Serena has been the most prompt and professional tattoo artist I came across throughout the whole city. Although I am well aware she is phenomenal and in demand, she never made me feel that way. I e-mailed her on a Sunday night with and idea, and I heard back from her the next day. The next Sunday, I was in her studio for an appointment. Two weeks later, I was getting a tattoo by Serena. I had a 3.5-4 hour session with my piece being on my back. It was my first, and she was quite gentle (as far as I know...because it was my first). She was delightful to chat with, but she also seemed to understand that I was both zoning out/tired/feeling zen through the pain. So she let me do my thing. Price was very reasonable for her skill and original design. Let her use her artistic license for your ideas because she ends up being right that something will look better a certain way. I have no regrets. My piece spans half of my upper back, and we worked straight through. I took 2 breaks. With tip, it ended up being $90 ($600 cost, $90 tip). read more

Tattoos by Serena - 3.5-4 hour sitting with 2 breaks. This is the day after! So little red. Healed excellently. Thanks Serena! - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Serena is AWESOME! I'd been looking for someone to help me put together a tattoo based on an idea that I had. I looked at a lot of shops and merely felt they weren't a good fit. I came across Serena's Yelp reviews..loved her work..and contacted her immediately. She was enthusiastic about my idea and I loved that so I quickly decided she was the one to do my tattoo. I sent her some ideas and she came back to me quickly with a beautiful design. I mean I was literally blown away! It was like she went inside my head and pulled out the ideas I had in there! :-) I made an appt. and got my tattoo done just yesterday. Getting my tattoo was like having tea with a new friend. She was professional, kind, and interesting to talk to. The next thing I knew, a couple of hours had passed and my gorgeous tattoo was done and I was out of my mind with happiness! I have already contacted her to work on another design with me. Serena will help you put together an amazing piece that is exactly what you want it to be. Your tattoo will be a work of art, a conversation piece, and something interestingly unique. She is a true artist and clearly loves what she is doing. She's AMAZING!!!!! read more

Tattoos by Serena - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I regret getting a tattoo by Serena. The entire process was annoying and I wish I backed out when during the consultation process it was so much back and forth of her not understanding what I wanted plus asking so many small questions. While I definitely appreciate that she wants you to get a tattoo you are happy with, I did let her know I was open to her artistic ideas (as the expert) and that never happened. Never the less, I unfortunately went through with the appointment and am left with a tattoo that is not what I initially even asked for. Although I did end up liking the design and she does good work, the day of appointment was uncomfortable. Serena is clearly very particular and it makes for a not great environment. Her bedside manner is terse. I felt uncomfortable due to her the entirety of the appointment. read more

Serena's portfolio is amazing. After viewing her webpage, I knew she would be the perfect artist. I was eager to contact her and explain my idea for tattoos. I emailed Serena and she quickly responded; Serena explained her pricing and provided her expertise in regards to size and color. The studio was bright, artistic and very welcoming. I'm extremely happy with my tattoo. It's been six weeks and it looks perfect. I had a great experience and I'm making another appointment this month. read more

Tattoos by Serena - June 29th - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've held off on posting this review for a while because I didn't really know what to make of this experience. Serena had tattooed a couple of my friends and came with a very high recommendation. I am happy with the end result but I won't be returning and I wouldn't recommend her to any of my friends. The overall consultation process was not smooth or easy. I found myself having to repeat over and over what I wanted in order to get it incorporated into the design. If I requested two or three changes be made, she would only change one thing and I'd have to again repeat myself. It got to the point where I just had to copy and paste exactly what I wanted in order for it to get incorporated. She even forgot to add a design element while tattooing me even though we had agreed on it through email earlier that week. Another odd thing: I paid for the consultation appointment prior to seeing her but she tried to charge me again at the end of the appointment. She also tried to schedule my tattoo appointment during the consultation even though I had also already scheduled that with her through email as well. She was very forgetful and scattered. Serena's behavior the day of my actual tattoo appointment was very unprofessional and short. At one point, I reached over to gesture to the direction that I wanted my tattoo to face and she smacked my hand away. I was frankly in shock that she felt it was appropriate to put her hands on me like that. I'm very happy with the end result. It wasn't exactly how I envisioned it but it's still beautiful and I'll cherish it forever. But I absolutely will not return to Serena and I will not recommend her to any of my friends. read more

I don't write reviews. Seriously, I think this will be my first completed review, but Serena is worth it. I have 4 other tattoos, all done by random chair-rental people, and they are of varying levels of not great. My tattoo my Serena looks like it belongs on someone other than me, at least in comparison to the other ones. My friend drew a sketch of what I wanted (a quill pen) and Serena stayed as close to it as possible, while listening to the changes I wanted to make. Her touch is very light but effective, and I can tell that the ink will not fade, though the lines are extremely delicate. She also used an awesome desensitizing product that worked better than any that had ever been used on me before. The tattoo has healed amazingly with no scarring and very little scabbing, thanks to her handy after-care pamphlets, and I'm excited to be able to look at it forever! Basically, Serena is awesome, and she deserves as many customers as possible. read more

