Hours: Varies By Location Please call first (515) 257-7940
We do not provide quotes or book appointments via phone or email. More Info
CHRIS PRUISNER
Tattoo Artist & Owner
you can find me at the southside location!
Chris Pruisner has been tattooing in the Des Moines area since 2008. Born and raised in Des Moines, IA he attended Lincoln High School and graduated from Grandview University with a BA in Graphic Design and Minor in Fine Arts. After graduating from college Chris worked in a variety of corporate positions in Printing and Design however slowly realized he wasn’t a perfect fit for corporate America and left that life in 2008. He took a chance, betting on himself, and became an unpaid apprentice learning the art of tattooing. His bet paid off and within two years, he purchased a building on Des Moines’s Southside and opened the first Lucky Gal Tattoo. Lucky Gal continued to grow opening locations on the Eastside of Des Moines, Ankeny, Clive and most recently Waukee, IA.
Chris’s hobbies include drawing, collecting vintage toys and being an entrepreneur. He resides in Ankeny, IA with his wife of over 28 years, their two children and multiple puppies.
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Henry Jay Kaufmann
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the southside location!
Henry Jay Kaufmann has been tattooing since 2012, and creating art has been a part of his life since he could pick up a pencil. Henry studied Graphic Communication Technology at Kirkwood where he focused on figure drawing and graphic design.
Outside of tattooing, Henry enjoys figure drawing, painting, and generally doodling on any piece of paper within grasp. He is an avid musician, model builder, caricature artist, muralist, PC builder/gamer, motorcyclist, and an enthusiast of many things.
Henry specializes in detailed illustrative styles, or bold traditional/neo traditional styles. He loves working with black and grays, or funky colorful styles. Henry also is an avid retro video game collector.
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Derek Mills
Piercer
you can find me at the southside location!
Piercer, Derek Mills, has been with the Lucky Gal family for over 8 years.
In October of 2009 Derek was in an accident where doctors said his right arm would be unable to move. After that news Derek proved doctors wrong by becoming a personal trainer and made working out daily one of his hobbies along with shooting/marksmanship and cooking.
Along with working out Derek would often visit the tattoo shop to see one of his oldest friends, an artist at the shop. Shortly after he became a piercing apprentice and has now worked for the Southside Lucky Gal for over 5 years.
Derek resides in Windsor Heights with his wife Taylor & two daughters Dove and Aria.
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Abriana T.
Piercer
you can find me at the southside location!
Abriana (Abe) is a young, talented piercer raised in Urbandale who came to us from another shop in the Des Moines area. She has been piercing for 4 years but fell In love with the idea of body modification at a much younger age, learning everything she could about the piercing industry.
One of her favorite things about piercing is getting to help clients achieve their ideal look!! She is open to new ideas that allow her to get creative, such as designing ears to give the most clean cohesive look possible! When you can't find her in the shop she's out thrifting/antiquing or nature exploring with her 2 puppies & her boyfriend.
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Steve S.
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the southside location!
Steve Salazar has been tattooing for about 10 years. He spent most of his time tattooing out of Tucson, AZ where he learned most of what he knows from his peers. He grew up with a love for drawing and painting. Bob Ross was one of his favorites as a kid. In his free time he enjoys gaming, gardening and all things plants.
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Haylie Gay
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the southside location!
Haylie Gay is a versatile tattoo artist with experience in both black/grey and color. She prefers tattooing black and grey realism but can also achieve color realism, portraits, illustrative designs, fine line work, traditional, neo traditional, water color, tribal, and lettering! Her art background began as a little girl learning from various family members. She began drawing and coloring, eventually expanding into other mediums such as paint and sculpture. In 2009 she began her journey into tattooing, at only sixteen years old she was gifted a tattoo kit from her parents. At 19 years old she secured her first position in a professional shop as an apprentice, and at 21 she graduated to full time tattoo artist. When not at the tattoo shop Haylie can be found with her husband and three kids. She enjoys painting, gaming, and crocheting.
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Kendall McKay
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the southside location!
