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    Great Lakes Tattoo

    4.5 (148 reviews)
    ModerateTattoo
    Closed 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

    Services - Great Lakes Tattoo

    Tattooing

    Great Lakes Tattoo Photos

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    Recommended Reviews - Great Lakes Tattoo

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    Reviews With Photos

    Kaelin N.

    My friend and I walked in on a weekday for quick tattoos, and it was a professional and welcoming process. My cousin from the area recommended this place, and I'm so glad she did! We showed the front desk girl our reference photo and we got a quote, which we were okay with, and sat down and filled out some online forms. Felix did our tattoos, which were 3 small stars on our wrist. He was friendly, professional, and overall was great conversation. The studio was clean and everyone was friendly and welcoming. Conversation was easy and so was silence. I felt very welcome and Felix was gentle. The tattoos came out beautifully! I would recommend Great Lakes Tattoo. I think prices are very fair, but the experience was wonderful.

    Calla lily tattoo done by Brandon
    Tyreece R.

    I was visiting from California and wanted to get a tattoo during my trip. I looked at a few shops and ended up picking Great Lakes. I loved all the flash that they have covering the walls throughout the shop. If I had to pick one I probably would have left with three. Luckily I came prepared that day. My tattoo artist was Brandon and the time went by pretty fast. He was hella chill. While talking he was expressing how he loves doing tattoo regardless of the of the piece and made the image I gave him come to life. Whenever I'm in Chicago and need a tattoo this place is definitely my first stop.

    Scooby Doo Tattoo by Kevin Leary
    BriElle A.

    I have always loved working with the amazing artists at Great Lakes. They are incredibly kind, talented, and receptive. My go to artist is Kevin Leary. He has impeccable line work, especially when it comes to straight lines. I have gotten 7 tattoos with Kevin in various styles. His most recent work he completed with me was a classic scooby doo popsicle. He's probably the only people I would ever trust to do any type of wrapped tattoos, because his line work is perfect and he will take the necessary time to get the stencil on straight. He has an incredibly chill vibe and will be honest with you when a tattoo may not be in his particular tattooing style, which i wholeheartedly appreciate.

    Traditional American style 1920's Chicago inspired tattoo

    Mario Deza did a phenomenal job capturing exactly what I wanted in this tattoo. The lines, shading and color are absolutely incredible and he completed the work super fast as well. Highly recommend.

    My first tattoo (I am 39 you ha!)!  I am so happy that I kid you not I kissed my own wrist this morning.
    Jenny R.

    I have been mulling over getting my FIRST tattoo for the last years (which would have been way earlier if I didn't come from a tattoo hating family). I'm 39 - it's never too late lol. So when I finally had an epiphany of what I wanted to get I wanted to get this ink ASAP! My dear friend Brandon Seef referred me to your shop. I emailed back and forth with GL a few times this week. They were super responsive and cool. They even warned me that walk in on Saturdays could have bad waits (if you can avoid Saturday, do it, there were a LOT of people). On the day of, I sat nervously in the awesome waiting room. After making friends with everyone from traveling sailors to some awesome lumberjack looking dude I was called back for the big event. Brandon was super comforting and small talked my nervous a** self through the whole thing. My "and"*(story of word below if interested) tattoo turned out perfect. I love it!!!! And they were even super cool and let me come back in to re-wrap my thirsty self who removed the skin to take picture and show my husband. Thank you Brandon and all of the awesome staff and Great Lakes for making my first experience great :) * Tattoo story - I'm a CPS school counselor. Using the word and instead of but has increased my overall communication from school to home. "The bottom line - Avoiding 'But', and saying the word 'And' instead gives more direct and constructive feedback, while better validating others feelings. Using 'And' allows you to share your opinion without dismissing the feelings and needs of others." - Anchor Light Therapy Collection

    Jake M.

    I wanted a tattoo on a spur of the moment trip, and found Great Lakes Tattoo had high reviews online. We did a walk in an hour before they closed. The shop had flashes everywhere to choose. Mario Desa called me back and made quick work of my thigh tattoo. 11/10 to Mario for the good conversation and awesome piece. GREAT LAKES TATTOO IS A MUST GO TOO!

    Nathan Z.

    TL;DR I would go back. I would recommend them. Stopped by and got this little guy on my last trip to Chicago, AKA hog butcher to the world. The shop was clean, low key, and welcoming. They even take credit cards, which I have never seen before. Brandon was great to visit with and I am excited about the work he did. Walking in mid-day was easy. Even if you have to wait there is stuff to eat and do nearby.

    Tattoo
    Robert H.

    I went here for my first ever tattoo & couldn't be happier. The process was covid safe and all the staff were friendly. Miles gave me my tattoo & although he has moved on I highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a tattoo. 5/5 local business with talented artists.

    This was the best tattoo experience I have had. Everyone working was so flexible and efficient. Erik walked me through step by step during the session. This was a bigger leap for me, and he made it so much easier. I'm from out of town, but would definitely come back just to have the same shop!

    Love the message
    Kethnie M.

    I saw this shop based on great reviews I was a walk in. Because if Covid. They appointment only. But because I knew what I wanted and it was small. They squeezed me in. The shop is super clean! Everyone was very friendly. No booth were too close together. It's a beautiful shop. I felt very comfortable there. They have great after care instructions as well. Tattoo is nice clean and he was quick because it hurt Highly recommend this shop!

