i had been thinking of getting my septum pierced for a few years and just never did it so on a whim, i stopped in while riding by after work. i cant remember who pierced me but he was unbelievably professional about the whole process, it literally didnt hurt at all. about a week later, the piercing itself wasnt irritated but the jewelry he used was too tight on my "columella" and had worn the skin away a little bit. so i called and the other piercer was also quite professional - offered to widen it for me if i came in. i stopped in after work and he attempted to widen it with a pliers while it was still on my face which terrified me and obviously was a little bit dangerous so we had no option but to take the piercing out and widen it then put it back in, but septum piercings are pretty easy and it was pretty well healed at that point so it didnt hurt. it was nice of him to do something for me i could have probably done on my own but i was scared to try to do it while it was still in my face.
my only complaints: they used a retainer to pierce me which is ok because i didnt know how my boss would react (he didnt care), i would have preferred a ring (but i guess they were just out of stock). it was a bit pricier than i had anticipated - i had called around and this place was a bit more expensive than other places. but overall, im totally satisfied.
(as an aside, while i was waiting, one of the tattoo artists asked me if i had been helped and i tripped on my words because i swooned. dudes in chicago never make me swoon so that was nice.)
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!!!
So I wanted a tattoo for my 18th birthday, so my mom and I went to jade dragon. BIG MISTAKE they were going to charge me $180 for a tattoo the side of a quarter. Which made me sad because I really had wanted one that day. I texted my friend and she told me that she got her tattoo over at tatu tattoo in wicker park. So my mom drove me over there just to scoop out the place. Turns out that for $120 and for a tattoo the size of my palm (I have big hands for a girl) they would do the tattoo that I had designed.
It was quick painless and perfect, it was like 5 years since maybe and it still looks great. Love this place and I recommend people to go there for first time tattoos.
I wish we'd gone to Insight instead. A friend and I called and visited to make some inquiries about piercings, and this place unfortunately lives up (or down) to the stereotype of a lot of studios - you get treated like crap if you don't (overtly) look like someone who does a lot of this stuff. Any questions you ask are treated as personal assaults upon their expertise, even when they're legitimate questions you should always ask a piercer, or ones you genuinely don't know the answer to, and pricing kind of wanders all over the place. It still gets one star because the few piercings we did end up going for seemed to go well, but I definitely won't be coming back.
Review Source:I had my first (and only, so far) tattoo done at Tatu Tattoo in August of 2009. The whole experience was phenomenal. Before I even made an appointment, I had been emailing my artist (the AMAZING Allie Sider) and asking questions about pricing, whether or not he could help me with my design, etc. He responded quickly and with helpful answers.
When I finally went in for my appointment, he was ready for me right away and was very patient with me. I brought along a mess of pictures because I had a basic idea of what I wanted, but wasn't exactly sure of placement, the final design, etc. He listened through all of my craziness and went to sketch a design. It only took about 15 minutes (granted, it is a small tattoo) and I kid you not when I say that he came up with something better than I could have imagined!! He thought of things that didn't even cross my mind and he asked me numerous times if I liked the ideas that he added, the size, etc. until he was confident that I was completely sure that I was in love with the sketch.
Since this was my first tattoo, I didn't have any idea what to expect. I told Allie where I wanted the tattoo to be and he gave me suggestions that made total sense and we ended up moving the tattoo slightly below where I had originally planned on my foot. Again, he made sure that I was POSITIVE before he moved forward. He explained everything that he was doing while he was doing it and I felt 100% comfortable.
The thing that I liked most about Allie was how he made me feel so comfortable!! He took a minute to figure out whether I was the kind of person that would want to talk the whole time, have him explain every single step to me, or would want complete silence. We chatted on and off and he is such a cool, laid back, interesting guy that is really dedicated and professional, but also sweet and funny. The staff sang along with the music as they sketched and sterilized...they also joked around with each other which put everyone at ease. It was just a great environment.
Afterward, I received a sheet of instructions for how to take care of the tattoo and he covered it up for me. He also wished me a happy birthday because he saw that it was my 20th birthday on my id. Allie really made the whole experience for me. I plan on going back to him for my next tattoo. Absolutely. (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alliesider.com&s=829e03b7cc57c6efe79d913078a1e627025dbd036325fe1a0e47b7a55dcb3ff3" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.alliesider.com</a>)
As far as Tatu Tattoo itself: it is a tad pricy and it is true that every tattoo starts at $50, no exceptions. But my experience with all of the staff was positive and I really enjoyed it. I also didn't feel any pain. My tattoo has faded slightly in 3 years, but it is all in black and on the top of my foot...Allie told me to come in any time for a touch up, so I will probably have that done when I get my next tattoo!!
