Luckys Tattoo & Piercing

My first and they are the BEST. Matt at the tattoo «help desk» to Steve just a top shelf experience. Steve was ASWOME I could not be happier with my first (not last).
Thank you

It started off with a nose piercing. I went in, got it done, and a month later I had to come back because it was bleeding and swollen. They said the bar was too short and my stud was getting dragged into the piercing hole. The bar was switched out for a longer bar. A month later it had started to form a bubble around the stud and it was swollen – again. This time I was told that it was starting to get infected. I was instructed to put hydrogen peroxide on it for about a week and commit to chamomile tea soaks on the daily. The bubble went away… for about two weeks and then returned. About three months had passed as this point and I was coming in almost every month because it was tender and swollen or nearly infected. I was fully aware that it was a new piercing, but something felt very, very off. The last time I went to Lucky’s I insisted that something was wrong with the piercing and was received with a lot of irritation and impatience by one particular piercer.
Fed up, I went to Haven’s at the suggestion of a friend. I explained to them what my problems were and within 30 seconds of looking at my piercing I was informed that my nose had been pierced improperly. That’s right. They botched my piercing. They pierced my nose at an angle when apparently, the rod should have gone in perpendicularly. As a result, gravity was pulling the stud into part of the surrounding skin causing it to become tender and swollen nearly every day. Because of what they did, I had to have my stud removed and I cannot re-​pierce my nose for at least a month. But when I do, I am absolutely not going back to Lucky’s. Folks, save yourselves the trouble and go to Haven’s. It may be more expensive, but they absolutely know their stuff.

Aside from the classic lobe piercings, I’m totally body art noob… I went (with some trepidation) with a group of friends and had an unexpectedly good experience: the staff was knowledgeable, the piercer was experienced, and the jewelry selection was wide. Both the room with the jewelry and the rooms for piercings/​tattoos were spotlessly clean, and the guy who did our piercings used fresh sterile needles for each job. The nose stud that I got was a splurge, but the prices didn’t seem unusually steep. The line was pretty short (we went on Columbus Day) and most of the other customers were regulars. We all had a good time, and I think that all of us would definitely do it again. (Each of us was sent home with cleaning supplies and instructions, and was invited to call with any questions or concerns.)

I have gotten all my tattoos (13 at the time of writing) done here, all by Steve Fournier. I feel that speaks to my level recommendation better than anything else I could say.
I have also talked to Will Self during several of my sessions and he also seems like a great dude as is Steve Fournier.
I have recommended Steve to several of my friends (so far two have gotten tattoos from him as well). I make the trip from downtown Worcester in to Lucky’s because the quality of the work and the friendliness of staff along with the cleanliness of the shop are unparalleled!
I was made very comfortable during my first tattoo and we have had numerous conversations, I can’t imagine going anywhere else, so if you’re in the market for a tattoo I can’t recommend Steve Fournier any more highly!

luckys is the most pretentious place to get a piercing. I can’t speak for their tattoo artists, but I have several bad piercing stories from there. a friend of mine had a piercing emergency and when she went to luckys 15 minutes before they closed (even though she’d been there only 20 minutes prior) they sent her away saying they couldn’t help. not only were they cold and judgemental but they also would not even acknowledge that they were to blame. AWFUL place for piercing, they act like they know everything but in reality they are sloppy and inconsiderate. I can say that if you must get pierced there, Nicki is the person to go to. Zach is incredibly condescending and once refused to take a piercing out when I asked. overall, they aren’t as good as they seem.

Quick caveat: I did not myself get inked here (yet), but I did accompany my friend while she got her first tattoo. She had an idea in mind, the timing was perfect, so we dropped into lucky’s so we could s

Quick caveat: I did not myself get inked here (yet), but I did accompany my friend while she got her first tattoo. She had an idea in mind, the timing was perfect, so we dropped into lucky’s so we could see if she could get it done.
Lucky for us (ha!) Patrick Macdonald was working that day. He instantly made my friend feel comfortable, telling her that her tattoo idea was a great design and helped her figure out size and color vs black ink. He was personable, professional and great company to sit with for a tattoo!

Will self is a dick. Don’t get tattooed by him!

I got a piercing at lucky’s over the weekend and was so impressed with their jewelry selection and professionalism. they are not the cheapest place around, but why would you trust your body with the cheapest place around? we had a little mix up over my jewelry, and they offered to make it right IMMEDIATELY, no questions asked. in my mind, that’s totally worth the higher prices.

