I got some work done here, one new piece, and the line work cleaned up on my 19 year old tattoo. Andrew did my work and he was great. He's a very chill, very quiet guy. On the rework for my old tattoo, there was more pain than on the first one-- being scar tissue and what not. Andrew was dope and talked me through it, he came in clutch when I needed it! Thanks dude. The line work on my new piece is so pretty! He took his time setting up and following sanitation processes, which I loved. They use these dope bandages, similar to what they stick an IV on you with in the ER, I don't recall the proper name. Anyway, this guy's got a great hand and was super gentle, and super chill. I read reviews regarding bad customer service, and I mean, I didn't get that at all. One guy there, I didn't catch his name, was super extroverted and i would dare say bordered on social butterfly level, while everyone else seemed more introverted. You know what, that's okay, not everyone has to be extroverted. I enjoyed my experience a lot. And can't wait to go back. Thanks y'all! read more

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I recently received an add on tattoo to my original one. In memory of my parents who both caught Cancer for different reasons. I will be returning for more work, I like the work they do. I really appreciate the atmosphere of being relaxed and happy read more

Empire Tattoo - My Mom's ribbon is on the left and my Dad is on the left representing their Cancers. I then had their initials added below their ribbon. - Piercing Near Me - Itasca, Illinois

Nick, is amazing. Does great work and explains everything in thoroughly detail. Work was done promptly and with making sure all the tool were sanitary. Love it Highly recommend them. read more

Empire Tattoo - Elephant + hibiscus - Piercing Near Me - Itasca, Illinois

Nick was phenomenal. I was nervous and he was very calming. The tattoo I was getting was handwriting and his guidance was so helpful, and the end result was perfect. Highly recommend. read more

Nick was incredible. Very sociable guy. Down to Earth, friendly, and professional artist. He did a fantastic job and made me feel very comfortable! read more

Empire Tattoo - Piercing Near Me - Itasca, Illinois

I could not express how happy I was when I left this tattoo shop! I was looking for awhile to find a good, reliable shop with trustworthy artists. I got super lucky and Mark was my tattoo artist. I don't even know where to start, he was the best. Very friendly, made me feel comfortable and made sure my tattoo was perfect and exactly how I wanted it before I left. this was my 4th tattoo and I wish I could've had Mark do the other 3!! I will definitely be coming back here for the rest of my tattoos. The rest of the crew were very friendly too and everyone was so fun to talk to!! A very clean and organized place as well, which always makes you feel comfortable. Most definitely a 10/10 for Empire Tattoos I'll never go anywhere else! Thank you Mark. (: read more

Empire Tattoo - Black roses - Piercing Near Me - Itasca, Illinois

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Andrew and Nick were both awesome. Andrew did mine and my friend's tattoos. He explained everything and was very easy-going and informative. I will definitely be going back! read more

Amazing customer service and good shows to watch while youre getting done. The people here are friendly especially twoard women, which is hard to find. Andrew did a great job on mine and my boyfriends couple tattoo. He hand drew them and then set up an appointment for us to come in and get it done. He works by the hour so estimates will be very rough. Love this tattoo and will come back for more. Thankyou for all of youre help and service! read more

Empire Tattoo - Piercing Near Me - Itasca, Illinois

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Mark did an amazing job on my kraken tattoo. I came in one day, told Mark I wanted a kraken tattoo and a week later he had it sketched out. It took a couple of visits but everyone that has seen it has loved it and I could not be happier. Mark is a great artist and I will not let anyone else tattoo me in the future. The shop is clean and very comfortable. If it is your first or tenth tattoo like mine, this is the place to go. read more

Empire Tattoo - Piercing Near Me - Itasca, Illinois

Well, I have to say I was extremely suprised. First the place and the tattoo artists were completely clean and organized. I brought my son in to get pricing. They were totally in line and even a bit more cost effective then the other 2 places in the area. After looking at pictures of some of his work I made my decision to give them a try. The owner , Nic Perri, was as friendly as you could want a tattoo artist to be. I'm a 57 year old biker and I felt so at home there I could not have been any more pleased than the way he, and all of his people treated us. My son (22) said it was one of the best experiences he's ever had .I would only suggest that if your a thin skinned pussy this might not be the place for you. Lol. So, as for the tattooing, Nic was a TRUE ARTIST. NO JOKE. And the quality was , with out a doubt , about the best I've ever seen. That is based on myself getting tattooed over the last 30 years and about 30% of my body covered. And FAST, holy cow I was blinded by how fast he was and laying out that kind of quality was amazing. He is a true TITAN of tattoo artists. They went over all the after care in detail for my son and I. He took extra detail in making sure my son knew how to care for his as it was his first time. So, all in all we will be returning for all our tattoo needs. I simply could not find any fault in their process and talent. No kidding, these guys are the best as far as I can see in this first visit. So in closing, if your looking for one really great shop, look no further folks, THIS TRULY IS THE PLACE TO GO. read more

