Pens & Needles Custom Tattoo

The front desk is incredibly helpful and patient with all clients, including the frustrating ones. The entire shop is very clean and the equipment is always top notch. I work with Joey and he makes sure he is creating exactly what I want and his lines and unreal! So good. If you are going for your first or 100^th piece, this is THE place to go.

Got a nostril piercing (my first body piercing). The staff here made me feel very comfortable and at ease, and explained the entire process to me. I was pierced by Pierre, who was very friendly and quick. There was very little pain and the piercing looks great. I came back 4 months later to change out the piercing, and once again the lady who helped me patiently explained all the different kinds of nostril jewelry and what would be easier/​more difficult to remove on a more frequent basis, as I have certain restrictions for work. The place is extremely clean, artful décor, and overall a really nice atmosphere that made getting pierced really fun. I looked at some of the tattoo portfolios while I was there and would definitely consider getting a tattoo from them in the future – a lot of gorgeous work!

This review is LONG overdue… I first went to Pens & Needles 3 years ago to get my septum pierced. The shop was super clean & everyone was friendly, plus the pricing was really affordable.
Fast forward 2 years, to when I finally wanted my first big tattoo– you know, one that takes more than 30 minutes to complete.
I looked at all the artist portfolios online & decided I really liked Mike Hedrick’s style, based on the idea I was wanting.
I drove down from Denver for a consultation, emailed photos of what I wanted (a watercolor lion on my rib), and set up an appointment.
I was a little nervous, since it was my first big piece, but when I arrived for my appointment, the design that Hedrick had drawn up was EXACTLY what I’d been imagining.
I was so blown away & excited. He did a fantastic job, making sure every detail was exactly what I envisioned, and making sure I was comfortable through the 2 sessions… Plus he’s pretty light handed, so it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as I’d anticipated.
I love this shop & have an appointment again for a touch up the fall, and probably a new tattoo. Let’s be real. They’re awesome. And the customer service is 100%, which you don’t always find at shops.

I was told to go here for my tattoo by 5+ people when I moved to Colorado a few months back. They blew away my expectations! Shanna was so amazing and my tattoo came out even more beautiful than the initial photo I brought in. I now recommend them to everyone

I went in for my first tattoo and came out without one. Way too expensive. My artist really couldn’t care about giving me some ink and told me he wouldn’t do it if I was in too much pain and couldn’t hold still. Went to west side and came out very happy.

I have never had any facial piercings until I made an appointment last week.
Dustin did an amazing job! He walked me through everything and made me feel so comfortable, that I didnt feel pain.
I will recommend this shop and him to anyone looking for an amazing piercing experience!
xoxo

They will not pierce your baby’s ears. Their policy is at the age of verbal consent. I had to go elsewhere. Other than that, I would have loved to use them as they’re professional, clean, and very skilled.

Thank you Jason for both of my cover ups! I didn’t think it would be possible to cover up my eyesores but you made it possible I’ll be back for more.

When I got my first tattoo here about a year ago, I was extremely scared and kinda wimpy. My amazing artist Shanna walked me through everything and made my experience a great one by reassuring me, giving me any information I wanted to know, and she even put on episodes of Doctor Who for me! The aftercare was extremely detailed and helped me take care of my tattoo correctly so now I have a beautiful small piece on my leg. The shop is clean, the staff is experienced, helpful, and friendly and if I wasn’t moving out of state, I’d keep going back for work. Thanks!

Showed up at 3:30 to get a simple piercing. Was told they would take me at 4:00. At 4:30, I asked what was taking so long and was informed another person was filling out paperwork at the same time and she beat me by a few seconds. As a result, my appointment was now at 5:00. WTF! Waited two hours for a simple piercing without a single apology for screwing me around!!!

