Ancient Ink Tattoo

I had a tattoo done with Adam and he did a fantastic job. He messaged me with drawings and adapted to my requests. He was super friendly and relaxed. The price was amazing! I would definitely recommend these guys to anyone

My friends and I walked in here on a Saturday night after having a very bizarre (read: rude and degrading) consultation at Southside. We both wanted very minimal wrist tattoos, and apparently Eric at Southside believes simple and minimal tattoos are neither art nor worthy of his time.
Anyway, Puppet and the guys at Ancient Ink listened to our sob story and agreed to complete our tattoos for us that night. Puppet worked with us, drew and tweaked our designs a couple of times, and did an amazing job! We love our new tattoos, and I would recommend this shop to anyone!

so I just got my first tattoo! I got a tribal butterfly on the small of my back!
nope. so I just got like my thirtieth tattoo. and my thirty-​first tattoo, this past month. and both from pugsley at ancient ink. he has a wonderfully light hand (less trauma, faster healing), wonderfully organized (little boxes and drawers), patient, funny, professional, serious, creative, artistic, and badass (everything you want in a tattoo artist).
the shop is great and has a shit ton of great art on the walls, great equipment, and just really fucking cool people working there. I’m going to have him finish my legs, which is a task all in itself, with what we have planned. oh. the inks are vegan friendly too.
I’ve found my new favorite tattoo artist, pugsley, and he loves tacos. so bring a taco, and be prepared to get some amazing tattoo work done.

The staff here are just genuine good people. We walked in to get Friday the 13^th tattoos, the shop wasn’t running a special that day. After spending a few minutes talking to Jay and Adam we decided to stay and get something so much better than one of the generic 13^th flashes we would’ve been looking at. I am heavily tattooed and used to work in a shop, generally when people walk in at most shops seeking this type of work your met with a grumpy, uppity or annoyed response. These men took the time to dig a little deeper and find out what we were into and looking for exactly. Jay did an amazing job and we will definitely be back. The artists we had the pleasure of spending a few hours with were so polite and funny it made the experience phenomenal. Thanks guys, you made our night and we can’t wait to see you again.

Both my husband and I had a great experience here. He had a half sleeve done by Luar and I had a refreshing of an old tattoo by Brooke.
Luar is THE go to guy for Japanese style art. It was amazing how Luar was able to incorporate an older tattoo on my husbands should into his design. It came out looking very homogeneous.
Brooke was great, she is a very professional and talented artist.
Thanks Ancient Ink!

The staff is respectful and has an artist for any particular style you are looking for. Not only does the staff tattoo and are close like family (which makes for an outstanding experience) but it rolls over into the experience of getting tattooed. All the artist are also painting or actually drawing on their free time instead of goofing off… Now that’s commitment. I highly suggest it here.

I lived in Japan for over 8 years and I can say that if you are looking for a Japanese style tattoo, Luar is the artist you are looking for!
His work has blown me away!

Very lovely experience. Friendly and professional dudes.
Dropped in randomly the other evening for a small butterfly tattoo. I was in and out in a jiffy, with the perfect piece that came out beautifully! It was exactly what I wanted and entirely stress free. I will definitely be back.

ADAM BALLARD kicks ass! I’ve had lots of work by him and have plans for lots more. Adam does American traditional with just the right amount of modern twist. Always respecting the roots of traditional; he is flexible with color, placement, subject matter. Lines are always bold. Color always bold. He likes to do larger pieces. He has a thing for tacos, skateboarding, and penises. Adam is calm and thoughtful and quiet; never pretentious, cocky, or douchey.
The shop is inviting. Has that cluttered, lived in, homey feel. Luar has fantastic taste. All the boys here are super talented and pleasant to be around. One of these days Adam will not be available and I will beg AJ to squeeze me in for one of his awesome sugar skulls.

The staff are incredibly friendly and talented here at Ancient Ink. Those two things rarely go hand in hand in austin shops, apparently. Donny hooked me up with 2 great new pieces this week and gained a repeat client from the experience. So stoked to find an artist I can rely on in Austin.

