I just moved to KC and was looking for a place to get my third tattoo. Â [The tattoo was simple enough. Â Just a beautiful script and classic black ink.] Â I figured that if I was going to get something permanent I wanted the best of the best. Â So I hit up Yelp and if you hadn't already noticed, this place has all five stars. Â I went to check it out and really liked the freak show/old time circus vibe of the shop. Â I met Jason, who ended up doing my tattoo. Â He was a man of few words when I first met him, which made me slightly nervous about the actual tattoo session. Â Thankfully, while he was inking me, he warmed right up and we chatted the whole time. Â I'm convinced part of it was to take my mind off the pain of my foot but hey, it worked. Â I enjoyed talking about all manner of things especially as we both really like Battlestar Galactica and Caprica. Â #nerdalert for sure! Â Loved it. Overall, I was impressed with the cleanliness and laid-backness of the place and artists. Â I enjoyed my experience.
Review Source: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. Â 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. Â I called Mercy Seat for their hours and heard they closed at 10pm. Â 10pm on a Saturday night?! Â Oh, Midwest. Â You're just so SENSIBLE.
I looked at the clock and realized it was less than an hour before closing time. Â My friend and fellow bridesmaid, S, decided we were going to do this and hurriedly changed clothes. Â 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. Â (Again, OH MIDWEST.)
Luckily Dana agreed to do my friend's piece, and Jason took mine. Â 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. Â After I had a little bit of trouble with my iPhone, he asked me "Can I show you how to send a picture? Â It's really neat!" Â At first I thought he was being facetious, because tattoo artists have a reputation for being more than a little standoffish. Â 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. Â 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. Â Avuncular and soft-spoken, his apron embroidered with the title "Saint Jason" is apt. Â 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. Â 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. Â It's in an old building (it's in KC, everything is old) in the Crossroads and has some fabulous decor going for it. Â 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. Â Highly recommended if you ever get the itch for ink in Kansas City--just make sure your craving comes at a sensible hour!
Jason Saint is the best! I was afraid, very afraid, it was my first tattoo ever. I had no idea what to expect. I wanted it to be relatively big and compliment/enhance the shape of my body. Jason made me feel supercomfortable and taught me how to breathe to feel less pain. So grateful fir that!
Jason did a fabulous job creating a custom image for me. From what i learned , Kansas City people should be grateful that there are places like that with artists like that that do not charge arm and leg for custom work. Â My daughter inWashington DC laughted when i told her i didnt have to wait for months and the second laugh came when she heard the price. We are lucky here !
I loved loved loved my tattoo! It is all black with some gray shading and it looks classy and i like looking at it.
The Mercy Seat offers a truly professional tattooing experience. Â Mikey is one of the absolute best artists you will find. Â
I can't emphasize how amazing this place actually is. Â I don't think there is one untalented body in the whole place.
If you have a true artistic piece in mind, stop by and talk to someone. Â You will be amazed at the difference between this shop and all others in the area.
Got my second tattoo here and plan on going back for my third. The place was great, had a great atmosphere and they were cool with me doing a walk-in. It wasn't very long of a wait. Jason did my tattoo which I'm really happy with. He was a nice guy and did the job efficiently. The price was pretty fair for my tattoo and I'm eager to go back for my third.
Review Source:Got my first tattoo here last Saturday. Looked at the portfolios and chose Scott. No doubt about it, the guy is an incredible artist and a serious creative talent. I gave him a few ideas and he ran with the rest and the end result is a true one of a kind work of art.
From start to finish, the experience at Mercy Seat was fantastic. This was my first tattoo but I was never made to feel uncomfortable. If I do more I won't hesitate to go back again.
Thanks Scott!
Definitely the best place to go in the KC area for tattoos! Â I found this place based on recommendations from various people with some amazing artwork. Â I went in on a Thursday afternoon to talk about getting a new tattoo and was lucky enough to be giving awesome advice regarding text in tattoos (and therefore decided against it) and was able to get an appointment a few days later with Chris Orr.
I was at first hesitant to book an appointment that quickly without meeting the artist, but after seeing his portfolio I was comfortable with having him as my artist. Â Every tattoo that he had in the portfolio showed amazingly clean lines and really detailed work. Â This was my fourth tattoo and I was expecting a great deal of pain (based on previous experience) but Chris was amazing in minimizing the amount of pain I felt. Â Especially considering my previous tattoo had me in so much pain I was holding my breath. Â After a little under two hours I saw the amazing finished product - Â he did such amazing work. Â I love the detail and clean lines of my simple compass tattoo - it's everything that I wanted and much more.
