Iron Age Studios

My daughter and I each got a tattoo today at Iron Age. Cammeron was my artist and Kino was Tessa’s. They both did an amazing job, we couldn’t be happier with our tattoos or the prices. Quality was beyond amazing from these guys!

First tattoo at age 60. I saw Josh’s work many times over the years so I knew he was my choice when I finally decided to get my crab! I found a design and he used his artistic talent to make it exactly what I wanted. It was a good first experience because of Josh and his eye for detail.

My sister and I went to get our tongues pierced last night. The place is open until 10pm so we walked in at 9:50pm after eating at El Maguey. The piercer rushed us a bit because they were closing soon. When I sat down to get my tongue pierced I let him know I’ve had it pierced before and this would be my fourth time. I also explained most piercers put it in the exact same hole. He wanted to pierce a new hole because he said my original hole wasn’t centered (which I’m very aware of). He dried my tongue with paper tongue and I kept placing my tongue in my mouth by accident. He got really frustrated with me for doing this and he came off a bit moody and abrasive. After he was finished he told me he pierced the same hole but when I got home to look at it, it was a new hole that still isn’t centered and I can still see the spot where my old hole was located. Next time I’ll stick to ALL STAR tattoos on Olive because if Im paying you regardless of the time you should be nice and provide what I’m asking for.

Have gotten two tattoos now from Trevor Collis who has one of the studio spaces upstairs so this review is not reflective of the first floor since I didn’t get mine there. That being said, the people working the desk were friendly each time. I appreciated Trevor’s professionalism, both times we did a consultation and scheduled an appointment for my tattoos. Both of mine only took one 2 hour appointment each. Even though they only took one session each, they are sizable and somewhat intricate. I found his studio space clean and comfortable. Already planning for my 3^rd tattoo by him in a couple years.

Ok so not going to lie all the reviews for this place scared me but I figured why not lol My husband and i’s 3 year wedding anniversary is tomorrow so we decided we would get tattoos. With this being my husbands first tattoo he was fairly nervous. When we walked in we were greeted and both the guys behind the table answered our questions and even helped my husband pick out a nice spot for his tattoo. I already pretty much went in with a plan. We got a clover both on our wrists. My artist wasn’t heavy handed at all and my husband felt really confident with his artist (he was nervous he would be a bad canvas.) After I finished with my tattoo I sat with my husband for a bit and his artist was finished with his fairly quickly. His artist even commented on how good he sat. We paid and left. All in all we spent about 5 – 10 minutes in the shop and it was great!
Btw my husband said «they had a bomb ass playlist».

Honestly the experience was terrible. My friend and I came in to get piercings. We were not new to this. The guy was not nice at all. He didn’t even tell us after care procedures. His sterile technique left much to be desired. And he used cheap nickel jewelry on my friends cartilage. My nose ring is constantly jabbing inside my nose because of the way he bent it. I had a scar from where my old nose ring was and he put the dot where he was going to piercing much lower. I told him it was lower than my old one and he said «I know. I like mine better». Yes sir but it’s my face and I’m PAYING YOU. Put it where I want it. Ugh. I will never go back. Save your time and go somewhere else.

I’ve always loved this studio but I was there a couple nights ago and had the worst experience!!! I went to get some old jewelry reinserted and this guy Sid completely manhandled me. He used ring openers that were way too big on my tiny hood ring and smashed my flesh which I knew was going to happen. How could it not? And then he proceeded to basically tell me to man up. How would you like it if I unnecessarily smashed your penis with pliers? It’s days later and my hood is still swollen and bruised. I feel like everything he worked on was unnecessarily rough and I couldn’t communicate with this man at all. He wouldn’t have it. I get that your job is to put holes in people but I’ve had these piercings since the mid 90s and I’ve never had this experience before. This shouldn’t of her at all. Perhaps he could use a little help in the bedside manner department. I definitely won’t be going back to Sid. Ever!

