IT WAS AWESOME, the guy was so nice, sweet and patient. He educated me on the cleaning process and even let me check if i liked the placement, i think his name was Adrian. No clue. But i got a bridge piercing and rating 2/10 pain level! Accommodating, professional and pretty quiet which for someone whose easily overwhelmed is awesome, would recommend! read more

Tattoo Factory - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I asked for a clown Girl and this is what they gave me. Jerry Avorio (Thrash) was the artist. Jerry didn't use a stencil, didn't draw something up, he just started free handing this tattoo, would not have agreed if i knew it would look like this. Jenny Gomez (The Peircer) also asked me questions like "Where you held down a lot as a kid?" And told me " a lot of parents try to get their minor children piercings and tattoos here" not sure why they told me that. Whole vibe was off, felt harassed the entire time... I called over the phone a few months later to see if they could fix it, and the man on the phone said "Usually people bitch about and fix there tattoos once it finishes healing." and "Jerry is here every day, you could stalk him" It's going to take 3k to remove it! Would not trust anyone at this shop, avoid at all costs! read more

Tattoo Factory - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I first met JD Reno at Tattoo Factory back in 2021 when I walked in for a same-day tattoo. I showed him a few reference pics and he came up with a completely original design on the spot. Since then, I've gone back to him for more work, including a really meaningful piece of my family's lamp, and every time I'm blown away by the detail and creativity. JD is super knowledgeable (he even builds his own tattoo machines) and he's honest about placement, how tattoos age, and what will look best long-term. He has his own unique style but can execute any technique artfully. On top of all that, he's funny, easy to hang out with, and just an all-around great artist and person. He regularly checks in with me to make sure I'm comfortable. I've since moved away from Chicago, but I'm one of the many people who plan trips back just to get tattooed by JD. Can't recommend him enough. read more

Tattoo Factory - Lamp tattoo by Jody Reno (2024) - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Been going to JD for a few years now. He's always willing to listen to what the vision is, and always willing to do whatever my friends and I wanted. He always keeps us happy! read more

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I went in for a septum piercing, and felt extremely supported and taken care of through the whole process. My piercer was patient with me as I told her about some pre-existing conditions for the piercing, and helped keep me calm while she did the piercing. Overall, a great professional piercing experience, and a great finished piercing. read more

I went in today a little after noon to get my earlobes pierced. I was greeted right away by Jenny. She was awesome - very professional and patient with me. She explained everything clearly and made sure that I felt good afterwards. I did get sweaty and needed to sit for a few minutes when she was finished. She made sure I had water and didn't leave until I felt better. I highly recommend her if you're looking for a new piercing. read more

amazing service - everyone was so kind. I feel safe in the shop quality of tattoo and piercing was great. The vibe of the store was very vintage and cool.!!! read more

JD is great!! So far he has done 4 tattoos for me over the last few years and I'm so happy with each one. Each time I bring an idea to him he helps me with honest feedback explains what will work best for longevity, design ideas, placement, etc. Will be back again soon! read more

Came here with my cousin to get a small piercing replacement for a hole that she was worried would close up on her after she had recently lost one her piercings. The lady who assisted us was not friendly at all. She was a heavier set Latina (looking) with glasses I believe? Not at all that helpful nor really willing to walk around and help us make a decision based off of recommendations. One would hope someone working in this field would be a little more customer-service inclined, but unfortunately we did not find that here. It's sad that the cost of everything has gone up, but even more sad that you don't get the same friendly service in a lot of places like you used to. This further instilled in me to look elsewhere when I get my next tattoo and/or piercing. read more

I had a wonderful experience here. Adrienne gave me a bunch of ear piercings. He couldn't have been a nicer more professional guy. This will be my new piercing place going forward. read more

They failed to do a full job of the artwork I paid $200.00 And they didn't color it. Which is totally unfair because I trusted in their professional tattoo care, which they didn't give me what I paid for initially. For The Tattoo Artist To Have Taken Advantage of The Entire Situation Is Wrong! I Don't Know If I Would Say That I Would Share My Experience With Others As Referring Someone To Go Get Tattoos At The Tattoo Factory in Uptown Chicago.! I didn't see why they didn't do what my good money was paying for .... Instead of just Controlling the Direction of My Tattoo, plain and simple! read more

