Jacob Caso at Blue Magic Tattoo (366 W Virginia St, Crystal Lake, IL 60014) is hands-down the best tattoo artist I've ever worked with. I brought in an AI-generated design as a memorial tribute to my best friend and business partner who passed away at 40 from cancer--a hammer/pickaxe wrapped in a purple-and-green camouflage-patterned awareness ribbon with his initials "CP," set on a brick foundation. Jacob listened intently, understood the deep personal meaning, and treated the piece with genuine care and zero ego. He took my concept and elevated it 1,000 times better: flawless thick black outlines, exaggerated New School cartoon proportions, vibrant saturated colors in perfect flat blocks, and impeccable execution that makes the symbolism (tools "hammering" cancer) pop with uplifting energy. With over 15 tattoos from different shops, this one is superior in every way--crisp lines, rich color packing, beautiful healing, and unmatched detail. Jacob's passion for his craft is obvious, and his skill is elite. If you're looking for high-end, meaningful custom work, book with Jacob (Jake) at Blue Magic Tattoo--you won't find better. 10/10 recommend. Thank you, Jacob, for honoring my friend's memory so perfectly. read more

Blue Magic Tattoo - The hammer & ribbon w/CP perfectly capture his strength & our deep friendship. Thank you, Jacob, for the amazing work! - Tattoo Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

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Hi Just came by to get my 3rd tattoo here at Blue Magic by Fern. First of all my Tat came out amazing so vibrant and detailed!!! Just love the work and I already scheduled my next one with him. Not to mention the shop is extremely clean, welcoming and everyone is so friendly. Can't wait to come back read more

I went in for a cartilage piercing and got saddled with a dirt-cheap, microscopic hoop that absolutely wrecked my ear. Within days, it was red, swollen, oozing pus, and burning hot to the touch. I had to go to an actual professional at another shop to get it removed not replaced, REMOVED because it was so bad.The "piercer" (if we're being generous) let me pick the jewelry myself like this was Claire's in a mall food court. I even asked if it was okay for a fresh piercing, and he shrugged and said, "Yeah, whatever." Sir. You are a professional, allegedly. The bare minimum is telling your client that hoops should NEVER be used for cartilage piercings to start. Turns out, the jewelry wasn't just the wrong style, it was garbage quality too. I was basically pierced with costume jewelry and vibes. According to the second shop I went to, they see people all the time coming in with botched piercings from Blue Magic. It's like they have a buy-one-get-one-infection punch card system going. The staff is lazy, careless, and clearly just in it for the money. They don't educate, they don't check sizing, they don't use quality materials. They take your cash, stick whatever in your ear, and send you home with a future infection. I wasted my money, my time, and now I'm stuck with a painful wound where a piercing used to be. I wouldn't let them pierce a potato, let alone a human being. Avoid this place like the plague. You deserve better than this bottom-tier excuse for a shop. read more

Thanks for getting us in and out for a piercing at a great price. Excellent job and incredibly professional

Was there on Saturday 10/28. I was a walk-in, just looking to get a little tattoo of a semicolon. They were able to take me after a short wait. Was highly impressed by how clean and organized everything was, plus it smelled good too. Best of all was how nice everyone was. Justice did the work and me and he was AMAZING. Funny and nice. These tat has a special meaning to me, so it had to be perfect and it is. I would definitely go back again for more work. read more

Blue Magic Tattoo - Not the best pic, my phone takes terrible pictures, but I love it! - Tattoo Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

