Black Magic Tattoo
About this parlor
Tucked into the Des Moines, IA, Black Magic Tattoo has built a growing set of reviews around a broad range of styles work. Across 71 reviews the rating sits at 4.9 — near-perfect signal that the work and the room match the portfolio. Pricing reads mid-range for the area.
Black Magic Tattoo is a tattoo studio in Des Moines.
Good to know before you book
- Walk-in availability isn't always posted online — a quick phone call is the fastest way to know if they can fit you in today.
Photos
Reviews
My husband and I had a great experience working with Ace. Everything was clean, professional and transparent. Overall everyone here is friendly and fun to chat with, in addition to providing quality tattoo experiences and work. We will be back!
Loved the work I received, but unfortunately I won’t be returning to finish my piece. When we first discussed the tattoo, I stated my total budget and was clear that I understood if sizing or design needed to be adjusted to accommodate that. I wasn’t aware of the pricing policy at the time. Later, I came across a tik tok video from my artist explaining that pricing is charged by the piece in the video description, not hourly or by session as they do fast work. However, when I reached out to book my second session, I was told I would need to pay more money — without being given any sum or estimate. By that point, I had already paid in cash what I believed was the total agreed budget. This left me with a half-finished piece, and no way to plan for additional costs since they were never disclosed. The tattoo is especially meaningful to me as it’s dedicated to my father, who has cancer, which makes this experience even more disappointing. I’d strongly advise others to get everything in writing beforehand, and I hope the artist does the same to avoid future confusion. I take responsibility for trusting without asking more questions, but after seeing the video and experiencing this lack of clarity, I no longer feel I can return in good faith. Again, the work itself was beautiful, and the shop was clean and professional. But the lack of transparency around pricing has unfortunately broken my trust.
I came here for my first tattoo and had a great experience! Everyone was very kind and any anxieties I had were quickly put at ease. Victoria was my artist and she was great - she made the tattooing process way quicker and easier than I expected, and the end result was exactly what I had in mind! I'm definitely planning on coming back and would recommend this shop to anyone.
Location
412 E 5th St Suite 101, Des Moines, IA 50309, USA