Kendall has been tattooing for 7 years, although he didn’t start out drawing or tattooing. He started out playing music and through music it lead to hanging out in shops and the desire to be in the tattoo industry. He Started out at Slingin’ Ink in Grinnell and also worked at Skin and Canvas and Buzzworthy, both in Knoxville, Iowa.
In his free time he spends time with his wife and 3 children. He also loves music, guns and sprint car racing!!
He likes to tattoo all different styles. Whether it is color, black and gray, new school or traditional - big or small!
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MACEE
Piercer/Laser Technician
Macee Pruisner
Piercer/Laser Technician
you can find me at the ankeny location!
Macee Pruisner has technically been with the Lucky Gal family since the start. As our daughter, she has grown up learning the business and couldn’t wait to be a piercer. She started her piercing apprenticeship quickly after graduation and has been piercing full-time since July 2022. She is also our Ankeny location's full-time, certified laser removal specialist, focusing on laser tattoo removal and laser hair removal.
Macee also oversees all social media marketing for Lucky Gal and manages all the jewelry orders for the shops. Along with working, Macee enjoys spending time training her two dogs, Mahomes and Draco, and crocheting. She currently resides in Ankeny and plans to attend college in the fall, focusing on Entrepreneurship and Business Administration.
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Ricky Hathaway
Tattoo Artist/Manager
you can find me at the ankeny location!
Ricky Hathaway has been tattooing for over 15 years. He started his tattoo career in Davenport, IA.
He has been with the Lucky Gal family for over 8 years.
His specialties include realism, black and gray and bright color but he really enjoys doing it all!!
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Tanner Saltzman
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the ankeny location!
Tanner Saltzman has over five years experience of tattooing. As well as over 15 years of airbrushing and graphic design.
When not tattooing or spending time with his family he enjoys exploring different mediums of art. Including airbrushing, illustration, painting, model building, music and more.
His specialties and interests include: new school, cartoons, anime, horror, flowers and illustrated pieces. He also enjoys nerdy stuff like collecting comics, toys and vhs tape.
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Amy Ross
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the ankeny location!
After years of drawing and wanting to use my artistic side I had the opportunity to start an apprenticeship at Lucky Gal in August of 2021.
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I started tattooing in 2022 and began to realize early on that I love to do anything fine line and black and grey!
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Outside of tattooing I keep busy with my 3 kids, diy projects and spending time with my family.
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Bailey
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the ankeny location!
Art has always been something that I’ve wanted to turn into a full-time job. I used to mainly work with digital art for most of my illustrations. I went to Iowa State University, majored in Integrated Studio Arts, and graduated in 2021. At first, I wanted to make digital art my career, but after learning more about the tattoo industry and realizing that I could become a tattoo artist, I worked hard at improving my art and getting an apprenticeship. My tattoo apprenticeship started under Ricky in May 2022. The biggest things I love to work on are plants and animals, as well as fonts and handwriting. I’m always looking to learn more and improve with every tattoo I do.
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Meressa Moriarity
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the ankeny location!
I officially started my tattooing career in 2022 and they have always been a passion of mine. I got my first tattoo on my 18th birthday, then two days later I went back and got another one! I remember being in love with the arts since I could walk and talk and becoming a tattoo artist just solidified my need to create art for not only myself but others!
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My favorite styles to create are anything with bold colors, neotational, anime/animated, and illustrated, but I still love black and grey, it’s a classic for a reason. In my free time I love continuing to grow my art, thrifting, exploring nature, and coffee dates with friends!
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Charlie Fuller
Piercer
you can find me at the clive location!
One of the aspects of my job that I love the most is the people that I work with. I am fortunate to be surrounded by talented and passionate individuals who inspire me to do my best every day. I thrive in a team environment and enjoy collaborating with others to achieve our goals. I also love the opportunity to meet new people every day. Building connections and forming customer relationships is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. I take pride in providing exceptional service and creating positive experiences for everyone I interact with.
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Overall, I am dedicated to continuous learning and improvement in my professional journey. I am committed to delivering high-quality work and exceeding expectations in everything I do. I look forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, and I am eager to continue growing and evolving in my career.
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COREY KRUGER
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the clive location!