So I have had a couple experiences here and so has a friend of mine. Starting with the first one I went to schedule an appointment for my first tattoo a month in advance because I really wanted to talk to the artist and see their thought process. I walked in and asked to talk to Matt and the guy I was talking to not only didn't give me his name but said he would "do my tattoo because that's his favorite type of work". According to the shop owner the guy worked there for two weeks. Matt ended up doing my tattoo and it looks really good and has healed well & continues to get compliments a year and a half later. So shout out to Matt even though he doesn't work there anymore. My second experience was with a piercing. My friend and I went to get one piercing each. I got my belly button done which healed great and looks good, the only problem I have is again the person who did mine didn't even tell me his name or anything he just said "yeah I got you". (Note that I should have probably on both occasions stopped and asked etc. and that's on me.) NOW this is where I get bugged. My friend asked to get her septum piercing and a different guy whose name we also don't know, said he could totally do hers for her and then proceeded to make a quick phone call which meant GO GET HIGH before he pierced her. Not only did her piercing come out crooked but it was in the wrong spot. Granted again she or I should have said something but she has anxiety and didn't know what to do and neither did I at that point. So don't get me wrong, my work didn't come out bad nor did my piercing. Sadly their customer service sucks and their ability to run a business is beyond me. As for my friend she took it out and never looked back & I don't blame her. It's also sad that I go to a different shop now and I have herd from multiple people there (customers & workers alike) that I got lucky. After further research I realized that I got SERIOUSLY lucky. Moral of this is be careful who you choose & do research before you get anything done. Sorry Blue Magic but I wouldn't recommend you even to my worst enemy. Edit: added photos of my tat thought it might help read more

Blue Magic Tattoo - Right after it was done: - Tattoo Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

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honestly if i could give this place 0 stars i would. I got my septum pierced here just to go to another shop to tell me Blue Magic pierced it incorrectly. The jewelry is cheap and the service is pretty shitty. When i was getting my septum pierced here, the man piercing me was shaking! He seemed like he was on something. if you don't want a shitty piercing DON'T GO HERE!!!!! read more

Blue Magic Tattoo - This is the first septum piercing from blue magic - Tattoo Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

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I'm not a typical tattoo customer. Or at least I don't think I am. I went to Blue Magic Tattoo to reopen a closed ear piercing. The place met my expectations of what a tattoo place looks like what its employees would look like. But the staff exceeded my expectations. It was a very pleasant experience. If you're looking for a first time tattoo or piercing this is a good place to go. I felt very comfortable and confident in the staff. read more

My daughters and I were tattooed today by Carlos and he was amazing!! My youngest daughter got her first tattoo and he made her feel so comfortable and put her mind at ease. I highly recommend him and can't wait to have him do my next tattoo!! We have mom and daughter tattoos that are personalized to reflect each of us!! read more

Blue Magic Tattoo - We all decided on a rose tattoo and Carlos personalized it for each of us!! - Tattoo Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

Carlos - did a beautiful job on my sisters tattoo for her 50th Birthday. Happy Birthday - Cristi. read more

Went in on Halloween and got a $31 tattoo. It took the artist 2 1/2 hours to complete a tattoo the size of a ping pong ball. He told me he would "give me a deal" on the touch up if I didn't tell anyone. I called a few months later to schedule this much needed touch up and they informed me he no longer worked there, but Juan would do my touch up for free. We set up an appointment for the following week. I arrived on time and the shop was closed and locked. Phone's weren't answered. I was frustrated and left a message. Never heard back until I called again later that night and Juan told me he was "having car troubles". He then offered to touch it up again in a few days. I decided to cut my losses and got it completely redone elsewhere. I wouldn't recommend this shop to anyone. read more

Blue Magic Tattoo - The tattoo blue magic thought was acceptable. - Tattoo Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

I went to get a naval piercing and it really hurt. I am a competitive cheerleader and went to tumbling a couple days later. Every time I bent backwards tumbling the piercing stung and my skin felt like it was ripping. My belly button got super red and puss started coming out of the hole. The jewelry started digging into my skin and causing an even bigger hole. We then went to another piercing place and they said the piercing was done way too high up so the jewelry had no wiggle room. I had to get it taken out and now I will be getting it redone but not at Blue Magic. Blue Magic also barely gave me any advice as to how to take care of it. All they said was soap and water but I did my own research and used saline solution as well. read more

