Skin Kitchen Tattoo

Reviews 5

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Katherine Redmon

Despite hearing that Skin Kitchen was the place to go in Des Moines if I ever water a tattoo, I would have to sorely disagree. I walked into Skin Kitchen on one of their “Walk-In Sunday” days. I wanted to get a feel of the environment, the artists, and to see about getting my first tattoo. The woman at the front desk-in which I later learned is one of the artists there-did not greet me at all-did not even crack a slight grin. She heard what I had to say, but did not want to bounce ideas back and forth a little bit. This was my first tattoo, and I was treated like my questions were an inconvenience. She remained slumped over with a scowl on her face the entire time I tried talking to her. I am not going to let my tattooing experience be filled with people who don’t give an ounce of respect or kindness to me. I was trying to be kind to her, granted I was shy, but I did not deserve to be treated in that way. On top of that, she ended quoting me 3x the actual amount I paid at another shop…and trust me, I didn’t “get what I paid for” My tattoo is very artistically done and very colorful! I wasn’t the only one who was treated this way. There were a couple other people that had come in, and she treated everyone that way as well. This shop has lost on a few hundred dollars with me. I have already gotten a second session of a leg sleeve completed, and I plan on going back in the next month or two to finish my leg piece. The place I went with was Colorworks Tattoo in the Valley West Mall, and I would highly recommend checking them out instead. My experience with them was completely the opposite of Skin Kitchen, and I think Colorworks should receive more recognition for their customer service as well as their artistry! I would not recommend this place whatsoever.

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Tyler Durden

I got my first tattoo ever at Skin Kitchen thirteen years ago. I now have over 100 hours of work and I have never gone anywhere else. 99% of my work has been done by Jack, but over the years Ive come to know all of the artists there very well. People consistently stop me to ask where I got my work done. On multiple occasions people have told me how they hate tattoos and think theyre trashy or unprofessional, but the work I have is extremely impressive and they "never see tattoos like this"! If youre looking to get work done, I absolutely recommend without any hesitation. Whether its a highly detailed piece with intricate line work, old school traditional work, portraits, flash, etc., etc., they have you covered - they even have great piercers on staff. *PLEASE* look at any artists portfolio before getting tattooed anywhere. You should be able to see many pictures of their work, as opposed to just a few, so that you can see that they are consistently turning out great tattoos. Additionally, *please* remember that you will have this for the rest of your life! Spend the money to get it done right the first time! Theres nothing wrong with always looking for a deal, but getting tattooed is not one of the situations in which to do that. You dont want to be the person that is always laughed at while people point to your train wreck of a cheap tattoo. You also dont want to wind up on a website like Ugliest Tattoos. Now head into Skin Kitchen and setup and appointment! Amazing artists and piercers in a very large and very clean shop. You absolutely cannot go wrong.

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Chris May

I really wanted to Love Skin Kitchen tattoo after moving to Des Moines from Minneapolis. However, we didnt even get to make it to the tattoo phase. My husband (tattooed at skin kitchen) and I dropped in the other night to discuss what I had in mind. The second I mentioned a white ink tattoo and that I was looking for an artist that has photos of their ability with a solid white ink tattoo I was told: 1. Any tattoo artist can do a white ink tattoo. However they can turn out badly and that they disappear. 2. tattoo artists dont photograph them because people always (emphasis on always) bring in photos from online... the same three he said. As a graphic designer, I found the customer service skills/people skills to be quite lacking. If they hadnt mad the assumption that I was a cookie cutter copycat Hannah Montana wannabee, I might have considered their feedback. However I know as an artist, who works with different mediums, that some people cannot oil paint just because they are painters. I was looking for a professional to do a sleeve piece that could guarantee me quality work with white ink exclusively. As a result, I know that I will not have any tattoos done here white ink or not. Maybe if I had a tattoo clearly inked on my face they would have treated me more like one of them. But artist to artist... you cannot ever judge a book by its cover.

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Sarah Mcvey

I went in to skin kitchen with my friend who was getting her first tattoo. She was wanting an OUTLINE on her SMALL WRIST of a couple roses. They told her it would be 300 dollars. I believe it was josh that talked to us. He ended up lecturing us like we were children and preaching that you cant get a good tattoo for under $100 dollars. Well I had a jacket on but little did he know I have 3 tattoos on my arms that were all 100 or less (one with color) that are very detailed and amazing and professionally done. Josh was also very cocky and rude, acted like he knew everything about tattoos, which I get it dude, youre a tattoo artist, thats your job, and you have to make your money. But make your money in a fair way, and dont act rude while trying to tell someone how much you charge. He treated us very poorly, almost like he was better than us or something. He also tried saying it would be horribly unfair if he charged her anything under $300 and he wasnt willing to work with her budget. This place is absolutely ridiculous and treated us, new possible customers terribly. They lost 4 customers today, my friend and I, and her parents who have been going there. I highly advise anyone who goes to skin kitchen to just expect being treated poorly. The lady at the front desk had a bad attitude, but the main issue was Josh.

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Brianna Woods

I went into skin kitchen with my friend today to see if an artist would be able to do a tattoo for me. I wanted my SMMMAAALLLL forearm to have a few roses tattooed on it as an OUTLINE. I spoke witb Josh and he began saying it will be $300 and tried lecturing me like i am a little kid. ALONG WITH THAT he tried telling me i cant get a good tattoo for cheap as in $150. Josh had an attitude and was very cocky and acted like he had no interest in helping me find a good tattoo artist to do this work for me. My mother and step father used to go here for their tattoos after hearing what happened today I do not believe they will every step foot in here again. They would ask my parents if they would like them to draw up the tattoo for them but Josh never bothered asking me if i would like him to draw up my tattoo. He decided to take the road of nagging and being disrespectful..... Why? Maybe because i turn 18 tomorrow and i am young or maybe because hes just a rude perspn in general. I would never recommend coming here they are not worth your money or time.

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