I am very rare at giving 5 star ratings. Guess what? My streak has now been broken. I was referred to Nuco by Yira, a friend of mine for many years. Who happens to also be his client. Well, I went in maybe 2 weeks ago and took some references of what I wanted, unfortunately after careful consideration and the drawing almost complete, it turned out that what I wanted, was not exactly what I could of envisioned. So back to the drawing board. Nuco said, "give me a few days and we will get it together". And he did! One and a half weeks later I returned. Although it was a bit painful after sitting there for many hours, I completed my 13th tattoo from Nuco. An absolutely beautfiul rendition of the Mythology Creature known simply as Medusa. But unlike any Medusa I had seen up until than. This version was very innocent and serene, (and if you know Mythology~ she was a beautiful maiden prior to getting the curse of turning men into stone) this one version definitely was before and during the transformation of becoming the Gorgon. I was extremely happy with the end product, and his vision was beyond my expectations, I couldn't of guessed that his twist on a creature would give me what I have now. Nuco, definitely my newest tattoo artist and I am ready for yet another one! Highly recommend the shop with its vintage look, but complete shop. It is by far one of the cleanest and most sterile shops I've been too. read more

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the guy Donaldink I'm assuming his name is donald scammed me out of $150 and now I'm trying to contact him and he's not responding. Please dont send these ppl no money. I will be leaving a bad review on each site and donald better pray I don't see him because I will be popping up at this shop at 1147 w 18th st until I find him read more

I have had all of my custom tattoos done by Manga, and I cannot recommend him highly enough! He's always really pleasant to work with, from chatting about designs to the actual tattooing process. He did my very first tattoos on my collarbones, and they turned out beautifully (the leaves pictured below), so when I wanted a rib piece, I knew exactly who to call! His blackwork is amazing- linework, shading, everything. He's also a light touch with the needle. As pictured, I have that large rib piece and a bigger leg piece, which curves around behind my knee, and even these sensitive areas weren't much of a struggle compared to back-of-the-knee work I had done by another artist :) 1000% cannot recommend him highly enough, both for skill and attitude :) Nina has also done one of my tattoos, and even though it was a smaller piece of flash, she made the whole process quick, comfortable, and enjoyable. She's also hilarious :) if you like funny tattoos (especially Bob's Burgers or memes), she's your gal! Would definitely get tattooed by her again! I haven't had any work done by Nuco or Micah, but both of them have been pleasant and personal while I've been in the shop. All in all, a great place, especially if you like traditional tattoos! read more

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I unfortunately did not have a good experience here. I was very disappointed due to the lack of respect and professionalism. From the second I walked through the door, I had an uneasy feeling. The shop was very small and quite stuffy. Micah was the only artist there. (besides the guy who was the receptionist I believe?) I had told him the tattoo idea I wanted and he gave me sh** for it. He not only told me once, but twice, that he "personally would orient my tattoo vertically because it was a better idea and would look better". It was as if he was the one getting the tattoo, not me. His attitude and "I'm better than any other tattoo artist" ego made me feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome. "If you walk into a tattoo shop and feel uncomfortable, you need to turn around and walk back out". I certainly will not return here. Regardless, I took my business elsewhere. read more

Manga is the man. Booked my appointment abiut one month in advance and arrived about 15 minutes early. He started the paperwork as soon as I arrived and once that was completed he proceeded to draw out the design. I'm not a chatter but was extremely quiet simply because I was nervous, this was my first time getting a tattoo. He included me in every process to make sure the design had my approval and asked for input several times. Once he placed the stencil on my arm he realized he has more room so he added more to the tattoo. Took him about one hour or so to do the tattoo and I am extremely happy with it. Cannot wait until it heals. read more