All ofmy friends that have gone here have loved it. I highly recommend Tatu Tattoo!!
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. Â 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.
I have gotten a tattoo here before. Â I feel that I was over charged, but was willing to pay since it was late. Â I tried again over the weekend. Â I was told that the wait was 45 minutes. Â I gave my name and number and left for an hour. Â when I returned and asked how much longer the wait would be I was told to get into the back of the line of people waiting. Â
the artists and receptionist laughed and sang songs while people were ignored.
I won't be back.
I got my ears pierced here. Â Yep, 24-years-old and didn't have my ears pierced. Â I have what is sometimes known as "fat earlobes," so piercings from Claire's were not going to cut it in terms of the earrings staying in my ears. Â The piercer's name is Zoe, I think, and she is a sweetheart! Â
I had my nose pierced by a big scary guy who wasn't very nice and this experience was much better.
Zoe gave me very precise directions on how to clean and care for my ears, what I could expect the next 24-hours to be like, and overall had a very calming demeanor, which one would think more piercers would have, since they poke people with needles. Â She also gave me her cell phone number to call or text if I had any questions, which I think means she was pretty serious about customer service.
I've never been tattooed here, but Zoe is the best!
When you have an hour or two to kill after getting your car fixed, a double nose piercing you've been wanting since you were a teenager, and a "well, as long as I'm in the neighborhood..." mood, you thank god for the Yelp app, but you ESPECIALLY thank God for Steve at Tatu Tattoo.
I actually first thought about going to Metamorph, the highest and most prolifically rated result for "body piercing" "near current location", but when I called they told me they no longer did piercings and suggested I head over to Tatu, and I'm glad now I did.
This was my first piercing (if we're counting anything other than gun-pierced ears at Claire's when I was 8), and admittedly a pretty mainstream one, so while I don't have much to compare this experience my better judgement tells me I didn't go wrong. Â Honestly, there's not much I can say, but that in and of itself speaks volumes - it was quick, professional, and relatively painless. Â The hardest part was waiting for the 3 people ahead of me, and the most painful part was the sharp end of the toothpick Steve used in the marking process.
The shop wasn't quiet, but the auditory hustle and bustle was a comfortable background hum, and the space was warm and well-lit with flash and art and jewelry of all kinds tastefully displayed. Â The piercing room itself was small, comfy, sterile - a doctor's office the size of a walk-in closet with flash art and piercing photography on the walls comes to mind.
Steve himself was fast, efficient, friendly, enthusiastic, and incredibly professional, explaining both the piercing process before and during and the aftercare with an air that managed both "I know you already know this but I'm going to tell you anyways" and fervent at once, and brought to mind a particularly take-no-shit violin teacher I once had. Â He sent me on my way with a packet of sea salt, an APP aftercare brochure with all the info on my jewelry/expected healing time/etc filled in by him on the back, and an impression that I definitely made the right choice in coming here.
I know there's probably dozens of places in the city where I could have gotten the same piercing(s) for about the same price, in the same amount of time, and with the same sterile, professional environment and welcoming, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic service that I got at Tatu, but that doesn't make it any less appreciated, and I'll be back for any future piercings for sure, and after admiring Allie's work for years I'll also be back for any ink.
If you're ever in the area - or hell, even if you have to go out of your way - and you're in the mood for some (scrupulously autoclaved and properly disposed of) needles in your face, head on over to this place. Â You won't regret it (and if you do, I'd wager it's your own damn fault).
I got a tattoo here over 6 months ago and it looks amazing. The shop is really clean and everyone that works there is friendly. Everyone that works there does there best to make you feel comfortable and confident about  the tattoo your getting.
I got a tattoo of a cross on my back by Lance and my friend got a tattoo by Allie. They both came out awesome.
I went there a few weekends ago, and the service was okay. Went in there with a big group of my girlfriends, and they seemed annoyed. I thought that was how they made their money, but I could be wrong?
The artist that did my tattoo seemed moody and rude, but did a good job with my tattoo.
~*~DISCLAIMER~*~
I did not get a tattoo here. But I went along for moral support with my friend, who got her third & fourth tattoos here, which gave me a really good idea of how things work there.
It's a clean little shop, run by nice guys who will work with you if you have an idea of what you what, but need some help with the final touches.
All the needles are new. Everything is sterile as fuck. The staff is lurvely - especially Allie.
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!
