We won’t pretend breaking up with your ink is sensation-free, but we take your comfort seriously. At Shot Bar, we thoroughly numb the treatment area with medical-grade topical anesthetic before getting started and use cryotherapy to keep the skin cold during treatment. You may still feel some heat or a snapping sensation, but these comfort measures help make the process more manageable.
Consultation Required?
YES
Session Length
30 minutes to 1 hour
# of Sessions Needed
6-12
Results Duration
Weeks to Months
Who’s Tattoo Removal Good For?
The matching tattoo outlasted the relationship. The impulse ink no longer feels like you. Or you love your tattoos, but one just isn’t making the cut.
Tattoo removal at Shot Bar in Chicago is for anyone ready to fade unwanted ink, make room for a cover-up, or work toward fuller removal. Whether it’s an ex’s name, faded permanent makeup, or a design you’ve simply outgrown, you don’t need a dramatic backstory to want a change.
Your ink had its moment. You get to have your next one.
How Tattoo removal works
Let’s break up with that ink.
Laser energy targets the pigment in your tattoo, breaking it into smaller particles that your body gradually clears. With each session, the ink fades, giving you a cleaner canvas.
Whether you’re making room for a cover-up or working toward fuller removal, it’s a process. Your tattoo’s colors, depth, age, and location help determine your treatment plan.
Why We Love It
Noninvasive
The CO2Lift Pro treatment is a completely noninvasive oxygenation treatment, reviving skin with no downtime.
Healing
This treatment is anti-inflammatory, and it’s a great add-on to more invasive treatments or for healing post-surgery.
Intensive Hydration
No matter what skin type or concerns you have, CO2Lift Pro can increase hydration by 117%!
What to Expect
A little patience. A lot of possibility.
We’ll start with a consultation to assess your tattoo, talk through your goals, and create a personalized treatment plan. Sessions are typically quick, with a snapping sensation as the laser targets the ink.
Expect some redness, swelling, and tenderness afterward. Your skin needs time to heal between visits, so treatments are spaced several weeks apart. The number of sessions varies, and complete removal isn’t always possible.
Think gradual fade, not overnight erase.
What to Expect
The Process
Step 1
Consultation
As with any treatment at Shot Bar, we need to get to know you! We start with an complimentary in-person or remote consultation where you share your skin concerns and tell us about your health history and skin type. Then, we share our recommendations, come up with a treatment plan, and get you scheduled. This step makes you an official Hotshot! Text us as 872-273-6273 to get started.
Step 2
Treatment
Come to Shot Bar for your tattoo removal in Lincoln Park with clean skin, free of makeup, lotions, or other products on the treatment area. Your provider will review your goals, assess your tattoo, and make sure you’re comfortable before beginning your laser treatment. Afterward, we’ll protect the treated area as needed and review your aftercare instructions so you know exactly how to care for your skin between sessions.
Step 3
Aftercare
While you will receive very detailed aftercare instructions, we want you to have a little information ahead of time. Keep the treated area clean and protected, and follow the personalized aftercare instructions provided by Shot Bar. Avoid picking, scratching, or popping any blisters, and pause swimming, soaking, and activities that cause heavy sweating until cleared by your provider. Protect the area from sun exposure as it heals. Tattoo fading happens gradually, with sessions spaced apart to allow your skin to recover. Your provider will recommend a treatment schedule based on your tattoo and how your skin responds.
TATTOo Removal GALLERY
We Raise the Bar
Shot Bar can raise your expectations with our Tattoo Removal in Lincoln Park. Or try our virtual consultation and let us be your treatment matchmakers!
Trust Us, Gorgeous
Shot Bar is obsessed with making our patients feel like beauty superheroes. With over a decade of experience as a nurse, Lindsey Sikora, Shot Bar’s medical director, offers proven aesthetic and skincare treatments. Her need for a med spa that merged style, confidence, and medical knowledge inspired Shot Bar.
Here, we’re all about breaking away from the thinking that aesthetics and skincare go hand-in-hand with boring waiting rooms and meditation music. We mean business, and our treatments are about results.
Questions? We've Got The Answers
Your ink gets a personalized exit plan. The number of sessions depends on your tattoo’s size, colors, ink density, location, and how your skin responds. Fading a tattoo for a cover-up may take fewer visits than working toward fuller removal.
At your consultation, we’ll assess your tattoo and give you a realistic starting estimate, then adjust as we see how it fades. Complete removal isn’t always possible, but we’ll keep expectations honest from the start.
Yes, but not every color takes the hint equally. Black ink generally responds best, while colored inks can be more stubborn. The colors we can treat depend on the laser wavelengths used. White and flesh-toned inks are especially tricky and can sometimes darken with laser treatment.
At your Shot Bar consultation, we’ll assess your tattoo’s colors and discuss what we can realistically target, whether your goal is a cover-up or fuller removal.
