Went in on Saturday just planning on a consultation, but Grant had a cancellation so he was able to, pretty much, take me right away. I came with a printout of exactly what I wanted, but he made some minor modifications to the design to make it more tattoo friendly and make it fit. Grant was super nice, professional, has great taste in music, and was very conscientious about cleanliness and my comfort. He even gave me a cookie afterward because I was so brave. Everyone at Proton Tattoo was great and the facility was very organized and clean. I would recommend it to anyone. read more

Proton Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

I absolutely LOVE coming to Proton Tattoo. Chris May is my main man when it comes to ink, and I literally flew in from Florida after moving to get more work done. He's awesome. Not only do his skills speak for himself, he's pretty damn funny and he's also always creating custom pieces that never fail to blow me away as well as every person that comes across his work. I've been coming here since probably 2013 to get work done and couldn't be happier, he gets me in at a time that works for both of us and works hard to ensure that I'm 100% happy and free with my choices, like color selection, etc. I don't think I'll be seeing another artist for awhile when I've got someone that can create CRAZY custom pieces at a good price. If you need ink you'll adore and you want something that can't be found on Pinterest, this is your place. read more

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Just got a piece done by Chris May and it was an awesome experience. Chris was great! I had a broad idea of what I wanted , gave him what I needed included and he said "I got you". showed up today and and what he had badass! Showed up a little after noon and was out by 3:30. Great conversation and the 80's tunes just made the day that much more enjoyable. I love the shop,,, so much to look at while the work is done. I would definitely suggest giving the folks at Proton you business, already talking to chris about doing the whole sleeve on my forearm. Just got another piece done by Chris. It is just amazing! Better then I imagined. Can't recommend this shop enough! read more

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Excellent shop! Very clean, all of the artists were very friendly and you can tell very passionate about their work. I liked the shop itself a lot too. Fun stuff to look at all around you. We went on 10/30 for their $31 tattoo special and Halloween party... It was a long wait because of how many people showed, but it was worth it! Jon did my tattoo, and I am thoroughly happy with it! I took a few of his business cards to give to done friends and I will definitely be returning to get done more work done! read more

Proton Tattoo - My piece that was done by Jon. From Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark! - Tattoo Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

Chris happily tweaked some blow out detail on my wrist, was beyond accommodating, personable, informative, patient with my Spanish inquisition, and so kind, along with humorous. Cannot give enough praise about Proton tattoo regarding it being impeccably clean, professional and their friendly staff. Great experience, they book up quick so call in advance, if you don't want to hang out and wait. You can browse one of the many tattoo catalogs or bring your own idea/art for your ink. read more

Proton Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

Did a great job at customer service and making sure i was comfortable the whole time. the tattoo turned out way better then i could have imagined. read more

Everyone here is very friendly and will work with you to get you the tattoo you want. I was recently in for the $31 Halloween tattoos, and I couldn't be happier with the selections the artists had drawn up to choose from. I know that this special is not typical, but for a 3-4" tattoo, in full color might I add, $31 is a STEAL! My artist, Jon, was super helpful in helping me choose the colors for my tattoo, and he also helped me pick the perfect placement. I would definitely come back for the next few pieces I have planned out, and I will recommend them to all my tattoo loving friends! read more

Proton Tattoo - Owl tattoo done by Jon. - Tattoo Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

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Proton Tattoo.. Where do I start? The folks that work there are some of the most passionate people you'll ever meet! Their artists truly care about the projects they're involved with. Y'all can walk in there with any janky ol idea ya have and you'll be livin life with nothin but compliments! Check em out! They'll rock your face! read more

One of the best! I've had almost all my work done here. Chris May is my artist and does a wonderful artist. He's exceptional! Very professional. Does a great job of listening to what you want and letting you know his professional opinion at the same time. I have trusted him time and time again and always been thrilled with the results! read more

Proton Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

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Super friendly staff, clean shop, talented tattooers. One of my favorite shops in IL, worth the drive to DeKalb forsure. I've been coming here for a few years and have never been let down either by the tattooers or the staff, coming here is always pleasant and everyone is really welcoming which is a nice twist to your usual tattoo shop atmosphere. read more