So helpful! I went to get my septum pierced and Steve did an amazing job. He was so clean and professional and totally calmed my nerves. He explained all the aspects of my piercing (as well as my friend's) and the best ways for it to heal. I felt super comfortable and relaxed.
Go here to get pierced and ask for Steve.
I've also been tattooed here before, it was a tiny one, but they were still very nice, CLEAN and professional.
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. Â
He is friendly and approachable. Â 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.
Came to this parlor because the one by my house was closed. i don't think it was all that late but whatever.
the people here were great, and my friend and i were treated well and both got exactly what we wanted. this was kind of an impulse trip, and all i had was a grainy blackberry photo, but it turned out wonderfully. the artist took his own spin on it and it turned out really nice. i would definitely come back to this place for more!!!
I've gotten all but three of my tattoos done by Allie and he's never let me down. Â 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. Â He's my go-to guy and whenever I'm back home I always come in for a visit. Â Plus, he's super flexible; he once came in at 11 and tattooed my leg until 2. Â
The rest of the shop is a hell of a lot of fun too. Â The rest of the artists are always laughing and there's a lot of banter. Â Also, they play kickass metal pretty much all the time which is cool. Â
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. Â Don't go anywhere else - book an appointment with Allie and visit Tatu Tattoo.
This updated review is overdue. My first one was scathing, but accurate at the time. Here is why I love Tatu Tattoo now for my piercings:
Never have gotten a tattoo here, but I have gotten many piercings here.
First off, Mike rocks.
He is one of 2 fave piercers of mine in the city.
Second, Juan is gone!!!!! :) :) :)
After Juan (stupidincompetantinexperiencedjerk) messed up a couple piercings, I was determined to neverever go back to Tatu Tattoo.
Mike made my experience SO MUCH better that I changed my mind:
a) Mike is an extremely talented piercer
b) No bitchy "You're not very tattooed and cool, so you're unworthy of my time" attitude.
c) There is something to be said for a piercer who is just genuinely a really great person.
Everything that could have possibly been done to repair the damage from the awful experience I had with Juan was done. Mike pierced my nose, and it was one of the most quality jobs I have ever had done.
Thank you, Mike, and I look forward to having you do some microdermals for me in the near future.
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!
Review Source:Just got my 4th piece from Tatu Tattoo. Â This was the first piece I had done by Justin M. Â It turned out perfect-- colors, lines, shading, shadows... Â I am very happy with his work. Â He's a cool guy; I'm not referring to a "cool" guy like you'd find at xsport. Â I'm going back for another later this week.
Overall atmosphere is chill and most importantly clean.
I highly recommend Tatu Tattoo; specifically Justin--
i had a piece done here a few years back. Â
terrible experience. Â
while the artwork wasn't bad, the execution was awful. Â didn't heal correctly, and the ink ended up splotchy. Â i actually had to go elsewhere to get it touched up. Â
i would say that this place would be great for an 18 year old picking flash off the wall, but then they'd probably rape you on price.
best bet is just to avoid this place altogether.
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.
Meh, indeed.
I first wandered into Tatu Tattoo as a naive, wide-eyed 18 year old (... sort of), in search of her very first tattoo. At the time I was a resident of suburbia, and making an appointment under my mom's nose was extremely questionable; at the time, I didn't realize the piece I wanted realllly needed to be drawn up beforehand, so I just walked in and got it done immediately. The result: a mermaid that does not remotely resemble "art nouveau", despite the multiple pictures I brought for style reference. Also, she has eerily large biceps. This is good for her if she wants to lift weights under the sea, I guess, but unfortunately she is on my leg and she is not holding weights. I believe it was Jeremy who drew her for me, and while the tattoo is well done in terms of color and how it's held up over the past year and a half, it's nothing to write home about.
The next piece I got there was a fairly simple piece - I wanted a line of text in my best friend's handwriting, so it was just a matter of tracing onto a stencil and tattooing over it. It's gotten slightly blown out, the tiny stars around it all half-faded, and the guy who did it - I want to say Eric? - was yelling about Metallica and continually telling me, "Look how fuckin' awesome this tattoo is. Isn't this tattoo great?" Awkward.
The last piece I got there... well, let's just say it kind of looks like a five-year-old drew it. A friend of mine, upon seeing it, thought it had been freehanded. It wasn't. Wince.
Pricing has always been reasonable, and two of the artists who worked on me were very polite; I just haven't been thrilled with the actual artistry involved. I will say that a friend of mine got a large blackwork piece from Sebastian, and it kicks all number of asses; just be careful about walking in, as you don't know who will end up tattooing you, and the results can be less than stunning.
