Having been a very loyal customer of another local shop for the past seven years, thanks to the amazing service of #Shipwreck and the other staff at Fluid Ink, I am a new convert! I arrived about ten minutes before they opened yesterday and had a chance meeting and great conversation out front with who I thought was just another customer waiting to get in. We talked about our tats and expectations and when I told the guy my sob story about wanting an 8th anniversary eternity symbol on my ring finger - and how my anniversary was THAT DAY ( nothing like procrastinating) - and how another shop had turned me down, and my usual place didn't return my email - the guy says, "Let's go in." Whoa. That was unexpected! He explained how Fluid Ink doesn't do finger tattoos due to the high rate of "buyer's remorse" and future implications for their owners - but as I am neither a) 18 (or even remotely close) and understand fully the employment implications, and b) was not requesting profanity-laced rants across my knuckles, he kindly made an exception for my tiny, bronze eternity symbol. Twenty minutes later, I was on my way after viewing Shipwreck's incredible portfolio of work (the guy is insanely talented!!!), and ready to surprise my hubby. Outstanding. Crazy clean, fun, nice, and super reasonably priced! A++++ read more

DO NOT COME HERE! Artist are extremely disrespectful and unprofessional. Jeff is not a confident artist and is a liar! I asked if he could do the green merkabah (star) below and look what I got!!!! That day he said he can't add the black lines and fill it in with color and said he can at our next appointment (I was getting another tattoo from him) but he just rushed me out so he could close and take a half day since he so called been working too much with no days off. I get to the shop for my appointment at 4pm and he wasn't there! Some dude said they wanted to contact me but didn't have my information? Wild since I was just there twice but I rescheduled and when I got there Jeff said he can't fix this tattoo!!!!! Then started to get loud like he wanted to fight me and told me to get out!!!! Look at what he did to me and got the nerve to say he can't fix it!? This is not what I wanted and I told him that day. I wanted the green merkabah without the DaVinci stuff and got a toddler doodle I'm stuck with. HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN HONEST AND JUST SAID NO, I CANT DO THAT ON YOUR FINGER!!!! Then got the nerve to get loud and buck with me!? Dude is crazy and unhinged. If you want a prison tattoo/vibes and be treated like scum then this is your mekka. read more

Fluid Ink Tattoos & Piercing - Piercing Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

My sister and I went in to get a few piercings done and I swear Jenny was so helpful especially with calling us back and making sure there was time for us to come in on such short notice! Chad helped us do the piercings and I swear best service I have ever had in a tattoo or piercing place ! They had the best conversations ! The place itself is so welcoming and energetic ! Best service we could have ever asked for!! Definitely will be back for some tattoos! read more

My sister and I walked in and got started right away. Liz is awesome! I got my pierced and my sister got her 2nd earlobe piercing. Earlobe pairs were $60 and Nip pairs were $120. Highly recommend if you're wanting a piercing last minute. read more

Fluid Ink Tattoos & Piercing - Inside of shop - Piercing Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I was considering going to Fluid Ink for a simple ear lobe piercing. I checked out the website, which doesn't give much information, read reviews, and looked at photos. I figured it looked good enough to make an appointment. So, I called to schedule one and was told to just walk-in. I asked if I could make an appointment for clarification and was told to do a walk-in again. Nothing else was said, so I just said thank you and hung up. I didn't think this was awful, but it was a big red flag. Why would the website not give much information? Why would it say that you *can* make an appointment just for me to call to make one and be told to walk-in? It seemed highly unprofessional. I didn't bother trying to do a walk-in because I didn't want to have to wait or drive all the way there just to be turned away. I didn't bother calling again because there are other options with more user friendly and informational websites as well as easy-to-make appointments. I can't say I'd recommend this place but I also can't *not* recommend it since I didn't have any work done. But I do want to ask, do you want to go to a place that seems so unprofessional to do something that will last a long time (piercings) or for your lifetime (tattoos)? Is it worth the risk of things not going well? read more