My daughter had her first tattoo done here a few mos ago, simple one word tat. The owner did it and he said free touch ups are policy. She waited a few mos and had been given the runaround for a few months now. Carlos said the owner has to do it because another person won't "get anything"for touching it up. He also said that the owner isn't around much. We have both left our numbers without a call back ever. The people there may be artists but their customer service is horrible and their word means crap. STEER CLEAR read more

Went there to get a nose piercing and it was not a good experience. This is my second time re-piercing it because It closed & I initially got it at monster ink and it was awesome! But I decided to come here for some reason and it was as everyone said it was. The pain wasn't bad, but when she tried to put the jewelry in I really felt it and she had to shove it through (which if done right it should slide with the original piercing needle). The piercing was super tight on my nose and now it is sinking in and it isn't healing properly despite me cleaning it twice a day. Not only that but she did my friend septum crooked. Never coming here again, I highly recommend monster ink in crystal lake! read more

I never write reviews, but I really want to warn people if you are considering getting a piercing here. I went in to get a septum piercing (I've had other nose piercings done before, so I had an idea of what I was getting into). The guy felt the inside of my nose for about 2 seconds, then without any other consultation stuck the needle in immediately after. Compared to other piercings, a septum is usually relatively painless when done in the proper spot. This hurt VERY bad going in, and I had a gut feeling something was wrong. The piercing was sticking straight up and VERY crooked. He took a look at it, and then said "Eh, not bad." Not bad? Not exactly what you want your piercer to say. He then told me that the piercing would "settle" while it heals. Well, after a day, I decided to come down to the shop to have them look at it again. They were closed during open hours. I still wanted a second opinion, so I went to another shop by me. That piercer took one look at my nose and was mortified. He basically pierced it diagonal and in a spot where one hole was much lower than the other. So the other piercer happily took it out for me and asked to take photos because it was bad enough that he wanted to make others aware of the kind of work that is going on in these "professional" shops. I was assured it would not have settled or straightened with time because it was not done correctly. It doesn't end there. My mom called the shop because she was upset at what was done, and I wasn't able to get ahold of them because they rarely answer the phone. The guy, whom I'm assuming is the shop owner, essentially told her that I signed off on it, there's no wrong way to do a septum piercing (?!?!?), and that they always mark the area before they do the piercing and ask for the go ahead (not true in my case). No offer of a partial refund, nothing. He then continues to harass my mother over text message and say that "karma will take care of it and God will bless him in return." Also said that the other shop was probably just a hater and wanted a cash grab (also not true, he did it free of charge and didn't pressure me into anything). She eventually had to block his number because he wasn't stopping. Long story short, save yourself the trouble and go elsewhere. These people don't care about their clients & are the ones cash grabbing and not taking responsibility for their work. read more

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If you ever need anything, ask for josh. Great customer service, finally answering phones now. Variety of jewelry is nice. Very clean.

Daniel told me he'd give me a free touch up on a $100 lip tattoo since it would most likely fade a bit, and after waiting the one month healing time he told me to, I called and he said he would have to charge me. $100 and after only one month the tattoo is practically gone. Overpriced and don't stay true to their word. read more

My daughter had her tragus pierced and ended up with a staph infection. Tried talking to the piercer and manager but they never responded to phone calls. Stoped in several times, shop was closed when it was supposed to be open or the "manager" was never in. There's other shops in the area, avoid this one. read more

I got my first tattoo here 2 weeks ago Carlos did my tattooing he was very professional and explained everything he made someone getting there first tattoo very relaxed 2 weeks later the tattoo looks great I will definitely be coming back for another tattoo I would give them 10 stars if I could all-around a great experience read more

Blue Magic Tattoo - My first tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

Don't listen to the coo-coo ripping this place. This is a tattoo parlor. The oldest running parlor in McHenry County. Juan is a true artist. Tattoo parlor are not like a country club where you have to show up for your tee time. A tattoo parlor is also not the environment like a daycare where you pick your kids up by 6 or pay a penalty. Anyway, this place has great artists. People who are passionate about their job. If this parlor wasn't reputable then there is now way they would have survived the Great Recession. If you want a piece of art go here. I'll be back. Juan is a great guy. Go see him have a conversation, get a flow, and I promise you will not regret it! read more

