccomend! read more

I came here while visiting a friend in Duluth to get my nose pierced after he had recommended it to me, and the service was excellent! Al took great care of me and was so sweet and helpful about any questions I had. The staff was all very friendly, and the little rubber shark they gave me to squeeze while I was getting pierced was a nice touch, too :) another plus was the affordability -- compared to the places we have in the cities, the pricing was such a bargain! I highly recommend checking out Gitchee Gumee if you have the chance. So happy with how my piercing turned out read more

Gitchee Gumee Tattoo - Nostril piercing done by Al :) - Tattoo Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

I usually never write reviews but I felt that this place deserved one. Jason Voss helped me design a Viking themed sleeve. He is extremely knowledgeable about the artistry of a tattoo. He will tell you exactly what will work and what won't, so don't get offended if he tells you your idea won't work. Take my advice and just trust him! If you want a well done tattoo come here. Everyone in the shop is so welcoming everytime my wife and I come in. She has even received a few tattoos from guest artists that have made appearances. This place has such a good vibe. I can't wait to come back for more pieces! read more

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Jeremy is a great artist and was fun to interact with. He helped us think through exactly what we wanted so we were not disappointed with the end result. It was a great experience and I would definitely go back to visit them for another tattoo! read more

Gitchee Gumee Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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I got this tattoo back in July and since then I spent hours looking at it hoping it would heal and look better. I never thought a simple print of my cat could look so messy. The lady stretched my skin every which way and half the time wasn't even looking at the tattoo as she was having a whole conversation with the artist next to her. I wish the $70 I spent on this TINY tattoo would mean it was worth showing off. But no, every time I show off my tattoo I get the same "are you gonna fix it?" Question. The third toe is the worst thing I've ever seen and the main part of the paw is so uneven due to how much to stretched my skin. read more

Gitchee Gumee Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

I actually drove to the shop for a walk in come to find out they don't accept walk ins due to covid. Luckily they had just had a cancellation and I was able to get in and I am super thankful I did. I was with Jeremy (awesome dude). Originally I had the idea to cover up a hand tattoo but after talking with Jeremy we decided to go a different route and ended up doing a dragon on my inner arm. I was so happy with how it turned out I went back in a week later and got my forearm finished. Jeremy was super helpful and knowledgeable, the shops environment is unmatched anywhere else everyone working there brings a good vibe. 10/10 recommend read more

Gitchee Gumee Tattoo - Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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Not the best experience, but was offered a refund of my deposit & issued an apology after not wanting to get tattooed by the artist who was at the time of meeting him, very rude to me. read more

I paid a deposit for a tattoo and the shop wasn't able to follow through with their obligation due to an incident they had. I can empathize in that situation I know things happen., BUT. They will not refund my deposit and have stopped responding to my emails about this issue. If I owed you money and something in my life happened you would say **** you pay me correct? There's not alot worse than a thief in my opinion. And I will be spreading the word about this. read more

Ended up going in to get a tattoo a couple weeks ago. I can say with full confidence that i will never be going back to this shop. The color is blotchy throughout the entire tattoo. The artist blamed this on the humidity being off in the shop, in turn i asked my regular tattoo artist along with a couple others if this excuse was an actual thing, to which i was informed it was not. Didnt even bring the color all the way to the line work, and his lines got really thin in some areas, on top of the fact that he ended up cutting me. So now i am having to go to my regular artist so she can fix his fuck up, because i am not comfortable letting him touch my body with a tattoo machine ever again. He was super distracted throughout the entire process, only used one rag the entire time to wipe the ink off of my skin (despite using several colors) yelling at his staff members, so on and so forth. read more

We were well taken care of from the moment we walked in. The gentleman up front whose name I unfortunately do not remember was more than willing to accommodate us and checked on us during our piercing session. Our piercer, Jason, was phenomenal. He advised us on how to adjust where we wanted our piercings based on the shape of our ears for maximum healing and best aesthetic. He was very patient with me especially as I may have been a little shaky while he tried to get the earring in. Overall Gitchee Gumee is extremely patient, friendly, and knowledgeable and I would recommend them to anyone. read more

10/10 would recommend Gitchee Gumee, Carlos was the best!!! We walked into the door and were welcomed by several super fun and spunky shop employees. My tattoo turned out amazing and the atmosphere of the shop was very welcoming and fun. Carlos listened to exactly what I wanted, while also throwing his own artistic spin on it! And on top of it all, he's funny as hell! We had an all around amazing experience!! read more

Jason has done 3 larger tattoos on me over the past 3 years. Every time I walked away very happy with the results. Definitely the best artist around. I highly recommend Jason and Gitchee Gumee tattoo! read more

