Studio One Chicago

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 Unilocal.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!

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 6×4 inches.

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.

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! :-)

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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 !

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.

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.

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,

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

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 18^st while your there, you must stop by simones

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 13^th 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.

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!

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 décor 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!

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.

I’ve been going to Nuco since he was @ Tomato tattoo. He’s done both my forearms. Now he owns his own shop on 18^th street right off Halsted. His shop is awesome as F*ck!!! From the copper toned ceilings to the Gold-​leaf lettering on the front windows and doors to the custom made old skool ship-​yardesque booth with a lofted dj booth on top and the old register and antique auditorium seats. Every single detail in the place was all his idea and this is exactly how he works on people. Every time I’ve come in to pitch my ideas for a tattoo Nuco recreates it with his own style n yet keeps the traditional flare that I look for.
I’ve been getting work done by him for 6 years and I highly recommend him to anyone. Prices are actually cheaper than most other shops that only work wall flash and provide only mediocre work.