First of all, I chose not to get a tattoo here. I walked in and the place had about 4 other people in it that looked like they haven't even been helped yet. I was not greeted by anyone! I was standing there for about 10 minutes. The place didn't smell too great either. Aren't shops supposed to smell clean? read more

DO NOT GO HERE FOR PIERCINGS! The people are very nice, but that's all good I can come up with. My piercing was done crooked, and has since rejected. Several of my friends have similar stories, with their piercings rejecting as soon as two days read more

These guys do a great job! They were friendly, clean, and did a great job on my tattoo. If you go, ask for Keith. He's a good guy and a phenomenal artist! read more

I just got the most amazing tattoo on my left forearm. I had a bad artist do a small heart and needed a cover up. We kept my husband of 46 years name, and Juan, the owner crafted Roses, shading and 2 bright blue butterflies. Shop is clean, clean, clean. Comfortable leather furniture, big screen TV, all the artists are people friendly and talented! Juan is an amazing guy, he actually cares about people succeeding in life and helping society. I can't say enough. Best shop I ever found, and my first tattoo was in Huntington Beach, CA 20 years ago! Cool Grandma read more

The rating this shop has is not reflective of how it truly is. i went in here and another place in the area which had better ratings and felt much more comfortable here than the other. Julio did my tattoo and it turned out amazing. my friend also got her belly button pierced by Aces while i was there and said her experience was great. everyone there was very friendly and the pricing was good. would go back there for another tattoo and i highly recommend it to others. read more

Blue Magic Tattoo - Julio did my tattoo and it was exactly what i wanted. very pleased - Tattoo Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

I came here to get a tragus piercing but before getting it done, I wanted to know a little more about the procedure, price and aftercare - I spoke to one of the clerks and he was very nice and knowledgable. I went home and decided to do a little more research but I think that I had already made up my mind. I showed up two days later but no one was home! I kept on asking if anyone was there but I didn't hear anything. I decided to wait a couple more minutes. I walked all around the shop and finally Josh came out! It ends up being that he was having "linner" (lunch + dinner). He was so polite from the beginning. I asked him a few questions which made me feel at ease and ready to add another piercing to my ear! I have to say that he is a very detailed and careful piercer. He was constantly asking me if I was feeling good and gave me some time to work on my breathing before having the piercing done. Overall, my experience was awesome! The piercing didn't hurt at all! Also, there was no blood whatsoever! - I only felt discomfort after he put the jewelry in its place (not pain but pressure). I'll give a four-star review due to the waiting. I think they can communicate better and let their customers know that they'll be right there! - basically, acknowledging their customers' presence. read more

Blue Magic Tattoo - Tragus piercing by Josh - Tattoo Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

Love this place! Several of my friends have gotten tattoos and piercings here. Always super friendly, helpful and do an amazing job. Would highly recommend. read more

My friend and I went here to get our cartilage piercings. We read online and on the sign on their store that they were opened, we got there 2 hours after they opened and all of the doors were locked and no one was there. Someone was in their car and talked to us and said that she had scheduled an appointment to get her tattoo fixed at that time and no one was there. I would not recommend this place. read more

Everyone was very professional and the place was clean. Felt very good about the whole experience and Julio was great. Will definitely go back. read more

Andrea does great work with piercings! I've had piercings from a couple other people elsewhere and have always had problems but she has removed my dermals so fast and easy as well as done other piercings on me. I'm usually nervous before I go in and she calms me right down and walks me through it. Definately recommend her!! read more

I get a tattoo done here a couple days ago by an artist named Carlito. He did an amazing job and took his time. The people were super friendly and made me feel very comfortable! I have two other tattoos that I had gotten done at Jade Dragon in Chicago and I just want to say that I think my tattoo artist Carlito did a better job than those guys over there that have 20+ years experience. I would definitely recommend this place to my friends and I would definitely recommend the tattoo artist Carlito because he is awesome! read more

