Lacy did my wife's nose piercing yesterday. She was very informative and answered all the questions my wife had. The wife is very happy with how it turned out! The studio is very clean and staff is very friendly. read more

Piercing Review I got my navel piercing here 3 years ago. After I left, I noticed it was a little bit crooked. No biggie, I'll be the only one to notice. The problem really lies in the fact that 3 years later, it's still not healed. And yes, I followed the piercer's instructions. 2 years in, I called them thinking maybe I'm allergic to the metal in the jewelry. I've heard that can cause piercings to not heal, and I purchased the jewelry from them. I didn't expect them to fix anything, I just wanted the details so that I could find different jewelry. They didn't even know the size or material of the jewelry that they have in store. Just make the drive to Des Moines. Both of the places in Ames suck. The only upside to going here is that everyone (now that one of their artists is gone) seems incredibly nice. read more

I've heard nothing but good reviews from friends--and seen nothing but cool, interesting work--so when I decided to get my ears pierced on the spur of the moment, I went to Heroic Ink. The piercer was in, and there was no waiting. The staff were friendly, informative, and professional. They gave good aesthetic advice, maintained good sterile technique, and worked well as a team. The vibe of the place was fun and relaxing. Great experience! read more

This review is long overdo, so here we go! I scheduled a time for their Halloween special. They had accidentally overbooked, but honored me a spot which was awesome! I got a goat design from Parker and it looks amazing. Every time I look at it in the mirror, it makes me smile. I have been thinking about getting another tattoo, and I know that I will be getting it here! read more

Heroic Ink Tattoo and Piercing - Goat tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Staff were very kind but the piercer messed up my septum piercing. Got it done with friends and the table where they set things was not sanitized and as soon as I was pierced went through extreme pain, I find out later it went through cartilage and i'm still healing 3 months later... I don't recommend going if you want a piercing but haven't heard anything bad about the tattoo artists. read more

didn't sanitize and pierced it crooked didn't give me the cleaning solution too long of a bar read more

Heroic Ink Tattoo and Piercing - My rook peircing is the one they did - Tattoo Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Best in Ames! I've visited three piercing/tattoo shops in Ames and this is the cleanest and has the best customer service. It doesn't matter if you're buying $5 jewelry or getting a $500 tattoo, everyone that walks into Heroic Ink is treated like royalty. They are very hygienic, kind, and have a plethora of jewelry. The store also has a wonderful decor and very hip vibe. A great place to get a little girl's ears pierced or get a full sleeve tattoo. They came highly recommended and didn't disappoint. Super sterile yet the decor is a fun, artsy, counterbalance. I love coming here. They also know how to handle ethnic skin which some places even in the city don't know what they're doing. I won't let any other piercers come near me while I'm am Iowan. I got my nostril pierced today by John and hardly felt a thing. read more

Just got my conch done!! The piercing artist is the most supportive, uplifting person ever. She only has good things to say. She's very good at her job and kind. Would 100% recommend going here. Everything was clean. The jewelry is high quality. Overall great experience!! read more

Heroic Ink Tattoo and Piercing - Conch piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Sold me defective jewelry that came undone multiple times in the month I've had the piercing despite following new piercing protocol to the letter. The person I spoke to on the phone refused to refund me and seemed shocked that I would even ask. Now I'm out $75 for a piece of junk and a rapidly closing hole in my head. This is the third piercing I've had done by Lacy that had issues and I have had to remove. I've had 13 piercings done by Heroic Ink over the last ten years but alas we will be parting ways. read more

The staff were kind, the service was good, and the facility was clean. I got a nostril piercing. My issue was that the angle of the piercing is very irregular compared to how they should sit, which restricts the jewelry I can wear. I got it removed by a different piercer and am waiting for the irritation bump caused by the severe angle to go away. I also wish that I received better aftercare instructions. I was given basic verbal instructions, but it was immediately after I received the piercing and was laying down as to not pass out. I didn't receive papers or other instructions, and I was not informed about maintenance or downsizing. The experience in store was ok, but I am not happy with the results of my piercing. read more