Will definitely be back for my next tattoo and will definitely ask him to do the next design as well! Â Everyone is amazingly professional while keeping it an entertaining, although painful (expected), experience. Â Should definitely be your go to place for amazing tattoos.
Just got my first tattoo at Mercy Seat.  The place was amazing.  Very clean and professional.  I went in without an appointment, met with Peter Toatley and told him the general idea of what I wanted.  I went and ganged lunch while he drew something  out and it was beautiful!  Peter absolutely captured the symbolism I described him.  A couple of hours later I left with exactly what I wanted.
I would highly recommend Mercy Seat. Â It was a great experience.
Wesley did my tattoo -- my first one, ever. He was great to talk to, and the tattoo -- a lot of detail work and lettering -- looked fantastic before and after it healed. A few months ago, I got compliments from some tattoo artists in New York a few months ago about what good, clean work it was!
I'd recommend these guys to anyone. (And the fact that the decor is excellent just sweetens the deal.)
Went in as a walk-in and left as a walking billboard for The Mercy Seat! I've had work done at four other shops and I was most impressed with TMS. I had made a phone call to my brother on my way down to the shop and without hesitation found out that I needed to ask for Wesley based on the stellar work done on a friend. As it would turn out, Wesley was fairly booked for the day, but immediately turned my requests over to Jason Saint. I believe there was a good reason I ended up in his chair that day. I shared my thoughts on what I wanted and he turned out a piece that was exactly that (and even better!)...but it goes beyond that...not only is he an uber-talented artist, he also has the best bedside manner (if you will) of anyone that has ever done work on me. He communicates and makes ease of going under the gun. Wish I would've caught everyone's name, but I did not. The "host man" that was to be making dinner that night was very helpful and quite humorous. Though Wesley wasn't able take me as a walk-in that day, he did take quite a bit of time to talk to me in great detail about a cover up that I am needing, taking more time with me than any other artist I've ever asked. I love the look and the feel of the shop. However, the one thing I noticed most was the amount of people coming through on this busy Sunday afternoon...I do people-watch...and it was important for me to see people streaming in and out...some said that The Mercy Seat came highly recommended and others were clearly happy, repeat patrons. I noticed all of great artwork on human display and I was pretty well sold on the joint. I will refer people...already have. Jason Saint is phenomenal...it seems pretty clear to me that everyone down there is equally as rockstar.
Review Source:I have been a long time customer of the shop owner, Chet Duvenci since before he opened this shop. Â He is my hero!! Â All of the staff and artists are extremely professional, courteous, and incredibly talented. Â I cannot put into words how much I LOVE this shop. Â If you're in the market for some ink, I highly recommend checking out this shop first!
Review Source:I've been waiting to be completely healed to comment. Mikey did my beautiful inner wrist tattoo, then touched up the green. I'm so happy with this. He was so kind and gentle. Yes, it hurts like hell. But 20 minutes of pain for a lifetime piece of body art is so worth it. I brought in my own design and he did such a great job. Thanks, Mikey!
Review Source:You'd think that when you are about to get something put on your body that will last as long as you do, you'd plan carefully. Â And in most cases, I do, but not when I went to Mercy Seat. I walked in on a whim and said, hey, can you cover up this 400 year old tattoo for me?
And bless his heart, Andrew Milko not only came up with a fantastic design, but put it on my arm in two delightful sessions for a very reasonable price. Â
I've also had smaller things done by Chris Orr and Jason, and have been equally thrilled. Not only are the artists there extremely talented, they're just plain fun to sit around with.
One more rave -- they are absolutely non-judgemental and accepting. I never once got the feeling that I wasn't cool enough to be there. Â That's a rare and wonderful thing in the sometimes snarky world of artists. Â Yay Mercy Seat!
I got tattooed by Jason Saint and I love my new ink! I only gave him an idea of what I wanted during our consultation and didn't have any reference materials to give to him. When he showed me his design I was ecstatic, it was just as I had imagined it. Jason has such a calm and patient demeanor which helped put me at ease during the tattooing. Getting tattooed hurts, but Jason Saint is as gentle as he can be throughout the whole process. The Mercy Seat is a great shop; spooky, clean, with wonderful tattoo artists, and very fairly priced.
Review Source:Great place!!!! Very Nice & Professional staff. Â Easy to get an appointment and get some great quality work done. Â I brought in a few ideas for some work to be done and Mikey talked to me through some options and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Price is definitely worth the work that is done.