Okay so I would have given them five stars for the piercing job (I got my tongue pierced here); but I would give them two stars for what followed up... so I went too get my tongue pierced here and they way they set things up they had me sign paperwork and give them my ID and picked out jewelry and headed too the piercing room in the back. We get it pierced and so much time has gone by since we first got there keep in mind they don't have a system where you pay before you get pierced like you SHOULD so people don't FORGET. Because that's usually how these things work. Naturally we walk to the front and they all say "have a great night!!" And obviously forgetting I walk out too my car and right as I got there I realized oh shit! They never asked me to pay beforehand, and all of a sudden this guy from the shop runs out WITH A WRENCH, ready to smash my windows or take my plates or something!!! He goes "uhm you didn't pay" and I was like uhm I wasn't trying to fucking steal in the first place so don't treat me as if I'm trying to pull a fast one on your buisiness when y'all system was fucked up and you should have expected that too happen, of course I went in to pay as this was there fault I forgot and mine for not remembering people are dumb! I then got PRESSED to tip out almost everyone there which was the rest of my money because the girl kept saying "how much do you wanna tip" I stan tipping but these people did not deserve it and I felt really flustered because she was pressuring me into tipping people who had literally just came outside to my car with a wrench, this place is wack and the pricing is also expensive. They probably remember me from this review but I don't care because I saw too many reviews but not one sharing a story like mine with this place :) Goodluck to your business I hope you guys start making people pay before the service so when you say "have a great night" while walking them to leave, they don't forget about paying and get ran up on with a wrench as if they are a bad person and asked for any of that:) read more

Fluid Ink Tattoos & Piercing - Tongue piercing - Piercing Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I honestly am baffled at the ratings that Fluid Ink has gotten. If you want a super basic tattoo go here. If you want something that is even slightly creative and artistic, don't. I went in to get a tattoo not too long ago. I told Chad what I wanted and he quoted me a price and said it would take a couple hours. The work he did for me took a little over 30 minutes and he still charged me $200. It looked like shit. It was my first tattoo and I was so ashamed of it. Thankfully there are some real artists in Saint Paul. I went to the Holy Mackerel and got it covered up. If you're in the market for a tattoo/piercing shop, I highly discourage you to walk in to Fluid Ink. There are much better artists around. read more

Fluid Ink Tattoos & Piercing - I paid $200 for this bullshit tattoo - Piercing Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I have a couple outline/stencil tattoos and had been planning my first 'big one' for the last couple years. I live near this place and drive by it all the time. Decided to stop in and speak with them about what the work would take and from the first interaction, I knew I would enjoy this place. The artists there are incredible and I love the feeling I had when I was there. Welcoming environment, talented artists, and satisfied customers. Couldn't have asked for a better experience. read more

Chewy lied to me he said he was gonna put his name in the middle! He did a great job!Shop is cool !! There was a lil eye candy clean and great music ! read more

Fluid Ink Tattoos & Piercing - Piercing Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

I would never go anywhere else. I went here based on the recommendation of my best friend and her sister, who get all their work done here. I was beyond happy with the result. I got a small swan (a custom drawn design) on the back of my neck- a very simple design, but I would absolutely go here for my future, more complicated ink work. My tattooist, Nick, was very professional and friendly, and made me feel very comfortable (as it was my first tattoo). Their new location, a block up Snelling, is very nice- clean and bright, but not without character. The shop minimum is $65, which is what I was charged for my design. It's been a year and I've had no issues or fading. They do free touch ups if you do have any problems, though. It is cash only, but there's a Holiday across the street. read more

Fluid Ink Tattoos & Piercing - Matching swan tattoos by Nick. - Piercing Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Got my nose pierced (for the fourth time) here and this is by far the best piercing place I've been to. Very quick process and the piercer, Thomas, was very kind and reassuring. I haven't gotten the typical "bump" that can come with a nose ring which happened to me each time I had gotten my nose pierced before at different shops. read more

I am a mom of two teenagers and not someone who gets pierced or tattooed regularly. I have taken both my teens to Fluid Ink for ear piercing and we were happy with sanitation and hole placement. My son took himself there to pierce his nose as soon as he turned 18. And just yesterday, I got my first tattoos. Chuey (Eduardo) spent 45 minutes carefully and kindly helping me with the designs, making sure the set of two was balanced in size, style and color. He talked me through sizes and used a careful process to make sure I was happy with the placement and design before the ink. I can't say that I'm a fan of the sensation of actually getting a tattoo and it was less painful than I expected. Bottom line: I can't recommend Fluid Ink highly enough. Chuey was precise and professional, Chad (the owner) is friendly and runs a tight ship (vegetable based ink, clean, follows regulations). I will send everyone here for tattoos, including my children. Thank you, Chuey! read more