I am the biggest fan of Tatu Tattoo. Â I only have 2 other shops to compare it to but that alone should be the testimony to how much I like this particular shop. Â I was dissatisfied with the other two which brought me to Tatu Tattoo for my most recent piece of artwork. Â I can say for certain that I will only be visiting Tatu Tattoo from this point forward. Â
My artist was Frog. Â He was beyond awesome. Â Not only did he draw out my tattoo 4 times but he placed it at least 9 times. Â Wait. Â Don't stop reading. Â There is a reason why I was probably the most annoying customer ever. Â I brought with me one of my friends who happens to be incredibly OCD. Â I would say she is a perfectionist but she is way beyond simply being labeled a "perfectionist". Â Since it was in the middle of my back, I couldn't really see the placement of it because even with the use of a mirror, my skin would twist a bit and it would ruin visual alignment of the tattoo. Â The tattoo I was getting had 2 parts and required symmetry so the placement of it was probably the most important part. Â Since I had no choice but to allow my very over-protective and perfectionist friend to take the reigns, Frog ended up having to erase and replace the stencil for a good 20 minutes by her command . Â I am not going to lie, after the first 5 minutes, I felt bad (I'm a total people-pleaser. Horrible, I know.) so I pretty much told him to place it wherever - but he insisted that my friend agree to the placement of it since it IS permanent and he wanted to make sure I felt 100% confident with it before he began inking. Â Therefore, not only was he extremely patient, he actually insisted we take our time despite the fact that we abused that privilege.
He not only did the most awesome job on my tattoo, he even offered to fix a letter in an old tattoo I had for no additional fee (and add a small design enhancement to it as well). Â
Of course, the most important factor in rating my experience is my satisfaction with the final artwork. Â I must say that I am not pleased. Nope. Â I am OVER-THE-TOP in LOVE with it. :) Â
The other factor that will set it apart from other shops is the customer service. Â Based simply on the amount of patience, I give customer service 5 stars. Â Who would've expected this from a tattoo shop in the middle of Bucktown on Akira row (seriously, why are there so many Akira shops in this small strip of land??)? Â Talent AND customer-service skills?!?
Oh and to further substantiate how much I enjoy and trust this shop, I brought my younger cousin here to have them pop her tattoo cherry as a graduation gift from me. Â Her artist was Eric - and he was also just as patient and skilled. Â Her tattoo also came out exactly as she wanted. Â He was extremely gentle with her and made her feel comfortable during the entire inking process (which was important as she was a tattoo virgin).
I plan on going there within the next couple months to get my next one. Â I guess the question now is do I go to Frog or Eric?
OH - to add to the legitimacy of my review, I do have ONE complaint.  When I got my tattoo at a different (also very famous) tattoo shop in Chicago, I got a care-kit.  I really wish that Tatu Tattoo would at least provide a small (trial?) packet of  A&D ointment.  I don't exactly have a sleeve of tats (nor do I plan on getting one) - so I don't really want to invest in a giant bottle of A&D.  I was hoping to get a small packet like I did at the other shop - but eh, I got better service and artwork so I guess I still got the better deal at Tatu.  So I'll forgive them for this one deficiency.
I like this place. Â However, my review is based on my piercing experience, my skin is 100% ink free.
Anyway! Â I got my septum pierced here in February and I am quite happy with my experience there. Â I have several piercings and I have had good experiences and REALLY bad experiences (crooked, infected, bad, bad, bad) Â I can't remember the name of my piercer, but I know he had both of his nostrils pierced. Â He was very nice, professional, funny, and personable. Â I was expecting the piercing to hurt a lot more than it did, in fact there was little to no pain at all. Â (I know everyone says that, but it really didn't!) Â I will definitely come back here if I ever get another piercing.
Su Houston is awesome!
I had been thinking about getting a tattoo for years, but what I wanted, and, um, where I wanted it, kept me paralyzed in embarrassment. Just like in Carrie, I imagined "they're all going to laugh at you".
I picked tatu tattoo because of how long it's been around, and from questioning everyone I saw with a tattoo. I called ahead because I wanted a female artist (because of, um, where I wanted it). And I set up an appointment to come discuss the design with Su.
When I got there I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb. This is, IMHO, a little slice of biker bar heaven. And although everyone's look was pretty intense, they were all more normal and friendly than most. Su herself had barely any bare skin. It was fascinating, she was like the Illustrated Woman.
