The Mercy Seat Tattoo Studio and Gallery

I just moved to KC and was looking for a place to get my third tattoo.  [The tattoo was simple enough.  Just a beautiful script and classic black ink.]  I figured that if I was going to get something permanent I wanted the best of the best.  So I hit up Yelp and if you hadn't already noticed, this place has all five stars.  I went to check it out and really liked the freak show/old time circus vibe of the shop.  I met Jason, who ended up doing my tattoo.  He was a man of few words when I first met him, which made me slightly nervous about the actual tattoo session.  Thankfully, while he was inking me, he warmed right up and we chatted the whole time.  I'm convinced part of it was to take my mind off the pain of my foot but hey, it worked.  I enjoyed talking about all manner of things especially as we both really like Battlestar Galactica and Caprica.  #nerdalert for sure!  Loved it. Overall, I was impressed with the cleanliness and laid-backness of the place and artists.  I enjoyed my experience.

Ouch. I'm pretty sure getting tattooed hurts more as you get older. And yet, here I am, two days after my most recent tattoo (which does indeed still hurt a bit!), ready to go back and get another one. Like, now.

I saw Wesley again, and just like the last time, he did a fantastic job. Even though I am in no way healed yet, my tattoo is beautiful, just what I wanted, and I'm so happy with it. Actually, it's better than I expected, and I am absolutely in love with it.

Wesley was just as kind as the first time he tattooed me, and didn't get impatient with me once, even though I certainly got a bit twitchy near the end (I couldn't help it, but I'm sure it was annoying. Regardless, he was totally cool about it). He kept up a good flow of conversation when I needed it, checked in with me frequently to make sure I was doing alright and as comfortable as possible, and again provided some thoughts and suggestions on how to make my design my own - and more dynamic. He also was happy to put in a lot of color into the piece, which is exactly what I wanted, as I love color. The more the better!

My tattoo ended up being larger than I had planned this time around, but Wesley took plenty of time to make sure that was fine with me, that the placement was perfect (and worked well with my last piece), and that everything ended up being just how I wanted it. Since this will be on me for life, I certainly appreciate the amount of time and effort he took to make everything just right.

Wesley does some great fine line work, which is perfect for someone like me, whose artwork leans towards intricate Celtic knots. In fact, the last tattoo he did for me (also Celtic) still looks pristine 3 years on. He did touch up a couple of tiny spots of color for me, but the line work in my "old" tattoo could've been done months ago, instead of years - that's how lovely it still looks.

I really can't say enough good about Wesley and the Mercy Seat. Once I heal up, I'll be back for more.

Epic weddings deserve epic afterparties.  After my BFF got married in Kansas City and we sent her and her new husband off in style, the next logical step was tattoos.  I called Mercy Seat for their hours and heard they closed at 10pm.  10pm on a Saturday night?!  Oh, Midwest.  You're just so SENSIBLE.

I looked at the clock and realized it was less than an hour before closing time.  My friend and fellow bridesmaid, S, decided we were going to do this and hurriedly changed clothes.  We walked in before 9:30 and were told that we'd have to wait and see if anyone wanted to stick around for the work.  (Again, OH MIDWEST.)

Luckily Dana agreed to do my friend's piece, and Jason took mine.  I showed Jason the script that I wanted to use for my tattoo--the word "friends" in Irish--and this was my first clue that Mercy Seat is nicer than your average tattoo shop.  After I had a little bit of trouble with my iPhone, he asked me "Can I show you how to send a picture?  It's really neat!"  At first I thought he was being facetious, because tattoo artists have a reputation for being more than a little standoffish.  But as I found out, he was being genuinely nice.

Dana cranked out my friend's tattoo in record time--as it was a wee 1.5" square piece, she was done in no time flat and before mine even got started.  Jason took a while to draw out my stencil as he was trying to copy the typeface exactly, but as I'm putting it on my body forever, I'll take care over speed.

Once we got started, Jason was great.  Avuncular and soft-spoken, his apron embroidered with the title "Saint Jason" is apt.  He wanted to make sure I was comfortable, since I had picked a spot on the body that's not too kind to needles, and we just generally chatted about Lord of the Rings, kale, and my recent marrow donation.  He's a lovely man and now that my piece has healed, I know he's an equally lovely artist.

On top of the niceness of the folks who work here, the shop itself is just great looking.  It's in an old building (it's in KC, everything is old) in the Crossroads and has some fabulous decor going for it.  Cash only, but there's an ATM in the shop.

I'm surprised it's taken seven visits to KC to finally visit The Mercy Seat, but I have a feeling this won't be my last.  Highly recommended if you ever get the itch for ink in Kansas City--just make sure your craving comes at a sensible hour!