Took my daughter for a naval piercing tonight. I heard from a few people this was the place to go. They were right! Dustin was AMAZING! He made sure he explained every step and detail before he took us back to his room so we could ask any questions we wanted. He did not begin any prepping until we were completely comfortable. He explained the sanitation procedures, the process of the piercing, went into detail about each and every piece of jewelry there was to select from, and all the rules and directions concerning after care. He made both my daughter and I feel at ease and very comfortable. I highly recommend making an appointment with Dustin if you want a piercing. The shop itself was clean and the jewelry was top of the line. It was a little expensive but I didn’t flinch, you get what you pay for. Worth every penny! Thanks for the wonderful experience Dustin!

I will NEVER use Austin again!!!

Everything you want from a tattoo shop. Multiple talented artists, professional friendly service, great prices, clean and modern workspace, and best of all tattoos that come out looking amazing. Shanna has tattooed both my husband and me. His piece was pretty large, the price couldn’t be beat, the art came out exactly how he wanted it. We’ll be sticking with Shanna as long as she’s in the Springs for sure.

I’m really disappointed with the experience I had at this shop. I’ve been wanting a multitude of tattoos for years, and finally decided to make the first one happen for a special occasion. I have a friend who had work done here and was pleased, and many of the portfolios are nice, and the reviews seemed so positive (because I didn’t bother to check out the filtered reviews) so I emailed 2+ weeks before I wanted the work requesting to set up an appointment, included a picture of what I was wanting done. A friend who was a tattoo artist was going to do it for me before his personal life sent him out of state, and they had no objections when I sent it and described what I wanted. I specifically said when I wanted my appointment for and how important that was to me. They didn’t suggest an artist or ask if I had anyone in mind based on what I’d seen or heard, Told me to come in on Saturday and look at portfolios and pick an artist. Couldn’t make it that Saturday, So said I would come the next, wasn’t told «gee, we book up pretty quick, can you come during the week?» or anything. so came the next Saturday as promised. When checked in with reception again said when I needed/​wanted my appointment and was directed to the portfolios. Every name I came back with as someone I was interested in I was told they were booked. She finally said let me tell you whose available and gave me three names. I immediately chose one, she went to the book calendar and said «oh, nevermind, she’s booked too» so I picked Jason from the remaining two, met him, showed him what I wanted, he told me it was impossible. Didn’t offer me alternative suggestions or just acknowledge it didn’t match his particular skillsets and there would be someone better suited to do it. So I thought okay, no problem, he sounds like he’s being honest so I’ll get a second opinion elsewhere and if need be will rethink/​redesign what I’m after, but there are other things I want, so I ask if he’s good at straight lettering and he tells me he’s wonderful at it and super comfortable with it. So I say great and give him two exact quotes for what I want and exactly where I want them. He gives me a website to look at fonts at home and email him with which one I want to use, warning me about the need for letters to be at least an inch high and not be too squiggly or elaborate. Okay. They’re short quotes and I like relatively simple legible fonts anyhow, so that’ll work. Again confirm what day and what hours I need this done. Am told again he’s wide open that afternoon and it won’t be any problem. Was told to get him an email with exactly the phrasing and punctuation I want and the font I want, that he wouldn’t be there Sunday but would get back to me with a price and all of the fine details Monday by 5 and that if for any reason he doesn’t that means no one gave him the email and to call and talk to him. I got him the email with the info he wanted promptly, never heard back, so called back on my lunch break at 6 o’clock and was told «oh we were going to call you, we ended up booking those time slots»… which is funny, cause I sure thought I had already booked them having put in all the leg work to repeatedly say that the day was super important to me and what times I was available and to pick specifically from the two artists that were available then, give all of the information about what I wanted, there was literally nothing else I had to do to have booked that appointment. So. Evidently they’re either super disorganized, or got someone interested in having more expensive work done. Which I’m not pleased with either prospect, and wasn’t so impressed when Jason told me he makes so many hundreds of dollars per day anyways that there was no reason for him to take my money and have me leave with a bad tattoo, which I get the concept of wanting to convey that he had my best interests at heart and was being honest and all of that, but I hadn’t accused him of being dishonest or anything of the kind, so it came off as being defensive and really kinda rude. So when I was told that my appointment time-​frame was given away and asked AGAIN if I would schedule for an earlier time or later date having said so many times that no, I wouldn’t, I said don’t worry about it, I’ll find another shop. Reception said they wouldn’t want that and that they would ask the other people to move their appointment, which is funny since I wasn’t given that courtesy. The other people would not move their appointment. So I did find somewhere else. Somewhere that didn’t think my original request was impossible and proactively matched me to their artist with the talent and skill that best matched what I wanted. So even though by that point I had already said nevermind, I got a call back from Pens and Needles the next day saying they’d gotten an opening for me. That seems like a lot of effort for people who make so many hundreds of dollars a day they really don’t need mine.

