The tattoo artist stole artwork from Pinterest and lied saying it was their own original artwork. The piercer was eating lunch on their piercing tray, saying "don't worry I'll clean it". The whole place was lacking the clean quality vibe you want in a tattoo shop. read more

My daughter wanted to get a tattoo to honor her grandmother (my mom) while she's still alive. She made the design of a hydrangea that my mom grows which she said reminded her of her Grandma, plus the words that she always signs in cards to her: "Be true, be happy, love always." She asked me if she could get this on her forearm and I agreed. We learned that you have to be 18 in Illinois to get a tat, and she's just shy of 16. It is legal with parental consent in Indiana, so after doing some research in good, reputable places, we made an appointment and roadtripped to Indiana. Our appointment was with Jim, who explained everything thoroughly and was very friendly and kind. 45 minutes later we were done and my daughter couldn't be happier. read more

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Shiloh was BEYOND amazing, it was my daughter's first tattoo (we got matching ones) and every step of the way they were warm and welcoming. I'm so glad I chose this place. We couldn't be happier with our experience. read more

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Those are my legit people in there! I see alot of nasty reviews about Carolyn but y'all can really kiss her and my ass! She's the shit, yeah she's very blunt but she'll never lie to you. She's been my piercer since I got my first grown up piercing & John that's my dawg too. He's done all of my face tats and my hand. Nothing but good vibes and Great conversation. Definitely feel like family everytime i come. read more

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Don't recommend literally a hole in the wall!! This place is a JOKE ! Especially I think his name is Jim could be Tim he's rude, disrespectful , sheisty, and harsh towards women. Theyhave a 100$ deposit for tattoos , which isn't stated nor marked on there receipt as non refundable I booked appt for Wednesday being that's the soonest availability the artist had. On Saturday I went in to cancel appt being I found someone who could do it sooner at another shop. The guy Jim tells me no refunds. The guy go pull a sign from the back of the shop that says deposit is final. The sign isn't seen for the public just the workers that work there which are familiar where it's placed. He was so disrespectful said I need to pay attention, what ever artist I go to next have him take off 100$ off my tattoo not giving me my money back . The receptionist asked me am I sure I want to cancel APPT ABSOLUTELY!! not doing any busy with these people read more

I just want to start off by saying I've been to a lot of different tattoo shops and this one by far is my FAVORITE! Everyone is always so nice and Carolyn is amazing. She will let you know what works for your body and what doesn't and won't just take your money. She will be very in front with you and I love that because she is very genuine! They are also very reasonable on prices! I have been coming here many years and will only come here from now on! read more

I've had three piercings done here and all of them were fantastic , all of them were done by Carolyn The first time I was pierced here was when I got my vertical labret done about a month ago. Carolyn did it so fast and smooth and I am in love with the placement. It healed within two weeks with absolutely no issues. I had my industrial done at a different place and i had bumps growing on it , and when i went in she noticed and took them off and now even my industrial looks good. A few weeks later I went in to get my tongue done. It took her about two minutes at max. and it was perfect. It's completely centered in the middle and it healed within two weeks as well. Today I went in to get my septum done and it was done so quick. She does it so fast that you're literally in and out of the booth super quick. Something else that I love is that this place won't try to rip you off. They won't try and sell you 80 different cleansers and ointments if they believe that your piercing truly doesn't need it. Carolyn told me that i didn't have to purchase their sea salt solution for any of my piercings and they all healed fantastically. The prices are so reasonable too. It's $30 per hole on weekdays and $20 per hole on fridays/Saturday's if it's a piercing above the waist. I highly highly highly highly recommend it!!! Thanks Carolyn you're the best. read more

China Doll Tattoo & Piercing - This is my vertical labret and my septum that i got done here - Tattoo Near Me - Hammond, Indiana

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I was referred to China Doll Tattoo for a nose piercing. I went in, said what I was there for, completed the form, had a seat, waited, waited and waited. They do excellent work, so they are in high demand for tattoos and piercings. I waited roughly 45 minutes before making my way to the piercing chair. A couple of people were cycled back through for various reasons instead of being put at the end of line. At one point, there were more people than chairs, and the sign out front clearly communicates one extra person per customer. The website didn't have their hours, and as small as that is, it would probably cut down on a few phones for such basic information. Overall, great customer service. read more

The older fella in the dirty jeans Gray hoody was of great concern. Dirty hands and nails, looked as though he just crawled out from under a vehicle. Hygiene is questionable. Not certain that I will return until cleanliness is addressed. read more

