I have been going to Joe for nearly 20 years. My wife, daughters and entire extended family as well. I can't even begin to count the number of tattoos and piercings. Including tongue, industrial, tragus, rook, ears and nose. All when properly cared for not a single issue. The Tat Cave is by far one of the cleanest shops I have ever seen. Sterilization and safety protocols are perfect. I have also met people who refuse to accept personal responsibility for lack of care. They only want to blame the shops and stores that did it. I have ZERO reservations recommending The TAT Cave and giving it 5 solid stars. Best in Chicago and surrounding. Read Less

My friends and I went on cinco de mayo for piercings. I got my nose pierced and my two best friends got their nipples pierced. Two days after getting my nose pierced the nose ring sank into my nose, I called the shop and the guy said to take ibuprofen and it’s just swollen. So I did but the swollen had already been down and my nose ring had still sunk into my nose. I think the guy who pierced it used a small nose ring to pierce it and plus I believe his ass was high. So this past Saturday I said F it and just changed my nose ring to a bigger size and it’s not sinking or anything. ( I know I changed it to soon but whatever). Now with my best friend..she’s been dealing with pain in her right nipple since last Tuesday and so she went to another shop and they said whoever pierced your nipples pierced them wrong and that she should get her money back. She called and spoke to the manager and she said he was rude asf and that he wasn’t giving her a refund. Unprofessional shop , I see why it’s $20 for piercings. Been two years ago and didn’t have a problem. I recommend going to another shop!! Read Less

I came here to get my first piercing a few years ago and I had a great experience. I referred everyone I knew to this place for years but I went in to get my first tattoo today & i was very excited, but the guy I went to was VERY rude and not welcoming. I was not excited to get my tattoo anymore so I just left. Would not come back here again. Read Less

Got my first and third tattoo here. The pros: the place is extremely clean and they artists are very talented. The cons: they are kind of standoffish and it can be kind of awkward. But whatever, I paid for a tattoo which came out awesome! Read Less

PLEASE READ. SAVE TIME, MONEY, MISERY. Kidd Joe pierced my daughter's belly button and not only was it crooked but it only became more crooked as he gave us cheap jewelry with zero quality (probably some junk from china) and passed it off as surgical grade titanium, thus the jewelry began migrating. Since we lived out of state and had only gone to Joe because he was a "friend" of the family my daughter did not know her piercing was infected from migration and the nickel plated jewelry. When she called Joe he told her it's just sore from having the needle ran through it. Well, months later we found out the migration was no longer the only problem, it was rejecting now! Went to a shop in our hometown and they advised us to remove the jewelry, let the piercing rest, then put in actual titanium jewelry. Worked perfect. Do not let this con man screw up on you! His father may be a great guy, and great at what he does, but Joe is far from able to hold a torch to him. Abort, abort, do not go!!! Read Less

Just got my snake eye tongue piercing here! It was not easy because I have been tongue tied all my life and i finally got it released.. but he was very knowlegable about it and he worked very well with me. Nice, sanitary, and fast! 🤗 Read Less

I got my belly button pierced here yesterday! I honestly am such a freak with pain and I was honestly so annoying but they were so patient with me and helped me best as possible to make it easier for me Jesus let me squeeze his arm while it happened which was such a great help!! I love my belly piercing now and I'm so glad I did it! Great for the price too!! :)) Def recommend! Read Less

Jesus pierced my septum and he did a fantastic job. He calmed down my nerves, walked me through the whole thing, and pierced it in just the right spot. I absolutely recommend him to anyone wanting a quality piercing. Plus you can't beat the price. 10/10 Read Less

These people are dogshit. Refused to tattoo me because they saw no tattoos on me already, as if that makes sense. Also fucked up my tongue piercing and told me it was fine, but the doctor made me take it out immediately and said it was infected. THANKS GUYS! 👎👎 Read Less

I got my septum, tongue and lip piercings done here. I recommend The Tat Cave to everyone I know when they're looking for a piercing. Clean, quick, professional and affordable!!! I've paid $60+ for piercings that I've had to take out within weeks because of infection, but I got my piercings here a few months ago, I paid $20 for each (including jewelry) and they have given me no trouble at all. I love this place and will be coming here for any other piercing needs!!! Read Less

