Outstanding! Very clean. Carissa was so patient with my indecisiveness on where on I wanted my tattoo. I will be coming back for sure and will recommend her to all of my friends who have an itch for ink � I absolutely love my new tattoo!! Read Less

I have had several tattoos done here over the years, along with other family members getting theirs done here, as well. All have been beautifully, artistically, and most of all professionally done! The place is always clean and it's apparent safety is always first. A fun and relaxing atmosphere. I will only go here for all future tattoos! Read Less

I wanted a cosmetic tattoo in brown ink. I called ahead to see if they would do the tattoo, "Yes". I drive the 46mi to get it done and the 1st tattoo artist I speak with says: "That's a sloppy tattoo. I won't do it unless you do it in black ink" I insist I want brown ink. I have sun allergy, so my skin stays SUPER pale year around. She then speaks to Carissa who agrees with her that my tattoo must be in black ink or they will not do the work. Angrily, I agreed. I drove nearly an hour based on positive reviews and high recommendation. I'm furious with how it looks. It doesn't look like freckles (which is what I was going for). It looks BLUE on my pale canvas. I shouldn't have caved, but i was treated like a piece of scrap paper rather than a masterpiece and I hope other clientele do not cave under their pressure to do it "their way". Your body, your choice. You know what you want to live with for the rest of your life. Don't let them bully you into changing your long thought-out design. Read Less

Both Carissa and Sam are amazing artists. While you will wait months to get in with Carissa, Sam has openings only a month out and she's wonderful to work with. Either way both women are worth waiting for. Read Less

I have been around this country getting tattoos in 4 different states, I was never loyal to an artist until I found Carissa. I have friends who fly into Michigan and stay with us just to get work done by her. Read Less

I feel like my previous tattoos done elsewhere were "just" tattoos, but my most recent one done by Sam is a work of art. I absolutely love it and have gotten so many compliments. I will never go anywhere else. Read Less

In short: skip this tattoo shop. They have very strong opinions and are a little scary... My girlfriend, sister-in-law and I all came to Saugatuck with the intention of getting a tattoo together. We had each planned out what we wanted: my girlfriend wanted a crescent moon outline on her back, and I wanted the words "here & now" on my forearm, facing me (because it's for me to see, to remind me to be in the moment), and my sister-in-law wanted her kids names on her ankle. We try emailing Crux Art twice in lead-up to our trip, but they never responded. When we arrive in Saugatuck we figure maybe they are more phone-friendly, but they don't pick up so we leave a message. No response for two days. Later that week we are walking through downtown Saugatuck and stumble across it. We see they're open and walk in, and begin talking with an employee named Sam, who lets us know that she had a cancellation for that day and had some time free. We explain to her what we want, which is a very frustrating thing to do because she apparently knows what we want more than we do. When we tell her about my girlfriend's crescent moon outline, she immediately dismisses it as a poor choice, and that one that is filled in would be better, because filled moons age better and "she will probably just fill it in later, and you'll wind up spending less money in the long run this way"... this to someone who has thought long and hard about what she wants, and is really excited to get her first tattoo, only to have it dumped on by a tattoo snob who somehow foresees her getting a lot more tattoos and thinking of the "long run" in her tattoo collection. (my girlfriend is a teacher, she's not going to get a lot of tattoos) Then I explain to her my desire to get the words of mindfulness facing me on my forearm, so that when I look down I can see them and be reminded to be here now (I like little reminders for meditation). She says that this is a dumb trend in tattoos right now (I had no idea it was a 'trend', I just knew what I wanted) and that I would absolutely regret getting it that way. I tell her I actually want it to face me because it's not for other people, it's for me, and she freaks out a little, runs over to the wall and picks up a picture, turns it upside down and holds it out at me, saying "does this look RIGHT to you??? other people are gonna see your tattoo! it's gonna look upside down to everyone!!!!". I'm a little scared of her at this point since she's shaking and looking for other things to turn upside down to prove her point. I then tell her "okay, yes... I know what upside down means. I'm aware of all the angles that my tattoo would be seen from. The reason I'm getting it, though, is for me to see, to remind me to meditate. is this a tattoo you could do for me?" Then she says she wouldn't be able to do it because she doesn't want it on her portfolio (?! if you don't want it on your portfolio, just do it and DON'T put it in your portfolio. it's pretty simple) Long story short my girlfriend and I felt steamrolled to get tattoos we didn't want after having our personal ideas for tattoos we did want trashed by a slightly unstable woman with very strong opinions on what you should and should not get as a tattoo. Her loss, three easy customers decided to get their ink somewhere else. Go somewhere else and skip the judgement. Read Less

