Kalamazoo Voted And These Are The Five Favorite Tattoo Artists For 2026

Nearly 11,000 votes were cast, and Kalamazoo made its voice loud and clear about who's doing the best ink work in the area right now.

In the past, we've published annual polls asking you to vote for your favorite tattoo shop in Southwest Michigan. We will continue to run those polls. However, we thought it would be helpful to highlight specific tattoo artists.

For our first-ever tattoo artist poll, we focused on the Kalamazoo area, which included Kalamazoo, Portage, and Parchment, Michigan.  Keep in mind, this poll doesn't focus on a specific type of tattoo or artistry.  This is based on public voting only.

(Don’t see your favorite Kalamazoo tattoo artist in the top five? Scroll down for the complete poll results.)

5 Favorite Tattoo Artists in Kalamazoo 2026

#5. Blaine Hall at Art & Soul Tattoo/Blaine’s Body Art

• Address: 951 W Milham Ave, Portage, MI 49024
• Phone: (269) 344-7685

Blaine Hall made a lasting impression on voters, earning 5.79% of the vote and a well-deserved spot among Kalamazoo’s top five favorite tattoo artists.

#4. Doug Thompson at Southpointe Ink Tattoos and Piercings

• Address: 1838 S Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49008
• Phone: (269) 341-9700

Now this was a close one! Doug Thompson came within a needle’s width of third place, collecting an impressive 8.54% of the vote to finish at number four.

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#3. Ryan Smokoska at Park Trade Center Kalamazoo

• Address: 326 W Kalamazoo Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49007
• Phone: (269) 383-5775

Ryan Smokoska edged out the competition for third place, pulling in 8.59% of the vote and proving that Kalamazoo has plenty of love for his ink.

#2. Julia Lawrance at Art & Soul Tattoo

• Address: 951 W Milham Ave, Portage, MI 49024
• Phone: (269) 344-7685

Julia Lawrance had an incredibly strong showing, earning 8.82% of the vote and tattooing her name into the number-two spot.

#1. Raven Wynd at Tattoos by Raven

• Address: 326 W Kalamazoo Ave Studio 309, Kalamazoo, MI 49007
• Phone: (269) 245-0999

Raven Wynd took the lead early and refused to let it go. After dominating the poll for nearly the entire voting period, Raven was crowned Kalamazoo’s favorite tattoo artist for 2026 with 9.54% of the vote.

Don't see your favorite Kalamazoo tattoo artist in the top 5?  Scroll down to see where they landed on the poll.

Next year, we will likely expand this poll to all of Kalamazoo County.