I was here a few days ago and got a small tattoo on my ankle. I was with a few other people who got tattoos as well. Well when I got home my ankle was swollen (which I expected) but the next day under my tattoo was ridiculously swollen. I have other tattoos and have never had this issue. I'm given them three stars because everyone else just had the typical after tattoo swelling. I'm not looking to throw the artist under the bus because im sure they do great work, but the tattoo is covered for that reason. But at the end of the day I can't say I will personally be back here. read more

Empire Tattoo - Piercing Near Me - Itasca, Illinois

Got my second tattoo last night. In love with it. They do great job of going over all the steps on how to take care of it. Also liked that they have conversations with you while getting your tattoo done. Will for sure come here again for my third. read more

Empire Tattoo - Piercing Near Me - Itasca, Illinois

About a year ago, I had my second experience here. The first time was about 2 years ago. I can't remember the name of the tattoo artist who I worked with but his work was great and he made me feel super comfortable and confident. I decided to come here again since I had such a great experience the first time. Before I arrived, I had called to make sure they take walk-ins. The gentleman on the phone was a bit rude but I didn't let that get to me. As soon as I got there, I got taken care of right away because I was the only one there. The shop smelled of musty cigarettes. There was a gentleman (who's name I didn't get) who had me fill out paperwork and instructed my tattoo artist, Mark, on how to cut the outline of my design that he had printed. He positioned the design where I wanted it and we got started. Whenever I get a tattoo, i try to make conversation with the artist because I tend to hold my breath. The only thing I could think of to ask Mark was how long he had been tattooing. He responded "3 days. Hopefully I don't botch this one like the last two." I had a feeling he was being sarcastic but I asked if he was serious and he replied, "no, 20 years but I'm fucking with you because you should have asked that before we started." While I appreciate someone who is sarcastic and am quite sarcastic myself, I feel that it was very unprofessional of him to give me that response. I informed him that the reason I like to make conversation and he nodded and said, "that's no good. Don't hold your breath" and was silent for the remainder of the time . After we were through, he didn't remind me of the protocol to follow to clean the tattoo or help it heal. In my opinion, a tattoo artist's job is to mark someone permanently forever and give you a good experience while doing so. I love showing off my tattoos and this one happens to be on my ankle so everyone can see it, but it looks horrible. I didn't think it was possible to screw up a simple cross design, but apparently it is. Several people have told me it looks like a jail tattoo because the lines are crooked and uneven and the shading is awful. This experience was not a good one and I will not be returning to Empire Tattoo or recommending them. read more

Terrible service, attitude, and lack of professionalism. Will not ever be returning nor recommending to friends and family.

Horrible place I would recommend going anywhere else they over price and are unprofessional

The guy I was asking basic questions to was pretty rude and condescending towards me. Not coming back

Four stars for the bigger dude with the go tee who likes to tattoo and is a nice guy. There is a dude there that is rude and that's why they lost my business. read more

The piercer (female purple haired lady with lip and eyebrow piercings [Mandy]) could not even pierce one earlobe. Her hands were shaking ridiculously and she had to pierce the ear twice because she messed up the first time. Blood everywhere (which should not be happening with a normal ear piercing). Looked like her first time piercing something. She gave the "patient" an option to not pay and leave without a piercing (with a bleeding hole in his ear) or to let her try and repierce it. We decided to let her try again, thinking she would apologize and give it to us for no pay, like a normal business would. After another round of ridiculous hand shaking, using multiple pliers, and more bleeding, she had the audacity to demand payment. (These are all not part of a normal earlobe procedure. She had screwed up) When we started to complain, she called up a big man who used intimidation to force us to pay. The fact that the store is decorated with weapons did not help. When we left, two males followed us out and watched us leave. Do not come here for piercings of any kind. In fact, just don't come here at all. read more

Terrible, Terrible, Terrible! If you want to get something pierced, don't go here to Mandy! She pierced my daith (part of my ear). She had to do it twice because she couldn't get the jewelry in. Then she couldn't get the screw in and dropped it in my ear canal. She couldn't get it out! I ended up going to the ER to have it removed. Her advice to me was to take a shower or flush it with saline... needless to say, I ended up at the ER with a doctor pulling it out. This was the most expensive piercing I've ever had with the cost of the trip to the ER. I would NEVER recommend going here! read more