The counter staff isn’t personable or particularly attentive, but they more or less do their job. The jewelry selection is large, and the price range is, too. I haven’t had bad experiences, but not any great ones, either.

Update: Cheryl no longer works at Lucky’s but there is a new guy there who has an awesome style and I will be considering him as well! Zac continues to be excellent, experienced, and I trust him with any piercing.

Lucky’s isn’t bad, but they could be better. Nikki did my high nostril piercings a few months ago, and they turned out alright. The only real problem I have with them is that the jewelry she put in was a little too short for the swelling that comes with early healing. The placement is great, but they aren’t as straight as they could be. It’s only particularly noticeable if you look closely, so it’s not a big deal. This discrepancy is pretty understandable, though. Given that high nostril piercings are less common, most piercers would have less than optimal experience performing them. But, that’s not really the main reason why I would criticize the shop.
What bugs me about Lucky’s is that it is more commercially than quality oriented. Although they use high quality jewelry (internally threaded/​threadless high-​grade titanium) for piercings, which is worth commending, I noticed that they were selling some lower quality stuff as well. For example, steel that isn’t very high polish, and possibly acrylic jewelry (I’m a bit foggy on that one, it was a while ago) which could cause a piercing to become irritated, whether it’s fresh or healed. I got the impression that they were focused on selling lower quality product for a greater profit, rather than providing a high quality service.
Over all, it seemed to me that a good deal of the way that the shop is set up is to draw in students who don’t know much about body modification, and profit off of them. They were also selling hair dye, colored contacts, gimmicky belts and t-​shirts, etc., not things I would expect to see in a service oriented studio. I understand that Lucky’s is a business, and businesses need to profit in order to survive, but I don’t think that their products or services should be compromised by this. In my opinion, a professional piercing/​tattoo shop should not be selling cheap products like these.
All of that being said, everyone that I talked to at Lucky’s, particularly Nikki, was super friendly and fairly knowledgable. This contributed to a mostly positive piercing experience. I don’t doubt the ability of the piercers from what I can see in their portfolios, with the exception of some iffy surface anchor placements, where they are pretty likely to reject in a short amount of time. This isn’t uncommon in the piercing world, though, so it isn’t as concerning to me as it could be. I’m fairly sure that both piercers are perfectly competent with a vast majority of piercings. I also didn’t notice any externally threaded jewelry in the shop, which is a definite plus.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find an exceptional piercing shop in this area, although I’m still looking. For what is available locally, at least as far as I can tell, Lucky’s is decent. It’s pretty unlikely that you’re going to leave with a botched piercing, and I can’t complain about that.
TL;DR — Not bad, but not great either. The piercers are pretty skilled based off of my experience my interpretation of their portfolios, but they aren’t the best. The shop itself is a little too commercially oriented for my taste, but I’ve seen much worse.
Sorry for the novel, I didn’t realize how long my review was until I had finished it. I hope someone finds it helpful!
Edit: Not that this review needs to be longer, but I recently heard that some of Lucky’s employees have made transphobic comments while performing. I haven’t changed the rating because I didn’t experience it first-​hand, but this is more than enough to keep me from going back.

I’ve had about 10 to 11 hours worth of tattoo work done at Lucky’s. I really like Lucky’s for their professionalism and customer service. Their prices are higher than most shops, but it’s worth it. It’s also cool that they have private rooms to keep people from distracting your artist at work. They are real patient with the first timers I’ve gone with. I’d go back and get work done anytime.

I reccomend Lucky’s to everyone I know! The shop is spacious, orderly and clean. The front desk staff are consistently friendly and helpful.
I was nervous getting my first tattoo but Patrick made be feel very comfortable the enitre time. Not to mention, his work is oustanding. I am definitely going back to him for a second tattoo.
Both Niki and Zach are highly skilled piercers and so personable. I trust them completely and they offer great ideas about what kind piercing or jewlery would look best on my ears.
I no longer live in Western MA but I refuse to get pierced anywhere else so I will soon be making a 2 hour drive to Lucky’s for my next piercing!

Nice setup, looks clean and filled with talented artist. They have their own clothing brand which I love their designs. Huge and admirable fish tanks upstairs, girls at counter were very friendly and knowledgable.

