Deluxe Tattoo

06/02/2008 Posted by caseyface33

After getting my first tattoo at Jade Dragon and being satisfied with the quality but not the service, and getting my second at the Tattoo Factory and not being satisfied with the quality OR service, I decided to do some research for my third one. I came across Citysearch's rank of tattoo places in Chicago, looked at all the websites of the top 5 and artists featured within, and I was most impressed with the site of Deluxe and their artists. I really enjoyed Jason Vaughn's portfolio on his website. I emailed him and he made an appointment with me, no problem. When I arrived for my appointment, the place was a little smaller than I expected, but I actually like it better that way now. The atmosphere was so relaxed!! I really felt pressured and taken advantage of at Jade Dragon and Tattoo Factory because of my young age and being female, but Deluxe just had a great and friendly feeling to it. All artists definitely treat you with respect, which I really appreciate. Jason started working right away after I told him what I wanted, and after reading a couple of magazines available on the coffee table for a while, he started tattooing. Even though the total time of design and actual tattooing came out to be about 3 hours, it was definitely well worth the time!! While getting tattooed, it was apparent that the rest of the artists there were really friendly and love what they do. Jason did an ubelievable job and I would consider the price he gave was very reasonable, unlike the places I went to before. I am so glad I found a place and artist to stick with, and I highly recommend Deluxe. They are a great bunch of guys.

Pros: Friendly and relaxed atmosphere, amazing talent

Cons: Smaller shop, close early

05/01/2008 Posted by TheresaSaqqara

Working on my third tattoo (and it's the biggest) this is the second one Ben has done for me and it's freakin' amazing. Do yourself a favor and get a tattoo at a shop were people are artists not some assembly line, or a piece that hundreds of other people have, it's called body art for a reason. I proudly show off my work even unfinished (one more visit should do it). You don't feel rushed and it's great to look around the shop and see what other people are getting done. I don't see myself referring anyone to any other shop in this city!

08/28/2007 Posted by youfnrock

Currently...I am working on a sleeve with an artist at DELUXE Tattoo, Miles Maniaci. Miles is an artist that is focused. I find that he has a quiet side while getting tattooed. But when it is silent...he's just in his "ZONE" and the work he has finished is just fantastic! I am always getting compliments on nmy tattoo work. Too bad I can't take credit for it. Personally, I like an artist that is focused and not having thoughts all over the place. I like the intense concentration Miles has while he works. I know that the end result will be an outstanding! Miles is definitley a Tattoo artist that I recommend booking an appointment with. Book and plan ahead of time, I find he is always in demand.

Pros: All, up and coming Chicago tattoo artist come out of DELUXE Tattoo

Cons: It's only open until 8pm, I've always gotten tattoos late night. It goes together, in my opinion.

08/23/2007 Posted by sewsubversive

I recently moved to Chicago and was in search of a great tattoo artist. I visited Jade Dragon and Tatu Tattoo and was somewhat impressed with their friendly service, but not by their actual artistry as tattooers. Both of these places did not seem like real artists, they only seemed concerned with getting as many tattoos done in an hour as they could. I really did not trust either of these places to complete the piece I had started on my back several years ago. I asked around, especially people with really amazing tattoos, and other tattoo artists; they all recommended Ben and/or Harlan at Deluxe. I went in for a consultation with Ben, bringing in several ideas for not only fixing my tattoo, but adding on to it to make it a beautiful, finished piece. Ben was extremely receptive, helpful, and had a keen eye for detail. During my actual tattoo appointments, he was kind, but not super chatty. However, truthfully, I would rather have an awesome tattoo artist, who knows what he is doing, especially with composition, blending and tattooing skills; than someone who has a knack for conversation, but little artistic/tattooing skills!! I am never going anywhere else to get my tattoos done. If you want flash tattoos that you can pick off a wall, done in a non-artistic, crappy way, go to Jade or Tatu Tattoo. However, when you want those fixed and/or if you want an f#&$-ing awesome tattoo that you will be proud of for the rest of your life, go to Deluxe. They really are the best in Chicago!!

Pros: Artistic skills, cover up/fixing up tattoo ability, prices

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

04/24/2007 Posted by artickiss

My hubby and I have been going to deluxe for a couple of years now and we won't go anywhere else. Ben fixed a few of my tattoos done by Jade Dragon and made them into color masterpieces. We worked on my back and now it looks Fabulous! My husband got portraits of my son, his mom, and myself and Hanna made them look so lifelike it's unreal. Nothing really hangs on the wall but who wants to pick some ramdom tattoo that thousands already have. Great Place Great prices!

Pros: Most sought after artist around

Cons: none

04/16/2007 Posted by jo2

They made it very obvious that they not only dont care about their customers they dont even care if they have any customers. Save your time, energy and money - go to Jade Dragon!

Pros: none

Cons: horrible service

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/03/2007 Posted by chicagogirl3

I can't begin to understand the 7.5 rating on here.. but I'll explain my experience with Deluxe! After a few months of searching, I finally made my way to Deluxe Tattoo. I originally got my tattoo started at Vanity, then, on a horrible.. horrible whim continued at Jade Dragon (I could go on and on about how horrible of a decision that was) and then Harlan was kind enough to take on the task of fixing my tattoo. He did a wonderful job sketching out and planning how to better my tattoo and the price was great as well. I have a few other large pieces planned out for the future and I will definitely be getting them done by Harlan.

Pros: Very skillful artists, price

Cons: Parking wasn't too bad.

10/23/2006 Posted by jessevalen

I had three very big pieces done at Deluxe and they make my other good work look weak. The people here are artists that do tattoos and do them well, not just some guy with tattoos that decided to start doing tattoos as a job. If you want to be cheap or if you're just looking for some unoriginal tattoo off a wall of flash, this is not the place for you. Deluxe may be a bit more expensive but they won't leave junk on your arm like the other "best shops" in Chicago. Remember, just because tattoo shops spend a ton of money on billboards or ads in the phonebook does not make them good. Talk to people at other shops and they too will reccommend Deluxe. Trust me, when somone is reccommended by their competition it means a lot more than some billboard with DMX or som other bad celebrity on it.

Pros: Great work, very attentive, clean & sterile

04/20/2003 Posted by personagen

...this place isn't for people that like generic tattoos, unoriginal pieces of flash, or those that like to pick stuff out of a ready-made book and/or catalog; this place is for those that like to bring in stuff, talk over what they want the end result to be, and provide plenty of feedback. In other words, don't go in and expect them to figure out what *you* want. A whole slew of my friends have gotten stuff done here, and every one of them's been extremely satisfied. If you want lame, go to Jade Dragon or whatever.

Pros: Friendly, Awesome quality

Cons: Originality only!

02/09/2003 Posted by Melissa13

the artists at deluxe tattoo - especially hannah - have excellent portolios and deliver quality service at fair prices

Pros: excellent quality

Cons: bad parking