I was a loyal customer to this shop for about 6 years. Why? Because I was loyal to the artist that worked there. I bought all my jewelry there, all my piercings even bought shop swag. At this point it is my recommendation that you run like hell from this shop. Unless you like drama, mediocre tattoos and high prices. The owner is a lier and a cheat. Even when caught in a blatant lie he tries to lie himself out of the situation. In my situation I started ordering custom jewelry, the first one the owner was like hey you spend a lot of money here I will give ya a deal. No biggy paid in full. Took three months to get the jewelry. He kept blaming it on the other company. I believed him. Second time around same deal because I am loyal. Jewelry came in three weeks, wrong fucking jewelry. The third time took 6 months! I prepaid. Non refundable. The owner kept saying it was the company he was ordering from. I finally got sick of the same answer and called the company. No record of any orders since my last one. The owner has basically pushed every good artist out the door over the years. I think he can't stand not being the best in "his shop" yet refuses to better his "art". If your looking for NIk who use to tattoo there message me I will tell ya where he went. In the end there are so many more good shops in the two cities stay away from this one. read more

Totally honest here: Out of the 5 tattoos I have, the 2 I received from Fluid Ink are the worst. (I even have a better basement tattoo.) The tattoos are 2 film strips, one mid-forearm, the second around my upper arm, with small images inside the frames. Flags circle my forearm, Multiple symbols circle my upper arm. The "flags" are a poor excuse for an outline. You can barely recognize the Norwegian flag since all the stripes are different sizes. That goes for 2 others as well. The symbols include the aquarius symbol, gender symbols, an unfinished rainbow, an uneven Masonic square and compass, an unfortunately upside-down star (that I need to turn back around) and a terrible excuse for a celtic knot. The lines are un even, the thickness is all over the place, to say the least. You know what a 35mm film strip looks like right? The little black box with little white boxes on the top and bottom. My little white boxes are ALL Different Sizes! Eek! Scheduling the time was the worst. I worked two jobs and had a very small window of time. I explained this, thoroughly, to the artist who was as accommodating as possible, which meant telling me to come in early on a walk in day. Great. So, I wake up early and get to the shop as quick as possible. I get there and after more than a week of communicating about the tattoo, including giving him images to base the tattoo off of, and asking him to draw it up before I got there, since I didn't really have that much time. When I walked in that day I waited for over an hour while he drew it before me. I should have just left. "Best" part: the artist was TEXTING while tattooing me. Pretty lame. Thankfully, the tattoo healed correctly. It'll always be my overpriced mistake. read more

I got my septum pierced here in August. The shop was very clean, the staff friendly and welcoming, and the piercing is doing great. My only advice is to bring more cash than you need because I ended up going with an upgrade and then I didn't have very much left to tip. Bring cash! read more

Chad is amazing at what he does! I have gotten 3 tattoos done by him and will not be going anywhere else! Friendly staff, clean place, professional. read more

Fluid Ink Tattoos & Piercing - Piercing Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

Chad is my artist. I've been getting tattoos from him for many years. Definitely recommend him for any kind of tattoo!!

If you plan to get tattooed at this shop don't. Chad, the owner, is unreliable - usually shows up to appointments late, and thinks nothing of canceling on you. Also, he is a terrible tattoo artist and didn't have the artwork completed when I arrived - I had to wait another hour until he was able to pull it together. I provided him with artwork and sadly he could barely copy it accurately, much less add a unique spin to it. Both sections of the tattoo capture the basics of what I was hoping, but don't reflect any of the detail that makes the art unique. I paid close to $300 for a tattoo I am going to be working with another artist to enhance and fix. I should have stopped him when he placed it on my arm, but he said he was going to shade things, etc., and so I thought it would come together better. As tattoo artists go, the work Chad did was/is terrible. Finding a tattoo artist is not easy right now, many are booked up, but it's better to wait than go here. I should have read the reviews here before getting work done by Chad. Sadly, I had wanted this particular for many years, and what I ended up with, kind of sucks. read more

Best place to go for tattoos and piercings. Chad does outstanding work, too include custom pieces. Whatever you want, he can get it done. Wife and i have been to other shops but this our place to go from now on. Both have had multiple tattoos done here and Mrs has had levering done her. AAAA++++ read more