I was tattooed here by Mashall B about two years ago, and that piece is still one of my favorites. I am dark skinned and my tattoo has lots of red and gold, and the color still looks great. An artist told me last week that the tattoo looks recent & is holding its color beautifully!
I sent him a few reference photos and he melded them together to create the exact tattoo that I wanted.
Pretty light handed guy. I usually swell like crazy, but I didnt this time!
I would recommend this shop to anyone. It’s very clean & it’s clear that they care about being safe & sterile. Portfolios are readily available (ive been in shops where artists have been too lazy or too cocky to bother with portfolios), and the appointment system /​general office stuff seems very well managed and organized.
Prices are super reasonable & they usually have cool deals going on if you follow them on social media.
Cant wait to come back for another tattoo!

I have been coming to Pens & Needles since the beginning and have to say that it is easily the most professional, clean and friendly shop I have ever been in. I’ve been tattooed by both Shanna and Jeff and both experiences were fantastic.

I took my girlfriend to get an ear piercing today, a pretty simple one, on the lobe by Mr. Mike, He skipped us to have a consultation with the person in line behind me. I waited about 25 min before Mr. Mike took her back. The piercing turned out fine, and was where she wanted, but his hands were unbelievably shaky and he literally attempted to screw on the stud on for about 6 min. She offered to do it herself just to get it over with. she was in so much pain from his shaky hands pulling really hard on her newly pierced ear, she said it was honestly worse than the initial piercing itself. I will not be going back there, Mr. Mike was very nice and pleasant to be around but I am extremely unsatisfied with the service and I will not return. And just a reminder, this was a SIMPLE EAR PIERCING!

3^rd day from the day i had my tattoos done.
The outline was gone… didnt see the line anymore. The shading was not even at all.
Will not come back.

Shame on me for not posting sooner. Not that they need my help.
I got a tattoo from Jay. I was a referral. My hairdresser has a bad ass sleeve and chest piece and other stuff from him. He had a really great deal going on at the time, so I got the «tools of my trade» done for half off (can’t beat that). I’m a writer. So, I got an ink pot with quill and a rose. And his design knocked it out of the park. He’s a total professional that is really detailed and is a perfectionist about his trade. So appreciated. He also has a book and talked to me about the history about his style.
The whole shop just reeks of antiseptic. Such a great sign. They’re stringent on their cleanliness standards.
He was also really quick and painless. Well, as painless as the process can be.
People at the front desk are always awesome, too.

This is one of the cleanest tattoo shops I have ever been in. I mean, the place is pristine. You would think it was a hospital if it weren’t for the modern partition and the grafitti art on the walls. Speaking of art on the walls, if you are looking for a place to browse generic clip flash art to determine which butterfly design will look the best over your ass, this is not your place!
When you walk into this place for the first time you are greeted and told to look through the artist portfolios to pick your favorite artist– if you don’t have one already. I decided on Ward because he looked like he was a perfectionist about his art, which is exactly what I wanted. My appointment was scheduled for 2 weeks out and it ended up being a great tattoo experience. Ward was personable and did an awesome job on the two tattoos he completed that night. The price was perfectly reasonable and again, the service was great.
As long as I am in town, I will be going back to Ward and Pens & Needles!