Barbershop To Introduce Hair Tattoos (And Other Tattoos) To North Loop
As the owner of Amadeuz, a growing barbershop that’s about to have five full-time stylists, Leonel Chavez stresses the importance of getting to know what his clients really want in a hairstyle.
“I feel like I never got the haircut that I wanted growing up,” Chavez said, “which is why I started doing haircuts on myself first and then other people. You need to have a thoughtful consultation so you can be on the same page before you start cutting.”
Now, he’s also looking to meet the needs of those with thinning hair–or no hair at all. He’s building out the lower level of his salon to start providing scalp micropigmentation, or hair tattoos, which create the illusion of fuller hair.
“What it does is create dot-like impressions of ink, like little hair follicles,” he said. “It can bring hairlines back and it can add density to people that don’t want to shave their head by just minimizing the contrast between the scalp and the hair.”
Chavez is a licensed tattoo artist and is planning to open a full-fledged tattoo parlor with other types of body art by next spring. But he will start with hair tattoos by this fall, and is setting up consultations now via his website.
Amadeuz opened last October in the Union Plaza building which is just off Washington Avenue behind Deja Vu.
“When I saw a place like this opening, I just had to have this location,” Chavez said. “I like that it’s a little more calm and secluded here, good parking. It’s so indicative of the North Loop neighborhood for people to want to support small businesses, local businesses. Everything just feels more artisanal.”
Chavez is also a musician, and when he has a break between haircuts you can sometimes find him playing a tune on the piano he placed near the entrance to his studio.
By Mike Binkley, North Loop volunteer