Studio One Chicago - My first piece. Done by Manga - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been waiting until my tattoo healed to write this review, and alas the time has come. .. and I'm not happy. I'll start by saying I got a tattoo from Nuco years ago on the back of my neck and it still looks great, so when I wanted a finger tattoo I thought I would go back to him. I went in right before new years to get tatted with a bunch of people. Now I know finger tattoos are a tricky spot, but my mom got one on the same spot by Micah and it looks great so I figured if he could do it, Nuco can too. He is the owner after all? ? WRONG. First off, he tried drawing it on my finger and it kept looking wrong I had him redo it over and over until I finally just asked him to print it out and trace it. That was warning number one. Then when he finished it looked fine, but he just walked away and didn't say anything..... he was supposed to do another tattoo but just. ...left. so he ended up getting tattooed by 'Manga' (who is easily the most talented artist there. I wish I would have gone to him) that was mistake two. Mistake three was when it healed. He tattooed it SO DEEP that it looked carved into my bone and my finger looked bruised as hell. My mom who had a finger tattoo by Micah said that it wasnt supposed to look that way. Well it turns out he tattooed so deep that the ink blew out and half of my middle finger was permanently purple/blue. I had to get laser tattoo removal on my knuckle to not look like i was permanently bruised. The tattoo is faded, blown out, lumpy, and just generally looks bad. I'm so disappointed by this tattoo and now I have to either get it removed or covered by someone else. Meanwhile my boyfriends finger tattoos (done by Manga ) look great and totally healed, and my mom's tattoos on her finger and collar bone (done by Micah) all look fantastic. So why is that I go to Nuco and get totally boned? Anyways, here are some pictures. First picture is of it healing BADLY. It took several months to heal and my finger looked like it had gangrene. It looked like i had huge chunks missing from it. Second picture is of my purple knuckle before i got laser tattoo removal on my knuckle. It looks even worse in person. Third picture is of the healed tattoo post laser. The parts tgat looked like missing chunks you can see scabbed terribly. read more

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I went here for my last two tattoos bc A friend of mine suggested micah. I'm very happy w the way they look and Micah gives great advice about placement and things like that. Trust him. He was also very good at transforming one of my ideas into tattoo format--it was an embroidered image and he drew it out for me. It was perfect. I love it so much. Everyday I'm just like, "damn, I love it so much." I only want to go to this place now. read more

Man, where do I start? The shop itself is gorgeous. You can tell as soon as you walk in the door, these dudes have class and style. Amazing artwork on the wall and johnny cash on the speakers, how could you go wrong? It's always kind of nerve wracking to do a cold walk in at a tattoo parlor but these guys were so friendly! They found the exact image i wanted (a sailor jerry flash) and before i could get through a book on the coffee table, Bismark already had the perfect design drawn up and ready to go. He made me feel 100% comfortable and was a blast to get a tattoo from! I almost forgot where i was. I get chatty when i'm nervous and he totally indulged me in my lame conversation. as for the work, it's incredible. Clean lines and just, well, beautiful. The price was ridiculously reasonable. Couldn't be happier, i will definitely be back to this place! read more

Always wanted a Tattoo, Nuco drew me an anchor with a heart and I loved it. Nice work, I'll be back for more. read more

Studio One Chicago - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is my favorite shop in the city! I love the vintage interior from the gold curtains to the tin ceiling. Nuco did an amazing job with this shop it's beautiful but that's not the only thing amazing but the amount of awesome unique flash he has in the shop, my favorite is the sexy luchador ladies! Nuco is such an amazing artist I trust him so much with any suggustions he has especially with color, he's seriously the best guy for color! He's my go to guy and is worth the trip to Pilsen plus you can explore 18st while your there, you must stop by simones read more

