Royal Flesh Tattoo and Piercing

Randomly stopped in for a nostril piercing… you know, like everyone does… and was very impressed with the shop. It was not busy at all, but I was happy about that. The shop was clean and my piercing artist was patient, kind, and effective. He explained everything very well and gave me his personal phone number in case there were any issues or questions. I will definitely return for my next tattoo!

Jake interpreted my design ideas in a unique and perfect way. Awesome touch and overall experience was great! Shop was super clean and accommodating to all I saw coming through during my half day. I am already thing about the next — just like Lays! Thanks again to Jake and all for a totally rad experience!

5÷5÷15 update: Nickolas messaged me to set up a meeting in person about the issue. I went in the shop yesterday and he was kind and professional. He gave me a refund for the service charge and gave me a new smaller hoop for free. Good customer service.

I scheduled a session but due to an unfortunate family event, the artist had to cancel the session. Lucky for me, Norm called and was able to make magic happen with my tattoo!
Norm was professional, personal, knowledgeable and very skilled with his work! Needless to say, I love my tattoo and will be back for the next one with him!
Only downfall was that they didn’t accept the $ 20 Unilocal coupon.

Angelo is the dude… ive been looking to do this ninja turtle piece on my arm for a few years now and just could not find the right artist. Angelo, right away, understood my vision for the piece and shared my enthusiasm. He is an amazing drawer as well, a real tattoo artist. I highly recomend if you are looking at doing any type of tattoo, to let angelo do the work. He has a real passsion for what he does and will male you feel right at home when doing the tattoo. A +++

Angelo, Angelo, Angelo! What an amazing guy! Every time I get work done from him its like he’s reading my mind of how I want my tattoos to look. Not only that he’s incredibly down to earth and patient. Unlike a lot of tattooist I’ve met in the past. He’s a big intimidating looking dude but carry’s the biggest heart. All he wants is to give you his best work.
Also royal flesh in a whole is one of the best tattoo shops I’ve ever been too. Everyone’s welcoming and that makes it feel like home.

I’ve been here several times to get tattooed by Dustin. Everyone has always been super friendly, supportive of each other’s work and a chill place to be in. I have loved every tattoo I have gotten from Dustin. He’s been super open to ideas and easy to work with, highly recommend!

This place is awesome. Everyone is really great, including Lissette who did my piercing and Quori who did my tattoo. Lissette made me feel totally at ease, and Quori is an amazing artist. He’s very attentive, takes his time to make sure everything is perfect and is just a really nice guy. Very professional atmosphere. I hope I don’t get addicted.

Got a tattoo by Jolly and it is amazing I love it so much! Everyone was kind and he even drew out sketches but was not upset when I decided to go back to my original!!! Probably will be getting my next tattoo here

This place is great!
Quori at Royal Flesh is one of the top tattoo artists in the nation! he did my entire upper arm and I love every small detail of it. He is one of a few artists out there that will actually use a number 1 needle and sure anyone can use one, but the end result will surely show all of their mistakes. I have yet to find even the smallest area on my arm that has even a slight mistake!
YOU ROCK QUORI

Awesome shop! Very very clean and always professional. I’ve never been miss treated or seen anybody treated in any other way then professional and with courtesy. I think that if they had a bad apple they have surely gotten rid of it cause I really can’t say enough about the entire staff.
The skill level of all the shops artist is amazing but I personally cant recommend or say enough good things about Pauly Luka for tattoos and Joey Alegrett for piercings my wife and I have had alot of work done and plan on having alot more!
Thanks Royal Flesh Thanks Pauly & Joey! Keep doing what you do, you guys are awesome!
Frank & April E.

This Chicago tattoo shop is owned by my brother in law. It is super clean and neatly decorated. Lots of cool art and jewelry.
The artist have crazy skills. The customers all looked very happy.
My only issue is that he is too far away because this Chicago tattoo shop is so fun to hang out at.