Some girl that worked there was extremely rude and called me a fucking idiot for picking up something she dropped on the floor. I had done nothing to provoke her for her to speak like that and be so disrespectful to me. If this is how tattoo artists and piercers from here treat their customers then I'd never go here if I were you. read more

My friends and I came in to get our second lobe piercings for one of my friends birthday and had a terrible experience right off the bat. FIRST OF ALL when my friend got IDd she was given a dirty look because the person at the register did not know the day that it was and she assumed she was too young. secondly nobody was wearing a mask and the person who was going to pierce us was chewing gum with her mouth open in the middle of a pandemic. she rudely told us to "sit our ass down". we get that its a tattoo shop however being "punk" or "edgy" has nothing to do with being rude. the person who was gonna pierce us also judge us for coming in for mere second loves. we ended up leaving before getting pierced because of the terrible service and unsanitary environment. felt very unsafe and disrespected. read more

Amazing experience. I came in today and got tattooed from John and my son got tattooed from Jim. Really the best work and let me tell you, I have been tattooed by dozens of shops in the past 20 years. This will definitely now be my shop. Called and made an appointment yesterday and the woman was so awesome and kind and got us in the next morning. Super reasonable and better yet, unbelievably talented artists. I can't say enough great things about this shop. Can't wait to go back!!! read more

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As you can see from the other sparkling reviews, everyone I've dragged here has loved every piece of work they've gotten. I've been coming here for about five years. I'm actually happy that N 2 Deep closed, which was where I got my very first tattoo - because if they hadn't tried to charge me $100 for the small black star on my back that Jim did for $45 I probably wouldn't have started coming here so soon. Penny and Jim are the proprietors of the business and are both EXCELLENT artists (who you can usually find at conventions like Inkin' Lincoln, winning new trophies to display at the shop). I've always gotten incredibly reasonable prices (beyond reasonable, they're undercutting themselves) for my work and all of the artists here are top notch as well as the various piercers they've had over the years (I've had nearly all of mine done here as well). Worth the drive, though the Hammond location may put people off a bit since the area was never the best (it's not bad by any means, especially if you're just going to the shop since it's RIGHT off of the Calumet Ave. exit in the direction of Hammond). I reccomend no one else to anyone who asks me and compliments keep pouring in on my tattoos. What can I say, I'm loyal! I've found my shop and I won't go anywhere else. read more

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They were very unprofessional. They were crowded to the max and didn't follow social diatancing guide lines. I went in there for a simple nose piercing and was forgotten. People cut in front of me that just came in. I had to get up and ask constantly if she already called my name. Very unpleasant place. You can do better with a cleaner space where other customers don't breath down your neck. read more

This place is horrendous!!! Do not give them your money! They have the worst practices when it comes to customer service! I witnessed someone get verbally assaulted by Caroline, over her unsanitary practices. She cursed and insulted a teenage girl for no reason! The owners need to fire this woman and get someone talented. I Will never come here again, plus my ear got infected. read more

f carolyn and her mama. that woman is rude asf and was very aggressive. went for my double helix and when she called my name loudly, infront of everyone, said "idk how the fuck to say this name get the fuck back here" ?? wtf who does that. my name is ethnic and she completely disregarded that. once she pierced my ears and she asked how i liked it, i wasnt facing the mirror so i didnt know there was a mirror in there. i said i cant see it and she said "well get the fuck up and go to the mirror dumbass" aw hell naw who tf. weird asl if you dont like people and ESPECIALLY dealing with open wounds dont work there. its quite obvious that she doesnt like her job. f that place never going back. i reccommend lucky star piercing on s pulaski tho :P read more

Carolyn is 1 of the MOST UNPROFESSIONAL piercers I have ever encountered in my life! Not only did she use too small of a gauge when she pierced my daughter's nose, when I returned with my daughter to get it fixed, she immediately saw me wearing a healthcare worker uniform and started telling my daughter how wearing a mask was stupid and itll end up giving her COPD and how covid is just a flu, and how UIC is a stupid hospital (she thought that's what my badge said), and when I told her I dont work there I work for another hospital she said that the hospital I worked for was stupid too. I repeatedly told her we would agree to disagree (I REFUSE to argue with ignorant people), but she just kept going... I kept on NOT replying to her because i am NOT going to engage with someone who is about to put a sharp object near my child! I absolutely could NOT believe her demeanor! Everyone has their own opinions, but a tattoo counter is not the place for them nor the place to try and bully someone who doesnt share the same opinion as you. I wonder why someone who is working all day with open wounds would NOT want to go above and beyond to protect their customers no matter what their beliefs are smh.... makes me wonder what other health precautions China Doll and their staff "skip" on! read more