Studio One Chicago - Nuco's the best for color hands down! - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I went to the tattoo convention in Rosemont last Saturday and met with Nuco and talked about what I wanted to get done and he said to come back the following day at 2pm. My husband and I traveled back out there, paid the entrance fees again AND for parking again, only to be told he still wasn't ready and that I should just come out to his shop on Friday at 2pm. He refunded me my $50 deposit which sort of compensated for the $20 admission for my husband and I and the $15 parking, not so much for the gas and time we wasted. So today at 2:30PM was SUPPOSED to be my appointment but this morning I realized I needed more time to get out of work so I text Nuco as a heads up that I would be there at 3PM instead of 2:30PM (see picture and time). Long story short, I showed up to my appointment -on time at 3PM like I had reminded him this morning- and he didn't even remember me and didn't have anything drawn up either. He said he 'forgot the drawings at home.' He said to give him 2 hours (he was tattooing someone else) but that he could take me at 5PM. FINE - so we went to eat and hung around and came back to the shop at 4:50PM and nothing. Nuco came out with a partial drawing but left again. We waited until 6PM and then we walked out extremely disappointed in the lack of professionalism here. My husband did some quick research and found another shop nearby so we went check it out. WOW! Great art, everyone was friendly and very professional. The customer experience was a night and day difference from what I experienced earlier today at Studio One. I have already referred my husband and both of my brothers to this other shop! read more

I got my first series of tatoos here in February after a friend suggested him. He did a great job with nice clean lines and great color. Nuco's studio is sweet - not nasty and sterile - but rather homey. Get your work done here and be happy about it. read more

I wanted to get a tattoo from one of the shops in my neighborhood and after looking at Studio One's stuff online and their prices I felt pretty good about getting a fairly easy tattoo before I left on a bike tour. The tattoo was well done but the guy doing it seemed distracted (he asked me twice if I lived in the neighborhood). I expected it to be the shop minimum since it was black ink and a simple set of lines but it was waaaay more than I expected. Tattoos are tattoos though, so always go in expecting to probably pay more. If you were in Pilsen I would probably say you should hit these guys up but really I'd probably point you to any number of shops up north. read more

I have 3 large tattoos from Nuco Villanueva (a raven, sunset over El Morro in P.R. and a Mexican pin up) and 1 large piece from Micah St. John (dragon). They are clean, beautiful, bright and pretty much perfect pieces of ink. This is literally my favorite shop to get tattooed in...the proof is that I live in New York City. I get on a plane to fly out and get tattoos here! It's a relaxing environment, the work is outstanding and the artists are fun to get pieces by. There's a lot of laughs and good times, which is the best when you are getting worked on. I have about 200 hours of work on me and I am thrilled that 4 large pieces are courtesy of Studio One! I can't wait for my next trip out there! read more

Amazing person to get a tattoo from. Nuco made me feel very comfortable about getting my tattoo (my first). I gave him my sketch of what I wanted on my forearm, and a week later he had me in the chair. His shop is a work of art in itself, and so not pretentious. I'd definitely get more tattoos from him. read more

Studio One Chicago - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I walked in last night with my best friend and we walked out with the most amazing art by micah, he is super talented...I'm happy I found I place so spectacular, inviting and their work is superb...I'm a very detailed person and this people are the most professional, cleanest, fast, and gentle you can find. I will definitely going back for more. Thank you guys for such amazing experience! :-) read more

Studio One Chicago - Art by Micah!! :-) - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped in one Saturday night to have a tattoo done. Nico, the owner, was going to close up shop because it was so slow but agreed to wait for me. The other reviewers were right, Nuco definitely knows what he's doing! The shop has a nice somewhat vintage decor to it with the crown moulding on the ceilings and the art on the walls. He got me on and out in a half hour...that's from sketching to tattoo! I'll definitely be back! read more

DISCLAIMER: this review is solely based on customer service and not work performed. I walked in last night to ask about a white ink tattoo that I want and instead of saying, "Ok, let's do it," Felipe took the time to go over the "cons" of white ink tattoos. Although the conversation has me questioning whether or not to continue with white ink, Felipe's time and honesty certainly would have me returning if and when I do make a final decision. The shop is clean and there's plenty of street parking. Walk-ins are welcome. He did say that if you make an appointment, there's a deposit to basically hold your time. read more

Nina did a fantastic job with my piece. She was friendly, patient and a wonderful artist. She was able to fit me in only two days after coming into the shop for a quote. Would highly recommend to others and will most likely be returning. read more