Anyway. after an initial laugh when Su asked me to show her where I wanted the tattoo *right in the front of the shop* - and I asked for a bit more privacy - she was absolutely cool, understanding, and didn't bat an eye. I was just kind of yammering non-stop out of nervousness and embarrassed about what I wanted. Well Su started telling me stories, "I've seen it all! I had a guy throw up all over me once while I was working". She's one of those naturals, like a great doctor, who seem to effortlessly bring you away from your fear...
And she has an artistic and aesthetic opinion that she shares when working on the design. Her feedback and suggestions were great, and her enthusiasm about the tattoo really made me feel like we clicked and I could trust her to do the work.
The next week I came back for the tattoo, my first. It took about five hours and the pain was unlike just about anything I've ever experienced. But I absolutely love the finished tattoo!
Thanks Su!
I'm giving them 5 stars because of Allie. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â It's not unheard of and I've got several unusual body modifications. Â I knew the risks and the chance of it fading. Â 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! Â 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. Â 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. Â
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. Â
However, while I had a pleasant counter experience this time, I've seen them be kind of shitty to people coming in. Â 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.
So I got my first Tattoo... And  so far I am happy that I went here.
Jason did mine and my sister's tattoos at the end of the night. The price was reasonable and the staff is awesome...
My friend who saw our tatoos (and has many of them) liked them so much he is going to see Jason next week as well...
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.
Horrible! I went here the day I turned 18 to get my belly pierced. There was one guy getting a tattoo done and about 4 employees just sitting in their loft eating and laughing. I waited 10 minutes for someone to come and ask me what I was there for and then I had to wait at least 30 minutes before i even got anything done. In the end, the piercing came out crooked and when I finally took it out because I couldnt stand it not being straight, it left a permanet scare. Thanks dick!
Review Source:I am always looking for a good place to get my piercings done in Chicago. Â I got my lip pierced by Micah and my eyebrow pierced by Erika. Â Both experiences were entirely enjoyable. Â They are also the most reasonably priced I have found so far.
It is really important to know that you are getting clean service. Â As you fill out your paperwork, they use about 15 minutes sterilizing the jewelry and their tools. Â Once you are in the room, they show you proof that they have been cleaned properly. Â
They are both very personable, so if you are nervous about getting anything done they will be able to calm you down. Â They joke around and definitely make you feel relaxed, which is vital when you are sticking needles into your body!! Â These two have surely mastered their craft.
Haven't gotten any tattoos here, but some of the work I saw while I was there was pretty sick and would definitely be interested in looking at their work.
This review is solely for the piercing, I've never gotten a tattoo here.
Micah and Erika are really well informed when it comes to piercing. Â They adhere to everything the Association of Professional Piercers (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsafepiercing.org&s=cfd7e0c968d72fade8b1c1102abb7444d97bb64d0ae2802700386a1201172834" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://safepiercing.org</a>) suggests, use high quality, internally threaded jewelry, and are very kind, helpful, and have a great bedside manner.
I've yet to find a piercing shop that compares with them in both technique and quality. Â I've gotten 3 piercings here (1 by Erika, 2 by Micah) and am definitely going back for more in the future.
If you want to go to a piercer that is very knowledgeable and very good at what they do, go to Erika and Micah.
I came here a couple of months ago for a nose piercing and was kind of neither happy nor unhappy about the whole process. Micah, my piercer, was a cool guy and we had a decent chat but the piercing took a bit long and there was a bit of an issue after piercing (with putting the actual stud in) which was a bit uncomfortable. Â They didn't send me home with any aftercare and not too long after my piercing got infected and came out. Â There goes $60. Â
By the way, no credit cards...so I had to go to an ATM down the street to take money out. :(
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.
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.
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! Â I get it that you do tattoos and piercings, but your still a business... act like one.
I love Tatu Tattoo. And there are 3 reasons why.
1) Su Houston
2) Marci
3) I feel very at ease there.
Su and Marci are the only people I've had work on me, but as far as I can tell, I wouldn't really want anyone else to really work on me, with the exception of Ricardo. He's a little to pricey for me but he does really really great realistic work. But Su is the best! She unfortunately works in New York too and is often gone.
I've never had a walk in here, I've always just made appointments with Su or Marci. But from what I understand doing a walk-in kinda sucks. Everyone kinda ignores you unless you speak up or approach someone.
I have a total of 6 but technically 5 tattoos and 3 were done by Su and one by Marci and one that was done by a random guy in an attic when I was 16 which is a different story all together. Anyways, they both have also worked on my two sisters. They're the only people we go to. Su is amazing at color and Marci I think is really good at black and grey, in my opinion at least. I would definitely look at their portfolios if you're looking for a new artist to go to. They're always so funny and really nice. Also, Su has a little bit of a potty mouth but that's part of her charm. =) Not that any yelpers would, but just in case, don't be a jerk and write something bad about her because you're stuck up. She's really great.
