Reviews of Awaken Tattoo and Gallery (Tattoo Shop)

Alex De Guzman

Andrew and Joe are amazing tattoo artists. Highly suggest them.

Joshua Johnson

Shop and their work is amazing and professional. Joe is one of the most talented guys I've had the pleasure of meeting and getting inked by. I will definitely return many times and continue to refer many people this shop and these artists.

MikeyBTC

This shop has a great atmosphere and vibe! Joe is a great artist and friend. I had the pleasure of working alongside joe for years and seeing the effort he puts into every piece of art he does is unreal! If your looking to get top notch work by an artist who truly cares for what your wanting to put on your body, see joe.

Patricia Anderson

Joseph is an amazing artist.

Heather Klump

Have seen artists work firsthand. Exceptional!

john rushing

great staff, good work

Jenny C

Everything looks the same. Came in with an original piece and it was completely changed last minute to what the artist preferred doing. Took way too long and ended up spending way too much for what it was really worth. Many regrets now.

JAY REALUBIT

I flew out to Chicago just to get a tattoo from Joe who is the owner of the shop! He is a professional, down to earth, and provides quality art on the skin. Joe is a great artist and their shop is not your typical tattoo parlor! QUALITY work and ambience makes a fun and relaxing tattoo session!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emma R

The atmosphere of the shop is so welcoming and warm! It doesn't feel like a regular "tattoo shop". I had work done by Joseph, the owner and he is not only talented but patient as well. I was terrified as this was my first big peice and he walked me through it and was really gentle. This is exactly how customers should be treated, first time or 10th! The shop itself is such a atmospheric room full of zen-like decor and touches of colorful happiness referenced to the lovely cultures of the world. I did not expect this from a tattoo shop. And not to mention, it is part gallery as well, so there is plenty of beautiful art to feast your eyes on. The art here is extraordinary on paper and skin it should be a shop you go to at least once while you are in Chicago and find yourself craving ink!!

Sebastian Ziernicki

An artist (Sebastian Kandinsky) I heard about not too long ago was set to tattoo here for a few weeks. After his management made odd requests about the deposit I reached out to the shop to see if I could book through them. They said that would be fine and we set up my appointment. Fast forward to the day of the appointment I show up and say I'm here to work with the artist and I get a deer in the headlights look from the person at the desk. The owner then comes over and let's me know that the person who set up my appointment would call me and figure things out since the guest artist isn't here yet. I was told his flight was delayed, but the story didn't really add up since you could see in his Instagram stories that he hadn't left Europe yet. Once I got the call they basically just tried to reschedule the appointment for the next week. I was honestly shocked at the whole situation since if they knew his flight was delayed, why wouldn't they let a client know? They made no attempt at rectifying the situation like offering a discount for my wasted time or anything. I also noticed that the posts they had made about the artist being there for those dates are now deleted on their social media. it's just shady, honestly. On top of that the artists manager wanted me to make a deposit via friends and family on PayPal. That's not on the shop, but it's really sad to see the tattoo community pulling things like this since I would have no way to dispute my deposit if he didn't show up and paying for a service on PayPal is I think a 2-3% fee. I'd gladly pay that just for the peace of mind. I'm happy my deposit was through the shop and at least they returned that. The customer service and care here is in the stone age when compared to shops like Pioneer or Deluxe though. I guess I'll just keep trusting my skin with those shops since this one disappointed beyond belief.

Mark Pasindo

Awesome staff!! Awesome work!! Over the top!! And super clean!

Agnes Sowa

Kelsey Moore is a brilliant artist... Would not improve anything

Dor Parish

I highly recommend this shop. The entire staff are true artists of their craft. The shop itself has an Asian Boho vibe. The decor, the music the atmosphere makes for an incredible experience. This is THE only place to get inked

Kat Keller

Kelsey was the absolute best tattoo artist I’ve ever gotten a piece from. She was nice, friendly, and professional. And the work she does is absolutely amazing. My tattoo is everything I wanted and more.

Kayleigh Hollihan

**BEWARE** My cousin in the US Navy got a tattoo from Brandon Mola this past weekend and it was completely mispelled. The tattoo was supposed to read "liberty before death, death before dishonor" and it reads "beeore". The stencil read correctly but Brandon messed it up and became incredibly hostile when confronted. **DO NOT get your tattoos here, they can't spell.

Anthony Janowski

I can't say enough good things about this shop. Joseph and the other artists are on top of their game. I have had Joseph work on two pieces of my sleeve and they have both came out perfect. He really is excellent. he worked with me to design exactly what I wanted both times. I highly recommend if you are looking for some geometric blackwork.