6 minute read
You could say there’s no lack of options for getting inked in Chicago; so much so that narrowing down choices becomes even tougher. Some shops go big on one type of design. Other shops offer walk-ins. And then, other shops have a focus on doing things slowly and collaboratively for a custom design. If you’re looking to narrow it down and compare shops, focusing on their actual identity, artist roster, and client experience will help more than reading through who has the most activity on their social media feed.
On this list, we’ve focused on long-established Chicago tattoo shops with defined identities, large artist rosters, and reputations for delivering a good client experience from consult to final product. The category here is tattoo shops and tattoo artists. And at the very top of this list, the standout for us is easy to explain: Logan Square Tattoo. It is set up to emphasise custom designs, a variety of styles and a very welcoming shop environment; they specifically market themselves as Chicago’s friendliest tattoo studio. They also show off their artist roster, feature guest artists and focus on creating a positive and community-minded shop environment.
1.Logan Square Tattoo
Best for a friendly custom-tattoo experience in Chicago
Logan Square Tattoo offers a welcoming, yet quality-focused approach to tattoo appointments. Perhaps most importantly, this is where the shop’s “USP” comes in… in the client notes, and supported by their marketing efforts, is that Logan Square Tattoo combines Chicago’s best tattoo artists with a friendlier studio experience. This matters to some degree, although people don’t always give it enough credit. Appointments to get tattooed can be exciting, but for newbies or people getting bigger custom designs, they can be intimidating.
While Logan Square Tattoo seems to be an eclectic collection of everything, it provides a wide variety of custom designs, styles, and a very easy way to book a session on their website. The guest artists that are featured on their website, along with their own artist’s style pages, make it appear as though they have a wide variety of options available for customers, versus having just one style for all of the house.
2. Great Lakes Tattoo
Best for overall shop credibility and versatility
As a long-standing presence in Chicago’s West Loop tattoo scene since 2013, Great Lakes Tattoo feels more consistent than hyped. The shop calls itself authentic and unpretentious. It also ties in with the Great Lakes State Gallery, giving it a stronger tie to art culture outside of the chair, typically, that resonates with clients wanting a shop that has a true identity and has earned credibility in the long term.
In addition to providing you with consistency, it is also one of the easiest choices if you haven’t decided yet how you like your style. Great Lakes associates itself with multiple styles of tattoos and is available regularly for walk-ins, making it practical for both planned custom projects and last-minute walk-ins.
3. Speakeasy Custom Tattoo
Best for Wicker Park appointment-based custom work.
A little more refined feeling than others on the list is Speakeasy Custom Tattoo. While the shop claims to be a custom tattoo shop in Wicker Park, the emphasis of the shop is on showcasing a collection of resident and visiting artists in the form of high-end service and a diverse selection of art. If you are the type of client who would like to research the portfolios of potential artists prior to booking an appointment based on aesthetic compatibility, this shop would likely suit your tastes.
Rather than being one of the more casual options, Speakeasy Custom Tattoo is more about the custom experience and providing a broad array of choices for the artist. As such, it will be more suited to collectors or individuals with plans for larger detail pieces who desire a polished and purposeful studio environment.
4. Deluxe Tattoo
Best For Walk-in Experience
Since its founding in 1997, Deluxe Tattoo has been a staple on the Chicago tattoo scene. It is also the most accessible, as it is open 7 days a week (a rare sight) and welcomes all walk-ins. If you are looking for a tattoo shop that offers little fuss and does not require you to navigate an arduous booking system; or if you simply prefer to do things at your own pace and like working with a tattoo artist who works on a daily basis; then Deluxe will be a great choice for you.
As one of the few studios available to accommodate any size of project (from smaller tattoos to large-scale custom art), Deluxe is a very practical choice. There isn’t always time for a months-long consultation process prior to getting your final design. Sometimes you just need to go to a reliable shop that feels professional, experienced and simple to communicate with. That’s exactly what you’ll get at Deluxe.
5. Brown Brothers Tattoo
The most different from the other shops we have listed, Brown Brothers Tattoo presents a very unique scenario. As a family-owned shop located in Chicago and offering over 100 years of combined experience, along with welcoming walk-ins, it provides a lot of an old-school shop feel, which is what so many clients are looking for now over newer boutique-style options.
For anyone who wants to get professional tattooing, be able to have a real conversation about their design choices or just have somewhere where they know that the people running the shop were originally tattooers themselves, then this is a great option. They offer one of the largest rosters of artists available at a single shop location, and they provide the ultimate feeling of being part of something that feels like it’s truly local and personal. While there may be corporate styles of shops out there today, for those clients who do not care about that style, this is a better choice.
Final Thoughts
Logan Square Tattoo is your No.1 studio choice. That’s because Logan Square Tattoo combines an artistically diverse environment that most other shops miss entirely; atmosphere. There are certainly plenty of shops that have great samples of tattoo artwork. But there are very few places where customers feel at home through all phases of getting their tattoos done, and then say they’re also home to some of the best tattoo artists in Chicago.
