I was hit with some devastating news over this past summer - my tattoo guy was moving out of state! Horror of horror's, what am I to do now? I was so super bummed. That's my hunt for a new artist began. I was grilling all of my decorated friends, acquaintances, hell - even strangers on the street! After a couple of months, and a few creeped out looks, I decided on Rich Dean of A+.
I gave Rich a really generic idea of what I wanted and told him to have at it. All but one of my pieces were designed by the artist. I really want them to create something that they're invested in and give it there own style. I mean, they're artists, let them do what they do best. Rich's execution of my idea is better than I could've imagined. The color is so bright and vivid, the lines are clean - the piece is just awesome. I will definitely be back (much to my mother's chagrin). The vibe at this joint is super laid back. None of that pretentious, I'm so cool 'cause I have a tattoo on my neck, bullshit going on here. Don't you hate those places?! Also, the price is totally right. I'm not saying that they're cheap - because tattoos should never be cheap. If that's how you pick your artist, you probably shouldn't have tattoos. Just sayin'. What I mean is that the money spent here is well worth the piece of art that you'll carry with you for the rest of your life.
From what I can tell (reviews and portfolios), Rich isn't the only dude slinging some serious ink in here. There is legit talent in this place, so I'm sure you'd be well served getting work done by any of the artists here.
Two side notes:
1. I kinda feel like I'm cheating on Bridgeport Tattoo Company.
2. They don't do piercing here. Go to Insight for that.
That reminds me - I need to review Insight.
It's been awhile since my one & only visit but here's my review on my expierence...gross. There were dogs in the shop belonging to the owner & one of his artists. I'm guessing cleanliness is not a priority here. The owner was actually drinking a beer while tattooing my friend so I'm guessing sobriety while tattooing is not a priority either. I was going to get a tattoo as well but decided against it after all that & the fact that the artist who I spoke to about what I wanted, seemed pissed off at the world that day.
Review Source:Amazing work! Rich did work on both me & my husband, he did an incredible job turning our ideas into exactly what we were looking for. After having such great work done I sent my sister in who got tattooed by Billy (bumps) he did a large piece on her side and it looks beautiful. The detail is stunning! Kevin (the owner) also fixed a tattoo for my husband that he got done years ago that was blown out and looked pretty helpless ...we honestly though it may have to be lasered. Kevin fixed it so well I couldn't believe that it was the same tattoo.
Please don't waste your time going anywhere else. I've made my mistakes going to places when I was younger because they were super cheap or on a whim (where you can only get the shit tattoos on the wall) These artists actually know what they are doing and have a passion for the art. You will not be let down.
These guys were awesome! This was a surprise father's day gift from my wife and kids and we actually stopped at Jade Dragon first but they were apparently too busy (no one was in the store)at 1pm watching television. I had an existing tattoo that I wanted to add to and freshened up, Â Jade Dragon was completely bothered that I was in there taking time away from the A&E special. Â They even snickered at my design idea, and suggested I go look at books of designs, really? I wasn't going to find my idea in a book.
We looked up A Plus on Yelp and found they had great reviews. Bill was my artist and he was fantastic, we were on our way to the Cubs game and he told me that he wasn't going to rush my tattoo but was willing to stay later after closing. Bill sent me a text of the design while I was at Wrigley and I absolutely loved it, we left right then and there. Bill was professional, worked with my ideas and offer suggestions that made this the Best Fathers Day ever!! Thanks Bill and A Plus, sending more customers your way.
As a fellow tattoo artist myself, I've had amazing and not so amazing work done here. The first time I came in, I designed an elephant in a tree design to be placed on my hand, and the outcome was amazing. The detail was amazing, as well as the shading and juxtaposition of colors. The second time I came in, there was a new artist, who took quite some time attempting to do a hindu type design on my hand. He told me to call him back later in the week to reschedule a second appointment to finish the tattoo. He failed to call me back and ripped me off sixty dollars.
Review Source:Best tattoo shop in the city, richard dean  is a top tier artist, all the guys that work there are top tier, but i've been getting tattooed by rich for several years, since he was an apprentice. 90% of my tattoos are by him, because he is simply the best in chicago  when it comes to the traditional format of tattooing. Rich has a unique style that is not common among the cookie cutter tattoo "artists" you find in most of chicagos hack tattoo shops. In a city where most shops have more in common with used car lots, A+ is a rare oasis of friendliness and talent. The owner, Kevin, is a talented artist who tattoos out of A+ daily. The rest of the artists are real high level talent, I mean, it's rare when you find a shop with more than 1 or 2 good guys, but to have a shop where ALL of the artists are that good is pretty much unheard of. Save your money, don't go too an overpriced hack shop, save your skin, don't get tattooed by the amateurs who work in the fly by night scratch shops that litter this city. Come to the experts at A+, if you live in the burbs, it's worth the drive, if you don't have a car, take the train. Don't compromise on something as important as this, I mean, tattoos are forever, you can't be messing around with just anyone, you gotta go to the pro's at A+. Pet friendly business.
Review Source:I received my very first tattoo last night and I was impressed by Rich. He was cool had a lot of great ideas and was eager to do what ever I wanted plus gave me ideas to switch it up. I had a great time with my first tattoo and I just love looking at it. The workman ship was awesome, the shading and coloring is fantastic. My boyfriend had a last minute cover up and he was great for that too. It looks awesome. I will be recommending and coming here to A plus tattoo more often, I am already thinking of my next one to get done. I can't wait!
