This is my go-to tattoo parlor in Chicago! Over the years, I've gotten 3 tattoos here from 3 different artists and they were all wonderful. Awesome prices for the quality work. Minimum isn't very high at all. I've always walked in but have sometimes had to wait around for a while (max 45 minutes or so). Check their website for coupons before you go! Pretty standard rules- only one person behind the counter with you and no photos. read more

Tatu Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had a great experience getting my tattoo at Tatu! The guys there were incredibly nice and friendly, and although I got a small simple tattoo, I could tell by their other artwork and professionalism that they are great at what they do. Super easy to make my appointment, walk in, get my tattoo, and head out. I would happily go back to get my next tat next time I'm in Chi. read more

Very happy with the whole experience. First tattoo and in a tough spot...Adam was very, very good. Very focused on his work and did a great job checking in me. Really good price too (for what it's worth). read more

Tatu Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Got my first tattoo here by Eric! Absolutely loved it and will definitely be coming back

I've gotten two tattoos here by two different artist. Both were as gentle as possible and friendly. They created exactly what I wanted. I just recently went back for my third tattoo drawing and left my $20 deposit to come back and get the work done. The place is reasonably priced and they have a $20 off coupon online. Definitely recommend this little gem. read more

Ok so apparently I'm not the only one who has something to say about the customer service here. So i went in, JUST looking for a quick quote on a drawing i had brought it. thats it....Just a ball park figure and how long it would take. so this process would have taken about ohhhhhh 2mins. but that wasn't the case. I walked in to a seemingly clean place, there were a group of, im assuming 18yr old, girls. They were there to support their friend getting her first tattoo....a star on her neck.... and when it was outlined.... she THEN considered the idea of adding color..... wow. so there was the artist working on her... and am assuming another artist, pretty much hitting on the other girls, and then a woman upstairs. none of them said anything to me when i walked in...i fig. "oh their busy, i'm sure they will be w/ me in a min." so i stood by the counter so they could see me... but after 15 mins i fig. i would sit. 35 MINS later....3 skinny little B*****s walk in, and the flirty artist comes RIGHT to them and helps them out, w/ out ANY acknowledgment of me. Needless to say i walked out, FURIOUS! I called them and bitched out the "manager". and she tells me...."Come back and we'll take care of you right away" yea right. I am SURE to tell anyone of my friends or colleagues who is looking to get a tattoo to avoid this place. Learn some customer service! I get it that you do tattoos and piercings, but your still a business... act like one. read more

Note: I was a first timer, don't know much about tattoo places, etc. Still. Don't be rude or condescending because it was my "first time." Don't be an ass because my friend was drunk. She wasn't so drunk that you wouldn't tattoo her, so shut up. Don't laugh at my request. Don't over charge me just because I don't know any better. Be patient. To some, tattoos are a big deal. Maybe not to you, Jerome, and your tatted self, but that doesn't mean I'm not worth being at least polite too. And seriously. I know you overcharged me. I didn't know at the time, but I found out the next day. Rude. Very, very rude. read more

Horrible experience. Don't waste your time or money at this shop. The staff is not friendly, however work is okay will need to be touched up, but turns out they won't do that either I wish I could give this 0 stars. Horrible experience. read more

The reasons I went to Tatu Tattoo have long since moved on to other shops and after my last experience there, I will never return or recommend the shop. I took a friend there for his first tattoo and I was getting my fourth. Apparently the staff had issues with each other because some artists were hogging the walk-ins which we discovered when two artists nearly started a fist fight with each other when one artist said he'd take us without asking the other one if he was open. We almost walked out because having a pissed off guy put a needle gun to your skin isn't a great idea. They apologized and they offered to do my tat for free (I just had to tip him). Well, the tat he gave me faded within a matter of weeks. It's a pretty stereotypical shop. Flash on the walls, some of the artists are monosyllabic or just outright rude. They often ignore or disrespect walk-ins. That's NOT the way all shops are. Don't think you have to settle for that. Want a great tattoo/piercing experience? Go to Insight Studios. You won't regret it. read more