Went in and it's not even close to the same like what I expected. I was ignored for asking questions

Four of us came in on a Sunday to get a piercing in honor of a friend who just passed. Jenny was wonderful. Very professional and kind. The place felt organized and clean. We did not have to wait. Wonderful experience overall. read more

It is a pretty decent sized space. Also, if you want to do walk-in, go early so you don't have to wait. Artists are very friendly and professional, and will work with you to find the right design. read more

Pablo is the man he took care of me the same day and did an amazing job 10/10 would recommend . read more

Tattoo Factory - Rubber duck - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Piercing was so fast, easy, and affordable! Loved my experience here! Print the coupon beforehand for 10% off

I had a fantastic experience from start to finish with Hoku. I had a request for a deeply personal and symbolic tattoo, and Hoku provided not only a fantastic piece of art, but also a tattoo that healed better than any other I've ever had. The vibe at the shop is clean, laidback, and customer oriented. I recommend the shop and Hoku with no reservations at all. read more

I went here to get my first piercing. I don't remember the name of the guy, but he was super calm, chill, and kind. My partner also was trying to get her septum pierced and they let us know that they couldn't do it for safety reasons. The guy was super nice and knowable and I appreciated that they prioritized our safety over our business. I would 10/10 recommend this place. The store was also super clean and it was overall just a very comfortable space. read more

People working there barely even looked up when I walked in (zero greeting of any kind). Had to put my info into a tablet to get put into a queue, which was non-existent (I was the only one there), and it didn't even give me an estimated wait time. Sat there for 15 mins, still without any acknowledgement by people working there, so I left. read more

Mike Baalke Sr. has been tattooing me for years. Just spent 2 hours in his chair having the snake added to my right forearm. I love this studio because it a no bullshit and to the point kind of place. If you want some ink, run, don't walk and pay them a visit. They know their stuff inside and out. Thanks y'all for another job very well done. read more

Tattoo Factory - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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RUDE people work here. Very inappropriate with young women!!! Very predatory behavior. Dude who did my tattoo got angry with me because I had a question with placement and color. Talked over me and He took over the entire idea. Horrible line work. I'm getting a retouch up with a professional. Also. If you respond with any smart comments, as someone who works in the service industry and is close with many tattoo artists, the last thing you need to be doing is making the guest feel like they're stupid. If your line work and personality suck get out of the tattoo business because it's not for you. read more

Was a walk-in on a decently busy day. I was greeted and directed immediately and interacted in one way or another with 4 diff staff members; all were super friendly and helpful. Wait time was shorter than I anticipated but there were a decent amount of artists working. I did not go in with an artist in mind but worked with David; he was quick and light-handed and super friendly. We discussed some potential ink and I appreciated his taking the time to talk a few things out with me. Excited to finally have a go-to artist for myself! read more

Just got another tattoo here, this time with Mike Baalke. Mike was awesome, and the tattoo looks friggin amazing! Would definitely recommend. read more

I stopped in to get a piercing or 3 . Jenny did a spectacular job. She was patient with me as I found the placement I liked for my double helix and answered all questions I had about a septum piercing! I ended up getting all of them. She made sure I was calm and ready before she started. I would DEFINITELY recommend. read more

Tattoo Factory - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I got my tattoo a few weeks ago, would recommend as a place to go for a walk in. Waited about 30 minutes, very chill vibe (front desk person was so sweet!) Service was great, Matthew nailed the design I wanted and put me at ease (this was my first time getting a tattoo) Would definitely come again! read more

Tattoo Factory - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Where do I start? CLEAN, FRIENDLY, PROFESSIONAL, TALENTED, EXPERIENCED studio with the BEST artist I have ever been to. David (I think- and I say that because the conversation was so great it felt like talking to an old friend and I quickly lost track of the introduction) was AMAZING. I said I wanted to do a Chicago sleeve and asked him to do a caricature of Harry Carey and the rest is history. He did such a wonderful job that I couldn't be happier and I will definitely make this a stop every time I visit Chicago. This picture doesn't even do his line work justice. I could not be happier and am so glad that he recommended leaving in Harry's hair and double chin for "authenticity'". read more

