Omar C.

I was tattooed by Kathleen, absolutely amazing artist!! I've gotten most of my tattoos done by her and she's super communicative and helpful! Every tattoo i've gotten from her has healed great and I can't wait to get more tattoos done by her!

I've gotten 5 pretty decent sized tattoos from Johnny so far and I love every single one of them. Johnny is such an easy person to interact with and he's very easy going as just an overall good tattoo artist as well. Everyone in the shop that I've also had the pleasure to interact with has been amazing as well. Definitely will be coming back

I had my first tattoo done here a week ago with Chris. He was recommended to me by my girlfriend who had some beautiful work done by him in the past. The shop is really relaxed and everybody is super nice! The tattoo speaks for itself so I included a picture. I'm so happy with how it came out and will definitely be back. Chris made the experience really easy and provided a lot of guidance with the actual tattoo- I made the appointment with some reference pictures and a very vague idea of what I wanted. Chris was really helpful in this regard. I plan to have more work done by him in the future! I'd also like to take a second to shout out Betty. She didn't do any work on me, BUT while my tattoo was being done three of the most obnoxious dude bros I've seen in ages wandered in wanting a tattoo because of a bet. They simultaneously bragged about how much money they made and tried to haggle the price down...it was really sad. Anyways, I mention Betty because she did their work and was somehow still really nice and professional, and I've got to respect that. This shop has a lot of great people in it all around.

Katelynn K.

It had been 10 years since I got my first tattoo. I was researching tattoo artists for a while. I finally stumbled upon the perfect artist for my half sleeve. The shop was clean and tidy. Lights were great. The other artists treated me pretty great and wasn't all that nervous. If you want to check out the artist who did my arm? IG: @thesickleave ALAN CHEN All of the artists are pretty great as well!

Tanya S.

John Sundara has been doing my tattoos since 2005! He recently started tattooing out of Hammerhead so I brought my son to get his first John Sundara original! The shop of clean and has tons of amazing art work on the walls. The other tattoo artist were nice and talkative with everyone. They all had clients at the same time and all did amazing tattoos. A few people did walk in and ask about piercings but they do not do piercings here. There is plenty of street parking and across from the red line stop at Halsted. My sons tattoos came out amazing as I knew it would! I'll be coming back to Hammerhead to see John soon!

If I could give zero stars I would. I don't even feel comfortable using my given name here because of how embarrassed I am to have been duped by this shop. Last week I came here to get a (what I thought) pretty simple tattoo as a walk-in. They set me up with this girl Kathleen. Although she seemed a little fidgety and nervous setting her equipment up, making my stencil, and placing it; I still felt pretty good about it because 1- I had heard great things about the artists here and 2- like I said it was a simple design so what was the worst that could happen... right? WRONG. While Kathleen did my simple, mostly line-work, tattoo we got to talking and she told me among other things that she had been a professional tattoo artist for a little over 2 years. Remember that part. Although it took her a bit longer than I would've thought a pretty basic tattoo would've taken for an artist who had completed their training over two years ago, again, I thought nothing of it despite some minor alarm bells going off in my head. I have quite a few other tattoos and I know different artists do things different ways. So anyway I paid, tipped, and left. A few hours later when I finally got to remove the bandaging and really got to inspect the new ink however, I suddenly wanted to puke. This thing looked worse than if I had gone to a scratcher based out of his garage. It's a line work tattoo so the LINES are what make it.... I don't think I could call these lines even. Squiggles? Jagged edges? Sure. NOT LINES! Today is almost exactly a week later and the tattoo is red, raised, goopy with PUS at times, and already most of the ink has begun falling out either as scabs or from the girl not going deep enough (an amateur mistake). To me it looks infected and I'll be going to see my doctor to get some antibiotics because this is NOT how I normally heal. Or how ANYONE should heal ever!! So at this point I'm beyond upset having been recommended to this place by a friend who got a GORGEOUS piece from one of their artists. It was my bad not asking specifically which one though. Anyway this inspired me to check out some other work Kathleen had done over her two plus years around the internet. This is when I found out exactly what I had been suspecting all along.... KATHLEEN IS THE SHOP'S APPRENTICE, WORKS MAINLY ON FAKE SKIN OR PAPER, AND HAS ONLY DONE A HANDFUL OF "TATTOOS" WITH GUIDANCE IN HER LIFE!! I'll attach some evidence of this from her most recent instagram post. But man do I feel stupid. The lesson here is just because a SHOP has a good reputation does NOT mean everyone working there does too!! Ask to see photos of other tattoos they've done AT THE VERY LEAST. Any good (and real/certified) artist will have a TON of past tattoos they'd be happy to show you!! Don't be dumb like me!!

Nekia N.

Went to Hammerhead a few days ago after a friend recommended me and I must say I'm glad to say it was a good recommendation. When I first entered the shop, I was impressed by the decor. It's clean and quaint. My mom even commented on it. Eric, who I was greeted by, was extremely nice and helpful. I sat and waited for Ben to arrive. While there, I looked through some of the artists work. All the artist seem to be extremely talented. Once Ben arrived we discussed what I was looking for. He gave me his professional opinion on some things but all in all wanted to ensure I was satisfied. He was also very helpful with making sure I was ok while he was inking me. At one point, I got squeamish and almost fainted (I'm embarrassed to admit that). Ben immediately grabbed me some candy & water to ensure I didn't. I mentioned that mild embarrassment because I want people to get an idea of how awesome the people are at Hammerhead. I left a happy and possibly returning customer! Thanks Hammerhead

Ben M.

Ben is the man, and this is the shop to go to. At another shop, an artist couldn't figure out the drawing I wanted, and after that I went to a shop where the artist cancelled on me, TWICE. Third time was the charm. Ben was cool yet professional, and worked with me on my design. The other artists at his shop made the experience great, as well. My skull tattoo came out great, and for the first time ever, it didn't scab up bad or bleed the next day. (My other two tattoos were extremely bloody and scabby the next day. They came out painful, and lost a lot of ink, probably from crappy work.) Not with Ben at Hammerhead. Save your time and research and just go there. I can't wait to go back, and wish I made another appointment when I was standing there. (If you look in the photos, the tattoo I'm referring to is the bad-ass skull tat with green eyes on the great looking, buff arm. Enjoy.

Dana F.

If you want the most amazing tattoo experience of your life, please go to Hammerhead Tattoo. I've been there twice in the past couple of years and I will never go anywhere else. You will find talented, friendly and professional artists and staff in a clean and welcoming environment. Chris Rodas designed and completed my latest tattoo just about a month ago. He is incredible. I can't wait until I'm ready for my next tattoo and can make an appointment with him. My brother and his girlfriend also visited a couple of months prior and had their tattoos done with Chris. They both were very happy as well. Walk-ins are welcome (like me, both times). Incredibly reasonable with rates. I promise that every single penny spent here is worth it.

Jenine W.

This review is a long time coming. I've been working with Ben for several years based on a recommendation from a friend. His art brings my ideas to life. He's incredibly thoughtful, creative, and pristine when it comes to his work. I get compliments on my tattoo from anyone who sees them locally and internationally. They heal well and stand the test of time. I have so much love for Ben and the crew at Hammerhead!

Lisa M.

Called the day of for an appointment and they were able to fit us in. I needed my tattoo lightened for a bad cover up job and they were successful. My boyfriend got a new one on his bicep and it looks outstanding. The place was clean. The staff was cool. And the pricing was on point. Will be back.

Went in for a coverup with John he did such an amazing job. Took his time to really get every detail perfect. Very skilled at his craft, definitely going back for more!