When I was vaguely into piercings in college, I went here and was never disappointed by Bob Jones. Unfortunately he is (and has been for a couple years now) at Insight down the street & his replacement left my friend and I wondering just how much money went up her nose. I got tattooed by "Jake" here and it sucked. The line work was uneven & my boyfriend's tattoo wasn't colored in properly. To make matters worse, we got the pleasure of hearing another tattoo artist obnoxiously & repeatedly say, "It's up to you who you wanna f*** without a condom". Uncouth, unprofessional and embarrassing. Go anywhere but here. read more

OK, so I decided to get my first tattoo. Everyone and their mother's first tattoo is probably a star, a set of stars, or a bunch of ridiculous stars. I designed a pattern of them in photoshop -- looked cool etc. So I go in to get my first and it was a very simple star pattern. Anyway, the parking down there (yeah we get it, parking in the city around 5pm on a Friday night is damn near impossible) was a pain in the rear. Finally I found parking after an hour and a half of driving around. Anyway, I walk in and I was taken care of. I pulled out two different designs, and the girl told me she'd talk to an artist and he'd be right with me. Up pops little Ricardo and he told me about the pricing. So a small broken heart on my hand would be $80. My stars would have been $180 with color. I picked the stars, he blew up the pattern for me the way I wanted it to etc. He got right to work and it was awful. Two and a half hours of no communication; just pain from where I was getting it. So he stopped in the middle and asked, "Well, the white ink will fade out really quickly -- do you want to keep it a blue or black like the rest?" I replied with, "Could I pick another color?" He said, "sure, what would you like instead?" I said, "how about orange?" So he agreed with orange, and filled it in. After the 2 and a half hours of non-communicative stabbing of permanent ink session ended, he said, "by the way, I'm going to charge you an extra $20 for the orange ink." What the? Really? So instead of it being $180, it was now $200. OK, I get it you know? Twenty extra dollars for some extra ink that wasn't originally in the "budget" of means -- but I compromised. However, before we wrapped up, he made me sit down once more to fill in some "blotches" of skin that he didn't color in correctly the first time. So I had to sit again and it took another half hour. After that, I tipped him way too much, and I left. Weeks later during the process of healing, I noticed that he did a terrible job filling the stars in. I went to another tattoo place, talked to another artist, and he literally told me that it was done "poorly." So he's going to do my touch up on it, and I'm never going back there. I got my second tattoo from the current guy I'm going to -- no complaints. Be warned though, you might not want to go there and get it done by Ricardo -- maybe a different person. But it was a bad experience for something that's supposed to be your first "good" experience with body art. read more

I walked in around 10pm to get a retainer for my brow piercing. I was told that someone would be right with me. A heavily pierced guy walked in right after me and was immediately helped. He bought some jewelry and left. Assuming this was a fluke incident, I patiently kept waiting. Nearly 20 minutes later, the piercing girl was still on the phone, completely ignoring me. Another guy walked in and was approached by the piercing girl after 5 minutes. The guy was nice enough to tell her that I was before him. I would have made my presence known if he didn't say anything anyway. I've had other average experiences here. But this ruined it for me. I guess it depends on who happens to be working at the time. Very inconsistent indeed. If you don't fit the stereotype of a tattooed/pierced person, you may get ignored. read more

I never got a tattoo here. why? because upon coming into the shop I was completely ignored. Appearantly if you are not blond, big boobs or completely tattoo-ed you don't get talked to. I was looking for a new tattoo and an earing. I wanted to buy one of them. Well, couldn't 'cause after standing near the case for about 20min I hasn't been acknowledged once. I couldn't tell who the people were who were working there. read more

I got my first 4 tattoos here. I wish I did not make that huge mistake. The colors are completely faded after a very short amount of time, and I wanted matching ones on both sides of my neck, the idiot didn't swap it around so its just like it was stamped right next to it instead of switched over as I told him to do. Piercings? Yeah I've done that here. Yet ANOTHER big mistake. I had my tongue and nipples pierced. My tongue was pierced wrong on an angle and it ended up causing a lot of irritation on my bottom gums. I ended up asking Scott at The Alley what the hell was wrong with it and he kindly explained how it was a botched piercing job. My nipple piercings were even worse. The piercer didnt have curved barbells so instead he took straight ones and BENT THEM WITH PLIERS. Needless to say those piercings NEVER healed in the 12 months I had them. What kind of fool does that and thinks its a safe practice? Keep in mind all of this happened when I was 18 and didnt know any better. I would NEVER return because of the shoddy work I had done. I'll save my money and go to Deluxe tattoo instead. read more