I like Eric. I like my tattoo. I liked that they were watching funny sitcoms while I got my tattoo -- it made the experience much more pleasant.
But I did feel a bit ignored when I walked in. No one came down to say hello for 20 minutes. I had called ahead and was told that they were completely open at that time, to drop by. I don't really think they were being rude, just a little unenthusiastic about finding out if I was worth working with.
After Eric greeted me, my experience improved toward positive and I can't say anything bad about him, really. He was professional and kind and did a neat job.
Like others, I'll note that there were no aftercare instructions communicated, but that the price was fair.
I went with a friend to get her ear lobes pierced. When we came in, two customers were having problems deciding on back piercings. Originally we were told there was a 15 minute wait. But because of these girls' indecisiveness, it was over an hour wait. Considering it takes 5 minutes to pierce two ear lobes, it would have been nice for the staff to think, "Hey maybe we should let my friend go ahead of them". Two stars cos the woman who did the job on my friend was very sweet, funny, and the room/tools were sterile but really now, the waiting is what killed a potentially good review.
Review Source:I've had several tattoos from here. Jeremy did a few and did an awesome job but left. It was always fun going in there. I would be there longer than I'm sure the tattoo should take but we would break and one time got dinner. I'm sure most people dont hang out that much I loved it.
Also when I wanted something that wasn't custom designed I was able to walk in and got it done.
I have recommended this shop to many people who have loved the work they got done. They are always professional while still being gritty which I like.
I had a great experience at Tatu Tattoo last night. Â As I've never gotten a tattoo in Chicago, I did some research on where to go via Yelp, but ended up going with a place recommended by a waiter who waited on my friends and me for dinner. Â
Eric did my tattoos- some stars on my foot, as well as redid the original I had- apparently the color was uneven the first time I had it done in Dallas. Â Eric was great- he kept asking if I was doing okay, he was nice, and very professional. Â I highly recommend going in with cash- they can give you better deals that way. Â I swore I am not getting any more tattoos, but should my friends want them, I'm recommending Tatu. Â Fast, clean..this was the way to go.
I had the absolute worst experience at Tatu Tattoo!! Â
I was so thoroughly disappointed with my experience at Tatu Tattoo that I've decided to write my first review on Yelp. Â
I got a tattoo at Tatu Tattoo about 4 years ago and was hoping to have another positive experience. Â I found their artists to be incredibly talented, friendly and very creative. Â This time, I had a much different experience...
When I called the shop, I was told by a very friendly guy that if I didn't have the exact sketch of my desired tattoo, I could use their computer to search on the internet. Â At that point I was sold. Â I went to the shop, found my sketch and he printed it out for me. Â After waiting for a few moments while he consulted with "my artist", he came back and quoted me an unusually high price. Â I asked him if the prices were arbitrary and he said he would check. Â He came back and said that the manager was going to ink me and that she determined the price, but that she would be happy to speak to me about it. Â
When the manager came to the front of the shop to speak to me, she was incredibly rude and insulted me because I asked if they have a pricing structure for their tattoos. Â She spent five minutes explaining that she would looooove to take the time to explain to me how tattoos are made and how much she must pay her artists, but she had more important things to do. Â She then explained that she was an incredibly talented artist and if I wanted to haggle I could try to flirt with one of the male artists (since I am a "cute girl"). Â I explained that I had no intention of haggling but wanted some clarity on whether prices are arbitrarily determined or if there was a particular system or structure. Â She told me that if I wanted to pay less, I could go to a "flea market" and get inked instead of her establishment. Â With that suggestion, I said "thank you for your time" and walked out of the door with the printed sheet in hand and headed to The Chicago Tattoo and Piercing Company and had a great time. Â
I will never, ever, ever patronize Tatu Tattoo. Â Driving by the establishment makes me nauseous...
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).
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!
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.
I just got my navel pierced here so I can review that experience but not the tattoos. Â However, I have several friends that swear by Tatu for their tats. Â
I decided, on impulse of course, to repierce my navel. Â I had it pierced years ago by someone that didn't know what he was doing. Â It was a complete, infected disaster because the piercing was too deep. Â So knowing that some my friends really liked this place and having no other recommendations for places to go, I decided to come here.