Tattoo Factory - Harry Carey - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've gotten two tattoos here over the last 3 years and both times have been really great. Granted, all of my tattoos are very simple, and I only do all black tattoos, so take this with a grain of salt if you're going for more intricate designs. That being said, I've been really happy with the two tattoos I have (and with the first one, I also got two previous tattoos retouched- one needed more filling in the center because it was filled in black and the other was on my ankle so just needed some touch up as it's in a high traffic area). I don't remember who my first artist was but he was awesome and drew up my hip design like he had plucked it straight out of my brain. I didn't have any examples, just an idea, and he sketched it out perfectly. For my latest tattoo, I wanted something specific. I came in on a Saturday night hoping just to get something sketched and a deposit down for a later date and walked out with a tattoo I love. I wanted a specific mountain range and Joe "Juggie" took a few google pics of the range and was able to create what I wanted as an outline. The big thing here is that he was so patient with me tweaking everything multiple times until it was exactly what I had envisioned. After that, he was patient with the placement and size and redid both a few times. It took only about 20 mins in the actual chair, but he was excellent. Everything and everyone here is professional and expert artists. I will keep coming here for upkeep and for the years where I just feel like I need a tattoo. read more

Tattoo Factory - 1 day after tattoo- completely healed after 10 days. - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place was absolutely amazing! they were so welcoming and just a great vibe all around. My two friends and I were walking inside to get matching tattoos and they got us in quickly and did an awesome job! read more

Tattoo Factory - matching tattoos - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I needed to get a hoop nose ring removed in a slight emergency--I was having trouble on my own. I called them and they were able to see me ASAP. Adrian was very professional, knowledgeable, and patient. Great place. Thanks! read more

Okay Let me start off by saying that this place is the most amazing, best ever place to go for any of your tattoo and/ or piercing needs. I came here a while ago and wasn't sure if they were still the same, way before Covid. I was still surprised to find out that they take walk-ins! A huge bonus, if you're a little undecided about what you want. They have all of their walls lined with different kinds of artwork for you to look at with different price points. So if you want to see a specific price point that you want to stay within, you know before you even get the tattoo! I was reading some reviews before coming back, and I think those who got something that wasn't what they thought it would be after a few weeks of healing has gone by: keep in mind that everyone's skin is different and takes ink and healing in different ways!! Be respectful to your artists; their work will stay on your body forever. Treat them the way you wanna be treated. Their passion for art and their skills are not something to take for granted. Especially during Covid, this isn't a place where you can just "get in and get out". If you can afford to get a tattoo, you can afford to be a nice person and have patience. This truly is one of the best tattoo shops I have EVER been to, aside from them also being the only shop in the city that takes walk-ins. My artist was David, and I know that this was a lot of going back-and-forth with color. I appreciate him so much for doing this, it was my happy tattoo! David, if you're reading this I'm so thankful for you. I was so focused on trying to think about everything else except the pain! I wanted to share this with everyone else who is skeptical about trying this place out. You will NOT be disappointed! They took my information down as soon as I walked in, and I told them what I wanted and they found a truly amazing artist to carry out my DREAM TATTOO!! And yes, I was a walk in. No, it isn't a "wait wait wait" issue if you call ahead and ask if they're busy BEFORE driving out! Especially since I came from the burbs. I woke up one day and forgot the name of this place since I went here years ago, and finally found it again on Google maps. The very next day I drove up there. Worth every single mile. Stay safe, artists! Keep up the beautiful and fantastic work. I will definitely be back, you guys are the best. read more

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Me and my sister found our new tattoo place! The artists are ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! My sister and I both got a new tattoo. We both found our artists to be friendly, talented, and we are VERY PLEASED. ***Side note-- be sure you aren't allergic to AD ointment, I was. Not the artists fault, but I wish I knew LOL!! End results were FANTASTIC! Wish we could drop my artist's name, but I have ADHD and forget names LIKE YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE. read more

Tattoo Factory - My tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been here twice now and had a great experience both times! It was clean, the artists were efficient and friendly, and my final tattoos are exactly what I wanted. The cottage is by Jody and the cow is by Mike. The prices felt super fair to me. read more