My first time visiting here today - got one new tattoo and a touch-up on a tattoo I had previously. My tattoo artist was Jake, who said he has been here about five years. Very personable, very quick and did a good job. Of course, the final question: do you want another one today? No, at my age I seem to have to think about it a lot - even though my tattoos are relatively small compared to most people. So, if/when I do another, this will be where I plan to return. I like my new tattoo! I even left with a recommendation for where to have lunch before I left town - that turned out good, too! Now my main criticism. I am no prude, but when I entered the store, a couple employees were having a conversation and throwing around the F bomb, a lot - even as I stood at the counter. Probably not cool these days - no matter what the age your customers might be. Thank you. read more

Heroic Ink Tattoo and Piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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Very clean establishment. James was very professional and friendly. The tatoo looks great after a week. The aftercare is different than it was 20 years ago. read more

I came from Minneapolis to be with my sister in law for her memorial tattoo. We have set the date and make the appointment 1 and a half month ago and had put a deposit even discuss the design with the shop manager. Today we arrive at Heroic Ink to have the tattoo done and surprise they don't have an appointment on my name. But they have all my info and designs for my sister tattoo but nothing else. What makes matters worst is their unwillingness to make any accommodation to my drive for this event or even to call the manager to clarify what happened. We suggest to wait for any artist to be available if they finish early but no they won't make any accommodation until January 3rd 2023! I won't recommend doing business with this tattoo shop. read more

I have had 2 tattoos done at Heroic Ink and I am super happy with the artist, his work, and they have aged very well. I was looking for an artist in Ames and happened to wander in after I went to the Farmer's Market on Main Street. I had printed out the piece I designed to show someone earlier, so it was a bit crumpled, but I had it with me. I don't think there are a lot of tattoo shops I would feel comfortable going in to and talking to an artist, holding a basil plant and a giant bunch of carrots. Lol. You know what I mean. It's just that way. You immediately feel at ease there, it's bright, the employees are very pleasant and helpful and they don't make you feel like you don't belong there or look at you like you are disturbing them when you walk in. There is a shop on Welch that I walked into carrot-less and stood there for over 15 minutes at the counter, and I kid you not, the THREE employees didn't even acknowledge my presence. Heroic Ink is SO much different in that regard and it's one of the reasons I love it there. It's really clean, everything's sterilized correctly, they have a GREAT selection of jewelry. All the artists do great work. I really loved both of my experiences there. Of the 4 shops in Ames I visited, this was the most impressive one BY FAR and the only one I chose to have work done at. I can't say enough good things about Heroic Ink. The fact that I felt so comfortable there was just so refreshing. read more

I have gotten work done at Heroic Ink twice so far and I am already planning on returning once again. The entire process was easy both times. They have done a great job about responding to emails quickly, picking up the phone, and reminding me of appointments. I have worked with two different artists (James and Emily) and both of them 1. Did a good job and 2. Made me feel really comfortable. While it is true that you could get a tattoo for slightly cheaper elsewhere in Ames, you could also get much worse work done on said tattoo in Ames. read more

I got my doubles and a mid-cartilage pierced here and plan on going in soon for a forward helix. The people are always friendly and I love the location of the studio. They also are willing to change out piercings without a charge which is really spectacular. I have built a relationship with this company and will recommend them over anyone else in Ames. read more