I got my bumble bee here recently and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Everyone was welcoming and so nice! Munkkali drew up a custom bee from a concept I brought in and I don't think I could have asked for a better piece. I'll definitely be returning for future work! read more

China Doll Tattoo & Piercing - Tattoo Near Me - Hammond, Indiana

China Doll was recommended to us for piercings. I called beforehand to see if we needed to make an appointment for 2 piercings and was told they do walk ins. When we got there and walked directly to the front desk, nobody greeted us or asked us if we needed help. Three people all walked past us and said nothing for several minutes and I was starting to get annoyed. One girl walked directly up to us, did not make eye contact, grabs her business card and still does not acknowledge us. Finally someone asked us if we had been helped, it was obvious we hadn't since they are all standing there and saw no one help us. When someone finally attended us and she asked us what we wanted pierced, her response and attitude was very rude and judgemental to the point that we had to walk out and leave. They all look like they're teens, none of the staff was wearing a mask, and there was no social distancing being practiced at all. Place was crowded af. Would not recommend read more

We had an appointment to see John today for a fairly large tattoo on my sons quad. We drove two hours to get to China doll tattoo. When we got there, we were told that John was sick and did not come in today. They did not call us to tell us, and then said that they did not have a telephone number to reach us. I think it was very unprofessional and maddening. This was after having emailed John and having spoken to him on the phone over a week ago. We ended up going to 45th Street Tattoo. We wasted a half a tank of gas and five hours of our day because nobody could call us to tell us that John was sick, not even John. read more

I've had my nose pierced two other times by Koolsville: once I took it out b/c the job don't allow it and the second time I took it out because months later after getting sick I developed a piercing pimple(is what I was told it was called) and my skin started rejecting my piercing. After letting it heal for some months I decided that I finally wanted to get it done again and began calling around for prices. Most of the places I called where $30-$40 but when I called China Doll I was told if I waited til the weekend it would only be $20. So me being the cheapskate that I am decided to go ahead and wait to get it done. And it's added bonus that China Doll is literally 2 blocks from me. So I finally go on Friday and as soon as I walked in I was greeted by a spunky, pink haired female. I fill out the paperwork and had to wait a few minutes since they were pretty busy with people trying to take advantage of the any piercing above the waist $20 deal. I go in back and it was a lot cleaner than Koolsville. The piercer gathers her supplies together and we chit chat a little bit about the piercing. Although I've had it done twice before I'm still nervous as hell. She calms me down and it's over with in a minutes time. I was worried about the nose screw she used and me bein able to get it out since I had trouble the last time and she told me that if I need any sort of help with my piercing to come in, she's like a doctor and that's why she's there. So here I got my piercing finally done again for a reasonable price, in a clean shop, and dealt with staff members that were definitely friendly and easy to talk to! If/when I decide on another piercing I will definitely go back to China Doll! read more

My friend and I walked in at 815 on a friday night. There were some artists doing tattoos and the front had a few other customers in it. We were there for nipple piercings. We were greeted as soon as we came in the door by other friendly artists. We told them what we needed and they told us it would be about 10 min due to people before us. It was only about 10 minutes like he said and most of that was spent chatting with one of the artists and filling out paperwork. The piercer was AMAZING! Clean and hilarious! You could tell she was VERY experienced. She was quick and did well. I will recommend her to every one of my friends for their piercing needs! We got to the front and she had explained the aftercare of our new piercings. We purchased the sea salt spray for $10. Our total each was $50! Like...really??? $40 dollars for a quick and sterile piercing in an awesome tattoo shop? I was very pleased. I gave her a $20 tip and happily walked out the door with my throbbing nipples haha read more

Carolyn is the piercer. She is very knowledgeable and sure of her job. I felt very comfortable and in good hands. $20 piercings above the waist Fri & Sat read more

When it comes to piercings this is my go to!! Carolyn is the best she did my industrial I will be going back for my piercing a old friend recommended her to me so glad she did! And on certain days anything above the waist $20 read more

I was in the area for a concert and got in town a little early. So my friend & I decided to look up tattoo shops & check them out. She wanted a tattoo but we didn`t have the time for her to get what she wanted & I wanted a piercing. I looked on yelp for reviews & this was the only place in town I saw (and was really close to the concert venue) that had fantastic reviews, so we decided to stop in. They had a great deal Friday's & Saturday's for piercings, so I ended up getting two! I LOVE my piercings, I had my rook & tragus done. Carolyn did them both, and knew what she was doing. The store was very clean, and was really easy to find! Even though it's a little far from me (I`m from Chicago), I absolutely will come back here for piercings from now on!! :) read more

China Doll Tattoo & Piercing - Both piercings done by Carolyn - Tattoo Near Me - Hammond, Indiana