I went here to get my nose pierced about a year and a half ago. It was my first piercing, and since it was on my face, I was a little nervous about it (I thought understandably so). The guy who was piercing my nose put the ring on my nose so I could see how it would end up looking before he actually pierced it, and when I looked in the mirror, stewing about it for 60 whole seconds, he got impatient and urged me to hurry up and do it. I get it: I’m totally a noob and a nose ring isn’t a big deal (to you), but I thought it was a little bit rude to be judged for my slightly basic-​betch appearance.
On the other hand, he was very professional and everything was completely sterilized and clean. He told me a funny story to distract me from the giant needle, and when I got woozy afterward, kept me laying down until it was safe to stand up again.

I did not go to Iron Age because of the name above the door. I went to Iron Age because I got several recommendations from people I trust about a particular artist there named Trevor. HE. WAS. AWESOME.
I called for a quick consultation with Trevor back in November, and we had a talk about what I wanted. It was a very elaborate design covering my whole shoulder. It was going to be a 4 hour session to do the actual work, and he was booked until March. A little frustrating, but I took it as a great sign as to the quality of the artist I was working with. And I was right! I got my tattoo last week, and I couldn’t be happier with it!

Got my tattoo from them on the international tattoo convention in London
Love it! u guys are amazing, just a bit to far from Europe but… u never know

I’ve always heard of Iron Age and decided to come in for my fourth tattoo. I walked in and they were able to do it immediately as it was small and simple. Compared to the previous places I’ve gone for tattoos, Iron Age was below average. I didn’t feel as though the artist really cared to be there, which isn’t a good feeling for someone tattooing you. The tattoo itself is perfect, but I won’t be back.

Went to Iron Age for knuckle tattoos & lettering on my hand. Both experiences were great and I absolutely love my knuckle tattoos by Kyle. I would recommend this place as they have high caliber artists who work here and are featured guests at other tattoo shops across the nation.
I no longer live in STL but would definitely go again when visiting.

I went here to get my front double helix piercings and Caleb was super nice. Very professional and friendly. He took the time to really figure out how best to do the piercing so that the earing sits correctly on the lobe… no wonky lobes, please! And the pain of the piercing was not bad. I would definitely recommend him.

Friendly staff, fair prices, great tattoos. There’s sometimes a bit of a wait for walkins, but that’s a good sign. Ironage is busy for a REASON. Just the same as other places are not busy for a reason. It’s not a coincidence the lobby is full at Ironage!
Ive been going here for 7 years. I’ve always been treated with respect, and given a fair price! Lifetime customer!

This review is for a couple of experiences I had with Iron Age back in 2009 when I lived in St. Louis; I’ve since moved away. Judging by other reviews I’ve read on this place, it looks like they are better tattoo artists than they are piercers.
My first trip to Iron Age, I was looking to get an industrial piercing. When I got there and told them what I wanted, they immediately shot me down and told me they couldn’t do it because I had, «the wrong kind of ear». (Side note: years later I would go to a different tattoo/​piercing shop and they told me that an industrial piercing was entirely possible; they just needed to pierce it from a different angle. Iron Age either didn’t notice this option or didn’t care. Either way, it would have been nice to know at the time).
Anyway, I settled for a single cartilage piercing, figuring that it was better to not leave empty handed; I had a real itch for a piercing. The lady who did it was rude and unprofessional. This was not my first piercing; I had a lot of other work done at different studios, so I thought I knew what to expect in terms of pain. Honestly, this was the most painful piercing I have ever gotten. She was really rough and she actually laughed at me when I winced from the pain; her assistant rolled her eyes and shook her head. What did I learn from this experience? Don’t move or talk or express any kind of emotion while getting pierced or they will make fun of you… even though you are paying them for a service.
It was no surprise to me when this piercing got infected; the only one of my piercings to ever get infected. However, with a lot of cleaning and taking care of it, I was able to tough it out and it healed fine.
For some reason I decided to go back to Iron Age one last time to get my Monroe pierced; this experience was surprisingly pleasant. The woman who had pierced me before was probably off torturing somebody else, so a man pierced me instead; he was very friendly and very gentle. He pierced my Monroe and sent me on my merry little way.
Later that night, I attended a bonfire. During this gathering, while talking to one of my friends, my Monroe piercing started to feel loose; next thing I knew, it popped right out of my lip. (And before you say anything, no, I was not playing with it). Maybe my lip got too swollen for the jewelry, or maybe he just didn’t put it on right; either way, before I could react, it fell out of my lip and into the darkness of the night.
I went back to Iron Age the next morning to get a replacement; I wasn’t mad, I just didn’t want the piercing to close up. I told the guy (not the guy who pierced me) what had happened and he said, «you tried to change it early, didn’t you». He called me a liar and then gave me a short lecture on why I shouldn’t play with my piercings; like I was child. They did end up fitting me with a new piece of jewelry, but it wasn’t without glares and rude lectures.
The (happy)? ending: I still have both of these piercings to this day, so I guess something went right.
Like I said in the beginning, I no longer live in St. Louis, so there is absolutely no chance of me ever returning. However, if you are reading this and thinking about getting a piercing at this place, run. Run away and never look back.