The shop was very clean. The staff that was there was very friendly. Nice music playing the the background. My tattoo artist was Quori. I love my tattoo. I did not bleed at all. The tattoo did not take long to heal.

I have received amazing nipple piercing/​stretching from Joey! I have also gotten 5 tattoos from Dustin! You must go (Joey is there M-​F), Dustin, a lot! I have walked by this shop for many years and it blends right into the neighborhood (and it is right across the street from where I live!). When I went in for some body modifications… I was struck by the cleanliness, professionalism, knowledge and expertise of the staff. Where the work is done it is as clean and as sterile as an O.R. (especially where Joey pierces).
The staff, from owner on down, is so friendly and accommodating that I have already planned many more visits for more work. TREAT yourself! Get that piercing and get that tattoo… Joey and Dustin are amazingly intelligent and will give you exactly what you want (and offer suggestions and/​or ask questions, for clarity, so that all are on the same page).
I’ve also got a 0g P.A. and am considering allowing Joey to size me up to the 000g BIG BOY! I’m almost 60 years old and I trust them with my life. Claim your body, take it back, like I did. You will never regret it!

Nice shop. Extremely clean & friendly staff. Had some work done recently & it turned out great! I will get my next tattoo there for sure.

I’ve seen the shop before and went in to look around and I have to tell you this is a super clean shop that is also well decorated with original artworks, clothing, etc… they even have a DJing section setup for live music it seems. They throw art showings there from time to time — that is how I came to learn about the shop.
Anyhow though weeks ago I had talked with Joe (Joey the Sauce) about the kind of tattoo (style) I wanted to get, the general concept, etc… he took a stencil of my chest and arm area and a couple of weeks later had the art for me and even sent me a preview of it to my phone. Great guy… I liked how open and transparent he was about the work he wanted to do.
So yesterday I received my first tattoo from Royal Flesh and couldn’t be more proud to be part of the shop… the place is clean, well decorated, music playing, and the staff… the staff are amazing… everyone (clients included) talking casually with one another, artists coming by to check on other people’s art and chat in general. This is a shop where you are seriously made welcome… and made to feel like you are just ‘one of the guys’ at the shop… best experience I’ve ever had at a tattoo shop.
Management is top-​notch as well… not afraid to be completely honest with clients about the kind of art they want to get, how much it will cost, etc… while I was in the chair I overheard a conversation with a couple and it sounded like the guy was new to tattoos… the manager walked him through the whole process, talked about the art that the guy wanted, how much it would entail, cost, and even a time to get it done.
Basically, in a nutshell, Royal Flesh is what all the other shops aren’t… best experience and I definitely found my go-​to shop (and artist) for Chicagoland.
Thanks to you all!

A couple years ago I wrote a review about one particular artist. I was contacted by the owner and we wrote back and forth about the tattoo I received from that artist. I was assured that the artist I mentioned in my previous post no longer worked at the shop. I was surprised by the owner reaching out to me, but was very pleased that he was so apologetic and earnest on remedying the situation. He invited me back to the shop to see what could be done. I went there over the weekend, met the owner, he was very kind and very understanding of the situation. He was determined to make everything better… he introduced me to his most experienced artist, Joe. (I went and looked at portfolios on their facebook page, and was very impressed with Joe’s work.) I spoke with Joe and he is going to cover up the tattoo done by the previous artist. While there, I got a different tattoo by Joe, and he gave a good friend of mine a tattoo as well (she was in town visiting me). He was incredible. He was up front and honest about our tattoo ideas that weren’t exactly realistic. He wanted everything to look as great as it possibly could. His lines were so smooth and our tattoos came out beautifully. I couldn’t be more pleased. We will be working on a cover up for the other tattoo, and I have complete faith that he will do an incredible job.
As for the rest of the shop… my friend and I felt like we were at home. The environment is so comfortable, and everyone was so friendly and had wonderful personalities. I couldn’t stop laughing when I was there. Joey, the guest/​visiting piercer was great to talk to, and Jolly was extremely helpful. Have to say, he’s also very talented, I saw a painting he was working on while I was there and looked through his portfolio.
From my experience there (keep in mind I didn’t meet the rest of the artists)…Joe and Jolly are the guys to go to! And the owner, Nick, was more than accommodating. I can see the passion he has for his business, and I will definitely be getting more work done there in the future.
UPDATE: I got my cover-​up. It’s a koi fish — bright reds and oranges, vibrant blue water. It is phenomenal! Better than I could have ever imagined.