Had a bad experience here. Staff was grumpy with me which I think is because at the time this was my first tattoo. I'm also pretty sure the price was a rip off. Still tipped nicely though. I waited, with an appointment, for a long time and was ignored by the desk when I first came in as well. The girl who answered the phone was also really huffy. I sat in the back and my artist barely spoke to me. He didn't even tell me how to clean it, I figured it out on my own. I haven't had any experiences with the other staff but I probably won't be coming back to that specific artist (Jake Kearney, I believe). read more

Well... I've been planning to get a tattoo w/ one of my friends and we were so excited to finally stop in and see some of their work. We were not greeted for a very long time in which we didn't mind because they were tattooing other people so we didn't say anything. The guy that did decide to help us looked like he was really annoyed that we were there. He barely spoke two words to us! Finally I decided on a design that I really liked which was not that big. He overcharged me! When he was done he just walked away and said he was leaving even though my friend was getting her tattoo done. He had been asking her what she wanted and the price and so forth... We asked him how I should care for my tattoo and he was like "Oh, just put lotion on it. He wasn't even going to cover it up or anything, FREAK!" Luckily my friend had a girl 'Marcy' who did a great job and didn't over charge her. Her tattoo came out to $60 and she apologized for Sebastian and said that he was like that. I seriously think that I was really overcharged and if you decide on getting something there ask for Marcy. Oh yeah and when it was time to pay, I was going to give him my debit card and he said no I take cash. It's better that I take cash. yeah for my small tattoo that you charged me $100 for. I give it a 2 for my experience, but my friend really liked Marcy so she gives them a 4. read more

Awful experience here. The managers even said that the artist did a "sloppy," lazy job on me...Yet couldn't do anything but get me a reluctant refund. Four Laser removal sessions and a cover-up tattoo cost me much much more, however. Also, overheard another artist agree to tattoo a visibly drunk guy while there. My artist's only redeeming quality was that SHE (hint hint) objected, to which the other artist replied "I don't give a **** as long as he pays me". Real classy. read more

Went here with my friend so she could her septum pierced, I had mine pierced at Forever Ink Chicago. I have to say the man who pierced had was really cool and answered all of out questions, even my questions and explained all the different ways to pierce a septum and helped me understand what my other piercer did wrong. When I go back and find out his name, I will definitely update this review. DETAILS: He showed us different types of jewelry and told us all of the prices. He prepped the piercing area and called us back and let us watch him open the sterilized needles and such. He was thorough with explaining what he was doing as he was doing it and had a nice attitude about him. He at one point dropped the ring my friend had chosen, and i thought, "holy shit. he's gonna pick that shit back up and put it in her septum." Ah thank god i was wrong, he left it on the floor and opened a new piece of jewelry for her (free of charge) and continued with the process. He told us "The part is now i get to look all over the floor for that septum retainer" jokingly. He constantly changed gloves to assure sterilization. It was a much better experience then I had and im glad I got to be there to see it happen. UPDATE: I found out his name was john! read more

So what was supposed to turn out as a simple browsing while waiting for my brother, step-mom, and brother's girlfriend...turned into me getting a great tattoo. I've been thinking about it for years & finally just said "what the hay..." The staff is cool. Except the guy who is greeting people at the door. I saw about three people walk out of the place because they weren't acknowledged. Or perhaps my giant family were taking up all the room, oh well. Jeremy was my artist. Totally laid back, drew out my own custom design, and was honest about how much a top foot tattoo would hurt. He first said that my tat would be $100, but I haggled him down to $80. Thanks, Jeremy. I'll recommend this place. Word on the street that they are better than Jade Dragon. read more

The font I wanted was not in the book, so I described to Eric what I wanted and he did it PERFECT. He was a laid back type dude, exactly what I like in a tattoo artist. Alot of them rub me the wrong way. Dunno if I would get large custom work done here, but its a cool shop. read more

Got my nose pierced today. Steve was very skilled and fast. He only does piercing there and does not do ink which is exactly what you want when getting a hole put into your body! He walked me through exactly what was going to happen. The whole thing start to finish took less than 15 mins. The actual piercing took about 15 secs. Didn't hurt. I am glad i relied on other yelp reviews to find this guy. read more