Guys are very stuck up and bossy usually in a tattoo shop everyone is very relaxed and very welcoming I didn't feel that at all at this shop Andrew is very moody and ruined the whole experience for me try to stay away from here .... read more

I have known many of the artists here for some time and they all do quality work. I have several tattoos from Joel, and if you're looking for traditional style work you wont be disappointed. Clean and knowledgeable with fair prices from dedicated artists, what more could you ask for? read more

Got my tattoo touched up here tonight...great experience! Was able to walk right in on a Friday and sit down with no hassle. The artists are really knowledgeable without being stuck up about it. I love my tattoo now more than when I originally got it! read more

Excellent customer service especially on short notice. I called one morning when I had the day off work just to see if they accepted walk-ins. I explained that I just wanted something quick and wouldn't take long. I was told Spencer would be in at 1:30 and would be more than happy to sit down and look over a few drawings I had in mind. When I arrived at 1:25 Spencer was already there and understood exactly what I was looking to do. Within an hour I was out of there and was more than satisfied with my tattoo. Definitely going back again soon. read more

Went in for three very simple tattoos. My boyfriend asked to get a simple vacuum tube tattoo (studio recording). The guy told him pretty much that he shouldn't get it and that my boyfriend won't like it in a few weeks? Which in other words he was trying to change the tattoo that was going on my boyfriend in a way that the tattoo guy would make more money. He did the same thing with my tattoo. We ended up leaving the place because he was so incredibly rude. Word to the wise: if you want to have business first of all be nice to your customers, second of all if they ask you for a tattoo don't tell them they won't like it just so you can make more Money off of them. read more

I saw Seth's work at the tattoo here in Chicago a couple weeks ago so felt good about going to him for last piece; black & grey praying hands on my forearm. Empire has a cool, laid back atmosphere. All the artists had cool attitudes & were real friendly. Seth is really easy to talk to and gets excited about his work! He knocked it out of the park! Well above my expectations! I'm proud to have it art added to my growing collections! Thank you for such a memorable experience! I'll be back for more! I'll post a picture once it's healed so you can see his handy work. You need to check this place out! read more

Horrible horrible horrible, very rude staff they just want to make your tattoo big so they can charge you more. They called my friends tattoo ugly and told her to have fun getting tattoo removal. So rude don't go here!! read more

I got my first tattoo here and my artist was Mark. I have previously gone to other parlors but I walked out since I didn't feel comfortable there. I would definitely recommend this shop to anyone getting their first tattoo - it's very laid back and clean and I definitely felt at ease. Mark was very friendly and helped me feel comfortable throughout the entire process. Both before and after the tattoo he gave me very clear instructions on how to properly take care of my new ink, which was extremely appreciated. Also, I went with two friends (who both got body piercings) and we called on a Saturday afternoon and were told that they could do all three of us as soon as we got there. read more

Mark was fantastic! I been wanting my tattoo for a while. I'm not an artist so it was hard putting a tattoo I want together without being able to draw but have specific idea of what I want incorporated. I went to a few other places till I went to Empire tattoos to shop around. No one would help me put the pieces that I wanted from my head to a tattoo. Until I went to empire tattoo and met Mark. I saw his art and can tell he was experienced (20years!). I told him the ideas I had and he was wonderful at listening and helping me put the ideas into one big piece. He truly did work with me unlike any other artist. I felt the instant understanding of what I want and felt certain about him that I made the deposite that same day for him to start drawing it up. He drew my tattoo, stayed in contact with me and was patience till I found the time to come in. Once getting my tattoo he was one point!!! Perfect size , perfect place, perfect colors, exactly what I wanted! I couldn't ask for more. THANK YOU MARK!! I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!! read more

Seth was professional, talented, and calm. He did such a good job with my watercolor tattoo! If I get another one I will go back to him hands down! read more

went back for another, original, tattoo. this time Andrew did a great job drawing up the tattoo I wanted and bringing it to life. Really happy with the finished product (which is still in the peeling stage! grrr!) read more

I have several tattoos done by Andrew, he's amazing. My family has also gotten most of their tattoos done by him. He has always made my experience more than welcoming and always makes sure I am 100% happy with his work before he puts it on me; even when I change my mind about little details 15x during my appointment. He's very gentle and makes it as pain free as possible :) I recommend him to anybody that asks me where I've gotten my tattoos done, or if I know anybody that does great work. Highly recommend Andrew and the rest of the Empire Tattoo crew for exceptional work! read more