The ONLY tattoo/piercing shop my husband and I will ever go to. I've had 2 tattoos ( one by Penny and one by Jim) and a naval piercing done there. My husband has 3 tattoos from them. It's a very laid back, easy going place. Everyone is friendly, very nice and helpful. I highly recommend China Doll to anyone interested in tattoos or piercings. Friends don't let friends get bad ink. read more

I decided to honor my grandmother's passing with a tattoo. My first tattoo. After asking around for referrals, I chose China Doll and I'm so glad I did. I had some ideas and emailed the shop to see if I needed an appointment or a consultation and who I should got to. After several in depth and informative emails, we decided John was the guy I needed to see. I am so happy with the final product! The shop is super clean, everyone was very friendly. That being said, they won't take any crap from patrons. There are signs everywhere about aftercare being the customers responsibility and not a reflection on the artist. Pricing seems reasonable, I believe I paid about two something for a 2.5 hour leg piece. They also do piercing specials often. I highly recommend China Doll to anyone looking for ink. read more

China Doll Tattoo & Piercing - Love my tattoo ( by John) - Tattoo Near Me - Hammond, Indiana

I cannot say enough good things about China Doll. I have gotten almost all of my tattoo work done here by Jim and I love it. He does amazing custom pieces; I get complimented on my tattoos all the time. "I don't even like tattoos but I like yours." It's something that's going to be on you for the rest of your life. Make a good choice. read more

James did a semi-colon tattoo for my cousin and I, and I have nothing but great things to say! He is so personable, kind, and made great conversation. He really made my first tattoo quick and painless! The shop is clean & full of knowledgeable, no-b.s. workers. Definitely going back soon! read more

I love my tattoo. Every time I look at it I say just that, "I love my tattoo." Everyone at the shop was very kind and friendly. I was self-conscious about the design I brought in. I thought it was beneath the artist's talents. But the design had a ton of meaning to me, which everyone at the shop assured me was the most important and they never said anything judgmental about my design. On the contrary, they told me they liked it and understood that it had significance to me. When the first part of my design was finished I said, "It's perfect! That's exactly what I wanted." The artist's face lit up and I could see that he was sharing my joy. I've been wanting this tattoo for a very long time. I'm so glad China Doll gave it to me. I most certainly recommend them. read more

They pierced my ear so tight the whole earring sunk into my lobe. It was my first earring so I immediately wasn't sure what was wrong, but in the morning there was blood everywhere and I couldn't take it out. They did it in a complete rush, and didn't give me a single tip on how to take care of a newly pierced ear when asked. I didn't know about salting the bleeding wound or about twisting my new earring. You will find this place unprofessional and very dangerous. There is no telling I wouldn't have had some kind of infection or surgery if I didn't do my own research apart from this all. read more

Everyone there was so nice!!! They have a deal on Friday and Saturday for piercings, so it was starting to get crowded, but they made sure they greeted all of us and made it a smooth and enjoyable process. Carolyn pierced my nose and she was AWESOME!!! I had it pierced somewhere else before and it closed, so I let her know. She made sure to pierce it a little higher up so she could avoid the scar tissue from my previous one which made it painless!!! I will definitely be back!!! Such friendly people. read more

China Doll Tattoo & Piercing - The best piercing lady EVER!!! - Tattoo Near Me - Hammond, Indiana

I made the mistake of coming to China doll to get a rook piercing. And it was on the Friday night $20 deal day. I figured it would be okay because I had a friend who got her rook pierced there. But I regret going...silly me for being impulsive. I ended up getting my rook done there. the piercer was alright but seemed a bit agitated due to the amount of people there that night. she allowed my friend to come behind the curtain and watch me get my piercing. that should have been my first red flag. i was later told that no one but you and the piercer should be in the area where the piercing is happening just to keep it as clean as possible.she did not mark my ear...red flag number 2... but i figured she was a professional and knew what she was doing. i have a pretty high pain tolerance, but this piercing hurt. there was also blood when finished... red flag nunber 3. i have never bled during a piercing before. i didnt notice it until i left. however, when it was finished I felt like it wasn't in the right spot I was told that it could be due to swelling since my ear did just go through trauma. When I left it just still didn't seem right to me. After cleaning the piercing like I'm supposed to and being very careful with it, the normal piercing pain seemed to have intensified. I realize that my ear was completely swollen and sticking off of my head over time and still the piercing still did not look like it was in the right spot to me. I ended up going to the doctor because the pain was intense and my ears was almost deformed because of the swelling. The inside of my ear was completely smooth as opposed to having a normal ridge and a rook area. My doctor informed me that yes it was infected and she had to swab it to find out what kind of infection. i was told i had a staph infection. the pain was so intense, I almost cried just with her touching my ear. I was put on an antibiotic right away and I was told I had to get it removed because I was borderline cauliflower ear. So I went to a trusted and well-known piercer who thankfully removed my piercing and and informed me that I should be okay in the next couple of months. I also found out that the rook piercing was in the wrong spot and that it almost went through the back of my ear which is where this particuar piercing should not be. So, not only was it poorly done but I now worry about the sanitation practices of this place. Over time, the pain and swelling did go down and my ear returned to normal. I do blame china doll for this and for having a crappy piercer. I will never return. pictures are to come soon. read more