Really nice place, great atmosphere. Manga did my tattoo. It looks fantastic and I couldn't be more happy, I look forward to going back for another one! Price was very reasonable considering I was there for about 2 hours and got a piece thats about 6 x 4 inches. read more

Awesome Experience, Daniel helped me out with my design for my first Tattoo, it looks great... Cool Vibe in the Shop .. I would highly recommend this place to any one! read more

Studio One Chicago - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I went by Studio today it said open, I wanted to know how much does it cost for a small tattoo. I had my mask on, he said may I help you when I decided to speak, he started hollering at me get out of here!, get out of here! that was not way to speak to anybody. I'm black American lady and I was truly hurt the way he spoke to me. If you're close you should've had close sign up and the door be lock but it wasn't it was open. It was so aweful how he shouted at me, it really hurted my feeling he could had said call to see if I'll be open no walk in. He acted like he don't like black people.I was truly hurted, I'm in my sixties and there was no respect there.I will never go back there, it's a way to talk to people don't treat them like a dog. read more

Such a beautiful shop and there's an artist for every project. came in as a walk in and was treated with respect the entire duration of tattoo. Will recommend to anyone from now on! read more

If you want clean lines, soft shading, and brilliant custom drawings, go see Nuco at Studio One. As the other reviewers have mentioned, the shop itself is cool and vintage, and the atmosphere is inviting. You're way more likely to hear Desmond Dekker or Eydie Gorme' playing than the cock-rock you'd hear at some other shops. Your tattoo is permanent! Choose someone who has the art skills, experience, and personality to deliver the goods. read more

Going in, this place felt pretty unorganized and unprofessional. None of the employees really greeted me and my friend, they just sorta looked at each other like a bunch of lost ducks. When one the girls finally asked how she could help and I told her my tattoo idea, she reacted pretty negatively. You could see her and some other employee trading perplexed expressions. She even asked more than twice in my visit if I was sure that's what I wanted. I'm guessing my idea was pretty simple, but either way that's no way to make a customer feel. I went in because it looked good and I live nearby, but I definitely recommend taking your business elsewhere. Overall, my experience was pretty hostile and uneasy and the people had a very judgey vibe. read more

I got a custom piece by Micah last fall. Tattoo shops can have a lot of problems. Sometimes they aren't very helpful on the phone. Sometimes they treat you like you're not cool enough to be in their shop and receive good service. Sometimes they try to talk you into getting a naked lady in your crotchal region and repeatedly inquire as to your sexual orientation. And sometimes they think everything they create is a museum piece and price it accordingly. But they don't have any of these issues at Studio One, so I went in with my idea. Micah's design was perfect, and I had it done immediately. They're clean here, Micah was easy to chat with, and Nuco checked in on us, which I feel makes it clear he cares about the work coming out of his shop. I had a bit of a reaction to the red ink because I'm a delicate flower, and Micah recolored the area at no charge. Nobody made fun of my geeky tattoo, and the other geeks heartily approve of the work, so I feel comfortable returning in the future. TL;DR: Good service, good design, good clean work, no sass. read more

I keep bringing my friends here - not only the best work in town for the money, but, as someone with a lot of community pride, I also admire Nuco's participation in Pros Arts community Dia de los Muertos processions with his altar installations and the luchador event he had for the whole family. I am a hardcore Xicana feminist and have always known Nuco to look out for women and work with women when a lot of doors have been closed to them in the professional tattoo world. I could not be happier with his professionalism and his amazing talent - and I sat with him for over eight hours of tattooing. read more

I'm kinda sad that everyone had such a great experience there and I did not. I went in there with an idea for my next tattoo and one of the artists there, not Nuco, gave me a lot of shit about it. He made me feel totally uncomfortable. read more

I got my first "big" piece by Felipe Manga about a year and a half ago. Now I have a total of 7 pieces all done by him! Cant explain how talented he is! If you ever want an artist who actually listens to you, he's your guy!!! read more

I had a tat I was pretty excited about re-doing and Nina offered to do it. She did better than I had hoped for and actually quite painless! Im definitely thinking of going back to get the rest of my sleeve done and by her! read more