Tattoo Factory - Cow tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I had a horrible experience with this tattoo shop. I got a red Japanese tattoo on my ankle, and from the start the artist was very rude. I believe his name was Joe, an older thin man. I originally wanted to tattoo on my waist just below my belly, but I was nervous about the placement. Instead of being patient, I was being rushed. To shave the area around my stomach he was urging me to pull my pants down lower to give him room to shave. This was fine, but his attitude wasn't. I kept assuring him that I was only nervous. He responded by saying "Well we don't have any curtains for privacy and if you wanted that you should've went to another shop." Again I was very understanding of his direction, but the way he conveyed it was very harsh and unnecessary. I have many tattoos and none of my artists were ever rude. I get it, we all have jobs and want to be over with it, but a client trusts an artist to permanently alter their skin, the least the artist can do is show a little patience. I changed the placement of the tattoo to my ankle. It was extremely painful because he kept tattoo-ing it over and over again. He mentioned he had to do this in order for the color to show on my complexion so I thought this was normal. The healing process was disgusting. I called and asked to speak to him personally regarding how it healed. When I explained the situation he responded with "Ma'am just tell me the problem, I have way too many people coming in here to remember you." I explained the state of the tattoo. He told me that he warns all his clients before tattooing that getting tattoos in red always have a risk of healing badly. I was absolutely NOT told this!! I asked for the tattoo in red and no one ever mentioned any risks with the color red, especially him!!! I am a darker complexion, so I would've definitely avoided red if I had been told by anyone, if I had the slightest knowledge about this. I even asked if the color would show well on my skin and he told me yes!! I bled ink and blood horribly, my tattoo leaked out of the tape he put within 3 hours. I limped the first few days after getting it, it hurt incredibly bad. (Yes, I followed all of the aftercare instructions, including removing the tape as soon as it was breached). The tattoo looked less like a tattoo and more like I was branded or badly burned. I had to get the tattoo re-done again in black after some time. My current artist told me that whoever originally did it basically mutilated me and damaged my skin over and over. (And that he remembers all of his clients tattoos when he does them). Even now I am having to go back in and get it re-done because the skin was so badly damaged that he's afraid how it will react if he goes any deeper in some spots of the tattoo. Overall, it was a waste of $140 dollars. The artist was very rude, I was never verbally informed about anything, and when I called weeks later his attitude was still sour. I emailed a photo of the tattoo before calling but never received a response. Not from the owner or anyone. As an artist, please learn how to speak to the clients that put their trust in you. read more

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I drive from Michigan to get inked here! They are the best. If you are going to make that kind of permanent investment on yourself you might as well get it from the best. read more

We had a terrible experience here. Three years ago, a group of us came in to get matching tattoos. A week or so later, another group got the same tattoo. All of them were done in black ink but the tattoos look blue. Each of us have issues with the ink bleeding and being uneven. One of us even had to have hers removed because it was so bad. They were all very simply tattoos - essentially one color with line drawings - but somehow they all turned out terribly. read more

Tattoo Factory - Tattoo ink is not even and it looks like it's bleeding. A group of us got this tattoo and multiple people had the same issue - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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On a whim I decided to get a tattoo for a birthday milestone. I went to the tattoo factory as a walk in. I was immediately greeted by a girl in the front who asked how she could help me. I told her i was there for my first tattoo for my birthday. I had an idea of what I wanted but had questions. She let me know Jeremy was the likely next to free up and asked me to have a seat so I could speak to him. He was speaking to someone else at the moment. When he wrapped up I was called forward to ask what I was looking for. I showed pictures of what I had in mind and asked a few questions on colors and line sizes. Jeremy was great! He answered all of my questions and was very honest about sizing and colors. He gave me a few options to compare and let me look at them in the mirror. Once I decided which one I wanted to go with he gave me an estimate. After saying yes we went back. Jeremy was amazing with me. He started slow to let me get an idea of what to expect and checked in on how I was doing. I couldn't have asked for a better person for my first tattoo. It was literally like getting a tattoo from Santa . I'm so happy with my first tattoo, I'll definitely be back for more! read more