Got 2 industrials n gauges put in. The guy was great at explaining each step he was doing. Then he wud say to breathe when he was putting in the industrials. Great workers and a very friendly environment. Read Less

Did a walk-in for a Tuesday at 3ish-4ish and it wasn't busy. They took us in right away and asked us what we wanted done "piercing or tattoo". I got piercings and they are a reasonable price as my friend got a tattoo and it was also a reasonable price. The guy that took me was super nice and explained everything was going to be done as he does piercings. The overall first time visit was great! Read Less

I have been at The Tat Cave twice, well 3 times in the past week.  First time to get my nose pierced and second time to get a 3rd piercing in my ears.  The first time for my nose Jesus took care of me.  He was great. Very professional and pleasant.  Explained what he was doing and was done quickly.My second visit was for my 3rd ear piercing and Vinny took care of me.  He was awesome too.  My 3rd visit was today as I accidentally pulled off my nose piercing after my shower and could not put back in.  My nails were too long.  I just got dressed and ran back to the Tat Cave and thankfully for me, Jesus was there and took care of me and put it back in.   I tried leaving a review on FB but I think I may have been banned from their page as I was not able to even leave a comment.  I am not sure why.  But I still wanted to make sure I shared my experience because I believe in leaving reviews when satisfied with service as well as when not. Read Less

This is my second piercing i've had done here and they never disappoint! I got my tragus done a while back and it was completely fine. No complications and no pain. Most recently I got my septum pierced by jesus and he was GREAT! He walked me through the whole thing and made me feel as comfortable as possible. It was pain free and fast. My loyalty lies with them because they always do a wonderful job. Read Less

Got my first tattoo last night done by Chris. Everyone were totally cool and helpful, very clean environment, and very reasonable price wise. I'm definitely going to come back for more. Chris was a really nice guy and helped out a lot. Read Less

Came in for a tongue piercing on 3/9/17. The piercer. I believe his name was Jay. Was awesome! Took care of me after filling out some standard paperwork . Talked in a soft tone and made me feel like everything will be ok (I was nervous ). I've had my tongue pierced before about 8 years ago. He checked the area and told me he just might have to reopen it and not necessarily pierce it. That's exactly what happened he just passed a "taper" through and that was it . He told me I should be healed in a week and that's exactly how long it took. No pain, minor swelling . Overall good experience for $20 . Thanks! Ps: shop clean and used sterile equipment Read Less

I got my belly pierced at The Tat Cave about 4 years ago and my experience then was nothing short of excellent. Two weeks ago I got 2 more piercings and my experience was wonderful, yet again. During my last visit Jesus pierced me. He's a super dope guy, very professional. I've gotten other piercings elsewhere and the piercer never made me feel at ease like Jesus did. There is no other establishment I'd rather go to. My experiences here have always been great and the price is unbeatable. Hopefully one day I'll stop by and get a tattoo� Read Less

So I really like this place. I have gotten nearly 10+ piercings and all my tattoos done here. I stayed loyal a customer even when "the girl" piercer botched two piercings. Joe, Mike (before he moved on), now Vinny (watched him grow up in that shop) are staple guys. I've brought several friends with me who also are now repeat customers. However recently I brought a friend in because she wanted a belly ring. The new foreign, non Hispanic tattoo artist proceeded to speak in h...is language to his customer and repeatedly point to me and my friend and make disgruntled faces. Then after some time, the customer looked up to confirm I guess, laughed and then continued talking and pointing in our direction. Because I respect Joe and his establishment I told my friend that we were leaving. I didn't make a scene as I was so inclined as I actually value the services I have received there. Even with our normal crude humor and banter, I have never felt uncomfortable in the Cave. This was such a unsettling experience. See More Read Less

After talking with the receptionist at this shop and asking several questions and not getting a straight foward answer i told the receptionist thanks but no thanks .... Thats when the trouble started i began getting demeaning phone calls from them calling me an inbred and telling me to go fu*k myself if that wasnt bad enough 2 hours later they began calling again making threats saying they know where i live amongst other things definitely not recomending this place to anyone Read Less