We have been here twice now for piercings. The first time was 12/7/24, and my daughter and I got our ears pierced together; she got her first earlobe piercing and I got my fourth, which was considered a helix piercing. Our second visit was on 1/19/26, and my daughter got her second earlobe piercing. Piercings are a walk-in basis only, so there could be a wait. As with any tattoo/piercing shop, you'll need a valid ID in order to receive any services. John does such an amazing job every time. He's caring and knowledgeable as well as an all-around fun person to talk to. He measures where the piercings should go before he marks them and then triple-checks that the placement is correct before asking the client how they feel about the placement. He's quick and efficient, yet very calm and patient. The quality and variety of jewelry he has in stock is amazing as well as the aftercare products he provides. John makes sure to go over all aftercare procedures for each piercing as well as gives a small bit of sea salt for cleaning. There are other aftercare cleansers available for purchase as well; we bought the Mudscupper's Brand, and it works wonders! Overall, the vibe is really laid back, relaxed, and comfortable. It's clean and well-organized as well as bright, but private. read more

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SERIOUSLY THE BEST EXPERIENCE EVER!! Kelsey's work is AMAZING and she took my friends and us as walk ins and got us in right away! Great price and great vibe!! Never been so happy with a tattoo shop!! read more

Kelsey was my tattoo artist she was the sweetest and she did my tattoo perfectly it came out even better than I was expecting she was very fun to talk to and was very attentive to me. John was my piercer and he did so amazing he was not only super sweet but he literally put my nostril piercing in the perfect spot it looks amazing. The whole store is decorated with tons of cool art and different decorations. Everyone there was also so nice. I would definitely go back again and recommend to people. read more

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Super sweet employees!! I have had incredible customer service. Kelsey did a tattoo on me and was so pleasant to work with. John did ear piercings on me and was super helpful and professional. Love this place!! read more

JOHN SLAYED!!!!! He talked me through the whole process and recommended the best piercings suitable for me. We love John read more

The Asylum - Tragus & Rook piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Great quality and customer service! I've gotten four tattoos and one piercing there, absolutely amazing vibe and I recommend.

Horrible customer service! My friend started working here and she's only been tattooing for a little bit. She has been begging me to get a tattoo from her or what I was gonna make my appointment, so I finally made my appointment for this upcoming Saturday. both my friend and the shop ignored my messages and I felt like they just wanted my money. Once they got my deposit, they stopped answering. I got a really bad feeling so I decided to cancel my appointment. I Message them and I'm like hey I'm going to cancel my appointment for Saturday, I would like a refund. They're like deposits are nonrefundable, I wasn't told that in the first message about the deposit or the email with the invoice I think it's really scammy to not give people back there money, especially when they're not receiving the service. I will never recommend this place and I will never go to this place. It's trash. I also think it's very unprofessional To just heavily rely on a policy that is really crucial and is not pointed out. if I knew the deposit was nonrefundable, I wouldn't have made the deposit. read more

The Asylum - Tattoo Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Came to Asylum to get my helix pierced, two of my friends came with and each got their nose pierced (not pictured, sorry). We had first gone to Heroic but all had a really weird feeling about the place... luckily one forgot her id so we had a reason to leave and rethink; after talking with the staff at Asylum we were SO grateful for that chance! Staff was kind and knowledgeable, we had come in late and were the only customers so the staff that was free hung out with us and talked while our piercer was getting supplies ready. Pricing is very affordable, we all selected neo-metal jewelry so there was an added cost (mine was $75 total without tip I believe) Not sure what procedure for helix piercing usually is but placement was exactly where I wanted and the angle of the piercing was perfect for all three of us. It's been about a month and mine has healed so well, not a hint of infection and within a week it wasn't painful to sleep on if I rolled to that side. Thank you John! read more

The Asylum - Helix piercing (top) - Tattoo Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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I went for a piercing today and John was an absolute delight! He is so knowledgeable, informative and is very detailed on the hygiene and safety procedures. Everyone one there was personable and friendly. I will only trust the Asylum for any of my future services. Kudos to John, you are the best! read more

Won't go anywhere else for a tattoo. Beautiful artwork. Gotten 2 tattoos and working on a third all from here and have gotten all 4 of my piercings from here. read more

If you're in Ames, don't go anywhere else for a tattoo/piercing. I have had great experiences with Asylum and with Kyle, and a lot of my good friends love dan and Hot Rod. With very consistently great experiences, I wouldn't trust anyone else with my ink. Not only are they very talented, but they are super knowledgable about tattoo care, very personable, and awesome at working with you to make sure your piece is perfect. read more

Pierced my boyfriends ears, didn't use a clamp and they were nowhere near where she marked them. Was gonna get my septum pierced afterwards but left my ID at home and were gonna go get it, she said it was no problem so we ran home and grabbed it, 10 minutes later we got back and she had closed up and left! Super unprofessional, shitty work. read more

Seriously pissed off. For a girl getting her first tattoo not impressed. I got a lip tattoo and it was all fine, until that night when it started to fade..then was literally gone the next morning. I was not told that my lip tattoo could be gone in 22 hours and that is normal??? why on earth would I spend $92 to get something that lasts less than a day. I am furious because I would not have gotten it if I knew that. When I went In to talk to them about it, they talked to me as if I was 5 and were so incredibly rude and not apologetic at all. Over priced shitty service. 0/10 would reccomend. read more

First and foremost, don't take a phone call in the middle of tattooing someone and say, out loud, that you're going to rush the tattoo you're currently working on. The artists chatted with each other the entire time. My artist barely paid any attention to the work he was doing and instead kept talking about his life drama with his coworkers and yelling (in my ear) across the shop if they weren't within hearing distance. As for the tattoo, The shading looks scratchy, blotchy, and there's 4 different light sources in the shading. Not to mention he pushed down on the line work hard enough to leave dark bruises all around the tattoo. I didn't feel like a client getting a tattoo, I felt like a sketchbook as they seemed to be purposefully ignoring anything I tried to chime in with. Don't go here, find a real professional who cares about their clients. read more

The worst experience I have EVER had. The women at front desk make you feel stupid about your choice in ink and placement. If you want to be talked to like you're a child when asking questions to make an informed adult decision.. I guess go here. LAST resort. read more

Great customer service. Its all about building loyalty to them. I will continue to get all my tatoos here. Great artists. Great piercer. Have all been there and in this business a long time. Best part is that Im a talker, and I tend to exhaust people with my bubbliness (lol) however, both the piercer (cant remember her name, but very professional) and the artist, Hot Rod, listened to me about what I wanted and has drawn and redrawn my ideas until i was happy with them. read more