Milwaukee's Daily Magazine Sunday, July 20, 2008
Today
Hi: 86
Lo: 68
Mon
Hi: 82
Lo: 63
Tue
Hi: 75
Lo: 60
Section Sponsor
Article Tools
Print this Article
Make text larger
In Marketplace
Milwaukee tattoo guide
Getting a tattoo: Pleasure, pain or both?  
By Molly Snyder Edler RSS Feed
OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer

E-mail author | Author bio
More articles by Molly Snyder Edler

Last updated Sept. 24, 2007 at 9:31 a.m.
Tags: tattoo, pierced, adambomb, harley, ink


Note: The contents of this guide were checked for accuracy when this article was updated on Sept. 24, 2007. We continually update the thousands of articles on OnMilwaukee.com, but it's possible some details, specials and offers may have changed. As always, we recommend you call first if you have specific questions for the businesses mentioned in the guide.

Check out the updated list of Milwaukee tat shops at the end of this article, but first, here's a spotlight on Adambomb, one of Brew City's finest tattoo shops.

A few years ago, Adam Werther moved his business, Adamabomb, from South Second Street to his current location, 2228 N. Martin Luther King Dr.

"I like the fact that I can go that way and see mansions and that way and see slums," says the MIAD graduate who lives above the business with his fiancee.

Werther often has between 15 and 20 clients a week. Two additional artists, Lane Turowski and Greg Larson, help him with the workload.

Although some believed tattoos would become a fad of the '90s, they have remained fashionable. "They're still really out there in the media," says Werther. "Turn on any basketball game and you're bound to see at least 20 tattoos."

Lower back tattoos (for women), tribal tattoos and armbands are among Werther's most requested designs. But his true satisfaction is in custom work, meaning tattoos that he draws himself, especially those that fall in the category of "realism." Recently, Werther inked a number of people and animal portraits that look almost exactly like the original photographs, including a remarkable image of a walleye fish under water.

"It's a great challenge to make something look realistic on the skin," he says.

For four years, Adambomb was located in Walker's Point and was a tattoo parlor as well as an art gallery. Since moving, Werther shed the gallery side of the business, but has mixed feeling about doing so.

"Sometimes I miss Gallery Nights," he says. "I miss the mini climaxes of people coming in all at once. I miss the excitement."

However, his new place is filled with memoirs from past Gallery Nights, including a mammoth painting of a red crock pot by local gal, Amy O'Neil. Werther also collects what he calls "old Milwaukee things" and has a vintage Pabst ad and a classic 76 sign mixed in with the art.

Despite his talent and motivation, Werther has no interest in moving to a larger city.

"I love Milwaukee. I think Milwaukee is really rad," he says. "The potential energy is still abundant here. You can still open up a new business and people are really excited about it."

Adambomb is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information about Adambomb, or to schedule an appointment for your next tattoo, call (414) 276-BOMB.

Other places to get a tattoo:

Absolute Tattooing
N89 W1687 Church St., Menomonee Falls
(262) 255-4884

Altered Evolution
7234 W. Greenfield Ave.
(414) 302-1777

American Tattoo Studio Ltd..
336 W. Main St., Waukesha
(262) 542-5622

Atomic Tattoos
1507 E. North Ave.
(414) 289-7777

5700 W. North Ave.
(414) 445-7777

Bay Street Tattoo
322 E. Bay St.
(414) 483-5000

Black Dragon Tattoo
321 W. Main St., Waukesha
(262) 521-1177

Black Heart Tattoo
10633 W. Oklahoma Ave.
(414) 545-0303

Body Ritual
1459 N. Farwell Ave.
(414) 273-3777

Color Bomb Tattoos
8030 N. 76th St.
(414) 371-2525

Cut Throat Tattoo
1415 E. Brady St.
(414) 347-2333

Gothic Body
1653 N. Farwell Ave.
(414) 223-4244

Ink Legendz
5919 W. Burnham St.
(414) 329-4212

Milwaukee Ink
331 W. National Ave.
(414) 383-0800

Milwaukee Underground Ink
2343 N. Murray Ave.
(414) 276-1955
By appointment only.

Monster's Ink

3924 S. 51st St.
(414) 545-6385

Sacred Skin Tattoo
9509 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis
(414) 259-9930

Starship Bodyworks
4380 S. 76th St.
(414) 321-1336

Skin Tattoo & Design
3843 N. Oakland Ave.
(414) 962-8750

Solid State Tattoo
2660 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
(414) 744-0778

Tattooed for Life
6327W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis
(414) 778-2008

Westside Tattoo
5626 N. 91st St.
(414) 831-7278

Wild Rose Tattoo
3178 S. 27th St.
(414) 649-8999

Zoe's Vicious Circle
122 W. Howard Ave.
(414) 727-6366



More Information ...
Related links:

Post a comment / write a review.