Lucky’s is a great tattoo and piercing shop right in the heart of downtown Northampton. Whether you are ready to commit to some new body art or just have a few questions, the very friendly, knowledgeable and courteous staff will go above and beyond to take care of you.
There are no shortage of tattoo and piercing shops in Western Mass, but if you’re in the area long enough you will get to know at least a few people who have gotten some work done courtesy of the talented folks at Lucky’s.
When searching for a tattoo and/​or piercing shop, factors such as quality & consistency of work, cleanliness of the facility and knowledgeable staff are all paramount– and all factors which embody Lucky’s.
In addition to their body art services, Lucky’s offers a unique selection of jewelry, aftercare products and clothing– all at great prices.

I got a tattoo done here by Cheryl that was both rushed and sloppy– now I will have to spend even more time and money getting it fixed.
Wouldn’t recommend her to anyone who wants a really high quality tattoo– this one was rather mediocre in quality…
Bad line work, too much ink, & many other problems

Lucky’s is a piercing and tattoo studio that has been part of Northampton’s landscape for about a decade. We’ve both had work done at Lucky’s (both piercing and stretching), and we bought our head wedding attendant a tattoo by Krystof as a post-​wedding thank-​you present (that experience was very positive to watch).
Lucky’s has really had the chance to shine since getting their own Main Street storefront. Long ago, Lucky’s got its start in the basement of the now-​gone Just Because, a sedate leathergoods (bags, belts) shop with a pickled, Southwestern, taxidermied feel. Lucky’s moved into the expansive storefront next door, and the two-​floor shop has ample room for the body modification and retail activities within it.
Approaching the shop, you see windows full of tattoo flash. It makes a nice, permanent backdrop for other items on display. Inside is a huge, donut-​shaped glass sales counter with many small retail items inside, like tons of piercing jewelry, and vanity contact lenses (to make your pupils red, or look like a wolf’s eyes, etc). The recent diversity of piercing jewelry in the world is both a blessing and a curse, since that has resulted in some really nice quality out there… and some really crappy quality. Luckily, Lucky’s cuts through a lot of the crap out there, and offers a good range of quality things to stick into your body’s voluntary holes. They’ve got precious and semi-​precious metals, and they’ve got surgical stainless steel; they’ve got horn, gems (and other stones), bone, glass, and various kinds of synthetic polymers. They’ve got wood. They’ve got cute things, things that dangle, things that plug, scary things, tough-​looking things, and sparkly unicorn glitter things. They’ve got lots of things I’m forgetting, too.
On the walls, they’ve got shoes and clothes that are suitable for wear by subculture intersections of punk, goth, raver, anarchist, GLBT, tattoo, BDSM pinup, rockabilly, and retroclub folks, not to mention other generally weird freaky people like us. But you don’t have to come from any particular walk of life to be welcomed there. It’s a college town; it takes all kinds. There are a few home goods, and some handbags, and a couple of goth dolls on the second floor (where there is more tattoo flash and where they used to keep all the shoes). Near the front door is a display of stripey, skull-​or-​pinup-​adorned mittens and hats, to help your various industrial piercings and captive bead rings stay warm enough through the New England winter that they don’t freeze your holes off.
There is no longer an air of holier-​than-​thou pretension in Lucky’s. There’s no epic battle to out-​hardcore the clientele, or vice-​versa. The best time to experience this breath of fresh air is when you’re in the piercing chair. The most recent trip we took to Lucky’s was for a reverse-​PA stretch (translation: swapping smaller metal in the pants for larger metal in the pants), and because of some scar tissue, this isn’t the most pleasant stretch to actuate, as a piercer or piercee. However, Zack, one of the most veteran of all of Lucky’s piercers, did the job patiently, and deftly, offering encouragement and expert handwork.
It took a few tries for my beloved to accept the jewelry, yet Zack didn’t even blink an eye. He took his time and that made a huge difference, leading to the success of the stretch. He did suggest that I was taking the wrong approach while cheering on my beloved (by saying, «you don’t have to do this,» which means that I was reassuring my beloved that my beloved was in charge of the experience, and only had to continue if the desire was there). I didn’t like that, because this is the first time we’ve ever met Zack, which would make it hard for him to know what works for us («you don’t have to do this» is exactly what my beloved needed to hear in that moment). All in all, our experience with Zack was a very positive one. He is confident, skilled, and professional, and his compassion and lack of cynicism in the face of voluntary suffering was much-​appreciated.
If you’re looking for a clean, well-​lit piercing/​tattoo shop with a lovely and attractive selection of body jewelry and lifestyle doodads, excellent OSHA/​CDC standards, and a pleasant, skilled staff, you’ll do well at Lucky’s.