Review Source:Everytime I travel I try to find a great local shop to get tattooed at. Â In Chicago I got my tattoo at A+ Studio. Â I chose Steve as my artist after reading the many glowing reviews and checking out his art. Â He was fantastic! Â What a nice, friendly guy who was very accommodating. Â In many ways I wish I had gotten something more ornate done that Steve had designed himself instead of coming in with my own artwork. Â You can tell this guy is a true artist with a passion for it. Â The next time I'm in Chicago I will definitely have Steve do something custom for me.
Note: Â I would give Steve 5 stars but the shop only gets 4 because I've not expreienced anyone else's art there.
The talent in this small shop is really phenomenal. Â I went in because Kevin (who used to be at Deluxe Tattoo) had done a half sleeve on my friend about 4 years ago which was beyond stunning and gets him stopped by tons of people including tattoo artists to ask about it. Â This is Kevin's own shop that he opened up. Â I looked through the portfolio's and decided Scott was the artist for me. Â I was getting 8 measures of music on my forearm wrapping around a previous piece to complete the tattoo and it was a very detailed specific tattoo that Scott put a ton of thought and effort into. I was really impressed by how much he cared about doing it right and not just doing it. Â After he did a lot of sketch work and planning including a few phonecalls to me to discuss ideas after an initial planning session, he proceeded to stencil each individual section on my arm little by little to make sure it would all lay out perfectly. Â It was a ton of work on his end yet the price never went up from where the quote was which was incredibly appreciated. Â
The whole thing took about 4 hours and Scott went back to perfect every detail multiple times. Â I then made a second appointment to get my previous piece colored which he did incredibly tastefully and also touched up the work he did from a few weeks prior. Â From watching others get work while I was getting tattooed, I realized that all of the artists in this shop are ridiculously talented and approachable guys. Â I could not be more pleased with my experience at this shop and now I have beautiful artwork on my arm to show for it =0) Â Also, Scott is hilarious so if you want to laugh while you're getting needles stuck into your body over and over rather then just having that done quietly, he's your guy. Â I've lived in Boston, New York, and Chicago and this is one of the most impressive and laid back tattoo shops I've been to really filled with true artists. Â Although I had an amazing experience with Scott, you really can't go wrong with anyone you choose there.
This shop is jam packed with amazing artists. I've been going to Steve for several years and each time I end up getting something bigger and better. The man is a true artist with immaculate attention to detail. He created a piece for my whole arm of poppies and birds that I get compliments on everywhere I go.
I've been tattooed by many artists and Steve is hands down my favorite. Not only is he amazingly talented, but super friendly. He often has me laughing about some ridiculous story when he's tattooing a painful spot to help me forget the pain.
If you're looking for an awesome custom detailed piece no need to look further, A+ is your place.
FYI- They don't do piercing.
I came to Steve on the recommendation of friends who he's worked on. The place has a really relaxed vibe, everyone's easy to talk to and friendly, and the work is impeccable. I had three smaller symbols added to my arm and the attention to detail was second to none - these were originally  hand-drawn, and they were faithful down to the cross-hatching.
I'll be back for my next planned tattoo, as well as seeing what Steve can do with something original.
Easily the cleanest, most talented, premiere tattoo shop in the city of Chicago. Toughest roster of artists: Kevin, Steve, Scott, Rich and Bill- all their skills surpassing any expectation of your chosen or their customized artwork . As a collector for many years, I'd invest more than my personal trust to have any of them to tattoo me. Ali is babe too.
Review Source:Awesome Tattoo shop without that "F-you" kind of attitude. All the artist's are super chill. Kevin is currently finishing my half sleeve. He is pretty much ridiculous when it comes to skill. My next session is in November, so if you are interested in getting inked up, make sure book in advance... Prices are reasonable too. Also, they got some pretty bad ass tattoo artist's in the shop. Scott is pretty bad ass too. Check them out!
Review Source:OMG I got the best tattoo by Kevin. It's of an apache helicopter and it takes up my whole back! The detail that is involved in it is absolutely magnificent. Kevin is so talented and I love that he knew so much about the apache helicopter and how it operated in order to get the full details I needed to make this tattoo come alive. I highly recommend this place and Kevin with his talents in details to apache helicopter's.
:D
Kevin the owner is the man, he;s talented and cool as fuck. Hands down Kevin is one the best tattoers in the CHI. Be ready his services cost  a grip so dont be suprised. Like I said though one of the best, booked out 2 1/2 months. There is also another group of guys to do more basic stuff piercings & tats.
Review Source:I'm one of those annoying people who has to do hours of research before doing anything. I've been to The Chicago Tattooing & Piercing Company  a couple times but it's always way to crowded in there. So I yelped and talked to people and I decided that for my next piercings, I'd check out A+ Plus.
The spot is dope. Very spacious, great artwork. I met Dras outside of the shop told him what I was there for and we got to it.
Super fast and clean. Great prices. I think there's a piercing special this month ( call and ask).
I'll be back to get my tattoos. DOPE spot.
check it out!
Kevin Starai at A+ Plus Tatto's is fantastic.
A friend of mine who knows ink very well recommend I contact him for my first tattoo. Kevin's been doing professional ink for many years now (15+ if I remember correctly) and he's recently set up his own shop called A+ Plus on Belmont.
Kevin's work is terrific, he did an amazing job on a Hokusai tat on my forearm. While my job was a bit focused, his custom designs and knowledge of color are truly amazing.
While his shop just recently opened Kevin is booking 3 months in advance. However he has a couple other guys that are working for him out of the same space - they can probably get to you more quickly. And they WILL do walk-ins.
Check out A+!
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