This place seems clean, the people I came into contact with were friendly, and the price I paid for my tattoo was OH SO RIGHT. :) Those are the basics about this joint. Now let me review my tattoo artist, as he is the main focus of my tattooing experience: Nexer is hilarious. He did two stars for me (one on each shoulder) and even though it was a simple design, he did an excellent job. He engaged me in conversation the whole time to the point where I barely felt any pain. I also saw some of his sketches and he does some kick-ass work. If you're into custom designs (I think my next tattoo will indeed be a custom design), check him out. I think you'll be satisfied with his creativity and talent. And as I stated above but wish to reiterate, he's funny. He's not a tool, he's not an asshole, and he's not a complete douche bag who thinks he's God's gift to the tattoo world. Well...that part may actually be true; but he IS good, so it's fine. HA! :) read more

Obviously, any tattoo place is going to get reviewed on the experience you have had with the artist you used. I got my first (and thus far, only) tattoo by Allie, and holy hell, it's awesome. I really was scared about getting a tattoo - I'd always wanted one, but knew that I was fickle (I change my hair color more often than I change my sheets) and so, I waited. Came up with the idea of what I wanted (a Latin phrase, down my left side of my ribs) but not being especially artistically inclined, didn't know how to execute it. Waited a year, talked to Allie, who had already done several of my friends' tattoos (including many first tattoos) and after watching him tattoo my roommate, I decided he was the guy for me. So I told him my dilemma, and he told me to write out what I wanted, give him my email, and he'd work something up. When I got his "rough" draft drawing, I was blown away. It was perfect. And then, as the weeks until when I was getting it done whiled away, he kept working on it, perfecting. I had wanted to add color, and he pointed out that it would really look better in black and grey, the shadows and shading being ideally suited. He was completely right. It was my first tattoo, and it's about 18" long and about four inches wide. It goes down my left side from about where my bra hits to past my hip bone. It took four and a half hours and it was all done in one session. It looks so amazing, I routinely recommend him to my friends and frequently look at it, in very happy amazement that a tattoo could so completely look perfect in the way it followed my skin, and its overall design. Talk to Allie, get him to draw you up a design, and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed. read more

I can only speak for my experiences with Allie but I've already had three and hope to be having more in the future. An amazing artist who truly loves his job, Allie has the ability to do the prettiest swirls, the freakiest scenes, and the coolest symbols. His attention to detail in his realistic pieces is so good, it's obscene! The shop itself is small but it's buzzing with people, artists, and that awesome sound of the tattoo needle. All in all, a fun experience! read more

Tatu Tattoo was clean and professional. Each time I called, someone answered the phone and no one talked to me like I was dumb. Allie Sider did a most excellent job. He created a great piece with my haphazard designs ideas. I live out of town and his willingness to communicate and work with me through modern technologies was most helpful. He is friendly and approachable. I felt comfortable even though I was a ball of nerves about the decision and even though the decision was long thought out. He is professional and dedicated to a job well done. He moved the stencil a quarter of an inch to get it the perfect placement. He is precise and creative. I scoured the net looking for an artist and his website had art and images I appreciated. Fine lines, attention to detail, nature, Derek Hess. So enter Allie Sider into google and check out his work. One month out, my piece has healed nicely. The placement is just perfect. I am one happy girl. read more

After having a horrid experience at the Tattoo Factory we decided to come here and check it out. We were so glad we did. The staff up front was very nice and patient with us. The tattoo we picked out cost us $100 for both plus tip whereas the other place tried charging us $85 for just one of them. We have come back several times and have been tattooed by almost every artist here and have always left happy! I have even gotten my nose pierced twice at this place. Good people, good prices, great artists. Can't be beat! read more

I got pierced here by John Vaughn and it was such a rad experience! I was able to get in a walk-in appointment which was totally what I was hoping for and he was super mellow and calming, everything was ultra clean and the piercing/jewelry prices are pretty damn fair for good/safe work. I will ABSOLUTELY be back!!! read more