    An original stencil and tattoo by Eric Gillespie
    Chris R.

    Eric had an available spot, and I was super excited. Fantastically warm and jovial dude. He was super chill and also made me feel very welcome. His tattoo was super quick and relatively painless. I am not even remotely from the area, but I would love to come back! Front desk staff were also excellent and told me about a lovely architecture river tour. Everything about this place was super professional and I would love to get inked here again.

    Angela B.

    I am SO BUMMED! My 2nd tattoo in my life at this place and I'm stuck with a tattoo the wrong color. The artist NEVER asked and I never stated the color bcuz I was getting more of the same. Purple, NOT blue ink. I won't show my tat. I'm too embarrassed. My disappointment is extreme.

    Hourglass by Mario

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    11 months ago

    I had a wonderful experience -- I walked in with a vague design idea and left with an amazing tattoo

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Great Lakes Tattoo

    Review Highlights - Great Lakes Tattoo

    Recommend Beatdown for all you tattooing needs Have been going to Nick and friends since Chicago Tattoo on Belmont.

    Mentioned in 14 reviews

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    Kvitka Tattoo Studio - Freshly inked

    Kvitka Tattoo Studio

    3.9(7 reviews)
    0.5 miRiver West, Noble Square, West Town

    Sharing this story as a warning. Think before you Ink and please do your research on your artist…read more On 04/18/2025, I went to Tatti (not my first time with her) for a tattoo of a pair of wings. What was supposed to be meaningful and exciting turned into one of my biggest regrets. The wings came out crooked, asymmetrical, and poorly placee, a mistake I now have to live with. The moment I saw the finished product, I felt instant regret. To make matters worse, despite knowing how upset I was, she tried to post about the tattoo on her social media, making excuses as to why this did not come out good. I felt like my tramatic experience was used for her social media branding as she had such little regard for me as a client. Her bedside manner only added to the trauma. She minimized my concerns instead of taking accountability, forgetting that I would be the one wearing her mistake permanently. In the end, she did refund me, but that barely scratches the surface of the damage. I am now undergoing painful and expensive tattoo removal sessions that cost many times more than the original tattoo. She did offer up rework, but after spending hundreds consulting with reputable artists, they said there is a huge structual issue with this tattoo and corrections/cover ups would be high-risk. This has been a truly traumatic experience, and I share it so others can avoid going through the same.

    I had high expectations for Kvitka, but even after those were deflated, I remained optimistic that…read moreperhaps my tattoo retouch would go more smoothly. I also gave Kvitka the benefit of the doubt that it was an off day, but unfortunately my experience was not reflective of the reviews or the experiences shared. I came in for 3 tiny tattoos. The artist told me that the price would be $500 total USD, not including the tip. I had $100 I was preparing for the tip, but my total ended up being much higher than originally agreed upon so my tip had to be decreased to $40. My surprise came at the invoice, but specifically the charge for a $15 service fee. Now, Kvitka is a Russian-speaking company, and they operate with no guests allowed, and incredibly high prices for artists with limited experience, and they should have reached out warning about the no heat and asking to reschedule or not. I had the most uncomfortable time simply from being cold in there. I was close to being there for 4 hours. Now, I had sent in multiple photos of all 3 fine line tiny tattoos that the artist said she'd have stencils ready to go and I discussed in specific detail expeditions. Kvitka's location is horribly hidden with little instruction on this, but upon my final arrival they in a giggly tone, wearing sweaters and coats, share that their heater is broken. This is December. I'm freezing in a tank top. I even looked past this as I was genuinely excited for my tattoos. Even when my artist was late to the appointment by about 15 minutes, I didn't bat an eye. But then the fonts she had picked did not at all match what I sent. So I had to wait for her to do the sketch for the stencil on top of that. But alas, I was so excited that I did not mind the extra 45 minutes spent. Except for the tattoos I got, the should have been out of their in 45 minutes and not the total of over 3.5 hours to get 3 tiny tattoos done. Don't forget that they also do a mini photoshoot (no statement stating that they will post you) but they do not even care enough to show you the pictures you had to pose for I'm the freezing room so they could promote their business. But the real reason for this review is: my artist told me that I had to come back in January because (she had only been an artist for less than2 years) and was worried about making the line too thick so I would have to come back in 2 months. There would be a $50 touch up fee. Silly me, I also overlooked this not recognizing that the artist could not confidently do fine line artistry, and I was expected to pay more because of this. I was even happy to. But to my shock, when I reached out asking to book a spot for January, as I was told, the artist berated me and accused me of not properly using the "ointment" she gave me and refusing to even remember who I was. She made me send in all of my tattoos in pictures over instagram DM to her, and then blamed it on my dry skin. She would not rebook with me, her tone changing and not at all what she acted like prior to my payment of $600 for tattoos that she told me were her own personal reason for not being filled in due to her lack of experience, and then refused to even touch me up for $50/tattoo. The studio is small, freezing (although I hope it was only that day), artists gossiping in Russian, and they are charging fees for artists that have much more talent, professionalism, and integrity in their work and business practices.

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    Kvitka Tattoo Studio
    Kvitka Tattoo Studio
    Kvitka Tattoo Studio - 3 months healed

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    3 months healed

    Great Lakes Tattoo - tattoo - Updated May 2026

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