Heroic Ink in Ames, IA is known as one of the best piercing tattoo parlors in Iowa. They take pride in all their popular work and in claiming that statement. But when it comes to normal citizens of Ames and their piercings, they just want to get them in and out of the store and don't have the same hospitality as when they're doing tattoos. I've noticed that they don't treat customers like a business should. They also don't have the best quality jewelry for healing or for sensitive skin. I've gone into Heroic Ink on 5 separate occasions. Each time I've gone in, they've had a rude manner the minute you walk into the store. They either ignore you for the first 10 minutes you're there or ask you why you're there. Whenever I went in to pick out jewelry, I barely had anything to choose from. In general, there's not a lot of options, but for sensitive skin, there are even fewer. For example, many other professional piercers I've been to have 3+ different types of nose studs, and 3+ other options for nose rings. Of these 3+ different types of studs alone, those branches off into many different types of metal, color, style, etc. Heroic Ink only offers corkscrew studs in thin cheap metal and they offer thin cheap hoops. These are what caused my piercing to be infected (plus jamming it into my sensitive piercing very roughly). I've also made sure to disclose how sensitive my skin is, and how I wanted my piercings to look. Each time they haven't been gentle with handling my piercings and body instead of listening to me, they talk to me like I don't know my body. Another thing for future customers and piercing lovers to take into account is that they don't take the time to properly measure your piercings to ensure symmetry. They also don't pierce it in the proper angles or techniques. After my nose piercing got infected, I took the drive up to Ankeny, IA to find a new piercing parlor. I asked them what I could do to get rid of my oozing bump and replace the jewelry. The lady informed me that whoever pierced it did it at an angle you're not supposed to. It made the piercing stick out way too far out and too low. She said it needed to be done at a straight angle and that I would have to let my piercing heal and close, and come back 3 months later. This had to be true because I know many other people at my school who have gone to get nose piercings at Heroic Ink, everyone with a hoop had it sticking out and too low. I also went in for 3 different ear piercings. Since they never measure where the piercings are going on each side, the one on my right ear is a lot more to the center of my ear than the other is. It doesn't look like I intended on having the same piercing on both ears. I have a friend who went to get her tragus pierced. She told me the lady stabbed her 3 times with the needle before completely breaking through the cartilage. She later learned this was an ancient form of torture used a long time ago. Rather than jerking the needle in, the piercer should've pushed hard and done it smoothly in one go. Another thing I think is important and shows a lot about their business morals, is that they don't seem to care to make it up to the customer. I wrote a review just like this a few months ago. I expressed my frustration about each of my visits, how they handled me, how they treated me, and the quality of their jewelry. I had checked a few days later, just to see if I got any replies, and I saw that they deleted my review. After realizing that they deleted my review, I began to browse through the rest of the reviews to see that every single one was 5 stars. This led me to believe that any review that is less than 4 stars, they find and delete. They aren't authentic and didn't care to apologize, offer to fix anything, or even own up to it. Finally, the last thing I will say, is that I don't recommend you go to Heroic Ink on Main street in Ames, IA if you're looking for good quality jewelry, a piercing you're planning on having for more than a couple of years, or a place you're planning to be your "go-to" parlor to trust. read more

I went here for the first time yesterday to get my lobes pierced. This was a great experience for my first piercing, besides having my ears pierced as a baby. They do walk-ins for piercings and the process is very quick if you know what you want. I filled out some quick paperwork, chose my earrings, and went to the back to have it done. Kara, my piercer, asked me how I preferred to relax as she did, she was very friendly, it and the environment was very clean. I was given something to take home for cleaning my piercing and a pamphlet with care instructions. I only paid $30 total, not including the tip. The piercing was $20 and the jewelry I chose was $10. I am very satisfied with her work and I can't wait to get my next piercing! read more

Best artists and very friendly. Highly recommend.

Very happy with my tattoo. My artist was James and he not only did a great job but the whole experience was easy going and fun. Great shop, great artists. Everyone was super friendly! read more

Heroic Ink Tattoo and Piercing - Out of the ashes I will rise. - Tattoo Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Nice staff. Picked up jewelry here on multiple occasions and got my septum pierced. Lady who did it was quick and nice. Didn't even give me time to be nervous and before I knew it it was done. Whenever I buy a new hoop or anything they always offer to help put it in and are super helpful. Want to get a tattoo from here sometime. read more

I've gotten 4 lobe piercings, 3 cartilage piercings, a nose piercing, and an industrial piercing all at Heroic Ink. I've been pierced by Josh and Emily and I recommend them both. A very friendly staff. They answer any questions you may have regarding your piercing. Also a very clean environment. If you're looking for a place to get pierced, I definitely recommend Heroic Ink! read more

I had a good quality piercing done, but everybody in the shop was very rude. I was unfamiliar with some terms and they acted as if I should know what they were talking about and were very annoyed and mean when I seemed confused. For that alone, I would not go back. read more