Proton Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

Walked in to get a consultation about a tattoo I wanted in memory of my niece. I put my name on the wait list and was called to come in later that day. Aaron looked at my pictures, and my ideas and drew up something unique for me. It was better than I could have imagined it. He designed a firework tattoo for my foot and included my nieces initial with a shooting star for her. He was quick and professional and he was very welcoming. The price was extremely reasonable. The only slight downfall was the music was very loud for my taste. But that's just my personal opinion. This place exceeded my expectations in customer service and talent. I strongly recommend this place, they are great for any style of tattoo! And Aaron is great! Go see him! read more

Proton Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

I got my daith pierced here and Mike did AWESOME. he we super friendly and made the process really easy and smooth. Definitely knows what he's talking about. The atmosphere was very kind and all of the staff were helpful. For sure recommend coming here for any piercing and make sure Mike does it. Highlight of my day! read more

Proton Tattoo - Got my daith done by Mike! Definitely recommend! He was incredible! - Tattoo Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

I've been to this shop numerous times with old H.S. buddies when they got inked with Mark Meyer, I enjoyed his work and got one myself on my ribs. Will be definitely coming back soon. read more

Great place to get inked for the first time!

Very generous, charitable local business! Every year they donate to our work raffle to raise $$ for community charities. They are a reminder of what Christmas is all about! read more

place is really nice and they are very friendly. My one and only tattoo is from here and it is decent sized and was $50. I wish I could remember the man's name who did mine, but he has a lot of tattoos and a forked tongue. I also think his wife named Barbie works there as well. I was very nervous and he talked to me to the whole time along with my friends and it really did not hurt much, I am just a nervous person in general. They have nice tattoo books for you to reference while you are waiting or if you just want to stop in for ideas. They only allow appointments if it is a bigger tattoo so I would call and check before you walk in because we had to wait a while since we were walk ins. read more

Mike Gear at Proton was absolutely fantastic doing my little girl's ear piercing. Perfectly professional, incredibly friendly and made her feel much more comfortable when she started getting nervous about the whole process. Would recommend to anyone. read more

My husband and I have had 7 out of 12 tattoos between us done at Proton. I came in today to get my grandma's portrait fixed, I got it done at a different tattoo shop. Chris was absolutely fabulous and exceeded my expectations with this portrait. We will not go anywhere else for our tattoos. Thank you so much, Chris! read more

Jon was awesome and took great care of me. I gave him ideas of what I wanted and he came up with the perfect design. He explained everything and was patient with my refusal to hold still! I love love love my new tat! Shop was clean, with lots of interesting things to look at. I would definitely recommend Proton and Jon for your next tattoo, that's where I'll be going read more

After getting a cover-up which I absolutely love and am happy with and i tipped pretty generously, the artist told me to come back in a month so we could see how it healed and seen if it needed any touching up, so i went back after it healed and he said it healed nice but it could be touched up in a few spots so we scheduled an appointment... I showed up on time only to be told he had an emergency with his wife and we would need to reschedule and that they didn't have my number to call and tell me this..okk fine I understand so I gave them my number..thing is he NEVER called me back.. I was going to go get the rest of my work done here but after this I will never return or recommend.. read more

Clean place, people seemed nice. But my cousin and I put our name on their list for tattoos and sat around for an hour. Finally after three people passed us by, someone approached us and told us that we weren't guaranteed to get our tattoos that day. I was upset because the person who checked us in never told us that, therefore we waited for an hour when we could've gotten our tattoos somewhere else. read more

Took my wife there to get a tattoo she picked out, it was a professional drawing by Gail Sommers, the tattoo "artist" had the drawing with the copyright words on the paper and still managed to put the tattoo on upside down, we tried to speak with the owner and he avoided my calls, finally the "artist" that did the work called me back and just argued with us saying she doesn't feel it's upside down and will not refund the money. Also they don't like any payment but cash probably to avoid taxes and proof of purchase. STAY AWAY! read more