I walked in on a hot Sunday afternoon. Â The atmosphere seemed really relaxed and low key. Â The guy who pierced me, Michah, seemed really down to earth and patient. Â He explained everything he would be doing . Â He also examined my old piercing scar and figured out how to do it so as to not pierce the old scar tissue (which has been there for 10 yrs) and have the piercing look centered. Â
Overall very nice experience. Â He really took the time to make sure my piercing was centered and it looks great. Â He also explained aftercare thoroughly. Â
Now I just hope the darn thing doesn't become infected - but that's on me now not the piercer. Â Oh, cash only.
It seems like there are a lot of mixed reviews on this place. However, I had a completely enjoyable experience! I went here for my first tattoo. It was the tattoo I had wanted forever and I finally got it. I brought in some pictures of what I wanted done and the guy, Eric, drew it up on the spot. It turned out exactly how I wanted it to. I wasn't sure on color but he helped me pick what went best with my skin tones, etc. The tattoo turned out better than I could have dreamed and the guy was super nice to boot. The price was pretty great too! I would definitely go back (and request Eric) if/when I decide to get another tattoo.
Review Source: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!
I walked in around 10pm to get a retainer for my brow piercing. Â I was told that someone would be right with me. Â A heavily pierced guy walked in right after me and was immediately helped. Â 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. Â Another guy walked in and was approached by the piercing girl after 5 minutes. Â The guy was nice enough to tell her that I was before him. Â I would have made my presence known if he didn't say anything anyway.
I've had other average experiences here. Â But this ruined it for me. Â I guess it depends on who happens to be working at the time. Â Very inconsistent indeed. Â If you don't fit the stereotype of a tattooed/pierced person, you may get ignored.
When I was vaguely into piercings in college, I went here and was never disappointed by Bob Jones. Â 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. Â 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". Â
Uncouth, unprofessional and embarrassing.
Go anywhere but here.
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.
Do you ever have one of those days where you're in a crappy mood, and you finally decide that getting the tattoo you've wanted forever? Well I did! Which is exactly what brought me to Tatu Tattoo.
Now keep in mind that this was because Tomato Tattoo (which I will review momentarily) has a huge issue about "Making Appointments". I understand their reasoning, but it's sort of annoying and lost them my business. They wanted me to book a spot that was 2 weeks away, and I wasn't havin' it.
So I rode my bike over to Tatu Tattoo (whom I remembered for their awesome, tribal-inspired body jewelry) and was helped in a second's notice. I had to wait a little bit for the tattoo artist to come back from lunch, which was cool with me. I just spent my precious time looking at the flash art, included "Laughing Jesus" and "Upset Zebra with Wings". Freakin' awesome.
My tattoo artist was Alle (hope I'm spelling that right) who was absolutely kind and interested in what I wanted done. I was getting script on my collar bone, and explained how I wanted it to be "heavy lines and sort of cursive". Less that 20 minutes later, he came back with a design that I was instantly in love with it. He placed it on my collar bone 3 times to make sure the placement was absolutely perfect, which made me happy.
Now the pain of a collar bone tattoo is brutal for a little lady like myself. I'm not going to lie. I made an effort to stand still and not fidget, but it was quite the task. However, Alle was understanding of that and helped me be relaxed. He stayed very focused on my work during the process, which was good.
In the end, he charged me $20 cheaper than his original estimate, which was awesome. The only reason I gave it 4 stars out of 5 (and would give it a 4.5 if possible) is because some spots are heavier than others. However, he did say that I could come in and get it touched up whichever I wanted, so I should probably go do that.
I was incredibly pleased with the tattoo and the way I was treated by Alle, in addition to all the other staff members who were there. Â I highly recommend going to Tatu Tattoo, specifically Alle.
Su Houston is a fantastic tattoo artist who has fixed up two of my tattoos beyond recignition- as in you can't see the mess that they used to be, only the amazing cover up work that she has done.
I haven't had work done there by other artists so can't comment that aspect of the shop, though everyone has always been very friendly.
After debating with myself for five years about whether to commit to a certain tattoo, I walked into Tatu Tattoo on a whim. "I'll just price it out," I thought, certain I'd need an appointment or be given a hard time by some burly, uber-tattooed guy.
Instead, Jake greeted me after I stood looking lost at the front for about 30 seconds. I showed him my design and asked how much it would be. He quoted me a price for cash--which it sounds like is pretty common practice--saying it would be higher for credit card. Â Then he said it would only take about twenty minutes and he could do it right then.