Serena has been my Chicago tattoo artist for approximately 15 years. She recently moved back to Chicago and is currently accepting clients. This makes me happy because not only do I get to have work done again by an amazing artist but I also decided to use Yelp to write a review for her as well. Serena is an amazing artist and her work resonates with a style that is all her own. From initial consultation to drafting a stencil and collaborating with my ideas, Serena creates work that is not like anything I have seen before. I can truthfully say this... People have stopped me on the street and they have inquired about my work and who the artist is. I proudly can refer them to her...I think (and hope) Yelp can do the same! read more

Tattoos by Serena - www.tattoosbyserena.com - Tattoo Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

For a really long time, I have been searching for someone to cover up a hideous, poorly done, oddly shaped tattoo that I got when I was 18. I asked around at every tattoo shop I went in to, and never felt like anyone knew how to cover it or would do what I wanted. It seemed like I was destined to have this tattoo forever because it was such an awkward design, and no one could come up with any ideas on how to cover it. I was referred to Serena by a friend, and when I looked at her portfolio on facebook, I was blown away by the detail and vividness of colors in her work. I knew that I wanted something bold and colorful, but didn't know exactly what I wanted tattooed. I went into our first appointment with a few ideas, thinking that she may not be able to cover it with exactly what I wanted. After I showed her the picture of what I was hoping to get, she did some sketching and said she would email me with what she drew up. I never expected the sketch to look so incredible, but I absolutely loved it. She designed the new tattoo around my existing one so that everything flowed perfectly. The patterns and colors blend with the old tattoo so that no one would ever know what was there before. She was really great about adding her own touches but also listening to what I wanted. She's truly an artist, and I walked out of our last session knowing that I had a beautiful piece of art on my back. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is serious about their tattoos. At the end of our last session, she was just as excited as I was about the end result, and I know she is actually invested in her work, as opposed to shuffling people through standard tattoo designs. I will definitely be going back whenever I want another tattoo. read more

I got my first tattoo with Serena, and it was the best experience that I could have asked for. She's such a great artist, and the suggestions that she made to improve what I wanted made the design so great. I'm actually super smug about how good my tattoo looks. Thank you so much, Serena! read more

Serena is wonderful! She created a gorgeous design for me and was able to fit me in quickly. Our session went smoothly, we had a lovely conversation and at the end was my new tattoo. Couldn't be happier! She's fantastic! read more

I am so happy with my new tattoo. I am very particular, came to Serena with a difficult challenge- I wanted a large color tattoo that wouldn't be *too* large but would do the complex colors justice- and at the same time would cover-up an old black tattoo. Not only did she work within my logistical needs, but my tattoo is absolutely gorgeous and completely exceeded my imagination's expectations. It is so beautiful. Also, on a personal level, Serena is very warm and kind, her studio is very nice and relaxing, and she was great to talk to during our nearly 5 hours together. Thanks so much, Serena! :) read more

I just got my first tattoo with Serena and it was an overwhelmingly positive experience. Serena was very professional and responsive throughout the whole process. During the day-of, she took her time with artwork finalization, placement and ink color selection, and her private studio environment is not only beautiful but really peaceful and unique. She made me feel comfortable throughout the whole process, and I'm wildly happy with the tattoo she designed for me. I don't think I could have had a more positive first time - I feel lucky! read more

I was introduced to Serena's work by a good friend. I wanted something done but wasn't quite sure what. Serena took two of my ideas (a bunch of quotes and a triskelion symbol) and combined them into one of the most stunning pieces of art I've ever seen. We went from design to actual tattoo super fast, and everyone who sees my leg piece gasps. It's not just "how pretty", but the responses I get are more in the line of "that's the coolest thing I've ever seen". She's a genius, and I'm thrilled to be able to refer people to her. read more

I recently got my first tattoo with Serena. She did a really great job in every way! She was responsive by email, her designs and line work are fantastic, and she did a superb job making me feel comfortable during the process. read more

I chose Serena for my first tattoo based on her portfolio and the reviews here. I couldn't be happier with the way the art turned out. I knew after the consultation that I found the right person. Serena is thoughtful, professional, prompt, creative, kind and most importantly passionate about art and ideas. She worked with me to come up with a design and she did a fantastic job of listening and understanding my ideas as well as adding her own unique spirit. She was not hard to get a hold of and doesn't have an ounce of pretension. I felt comfort and confidence in her abilities. I was a little nervous going in for a 3+ hr session, especially considering it was my first time, but I felt perfectly at ease as soon as I entered her studio. The 3+ hours flew by and we had some really wonderful conversations and she played some great music. I was truly amazed that she was able to do such careful, detailed work in one session. I don't need to see any other artists for the foreseeable future. Serena is a great artist and a great human being. read more