I had heard really great things about this place so when my friend-with-a-gift-certificate decided to cash it in, I went with to get a much wanted fourth tattoo. We showed up at about 2pm on Saturday afternoon and we greeted by a gentleman of few words who looked at our designs (both very small) and told us to come back in a half hour...okay... Half hour later we come back. Same gentleman sees us, does nothing, says nothing. We sit. Another half hour goes by. Hmmm. Getting antsy. Finally we are greeted by Jenn who kind of pops out of nowhere. She was wonderful! Took my design and tweaked it a bit and came out with the most perfect tat I could have imagined. It's my favorite to date for sure. Jenn was nice, funny, very clean and professional. She was gentIe, did great line work and didn't mind my friend and I's rambling. I am very happy with her and the majority of the experience just took the one star off because of the lack of communication with blank-stare- guy. Thanks again Jenn! read more

I'm giving them 5 stars because of Allie. When I went in to see about the possibility of tattooing my lip I had no idea he was one of the 2 online portfolios I really liked. In fact, I didn't realize it until a few days later. Regardless, I've come here a few times because my friend's brother used to work here. This was my first time actually getting tattooed though, and the counter guy was nice enough to see if anyone would actually tattoo a lip. It's not unheard of and I've got several unusual body modifications. I knew the risks and the chance of it fading. Honestly...I just wanted a stupid saying on the inside of my lip. Allie was willing to do it and it turned out quite nice! I was actually impressed with how straight his lettering was, though I have lost some ink in a few of the letters....it's not illegible and I was also aware if I really want it to have a good chance at staying that I'd have to go back again. Right now I'm content, and it still looks pretty good, but I'd definitely like to go back and see if Allie's interested in another tattoo idea I have. Also, I've been in those awkward situations where you don't really talk to the tattoo artist..........but there was no awkward/uncomfortableness with Allie. However, while I had a pleasant counter experience this time, I've seen them be kind of shitty to people coming in. I've never gotten work done by Jen Trok...but I have a few friends that did yearrrrrrrs ago, and she used to work at Insight back when I'd go there and she does some beautiful work and seems quite sweet. read more

I went into Tatu Tattoo on a whim because my piercer didn't work on Mondays... All I wanted was to get the stud I got pierced with changed to a hoop. The man went in back and brought out some ring. Didn't present me with options or ask me any questions. Because I was unfamiliar with nose piercings I asked if he had any without the ball (thinking it was an accessory) he told me I could leave it off if I wanted, instead of educating me that the ball is supposed to keep the ring closed. I thought he would put it in for me (like my piercer said he would) but he handed it to me and gave me a look expecting me to pay up and go. I inquired about the way to put it in so be briefly explained and told me I had to twist the metal to open it up. "It's real simple, it's a soft metal" Yeah, easily done for a 6ft 200lb guy... not so much for a 5ft 100lb girl. After I said okay, he shrugged and said "$20" ... never rang me up, never got a receipt. I highly doubt that the piece of shit metal that caused me to bleed cost $20 but whatever. Very cold, awkward and unpleasant experience. read more

LIke Stacey A., I went with my boyfriend to watch him receive his tattoo. Staff is friendly and doesn't put up with stupidity or rudeness. It was not clear how the routine of setting up your appointment went int his place. When we arrived there were people outside smoking, there were patrons sitting on benches and looming around, and there were the display cases, but no one to greet or sign in with. After about 5 minutes of just standing there, one of the guys who was outside smoking came in to assist another person inside. We were finally greeted, asked what was being done, and told to sign in. A female employee then came up front to talk to the next person and a different patron said she was in line in front of us but had not signed in. There just seemed to be a lot of confusion. Adam gave the tattoo. He was friendly and answered all of my questions. He took his time and made sure my boyfriend & I were happy with the placement. He did not get frustrated when I asked him to move the tattoo template a little higher on the neck. Oh, and he let me come to the back with them to watch. All needles are new and then disposed of. Tattoos start at $50, no ifs, ands, or buts. They do have a coupon online, but it can be used only after you spend $100. Touchups once the tattoos scabs and heals are offered if you want them. Instructions are post-care are given verbally. I think if they gave a small description of care and possibly a free sample of what to use to keep the tattoo hydrated, that would be beneficial for the customer, but I don't know if this is a practice anywhere. This is just my opinion as a healthcare provider. Bike parking out front. read more