I’ve gotten 2 out of my 3 tattoos done here, and the only reason is because they have the best hours, so many tattoo artists, and are 10 – 15 minutes from my home. Beside that, there’s nothing about this place that stands out. They are overpriced, have artists that are SERIOUSLY lacking personality, and they don’t really seem to care about anything other than money. I wouldn’t discount this place for future ink, but if possible, I’ll stop by Enigma, which is less than a mile away and in the loop as well.
Get your act together, Iron Age.

I came here with a friend for a nose piercing. Not for me (at least not yet), but for her. Sid Liberty did her piercing. Really bad technique. About a month later or so, her nose was bleeding (the side where the piercing was located). It was hitting her septum, which is deviated. And the post was coming out of her nose. It looked like a metal booger. It was a straight post & not the curly kind. So, she went to another place & found out that Sid put it in crooked (if I can recall correctly). If it was put in correctly, the piercing wouldn’t have hit her septum causing her major problems. So, she has to wait 2 weeks or so to let the hole close up well in order to get done right. :($ 70 for all this trouble is totally not worth it.

I am a strong believer in the fact that a GOOD tattoo parlor will NOT just tattoo anything and everything that you ask them too.
They will give you their experienced opinion on how good it will look/​how long it will last in the area that you’re requesting, or even if it’s just not a good idea– they wont do it or they’ll suggest something else.
That, is Iron Age studios.
My husband and I wanted to get tattoos on the inside of our ring fingers and their initial response was that it wont last. He even brought over one of their guys with tattoos on his palms to show us.
However, the guy they pulled aside was blatantly honest and said he CAN do it, but to get it good and deep in there… we might not ‘like’ him for the 30 seconds that it would take. But, balls to the wall, we decided to just get it done.
I got a heart and my husband got roman numerals of our wedding date.
The results look awesome, totally worth the 30seconds of pain and I really, really appreciated them taking the time to fit us in even though they were clearly boooked.
We didnt even call to make an appointment.

So good.
I felt like the price was spot on and my artist was a true professional. 20 years of experience. My tattoo healed perfectly and I didn’t even use any oils or ointments.
I did a walk in on a saturday afternoon and only waited about 20 minutes before I was in the chair ready to go.

Have you ever paid someone to hurt you, make you bleed and mark you permanently, all while in a dingy room with others watching? That’s crazy sweet, bro.
I got wicked sick ink at Iron Age. My artist was super bad ass and kicked it up the third degree for me. BOOM. The ink turned out amazing, and given the artistic liberty I bestowed upon him, I’m glad it did. The work was fast, like lightning searing into my inner arm. The pain level was high to moderate, but that is part of the fun.
My main complaint is that my artist absolutely slaughtered my arm. I’ve never seen a tattoo bleed so much, or bruise so badly. It was my inner bicep, so I understand it is a sensitive area, but a buddy of mine got similar work done and his artist didn’t push the envelope so much — i.e., no radical bruising/​blood. No worries, I’m as much of a masochist as the next guy, but it was a little concerning for the first few days. I feel like he was in a rush since it was a Saturday. The tat was a little on the high side in terms of price, but the quality was well worth it, so no marks off there.
All in all a great experience, with some great ink!