When planning my first tattoo, I was advised to call around and schedule a consult to see if I feel comfortable in the shop with the artist. I've been driving past Fluid Ink as long as it's been at it's location, so it was my first call. I walked into the shop. It was clean and neat. I don't frequent shops with piercing displays and black walls, yet I felt comfortable. I met with Nic with nothing more than the phrase I wanted and a whole lot of 'don't wants'. After a lot of vague statements by me, Nic made a perfect rough draft with the lettering I wanted and the perfect size. I was sold. When I returned in a week, it was ready. As a newbie, I was a little nervous due to all the unknowns. Nic warned me I picked a sensitive spot. Showed me all the tools, and had my lay down on the table. Super fast work. I was out in an hour. He told me all about the healing process. I've been getting compliments ever since definitely going back to him for my next one. Update 5/2012- I now have a side tattoo of a Phoenix and plans for more work by Nic. Did I mention he's pretty great? Well, this BIG side/back tattoo was something I wanted for a long time. I had a nice consult with Nic where he once again listened to what I wanted, added his opinions, and ended up with an amazing sketch before I even left the consult. Three appointments later, and a touch up, i still spend a few minutes in the mirror looking at my amazing tattoo. Nic's shading and color schemes are amazing. I recommend him and Fluid Ink to everyone I come across who is looking for a tattoo. Clean shop, friendly staff. I'm sure I'll be back! read more

Went to see Antonio & the guys to discuss my first tattoo. Extremely gracious, chill, nice guys. I immediately felt comfortable as they talked me through the process. Ivar did my tribal work and it came out fantastic. They did it the same afternoon as the consultation at a very reasonable price for what I was asking them to do. My only warning: Go early for your appointment as the parking is horrible.. I'm hoping to see them again soon for two more tats. Michael read more

Had a great experience here today. I have had one tattoo previously (done almost 15 years ago), and am fairly petrified of needles. Shipwreck was great! So patient, took plenty of time reassuring me and it went really well. I'll definitely go back...you know, when I can work up the nerve again! read more

Got my tattoo 4 years ago. Ridiculous details. Very good price. Just hope when I go back my artist will be there!

I got my first tattoo ever done by Shipwreck.. he was awesome and did an amazing job. I got a cross on my right shoulder blade and it turned out just like I wanted it too! The staff was cool and the shop was clean.. I recommend Shipwreck to anybody who asks me about my tattoo. read more

First visit Alan promised the moon.. priced up my tattoo when he saw my car drive up. Got sloppy at the end of the tattoo. Came back to finish, was rude told me he was in a rush because someone else is coming and I was 10 minutes late (snowing heavily!). I pointed out he was late by about 20 minutes last time, he said "I'm the guy doing the tattoo." Went from being nice and promising the moon to being arrogant and rude. I wouldn't recommend my dog get a tattoo from him. Very displeased. Very two-faced person. read more

I went to get new gages. I couldn't remember my size and when I went to show him he didn't want me to touch my piercing to keep the studio clean. He glanced at them, went with my guess, got the size I wasn't sure about and sold them to me. He had no interest in making sure I had the right size and there was no one in the shop. Very lazy and unhelpful. Wasted my time and money. read more

My first experience at Fluid Ink, I got my septum pierced. The staff was friendly and knowledgable. The only problem was, they pierced my septum with a retainer instead of a horseshoe. I had my septum pierced on a Friday, by Monday morning the retainer had fallen out. If anything, request a septum with a horseshoe instead of a retainer to prevent from accidents like mine. I almost would have had to take it out, let it heal and get it pierced again. The second time I went, I bought a lip ring. The piercer was booked at the time and couldn't help me get it in, so I went elsewhere and everything went off without a hitch. Within a few hours though I bit down on something very hard eating dinner and realized it was the ball to my new lip ring. A piece of metal had broken off into the hole where you would screw the ring back in and I was unable to fix it. Cheap jewelry, expensive prices, I advise you to find somewhere else with even better prices and much more quality jewelry. read more

There are better places. They botched my custom design by not paying close enough attention to detail. Otherwise they were professional.

Antonio has been doing my tats for years now. He has done all of my recent tats and I love all the ones he has done. I am planning on more work and I will only lt Antonio do it, Great artist, easy going with customers and can make any good tatt ideas you have ten times better. read more