Heroic Ink Tattoo & Piercing

I have had the best experiences here! Kaylee is such an incredible tattoo artist and human. 🤍 She is so great to work with, is incredibly talented/kind, and has such a light hand to the point where getting my fineline tattoos barely hurt. She made my first experience getting tattoos so fun (she even let me get a third design I was wanting on a whim)! She plays fun music and talks to you to keep you distracted from any discomfort. I cannot get over how accurately she replicated my parents’ handwriting. I’m also obsessed with the dainty initial “A” from my grandparents’ wedding program (pictured). She totally made my visions come to life, and I am just thrilled! She was also very thorough with explaining aftercare instructions. Totally professional and I 100000% recommend her. I will be back for more I am sure haha! Ames is SO lucky to have a tattoo artist who is this skilled at fineline work! I have also gotten my lobes, conch, and navel pierced here over the years. Very clean shop and professional. I have always had great outcomes and excellent piercers. Love love love Heroic Ink!! 🤍

I just got my first tattoo and was super nervous about it. I walked in and the atmosphere is so relaxing and the staff were super friendly. I wasn't nervous by the time I was taken back to get started.

Great experience with first time lobes pierced. Please note that their prices were well outdated on their website. I paid almost double what I had seen listed. But I'm still pleased with overall experience.

Excellent place for a life changing experience. The people that work here care about the patrons and the community. Best tattoo work in the state. I won't go to anyone else.

Just got a triple flat piercing done by Kara and she was great. I wanted them in an equilateral triangle formation and even as a perfectionist, I can confidently say they are perfectly evenly-spaced and I am SO happy with how they turned out!! Barely felt it at all either of the three times a needle was shoved through my ear, and she is definitely a professional in every sense of the word. Will definitely be seeing her again for all my piercing needs!

Nice customer service and clean

I live in Des Moines and I drive the 45 minutes to Ames to come to Heroic for any new piercing I get. I've had 16 piercings and have been to many of the shops around the DSM/Ankeny area, and I prefer Heroic. Kara is a skilled piercer and I trust her more than others I've worked with. I recently got my bridge pierced here, and while it looked great initially, it ended up healing a tiny bit crooked (my face is asymmetrical.) I called the shop and explained my situation, and they were very kind and understanding. Kara offered to re-pierce it once it healed. I recently got it re-pierced, it healed beautifully, and the staff were so kind throughout the process. I trust their quality of work above anyone else, their pricing beats the majority of shops in DSM, and their customer service is excellent. I'll continue to make the drive!