Micah did my tattoo and was really great. It didn't take long for him to sketch the idea I had for the tattoo and that process of getting tattooed was a piece of cake. It's a small, personable place--which I really enjoyed. Micah also had great conversation. I'd definitely recommend this shop. read more

Studio One Chicago is a talented bunch. I have been going to Nuco and his shoppe for about 3 or 4 years now. And I have known him personally for about 15 years. I have nothing but great things to say about him, his work and his shoppe. He's professional, clean, organized and most off all does some awsome ink and is a great artist. He also will work with you on ideas. Or you can even bring something in and he will tweak it to give it more character. Theres also flash images all over the walls. As well as books to look thru. First off, his shop is almost like a museum. From the old antique pieces of furniture and the dark wood frames throughout to the traditional american hand painted pieces done by none other than himself. Even the bathroom is decorated. You definitely have to see this place.....and you definitely have to get some ink from him. The shop reminds me of a large "alter" of sorts. He also has another artist there named Micah, and this dude also has some mad skills. With some of his personal art pieces on display as well. Nuco has been sleeving my arm up for a few years now and i will never go to anyone else from here on out. He just did a sik owl on my left bicep about 2 months ago and as soon as it is complete i will put up some pics and on to the next arm. So if your ever in Pilsen you gotta stop in to get some ink from these two. Even if its just to see the shop, but you def have to go back for some ink. You wont be disappointed. They also take walk ins if my not mistaken but always call beforehand. then go for some tacos after. lol. cheers, read more

So far I've gotten 3 tattoos here. I swear the quality of work here is unbelievable. I wouldn't even think of getting tatted elsewhere. There's a calm grown up atmosphere,not a bunch of jocks hanging our at the counter tryn ta look cool. Micha did my work. The lines are the cleanest I've ever seen. The details are so precise. This isn't a bs commercialized off the wall shop. When I leave Chicago I'm still coming back here to get my work done read more

This is a great studio. Nuco is a terrific tattoo artist. I get a ton of compliments on the piece he created for me. He's outstanding at helping to put ideas into ink. I look forward to my next piece of his art ! read more

I don't normally write reviews, but I think this place deserves one. I recently got tattooed by Micah. Great work and reasonably priced. Micah is super sweet and definitely makes it a pleasant experience. I will def be going back for some traditional art. read more

Definitely won't be back. Went in for a small tattoo Michah said he would have the design drawn up. He did not. Waited for him to draw it up. He took creative liberties and added on background which I never asked for. Nice enough guy but real disappointed. read more

My best friend and I were visiting Chicago and decided to get tattoos on a whim. We were in the neighborhood and saw they had good reviews on Yelp. The customer service was great- everyone was really nice and made us feel welcome. Manga did our tattoos and was really patient as we were indecisive about the placement. I definitely would come back! read more

I've gotten work from both Nuco and Micah there. Excellent quality of work from both. Shop is clean, artistic decoration and well laid out, but also a easy atmosphere. (You can tell I am tired of the places that *try* to seem "edgy") Great personalities all...and I'm looking forward to going back for more work. read more

Nuco is absolutely amazing. I had browsed around Chicago looking for artists for my first tattoo. Being an artist myself and choosing a painting to get as my tattoo, I was incredibly picky. I was reccommended by a friend to Nuco and was slightly hesitant because I didn't think he could capture the art nouveau style that I wanted based on the artwork around his shop. Needless to say, I was proved wrong. He presented me with the most gorgeous drawing ever and had more enthusiasm than any of the other artists around the city that I had talked to. It was everything I had imagined and more. He blended that traditional tattoo style with the art nouveau style and gave me a piece that I get so many compliments on. The man is a genius.. As for the shop? Just as gorgeous as the artwork that comes out of it. read more

My husband and I have fallen in love with Nuco, and his tattooing skills. He is an EXCELLENT artist, professional, very clean atmosphere, and extremely comfortable setting. Nuco, definitely has a famiy of customers with us, for life. We LOVE this shop, and their work...GREAT JOB! read more