I'm going to preface this review by saying that it took a lot of time to decide which tattoo shop I wanted to go to for my first tattoo. I looked into almost every shop in the Western suburbs and at least half of the ones in the city. I wasn't prepared to accept anything less than excellence for a piece that was extremely important to me.
I called Rob-- the artist-- on a Wednesday to ask if there was any chance I could get an appointment in for the next day. He was friendly and helpful and we talked about what exactly I wanted. I offered to email him a picture of what I wanted and in return he agreed to call me back in about ten minutes after he had looked over the design. He was true to his word and we discussed pricing and deposite information before settling on an appointment time the next day. He also offered to text me a picture of what he had drawn up if he got it done early. He didn't get it done early enough to text me, but I appreciated the offer in any case.
So that brings me to the day of the appointment. The shop is easy to find in a very nice neighborhood. My friend and I arrived early, and I was able to grab a snack at a cute little pastry shop a little ways down the street to calm my nerves a bit. I was greeted as soon as I entered the shop and Rob immediately guessed that I was his 4:00 appointment. He said he was going to run to his desk and grab the drawing and my friend and I could have a seat while we waited. The shop is small, but brightly colored and nicely decorated, as well as extremely clean looking. Murals covered a few of the walls and his own artwork covered the rest of the decorations. There were several portfolios of his own artwork as well as books about tattooing and design on a table across from the seating area.
When he showed me the drawing, it was PERFECT. Not exactly what I had shown him, but modified in such a way that it made the perfect tattoo. The artwork was of an extremely high quality and it was pretty much everything I was looking for. We talked about placement and he had my friend and I wait for a few minutes so that he could transfer the drawing onto tracing paper and grab a smoke before we started.
It took probably 20 minutes before I sat down in the small section of the shop where he actually did the tattoo. It was absolutely immaculate. I know some information about how to keep such an area sanitary and safe, and I could tell he went above and beyond all minimum requirements. During the time I was getting my tattoo, he was pretty quiet. If I or my friend said something, he would have input, but he didn't start too many conversations himself. Personally, that's my preference. He's definitely a nice guy and fun to talk to, I'm just quiet by nature.
When I saw my piece it was fantastic. Exactly the size and location that I wanted it, and perfectly done down to the last detail. I couldn't be happier with my finished product. He is a true artist and I couldn't recommend him more highly.
After everything was over, he talked about everything you could possibly need to know about tattoo aftercare and offered me a name brand tattoo lotion and soap for a pretty low price. I figured I was better safe than sorry.
So, all in all, though I don't have much to compare it to, I'm fairly confident that Goodkind Tattoo is one of the best shops in the city, even though it's on the newer side. Rob was amazing and helpful, and I'm thrilled with the work he did. read more