So I’m new to Chicago and took the wrong bus home from work. I ended up in Buena Park and decided to start walking south (I live in Lincoln Park). So I’m looking at the map on my phone and see that there is a tattoo and piercing shop on the next block. I figure I need new eyelits for my ears, I’ll stop in and see what they have.
I walk in and am greeted by Adrian Montoya and Dan. These dudes are hilarious right from the get go. Adrian also striked me as very kind so after buying my eyelits. I asked him what he thought of a tattoo I had done on my upper arm that showcased great talent but that I wasn’t in love with. I asked if he could fill in the open spaces with some underlying textures.
This dude (Adrian) took a picture right away and said he’d draw something up and would be happy to do it. He quoted two hours of work. His sincerity and the condition of the shop (immaculate) made me wake up the next day and text him to see if he could do it that same day. I went in and we sat down together and planned the piece out. He knocked it out in just over two hours (only charged me two) and it is absolutely perfect. I have several tattoos by some of the best artists and this dude is near if not at the top. He was on the same page as me the whole time. Was fast and very precise and the whole shop fosters a light-​hearted attitude. I felt like I was hanging out with me slightly immature childhood friends. They were all fantastic guys. A big thank you to Adrian. I’ll be back with several more pieces for this shop.

After writing my review I was contacted by the owner, who took my review seriously. We talked back and forth for a short time and I feel that the actions he took warranted more stars.
I understand that a business can not be dictated by just one employee. I was happy with the follow up.

Let me preface this by saying that I did not get a tattoo here. I have other tattoos, and am not scared by the whole process of tattooing.
I stopped in to get a price quote on a ring finger tattoo (two small hearts, just outlines in black), and was told that it would be $ 40. The guy said that it would fade relatively quickly (2 – 3 years) and it would need to be touched up, so they would lower the normal minimum ($ 60, according to this gentleman).
A week passes, and I return to Royal to get my tattoo. The interior of the shop is visually interesting, and very clean. I like. I talk to a tattooist about what I want to have done, and he says «You’re up! You do finger tattoos, right?» to a guy sitting surfing the internet. The guy looks petrified, makes a sort of «ehhhhhhhh» kind of face and says «yeah…»
Alright. Red flag. This does not fill me with confidence AT ALL. It actually makes me want to run for the door, or ask for another artist.
But, common sense aside, I go back to the (comfortable) couch and wait about 20 minutes for him to set up his station and draw two hearts out for me. He calls me back, and shows me the hearts he had drawn. Welcome to first grade art class. I was shocked. They were uneven, and frankly, ugly. I asked if I could draw them out myself. I do. He then asks if I had been quoted a price.
I referred back to the conversation I had with the other gentleman earlier in the week, and a guy (who I assume is some sort of manager/​owner) whips his head around and says «There is no way anyone here said that». Um… what? «Who said that? Do you remember his name?» Um… no… «Well it will be 60 with no touch ups included»
So after this snarky exchange, I am out of here. OUT. OF. HERE.
3 strikes, Royal Flesh. It really had nothing to do with paying 60 dollars for the tattoo. I am not cheap. The customer service was off, and the whole interaction with the artist frankly terrified me. I want to feel totally confident in an artist who is putting something on my body for the rest of my life, thanks.