Terrible service!!! Called night before to confirm it would be open. States it opens at 11. Got there at 12, no one there. Returned 1230, still locked. No one answers phone. Do not recommend read more

If i could have the option of not giving any stars , i would give - 5 stars! Terrible customer service, irresponsible tattoo artists ! Did not show up for my tattoo appointments, ignored my calls, is a terrible place to go. WILL DEFINITELY NEVER GO BACK. read more

Juan hooked it up with my tattoo!!! It was my first tattoo and I got half a sleeve done i was comfortable the whole time and he made sure that i got it the way i wanted it to be done. All the other artists in the building were also very laid back and easy to talk to so Id recommend coming to any of them for some good work at a fair price !! read more

So I had an apt today at 11:00 with Juan that I made a week ago, telling him that I really need to be on time since i have to arrange for a babysitter .... guess what Juan did NOT ONLY NOT SHOW UP, didn't call, people that work there with him had to call him and he kept saying that he will show up in 30 min then in 15 and never showed up. HE DOES NOT HAVE A COMMON CURTESY TO CALL and JUST SAY HE IS RUNNING LATE when he had my phone #. He is driving from Belvedere therefore that's a good excuse even though I had an apt. He has no regard for anyone's time, he is not A Dr, he is a tattoo "artist" so called. will never ever go there and will never recommend this asshole to anyone since he has no common sense or regard to other's people time !!!! ( and my friends wanted to go after me ) He still didn't even call me to apologize !!!!!! read more

I went here sort of spur-of-the-moment, although I knew what tattoo I wanted. Blake was amazing. I have lots of other tattoos, and was expecting a certain degree of pain, however, Blake has the lightest touch. I would recommend for anyone, especially those who are afraid of the pain when getting tattooed. I couldn't be more pleased with his level of compassion, friendliness, and ability. When it's time for another, I will definitely be back and I will recommend to friends. As for the bad reviews here, anyone who's ever gotten a tattoo knows that you are going to have to wait a little bit. If you want it done right, it takes time to get it right. Of course you're going to wait while an artist draws out what is needed. Quality work does not come in an assembly line fashion when it comes to tattoos. The shop is very clean. read more

Worst tattoo parlor I've ever been to. I paid 50 bucks for an extremely simple design with a few curved lines all black. My tattoo "Artist" couldn't even do a slightly curved black line straight. How hard can it be to tattoo a heart? a simple heart... I am never going back there again, not even for my free touch-up. I'd rather find some random guy on craigslist and I'm sure he would do a better job then these people. Don't waste your time and money, they will ruin your body. Stay away from that place, its not worth it. Not to mention my "Artist" wasn't there for my 5 o' clock appointment because he had something to do. How bout you do your job and maybe learn how to actually tattoo. Never again, I'd rather get tattooed on the south side of Chicago in some random guy's garage. You ruined my body, i will ruin your reputation. Thanks a lot. read more

I'm so frustrated with this place; I recently moved back to the area and knew of Blue Magic but had never been there for a tattoo. Years ago I went for cartilage piercings, both of which were done incorrectly (how even do you f*** up a cartilage piercing?) but for whatever reason thought I'd give them a shot with my tattoos cuz they were small pieces. I had a good first experience, so I scheduled another visit for a bigger piece on my arm. For 3 straight weekends, I tried to make appointments and got stood up by Carlos. I gave up until a few weeks ago, when I contacted the shop and asked to work with someone else. Carlos still contacted me and asked if I wanted to come in and do the piece with him, and I decided to do it because I already know his work. The first session went great, but we didn't finish. Now I rescheduled, and the cycle has started again that he is cancelling on me, changing the time, and just blowing it off. I don't want to finish the piece he started with another artist but I will not be going back after this. read more

I have had 2 tattoos done here by Glick. This place is amazing. Very friendly and professional! Their waiting room is small but don't let that fool you. They have TONS of space in the back where they have perfectly clean and separated rooms. Glick was the best! Going in for my first tattoo he was totally kind and helpful! Highly recommended. They have great pricing too! read more