Tattoo Factory - Nazca line - humming bird tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've gotten most of my tattoos and all my facial piercings from here. I've never been disappointed, the artists really take the time to make sure you like the design and give you feedback if what you want might not turn out how you want it. It might seem intimidating walking in at first but everyone I've met is really friendly. I've gotten nothing but good vibes from here. read more

If you ask how long the wait is, be prepared for them to be rude to you. I think a reasonable estimate is fair to give to a walk in customer. Am I here for 5 hours waiting, or 2 hours? Give me some sort of idea. No, they won't. Not even a guesstimate, they'll just raise their voice and repeat themselves. The rest of this review is **my personal opinion** and here it is: This place very obviously takes advantage of walk-in customers. They're not in the business of actually producing quality art or spending time with the client to create a work of art. No fault to the artists themselves - to me it seems like a management issue - and their artists maybe haven't found their "forever shop". Either way, I would not go here if you'd like to get a large quality piece. Walk-in, impulse stuff, go right ahead! read more

Update: The artist blocked me on my main Instagram account which I thought was weird. I went on my other account to see that he posted this picture along with screenshots of my review. I then made some comments to him about this unprofessionalism through private message on my second account and he blocked me again. First things first, I am the customer and when you pay for a service you expect to receive what you want and I didn't get that. I appreciate that Nick and his boss feel as though it's a good tattoo but they didn't pay for it and it's not in their bodies. Nick saying he is completely transparent is almost laughable because if he was I wouldn't be upset with the tattoo. Not only that but this whole experience has been just so unprofessional. If the artist had an issue with my Yelp review he should have taken that up me personally like I did with my tattoo and before I made this update. Additionally, I don't like writing bad reviews. This is the only bad review I have felt impulsed to write because of how bad the service has been. To note, I never received an apology and that goes a lot farther than money or anything else. So, my point still stands that this just isn't the place to get a good tattoo. I went here to get a tattoo cover up. I told my artist I wanted light shading multiple times before he started prep and during. He acknowledged my comments and concerns and started the tattoo. The tattoo he was covering up was fading and very faint so there was no need to go super dark and on top of this I personally didn't care if the tattoo showed through. When he was finished the shading was super dark from what I was expecting but I couldn't fully see the tattoo from where I was sitting in shop. At this point there was nothing that could be done and this all could have been avoided if my tattoo artist listened to me and used less ink. I went home to then find that lines were changed and added in my tattoo that were not in the reference. I asked the artist why the tattoo was so dark and why there were additional lines through private message once I got home and he told me that he couldn't go lighter and that he wanted to add "originality" I have NEVER heard of a tattoo artist that adds or change things on the tattoo without asking especially when I have never been tatted by this person before. Additionally, I completely understand how coverups work but you can also blast over work and not shade so heavily which is what I wanted. He then sends me his bosses email who was just rude and unhelpful. His boss told me that I could come back in for him to fix it when I specifically said that would not fix the issue for me. I don't know why they haven't picked up on the fact that the reason we are here in the first place is because he added way to much ink/ shading. I don't need more ink, I need less. Now I will need to laser off this tattoo and I have 150$ down the drain, lesson is if you want a good quality tattoo don't come here read more

Tattoo Factory - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Got my first piercings and tattoo done. My piercings went great and my piercer was when giving me a run through on each of my piercings along with aftercare. The downfall was my tattoos, I don't leave reviews like this but my tattoo isn't what I wanted at all and I wasn't given the name of my artist but somehow what I wanted got lost for him and he ended up messing up on the details of my first tattoo. I got two tattoos done, the second one turned out better because he messed up on the first one he did and I made sure to be CLEAR on what I wanted done. I told him I wanted nothing filled in and only the outlines done of the designs I showed him and he still filled in my tattoo! I caught on early enough to save the design but the damage was already done. And before we started tattooing, He already deviated and kept putting down what I originally wanted; which was colored ink and said they wouldn't last in the long run, so I SETTLED for black and now what was supposed to be a crowned outline is, is now a black blob. I tried so hard to like it but I'm very unhappy with the outcome and I'll have it removed and redone. So if you get a tattoo from an older guy make sure you either watch his work or be very clear on what you want done before he puts the needle done. read more