If I could give zero stars, then i'll rate it zero. This isn't my first tattoo, it's my 4th but it was my first time at this place. I don't remember the artist name but my tattoo is botched, it still very very very raised after a year. The artist over worked it. Also he was extremely rude. The service was horrible. The people there don't seem to even want to be there or work there. Just... Don't. Seriously don't.. read more

This shop has seen a lot of turnover of some fantastic artists. I can't say much about the artists they have now except Su is an awesome tattoo artist and seems like their token female. I've known a couple of people who have apprenticed their and are better for it. They typically hire people with at least 5-8 years of experience and that makes a difference even if they're jackasses about it. That said, they are typically jackasses about it and there's very much a "Oh man, I'm so core because I've got knuckle tats and you're kind of a pussy so I'm going to ignore you while I eat my pad thai upstairs". At least their piercing jewelry is pretty cheap and they have a nice selection of silicone plugs. CASH ONLY for the piercer. read more

Contrary to some of the other reviews below, I thought this place was great! I felt inspired by some recent events in my life so I decided to deal the best way I know how and get INKED. I called in to schedule an appointment with Sue H. (who apparently has a ridiculous waiting list) but the guy who answered suggested I just check out the website to view the work of other artists or come on in and pick one. Afterall, the two african symbols I wanted on each wrist were fairly simple. It's only 4 blocks away from my house anyway so screw waiting 2 weeks... I managed to get in exercise, walk over and check it out. Best decision I ever made. So I came in with my designs and was immediately helped. A new guy named JOEL would be my artist (been there about 8 months) according to the receptionist in the front. Joel was super nice and extremely easy on the eyes...nice to have a HOT tattoo artist for a change :-). He was very helpful with suggestions when it came to sizing and even customized one of them so it wouldnt look as plain. His prices were EXTREMELY reasonable and he clearly cared about his work and made sure that I was completely satisfied before I walked out the door. I ended up paying less than I thought but I gave him a generous tip (the difference of my assumptions) just because of his awesome customer service. You can't teach personality! No, this isnt my first tattoo (number 5 and 6 to be exact) and I can't tell you how annoying it is when I see people come in with the following: a cheering section, screaming and yelling before the needle touches skin, completely indecisive, or too drunk and being a complete ass. If I was on the other end of the chair I wouldn't want to deal with that either so something leads me to believe that anyone with a negative opinion of this place fits one of those categories. I've been in a lot of places that have been condescending and rude and hella expensive...TATU isn't one of them! Everyone is really friendly and chill and it made the experience a lot more pleasant. If I ever get anything else done I will certainly go back and I highly recommend it to all my friends. read more

I've gotten all but three of my tattoos done by Allie and he's never let me down. He's got that gift - the ability to take a client's poorly-described, difficult-to-follow idea and convert it into a tattoo you'll love forever. He's my go-to guy and whenever I'm back home I always come in for a visit. Plus, he's super flexible; he once came in at 11 and tattooed my leg until 2. The rest of the shop is a hell of a lot of fun too. The rest of the artists are always laughing and there's a lot of banter. Also, they play kickass metal pretty much all the time which is cool. This place is clean, it's worth the money, and they're the only shop I've encountered that use Tegaderm, which has saved me weeks of healing time. Don't go anywhere else - book an appointment with Allie and visit Tatu Tattoo. read more

Went here twice for my tattoos. I can't say much because they're only small black & white lined pieces. Very neat and bold work though. Love my tatts very much. Would come here again for sure. read more