Came in with a general idea of what I wanted, left with a lifetime masterpiece. Carissa was professional, creative, and fun to chat with while I sat in the chair. I will be back, and you should visit too. I'm sad it took me this long to discover what a gem this place is. Read Less

I am so disappointed in my experience with Crux Art. Back in February, I called them to see if I could get in to get a tattoo. I wanted my sons name tattooed on my arm, that's it. So first off, no one answers the phone. I call back about half an hour later, a woman answers and I ask to make an appt. she says Sam will call me back because she may have an opening. I wait and wait a few hrs and hear nothing. So I call back and Sam answers. She says she has an opening that day and for me to come in. I come in and explain again what I would like. Right off the bat she tries to change my idea and location. She says she is doing a lot of cover ups of arm bands (the tattoo I wanted is nothing remotely close to an armband). Whatever, I go along and consider her ideas. She then she asks if I am breastfeeding. I say yes. With a weird look on her face she goes on to tell me all about how many mothers come in and would never ever get a tattoo while breastfeeding. I ask why and she can't give me a straight answer other than saying "a lot of places will refuse to tattoo you if you're breastfeeding." She says other things that make me feel like a bad mom. By the end of our convo she decides for herself that I don't know what I want and that I need to really consider if I want to jeopardize my sons health by getting a tattoo. At some point in the convo I mentioned maybe someday I want to finish my arm, but that this was wishful thinking. She said the tattoo I want will look absolutely horrible if I were to get more tattoos. Anyway, I am cordial and say I will call my doctor and Think about it all. She says to email her, because it's "much easier to get in contact with us rather than the phone". I go home and immediately research the breastfeeding thing. Can't find anything online about it being bad. So I call my doctor. She says there's absolutely nothing wrong with it and to go ahead as long as they use a clean needle. Duh. I email Sam and explain this all, and say I really would like the tattoo where I originally wanted it, (above my elbow on the inside). Nothing fancy. I also state I am open to other placements, though I would really rather have it above my elbow. I think it looks good and I am sticking to it. It's my body and my tattoo. Several days pass and I haven't heard a word back. I go on to message them on Facebook asking if they recieved my email. They read my message and say nothing back. I email again asking if she got my original email. A week passes and I finally get a response from Sam. She goes on to repeat what she said about the whole breastfeeding thing, despite me telling her my doctor said its fine and that I couldn't find any research backing her opinion. She also says she won't tattoo me if I dont change my mind about the placement. Despite my feelings of disappointment and the fact that she's now made me feel like a bad mom, and stupid for wanting a simple tattoo of my sons name on my arm, I remain kind and email back saying how I have heard great things about the Crux and I would love for them to tattoo me. I tell her again that I am open to moving the tattoo in a different location. I also ask if I can set up an appointment. Nothing. I hear nothing. It has been two months now and I have heard nothing. Sam made it clear that she did not want my business from the get-go and I should have just walked away. I am honestly embarrassed for this company and the way Sam treated me. I sure hope she hasn't acted like this to others. To be made to feel like a bad mom and unintelligent for wanting a certain tattoo in a certain spot is just wrong. Her whole argument is that she does a lot of armband cover ups, yet the tattoo I wanted is nothing remotely close to an armband. Even if it was, I wouldn't ever get my sons name covered up! Bad, bad business. I am truly ashamed. Read Less

Sam really made my vision of my sunflower tattoo come to life! I couldn't have imagined it any better IF I could have drawn it myself! Even when I made some things a little confusing with changing my mind with what I wanted she was so patient and took the time to make sure we both had an understanding of what I was trying to describe! Love, love, love my tattoo!!! Read Less

Carissa is the best, she has a light touch an she is so artistic, so talented an super nice! I LOVE her work an any more ink I have done will be done by her!!! Thank you Carissa for all the time you put in on my designs... Also the shop is very clean an Sam is super talented n nice too!!! Read Less