I went in a few weeks ago for an infecting lip ring and even though I didn't get the original piercing there, they got me in right away and were extremely helpful. They helped me take out the piercing being very cautious to the fact that it was painful. They also gave me great advice on what to do next and how to keep it from getting worse. They really seemed to know their stuff and I would recommend them for your next piercing! read more

Whatever you do... do not let the old lady tattoo you!! She messed up so many spots on not only my tattoo but my friends too! She should not be tattooing. Terrible line work. I've warned you. read more

Jason was amazing. Such a great guy, someone you could talk to and made you feel comfortable. An office dog is always a bonus too! (Love little Frankie) Will definitely be back! read more

Bring your business elsewhere!! Artists made fun of my tattoo idea, not realizing I was within earshot. One of the artists said he was purposefully going to mess up my tattoo and make it look like something else and laughed about it. I walked out. Very unprofessional and rude. Get a tattoo somewhere else!!! read more

Jason I love my tattoos! I love that you're so patient with me during the design process, taking my ideas and making them great and the staff provide a fun and entertaining experience. read more

Unprofessional. The back story- after a buddy of mine recommended us to Gitchee Gumee Tattoo, my girlfriend contacted Jason via social media, describing want she wanted and was thinking. He responded very nice and prompt telling her to call the shop. On the phone setting up the appointment she also described what she had talked to Jason about, they agreed on an appointment at 12 noon 02/23/2020. Arrival- after excitement/anxiousness built during a 2-hour and 43-minute, 150-mile car ride to the tattoo shop from our current residence we showed up at Gitchee Gumee at 11:48a.m. The girl at the front counter was friendly and told Jason her next appointment has arrived. He replied by saying, "What're you doing here so early." in a confused angry voice. He was currently working on his 11am appointment and was not ready for his 12-noon appointment (Us) and he also had an appointment booked for 2p.m. as well. He was behind which is understandable but the way he acted was unnecessary. He started aggressively and unprofessionally bombarding her asking and saying things like "Is it a cover up? Half sleeve?" and "Don't you know that a half sleeve is an all-day event" We were instructed to leave and com back at 1p.m. After the fact- So she was upset because of how condescending and rude. He made her feel embarrassed, dumb, and uncomfortable. That is not how you talk to a girl. 1) Your scheduling mistake is not our fault. 2) You are the one who set up the appointment in a 2-hour block knowing exactly what it was. Lastly- we called Gitchee Gumee at 12:35p.m. to update them letting them know out of courtesy that we will not be coming back at 1p.m. We asked for our $20+ deposit back and we were told that there is a 24 hour in advance cancellation fee... understandable. However, we DID NOT cancel. We were basically kicked to the curb. Jason did not even seem interested to do the work they had discussed. Why would we want to come back if the artist wasn't even excited or seem to care, also how he talked to her was unprofessional. Getting the deposit back was not about the money it was about the principal for them to know they messed up by over scheduling and I could see in the eyes of the other employees as well, they too felt uncomfortable with the situation. I will never recommend such a place. Even though the others seemed like decent humans, the way Jason made my girlfriend feel uncomfortable, un-welcomed and dumb is baffling. We wasted 6 hours of our day driving, gas money we will not get back and a horrible experience from Gitchee Gumee. read more

Horrible customer service. My friend and I did not get what we expected. The piercer pierced through my mask and didnt tell me. I had to go back in and get repierced and told me that I should've taken my mask off more carefully. terrible experience. Never coming again. read more

Even though it was only my first time getting a tattoo, I had an amazing experience here. Jeremy, the tattoo artist, was really good at helping me and my friends make decisions about what and where we wanted our tattoos. He also made it a very safe and comfortable environment to be in. I will definitely be recommending Gitchee Gumee Tattoo to other people I know that want a tattoo done. read more

Terrible service!! They are completely unorganized. Three of us got tattoos and we sent the pictures to the place prior to going there. They quoted us $60-$80, $60-$80, and $140. When we got to the shop they refused to stay with their original quote and wanted us to pay more. They literally caused a scene and blamed "coronavirus" for wanting more money. WE ARE MONTHS INTO THIS PANDEMIC AND THEY QUOTED US ONLY THREE DAYS AGO. We ended up settling at $100, $100, and $200. WAY MORE MONEY THAN THE ORIGINAL QUOTES. They were even rude about it and threatened to go up even more in price after we questioned them. They didn't have any of our tattoos drawn up and we had to wait hours for them to get to us. Literally wasted our time by standing around talking instead of tending to us (THEIR COSTUMERS). Our tattoos came out decent, but one of us had to go back in and have them fix a mistake within five minutes of leaving the place: they fixed it with no problems. Ridiculous experience. Would never go back. read more