So I threw caution to the wind (relatively speaking--I had checked out the shop and knew they were reputable and clean) and sat in the back watching the Redskins while Jake inked me up. Â
The only minor complaint I would have is that the shop could use a handout or a bit more explanation of what to expect for aftercare. I didn't know what to expect, other than instructions to use moisturizer and "Keep it wet, but not too wet; dry, but not too dry." There are a few small spots where the ink pulled out from scabbing which I'll need to have retouched.
But other than that, a really friendly crew with a clean shop who made me feel right at home.
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.
So after a debacle of an experience at Tattoo Factory (read my review) I decided to go with Tatu Tattoo.
Walked in on Saturday night around 10, was greeted by a polite but quiet guy behind the counter, had about a half hour wait, and was tattooed and ready to go around 11. Su was my artist.
I'm giving four stars only because of the piece I had done, which was pretty small. Â I'm very satisfied with the tattoo though!
Oh, and for the pierced - They had a nice selection of natural jewelry (wood and bone) in various sizes and organic shapes.
I just got my first professional tattoo (I have two "homemade" ones) at Tatu Tattoo. My girlfriend and I walked in and after a couple minutes of standing around we got greeted by Jake.
I showed him a printout of what I wanted, a couple words in classic tattoo lettering measuring about 2.5" x 5". I told him I was thinking about getting it a little smaller but he advised against it because he said that some of the lines were already very small and close together. He quoted me $90 cash or $100 credit so we walked down the street to an ATM while he prepared.
When we got back we waited around for a couple more minutes and then headed back to his station. After setting everything up in front of me (he was incredibly clean) he got to work. He didn't make much conversation but he did a great job. I didn't tip him, though, because I wasn't sure if it was customary or not. If I see him again I will make sure to tip him.
I think Jake sent Ricardo down to talk to my girlfriend about her tattoo since she told him that she was interested in a ~ 3" x 3" rose design. She looked through some flash but couldn't find something that she really liked. Ricardo went upstairs and drew a perfect rose with the stem and leaves exactly how she wanted it. He then went to work on her and, as Jake was, was very clean and professional. Ricardo was very talkative and nice to us. He definitely did an amazing job on her rose. He used four colors plus black and charged her $80 on her credit card.
For a first experience, Tatu Tattoo was great. I plan on going back for another tattoo sometime. My tattoo cost a little more than I was expecting, but it does look great. Bring cash when you go and don't forget to tip, or else you might feel bad like I do.
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.
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.
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? Â 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. Â I would definitely recommend TatuTattoo to folks who are looking for a friendly, professional place to get work done. Hooray!
I found this place when I was lost on North Ave my first week in the city, and randomly stopped in. Marci was hanging out in the front of the shop, and she was so nice that I mentally bookmarked the place for when I wanted to get work done, even though I don't live that close by.
I went in yesterday for a small tattoo on my hip. I didn't have to wait long at all, and it only cost 50 bucks. I totally thought I was going to feel stupid for getting something small and simple when the guy in the next chair was getting work done on a full sleeve, but the artist was friendly and awesome, and joked with me about letting him know if I needed a break. In the ten minutes it took to finish the design, I'd pretty much decided to come back for my next one (or two, or three).
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. Â The guy that did decide to help us looked like he was really annoyed that we were there. Â 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. Â It's better that I take cash. Â 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.
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.
I cannot speak for the tattooing here as that I have never gotten a tattoo here nor am I familiar with any of the artists. Â What I can talk about is their piercer (who I saw a few years ago and she may no longer be there).
It was a very clean piercing room and the piercer knew what she was talking about. Â She helped me with a troublesome piercing of mine by making a suggestion of jewelry that I had never considered. Â I swapped the rings out and haven't had a problem since.
I've been in the shop before with others when they were just talking to a friend or looking. Â I can say that each time, the shop looked well maintained. Â
I wish I could say more about the art but as far as piercing goes, this place is top notch.
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! :)
After researching a couple of different tattoo shops I decided on Tatu Tattoo for my second tat and they did not disappoint. Â I didn't make an appointment beforehand so there was a bit of a wait (which I saw as a good thing, busy=satisfied customers) but it was worth it. Â The tattoo artists were all very friendly and entertaining and Nexer did a great job of blending my old tattoo with the new design and helped with some color touch-ups. Â I felt very comfortable the whole time and the shop seemed to be very clean. Â I'll definitely go back when I decide on my next one!
Review Source:I have not been tattooed here before, but I have to give it 5 stars for their exceptional service. Â See, I had a little freak out with my nose stud and couldn't get it back in after I took it out for a little bit. Â I went to them since they were right down the street from me and the piercer on staff was so sweet and put it back in for me with no charge whatsoever, aside from the tip I gave him for calming my crazy ass down.
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