Um, AJ Ruin is the maaaaaan.
well, this whole facility really blew my mind in the sense that everyone there is so professional, laid-​back, and have décor to die for. They’ve got such an eclectic set of books and images to browse if you’re stuck with what you want to get.
Still can’t find something you like? They’ll freestyle for you. Lots of the images I saw were Oriental/​Asian themes, Mayan/​hieroglyphics, lots of Ancient things (hence their named Ancient Ink) and then tons of other stuff… I really couldn’t describe it more than just a real eclectic bunch of awesomeness. Something in there for everyone!
I sent Aj a message asking him about a Mayan symbol I wanted. I didn’t really know how I would convert this stone symbol I saw on some ruins into a image to be plastered on my body for eternity, but Aj hooked it up! I paid my deposit, he sent me a sketch. He warned me that he didn’t think my first tattoo would go so well on my ribs, but I said screw that, I’m getting this tattoo and there was no arguing. And I sat through that tattoo like a champ.
He is such a quick worker and very professional. Made me feel really relaxed and was really patient. He made me feel comfortable too in the sense that he gave me all kinds of hospital gown like stuff to cover up with since I’d be all exposed otherwise. If you aren’t shy then get all naked on the table. but I chose to cover up.
Anyways, back to the tattoo stuff–
he started out slowly doing my outline and then when the real stuff picked up he just went for it. Really focused work and done really quickly. I’ve never had a tattoo prior to this, but I felt like it was supposed to be so much more painful and so much longer for the amount of work I got done. well, I was proven wrong.
I totally loved everything about the staff here. Aj gave my boyfriend and I some really good recommendations for local eats and bars to check out and he wasn’t lying. Everywhere he referred us was AWESOME. I feel like all of my tattoos have to be through him now. Like I’d be cheating on him if I didn’t use him.
His rates are affordable and he’s so good. Really. If you want a tattoo and you’re in Austin or he comes your way — DO NOT HESITATE. I can’t speak for the other artists as I didn’t see their work, but AJ is the best.
for my first tat, I am BEYOND satisfied. :D :D :D :D :D :D

If you want an awesome piece of artwork on your body, this is the place to go.
I’ve gotten all four of my tattoos here and I couldn’t imagine going anywhere else. The greatest thing about Ancient Ink, is that all the artists have their own area of expertise and they are all amazing at what they do.
This place rocks.

Great place to get some ink and multiple options of ink to get. There’s a couple guys there who specialize in the Japanese style, full-​body tattoo done with hammers and needles. Little more hard core than I am though.
I’ve gotten all my work done from Pugsley and he’s definitely the man you want to ask for. Color, black and gray, cover ups, doesn’t matter, he’s your man. Will also draw up a piece for you if you’re not quite sure what you want. Pugs is very professional, especially if you’re a tattoo rookie.
As a whole, the shop is cool, air-​conditioned, lots of flash on the wall, about what you’d expect a tattoo shop to be. The music is pleasantly NOT 100% death metal. Good location too, not in the clusterf%#k known as Downtown.
Important note though everyone: The shop is CASH ONLY! So head to the ATM before you head on over to get your ink on.

AJ Ruin recently moved here from another shop and I love his work. He just did a 2^nd piece (though smaller and my idea) on my leg. He’s definitely the only artist in Austin I’ll go to.

I have designated this shop as my go-​to in Austin. Luar, the owner, is a great artist! He’s a calm, collected kind of guy and doesn’t seem to mind when my sister and I chatter before or during our tattoo sessions. Luar has done two of my tattoos (and retouched another). It’s been 4 months and I’m still receiving compliments on the brightness and the great colors! Luar’s got a heavy hand but if you can endure the pain during and a day after, then I most definitely recommend Luar!
Ramsey, a female tattoo artist, used to work there — I heard she’s visiting other shops in Austin. Ramsey is an excellent tattoo artist. She’s got a great character and is very welcoming. She is a great artist in other mediums too!

I want to preface what you are about to read by saying that my review is 100% based on the fact that my favorite Austin tattoo artist is now working here. Mike Williams is an artist who I have followed throughout Austin because I believe in his work, and this is the third shop he’s been at since I’ve known him. He does great work and I highly recommend him for any style of tattoo. He is incredibly laid back, professional, and talented. I recently went to get a tattoo he did for me a year ago touched up. He is now at Ancient Ink and that’s where I visited him last week. The shop is a little small, but honestly, what good is a huge shop if the artists aren’t good? Picking what you want to permanently adorn your body with should be ALL about who is doing it. Mike has done 2 of my 4 tattoos, and will be doing all of the rest for as long as I live in Austin. Go see him and tell him Cassiday sent you. He’s great!

A tattoo is permanent, so knowing your sources is frakking importante. If you’re out on a drunken night of shore leave, then you deserve to show back up on the boat with the Chiquita Banana on your arm with a heart around it.
If this isn’t you, then you’re already headed in the right direction. In the case of Ancient Ink, think skulls, Mayan glyphs and Asian murals. These are their specialties, and they charge a premium for their work. If these are the specialties you’re looking for, Ancient Ink is the place!
Luar is an actual Mayan, and is the one to look for when seeking Mayan glyphwork. Ramsie specializes in Asian designs. Both of them have quite a lot of experience tattooing skulls, so there’s no going wrong if you’ve got death on the mind in hopes of getting it on your body.
If these aren’t the specialties you’re looking for, however, I would suggest looking elsewhere. You’ll get a good design, but you’ll also be paying the premium they’d be charging for their specialties.
Warning: Any travelers of the Yucatan who speak Spanish and spend time in Mayan studies may just find themselves buying extra tattoos just to keep Luar talking. He’s far more than a tattoo artist.