Review Source:I brought in two different designs of the 7 Chakras. Scott did an amazing job of merging the two together into something that was the look and size I was going for. They are ALL very intricate line work, in a very straight line, and he did absolutely AMAZING work! I am thrilled with it and whenever I can settle on the perfect design for my next tattoo I will most definitely be going back to Scott!
Oh, on top of that, the decor of the place is super cool too, which makes any wait you may have quite interesting.
Great Tattoo shop! I was recommended Scott Shickman by a friend and after viewing his work on line I knew he was the man to do my old school sleeve. He takes great pride in his work and acted grateful to have my business. Scott is usually booked up a month or more in advance , and is not known  for being a speedy tattoo artist. He charges appropriately for the work done and uses high quality pigments.( after over 2 years its still like new).
The shop has great ambiance and friendly staff. This is not a "flash" shop, so do not go in expecting to pull something off the wall and thrown on your arm. They only do custom work so make an appointment, bring your reference material, and they will amaze you.
I love this place. This is definitely the place to go if your looking to get a tattoo in the Kansas City area. I've had work done their twice by Scott and both tattoos I have are by far the best ones I have. Scott does awesome work and I would definitely recommend him, especially if your looking to get anything old school. My friend also had work done by Jason and has been extremely pleased with the results both times. Don't make the mistake of going to some shady place and end up with something you don't like for the rest of your life. Go to Mercy Seat and I guarantee that you won't regret it.
Review Source:Mercy Seat seems to want to be the best kept secret in the KC tattoo scene, and they would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for all these meddling kids!
OK maybe that's not quite true, but i REALLY wanted to start off my review with something Scooby Doo-esque because jenkies is this studio awesome. Walking in the front door is like taking a trip back in time. Oh, and a trip into a haunted mansion. Doorways behind bookcases and paintings with removable eyes (all the better to spy with) are the things that awesome is made of. I had a blast just checking out this place before the real work even got started.
The tattoo I got yesterday was my first, and like i do with anything new, i researched it obsessively. Honestly, deciding on Mercy Seat was a no brainer. They simply have the best reputation in town and many of my friends have beautiful work from their artists. While I had been given recommendations to see Chet, after perusing all of the portfolios I decided to go with Jason Saint. He has fantastically clean lines and after talking with him he really seemed to get what i had in mind. He drew up his interpretation, I loved it, and i made an appointment to come back and sit in the eponymous chair.
Holy shit! Nobody may have ever told you this before, but tattoos HURT! 30 seconds in I was questioning my decision to have my first tattoo be a giant piece going from my back and onto the shoulder-blade and down my chest. But thanks to some suggestions by Jason, I spent the next 3 hours coming in and out of a quasi-meditative state and I have a tattoo that i am RIDICULOUSLY happy with.
Jason was great with telling me what to expect both during the tattoo and in the coming weeks. He also mentioned that if I ever needed it touched up, to give him a call as he does that for free. He wants everything he does to look great, and understands that a good tattoo is pretty much his business card. I would definitely recommend Jason Saint to anybody, as well as Mercy Seat in general.
After I got married I was searching for a way to express how happy I was/am through a tattoo. Â Suddenly, it came to me. Â I would tattoo the design from my wedding dress directly on me. Â I initially consulted with Jason, after seeing my design he took me to Chet. Â He explained that it was more Chet's style. Â Anyplace that shares the work like that has got to have something great going! Â Chet put his own spin on the design I brought in and it was beautiful.
My plan was simple, but I was kind of nervous. Â I wanted to get the wedding dress tattoo while wearing my wedding dress. Â Thankfully, Chet talked me out of getting blood all over my dress but agreed to do a photo shoot with me just like we were doing the actual tattoo. Â
Both visits to Mercy Seat were so awesome! Â My tattoo took six hours and I was so giddy. Â Chet is very professional and easy to talk to which was nice since I sat topless with him for that long. Â (Covered, of course). Â
The photo shoot was so much fun. Â The skulls and the dark decor were a fantastic contrast to my wedding dress and the guys were all so supportive. Â
I recommend this place to anyone who wants to deal with professionals. Â These guys know their business and are very good at what they do. Â I hope to get many, many more tattoos here and you should too. Â Oh! Â And be sure to hit them up on First Fridays to see some kick ass bands and meet the guys.
Loved this place!!! I went there for my first tattoo and I wanted to get a second one right after it was over with. The decor is freakin awesome if you are in to a dark look. Everything was also very clean on the inside which is something you should always look for in a tattoo place people. I would recommend this tattoo studio to anyone and everyone.