See all

For now, I'm going to give them three stars. I haven't been tattooed there yet, nor have I been pierced there..But what I will say is this: - We were greeted immediately upon entering the shop. - If you're looking for a lot of flash, you won't find it here. Compared to other shops in the city, Tatu Tattoo is lacking in the flash department. Depending on what you're looking for, that's either going to be a good thing or a bad thing. Obviously they do quite a bit of custom work which might explain their tiny flash wall. Not a big deal to me. - What did immediately cause me to have a somewhat negative impression of this place was the lack of professionalism in their artists who were there that night. I'm not sure if they were all hyped up and ready to go home or what..Or maybe they had too much caffiene..But they were seriously acting like a bunch of high school students, screaming and yelling all over the place. Strike 1 for me - I found it totally annoying. - The person who approached us upon walking in the door asked if I needed help. I explained why I was there and if anyone in the shop had experience tattooing the style I was looking for. Let's just put it this way..I had to slow my speech and explain it in grade school terms. Strike 2 for me - ANY tattoo shop should at least know of this style of tattooing. It's pretty common. - Strike 3 for me was the fact that the person who approached us who was interested in working on me did not mention that they were an apprentice. When I had asked how long they'd been tattooing, they mentioned the timeframe. However, they failed to mention that they're considered an apprentice at the shop and not one of the main artists. That's a big no-no in my opinion. You've got to be honest, especially when you know the person you're talking to obviously has experience with tattoos and is "shop talking" with you..Not talking like a total idiot. - From what I understand, their prices seem to be somewhat reasonable for a city shop. Actually, they seem to be very reasonable. Their rates for custom work wasn't a shock to me. - And, they have a few artists there who are legitimately that good at what they do. If you're looking for a great black/grey artist, there are a few there. If you're looking for amazing color work and intricate detail with clean lines, they have an artist there who can do that too. So basically, if I were looking for decently priced, specific custom work that I know one of their artists were capable of, I'd definitely go back. I know that some of my negatives might be shallow, but shit..Who wants to trust a tattoo artist, who's making farting noises at another artist, with their skin for life? At least I know who they are and I can avoid them when I go back. read more

I'm a chicken and I had no choice but to stay calm in the hands of John! I was nervous and I could tell he knew and I feel like he picked up my vibe that I was an over thinker because he didn't say much. He was very to the point. He was honest and very professional! I didn't feel anything!!!!!! As nervous as I was and he was super quick! His after care instructions are amazing (LITFA) Leave it the fuck alone. He said it so calm and careful. Lol although my piercing days are over, I'm very pleased with the service I received here! read more

Personally never got a tattoo here before but I have been here with my boyfriend and his go-to tattoo artist is AMAZING. His name is Allie and he is super sweet. He does a good job of taking ideas/artwork you bring in and making it something really original and creative. Also they use tegaderm to help your tattoo heal faster (it's the stuff we use in the hospital for IV sites), yay for medical advancement! read more

So I came here for my 2nd tattoo with a friend. Her sister had worked here that summer (she lives out in CA but was a visiting artist and they let her work for a few weeks), and so the place came highly recommended. My friend had an appt but I did not...and I was lucky enough to be snatched up by this cool guy named Rodney. I wish I still had his card, because I would totally recommend him. He's not there anymore, sadly. Anyway Rodney was cool. He had just gotten his girlfriend's name tattooed on his neck that day, it was still fresh & swollen! The design I had created was pretty large & abstract, and was to be on my lower back. He helped me figure out what would be a good size for me, and we got to work. He was really friendly and we chatted about cars and movies and all sorts of things. I usually don't know what to talk to people about (like if I am getting a haircut or whatever) but I didn't feel like he was just pulling out all the small-talk type chatter...we were laughing and having a great ol' time. He asks me if I smoke and when I tell him no, he says "Too bad, then we could take more breaks" It made me laugh. About a quarter of the way through (it took 3 hours), he got up to take a phone call and I took a look in the mirror. And what do I see? Well apparently I never told Rodney which way was up, because the tattoo is now upside down. Yep, we are a fourth of the way thru and it is totally the wrong way. But what do you know? It looks awesome that way! I had thought of putting it the other way but it actually looks better this way. Go Rodney! :) So 3 hours later, we're done and I am hurting but was so pleased with how it turned out and how friendly he was. He kept saying he really liked the design too, and asked me to come back in a few weeks when it was all healed up so he could take a picture for his portfolio! Cool! I've never been part of someone's portfolio before! (I actually spaced out and never went back, but it was nice to be asked!) My friend's tattoo (with Jeremy, I believe) was even more extensive, so we were there til about 1am. I had been told to re-wrap my tattoo in a couple hours (i.e. when I got home), but we were still there so Jeremy rewrapped it for me...that was nice of them. When he took breaks tattooing my friend, the guys at the shop asked us to sit and have some beers with them, so that was pretty cool. All in all, it was a great experience...and you can't beat the location, great places to eat and drink nearby, and easy to get to on the El. I would definitely recommend TatuTattoo to folks who are looking for a friendly, professional place to get work done. Hooray! read more