I started my tattoo journey in December of 2013 under the late Mitch Davis (RIP) as my main mentor. I love doing cartoons, comic characters, video/movie characters, new school and illustrative style tattoos. I've been doing art since I was a kid. I was in a couple of art shows as a featured student in elementary school. I just like to create.
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Outside of work, I spend time with my 2 daughters, friends, dogs, and riding bicycles.
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MERCURY
Tattoo Artist (apprentice)
you can find me at the CLIVE location!
My name is Mercury, a central Iowa tattoo artist. My specialties include linework, illustrative pieces, working on client's patchwork sleeves and filler and anything fun and cute! I've been doing all sorts of art my whole life, and I plan on continuing to do so and learn more as I grow.
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RYAN ANDERSON
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the clive location!
Hey I’m Ryan!! I have lived in Florida and even spent my last year in high school living on a boat with my mom and dad before moving to Iowa in 1994 at the age of 19. Lived in Marshalltown and went to the community college “MCC” till 19 before moving to ICU in Ames, that’s when I walked into my first tattoo studio ever, The Asylum Tattoo Studio. I got lucky because it got me next to some of the best artists in the state which helped me drop out of college my junior year to be a body piercer/soon-to-be tattoo artist at Expo. At the age of 25, I opened my shop, Ink Addiction and in 2004 opened Mojo. In 2011 I opened Bombshell but decided to close it in March 2012. I started working for Lucky Gal in October 2017. It has been a great experience working for Pruisner’s, to say the least. They are truly good people and cool! I’m the kind of tattoo artist who is willing to try anything once and will touch up anything if you’re not happy with it. I love pets and have two dogs Lola and Zoe. I love being a single dad to my lovely 17-year-old daughter, god save me lol. Stop by and see me at the Clive location!!
Galen Thornburg
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the WAUKEE location!
Galen Thornburg, an Iowa native, studied at Iowa State University, obtaining a degree in Graphic Design. Galen's passion for art has led him here to Lucky Gal Tattoo. He enjoys many different tattooing styles. Galen resides in Ankeny, IA with his girlfriend and their two “crazy” dogs.
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Ryan Hammel
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the WAUKEE location!
I’m a born and raised Iowan. I am experienced in doing many different styles of tattooing. I’m a jack of all trades, a master of none. Definitely, a big nerd and proud of it so a lot of my favorite tattoos I do are definitely nerdy ones, anything from cartoons and comics to books and movies. I also draw a lot in general so I love just getting to do any kind of designs that I get to draw and put together. I’m very comfortable doing both black and grey tattoos and color tattoos. Come on into Lucky Gal in Waukee and let’s work together on some cool tattoos.
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Caleb Affuso
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the WAUKEE location!
I have been tattooing since 2015 and have experience in a variety of settings and styles. I specialize in illustrative blackwork, geometric, floral, coverups but can likely accommodate just about anything. I like a challenge and always strive to do my best regardless of the size or complexity of your project. Tattoos that are thoughtfully designed and built to last a lifetime are my goal every time. My Instagram is @CaffConcepts if you’d like to see more of my work.
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ashleigh anderson
Piercer
you can find me at the WAUKEE location!
Hello, I am Ashleigh! I have been working for Lucky Gal since April of 2023 and have dreamed of working in the tattoo and piercing industry since I was little. I apprenticed under Macee Pruisner and love helping boost clients’ self-esteem with piercings and seeing their ideas come to life. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time outdoors and sewing!
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Susanna Maj
Tattoo Artist
you can find me at the WAUKEE location!
Hey! I’m Susanna Maj. I started my tattoo journey at 18 years old in the suburbs of Chicago and officially became a tattoo artist at the young age of 19. I’ve always appreciated all forms of art, which led me to love all tattoo styles. Growing up, I had two personal rules: always do my best to help people and to share my art with the world. Tattooing brings me joy because it allows me to live out both of those promises—I’m able to help people express themselves through art. I’m constantly learning and always open to feedback so I can grow as much as possible, and I’d love for you to be a part of my journey!
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At this time we do not provide quotes or book appointments via phone or email.
We would love to design and price your tattoo but the best possible way to book, price, and design a tattoo is for you to come in and speak with an artist directly.
Thank you!
The Lucky Gal Crew