Review Source:This is an awesome place. I went in with an idea but no specific artist in mind. The guy in front (sorry - did not get his name) suggested I take a look at the books to see which art I liked best. My wife was with me and picked out Scott's work. After a few moments I was introduced to him and he was very receptive to what I wanted to do. He also gave me a few suggestions to think about. He was totally right and I made the changes - so glad I did. He truly created some magic.
My son decided that for his 18th birthday he wanted some ink and I immediately told him we would go see Scott the weekend after his birthday. I prepped my son for a delay in getting it done simply because of scheduling. I introduced Scott to my son. To my amazement and gratitude Scott squeezed him in later that day. Again, awesome.
I am currently saving my "fun" money to head back for more.
If you want ink by true artists go to The Mercy Seat.
No one should take getting their ink lightly...
I mean this figuratively as well as literally. Â It's an important process, holding a lot of weight and meaning, and the LAST thing you want is to walk into some dump full of yahoos who don't know their business. Â You're (hopefully) looking for what the title of Tattoo Artist means implicitly: Someone bad-ass in their craft who is creating something on you that's gonna last forever.
Mercy Seat had come highly recommended by some of the most inked people I know in town. Â Of course, they've got a great name for their business, and a fabulous reputation. Â I started my consultation process with Scott Shickman after perusing his work online. Â When I saw his old-school-flash style, strong line-weights and elegant craftsmanship, I knew he was the artist I wanted for my work.
After consulting with him, letting him know what I was looking for (and of course asking him to bring his own flair and interpretation to the process), I made my appointment for a long Sunday afternoon of inking, entailing two different designs, one on each arm.
The Mercy Seat shop is art in itself. Â They've got the whole place appointed in a style that is reminiscent of some Secret Victorian Parlor of Curiosities. Just sitting in the waiting lounge is a thrill to the senses, inspiring creativity and mystery, visually, combined with the sounds of electric bees carving into flesh in the rooms beyond...
When it was my turn to be drawn on, Scott quietly sat and spent his time doing what he does, and the results were amazing. Â One arm through the process, and I was so elated with the results thus far that I was practically giggling. Â Or was that just the endorphins...?
After a break for some lunch, I came back for my other arm's worth of work, and the second design was just as amazing. Â Scott really "got" what I was going for, and was able to take my designs to a whole other level of awesome. Â Again, the right Artist is worth seeking out, and I'm glad I found him to do my work.
I've recommended Mercy Seat every time anyone's asked, and I love showing off the amazing work Scott did for me. Â I can't wait to get more work done, actually, and I know The Dame is already scheming to get something done there soon, as well.
Just as long as it's not a portrait of me...!
P.S. Oh, and they show awesome art there in their lobby gallery, so go in and check it out sometime...you may just walk out with the best tattoo in town!
I am thoroughly impressed with this tattoo shop. Â Love the beautifully appointed decor (black tin ceilings, goldish paint, deer and cow skulls everywhere) and the waiting area serves as an art gallery, as well.
My boyfriend got two tattoos from Scott and was extremely happy with them. We both admired his utterly pristine line work as well as his interpretation of the designs that  were brought in.  And now, I am itching for more ink (well, that usually just takes hearing the buzz of the needles, but Scott's work is very inspiring!)
I've gone to The Mercy Seat since Chet opened it's doors a few years ago. This place is amazing and every artist is great. I am very picky about my tattoos (I'm pretty heavily tattooed) and I would trust any artist there. Everyone has their own style and there's an artist for everyone. Chet and Andrew have both done work on me. Andrew has done some of the most beautiful and original work I've ever seen. I just give him an idea and it always turns out better than I could have imagined. I get compliments on my tattoos all the time.
I feel lucky to have found this place! There's always good music, great conversation and a laid back vibe. I've definetely never been anywhere like it! If you want a quality tattoo, very reasonable prices and a funky atmosphere, this is THE ONLY place to go!!!
All I can say is WOW!! Very impressed with the work that comes out of this shop! My BF got a kick ass back piece done there by Jason Saint. It is an "old school" eagle with wing span from shoulder to shoulder. Beautiful detail, vibrant color, AWESOME!! I went back to Jason myself, along with my 2 sisters, and we all 3 got 2 starts on our left feet. Jason made us feel at home, and Chet, the owner did as well. Very cool vibe in the joint!!
Review Source:What you get here is a true group or artists that happen to tattoo.
Everyone has their own style but can work in different mediums of tattooing and they are all super friendly and professional.
Biggest rule here is treat the shop with respect, it is a deserved respect.
You will get what you pay for here and that is a good thing, I have not seen or heard of a bad tattoo coming out of this shop.
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