I went to Jim for my tattoo and I have zero complaints. I thought he was incredibly professional, efficient and yet sensitive to the process. Prior to the appointment I went in - talked over the design, followed up with an email of pics and on the day of was really happy with the final product. I am in the process of figuring out where on my body my next tattoo will be and I have already decided that I am going back to China Doll. read more

I had always refused to go into China Doll because of things I have heard from others but I needed some replacement jewelry for a new piercing. I walked in and there was nobody at the counter so I just looked to see if they had what I needed in the cases. I could hear a tattoo machine in another room. A man came from the other room with his gloves still on and asked if he could help me. I explained what I needed and he proceeded to go thru the jewelry case with his gloved hands. Bodily fluids from the person being tattooed still on them. I told him they didn't have what I needed and left. As I was walking thru the door I saw him sit down and start tattooing without changing gloves. I will never enter that shop again. At least, I won't without a hazmat suit. read more

Went in to get nostril and septum pierced, she did a great job with piercing me, wish they had a better selection of jewelry.

i just got my tragus pierced and while carolyn, the piercer, was super funny, there were a lot of alarming things that occurred. first, she was not wearing a mask, nor was the entire rest of the staff. second, she did not disinfect the area before doing the piercing. third, and most alarming of them of them all, she touched her phone before piercing my tragus, with the same gloves that she was wearing while she did the piercing!! not to mention, she was on the phone the entire time through her airpods! it was just so disappointing, rude, and honestly quite terrifying. she was funny and the rest of the staff was very welcoming, but that was just ridiculous and i will not be back. read more

*** this is all about the piercings... I really don't know anything about their tattoos so I can't comment on that aspect*** So I'll start out by saying that super low prices or specials usually scare me a little bit with tattoo/piercing places, but in this case it was a win-win situation!!! I have been wanting to get my septum pierced for a few months now because I missed having facial piercings but couldn't have any in nursing school. That's the beauty of the septum piercing... You can flip it up & it's virtually invisible! I hadn't gone out to my usual piercer just because I didn't really have the $60 plus tip to spend. I went out to Hammond where one of my best friends lives & she told me about China Doll which is a block away from her house & about their $20 waist-up piercing deal on Fridays & Saturdays! She had gotten pierced by Carolyn a few times with great results. Well, that's all I needed to hear before dragging her to China Doll to finally get my septum pierced! The staff was friendly and there were 3 girls ahead of me getting pierced and a few who showed up after me as well. It wasn't a long wait at all though! I sat down & told Carolyn when it was my turn that my biggest concern was being able to hide it. She assured me it would be easy to flip up & put the clamps on my nose. It was obvious she'd done this a million times and was as painless as possible. (My eyes did water up dramatically, as anyone who's had a nose piercing can relate to!) she told me how to clean it & I opted to purchase the sterile solution spray they sell there for $10 as well. The whole process, wait included, was only about a half hour! I will definitely come back for any more piercings I may get here! The only thing I wasn't so sure about was that she didn't clean my septum before piercing it. Everything was very clean and she cleaned me up after it was pierced, but I'm a slight germaphobe and OCD so I would've preferred that. All in all though I am very pleased & will be back for any future piercings :) read more

Got my nose, & two ear piercings here. The piercer is cool & Keeps everything upbeat & just a good time! Waits aren't too bad even on the super busy days. Seems to be a clean spot & I've had no issues with infection.... that's all that matters at the end of the day lol! read more

I took my 16 year old son here for his first tattoo (don't judge me, it was a bible verse on his chest that provided some closure to a two-year long tragic event). We are from Illinois and had to come here because IL requires you to be 18, regardless of parental consent. It was a fantastic experience and I was very impressed with Penny on how she handled everyone there. The place is clean, lots of activity, tons of choices and VERY reasonably priced! I have gone to a local guy for my tattoos in Illinois, but I'd consider returning to China Doll for my own work just because the experience was so good for my son. read more